When your wildest dreams come true on jungle safari
The tiger, along with its extended family of big cats, for reasons good or bad, has been an effortless newsmaker. No wonder the lesser mortals – poets, politicians, media, ecologists, lensmen – keep their heads up for this tail. Its ‘fearful symmetry’ hypnotised William Blake to volley out a string of questions in his poem ‘Tyger’ which stand famously unanswered, and I aver will remain so.
I clearly remember the serendipity of the tiger’s knock at my door when at work in college. Due to the pre-Diwali lull, the corridors of knowledge-seekers wore a deserted look. Idle at my desk, I thought of checking out on my daughter and niece who were on the last leg of their trip to Rajasthan. They were to head to Ranthambore from Jaipur by road and inveigled me to hop on the evening flight and join them. The empty seat in the taxi beckoned and I did exactly as tempted to do.
The Ranthambore platter, tourists will agree, is an offering of the uber wild, wild, history, natural history, quintessential local cuisine and culture. Very aptly, the resort we stayed in, screened a film on the legendry tigress of the national park, nicknamed Machli, in the evening. It evoked a fair amount of interest in the carnivore innocence of the regal beast. Such that we spent hours bent over our smart phones probing its natural instincts as captured by stellar wildlife filmmakers. At dinner, members of the staff hospitably doubled up as raconteurs, narrating personal encounters with tigers as/ when they sauntered out of the buffer zone. The tonality of voice betrayed the lordship of the tiger over their hearts, and not just the park.
Our first safari to Zone 10 on a Gypsy commenced early in the morning. Hats and sunglasses, we dressed with care for our special rendezvous. We were joined in the vehicle by a wildlife-enthusiast, tech couple from the capital. They shared the story of their bad luck with tiger spotting at other national parks. We kept our fingers crossed. Our veteran guide who was in constant touch with other drivers and rangers lined up in a queue of strategically parked Gypsies. Humans, for a change, waited in pin drop silence. Finally, the peacocks began screaming; the Jungle Wide Web was warning the oblivious prey of the advancing predators. Soon enough, they strode in like phantoms through the shrubby foliage – tigress Aishwarya followed by her two full-grown cubs – and disappeared in a flash.
Clearly, we hadn’t got enough of the tiger. The audacity of hope drew us to Zone 1 in an open canter the next morning. A beautiful bird, nicknamed ‘tiger’s tooth pick’ for the dental assistance it provides the flesh-eater, escorted us on and off on the truck. After two hours of driving through and watching docile fauna, we almost gave up on our mission. And there she was! Noori, the show-stopper, in the middle of the truck track. The mindblowing feline gave a complete performance on the catwalk. She dug out the earth, sniffed and sprayed on a tree marking her territory and strode straight towards the vehicle. She was just a leap away. Camera wielders took it as once in-a-lifetime ‘selfie-moment’. Hearts thumped with awe and fear. Lithely, she turned right and sat down in the grassland at some distance. Nearby, a group of deer calmly grazed without getting alarmed. Surprised, we questioned the guide. Her full-blown stomach showed that she had had her fill. Animals devour only when hungry.
In our world of consumerism, would the bold and beautiful Noori make the cut as a model? I doubt. Contentment would be her undoing.
THE MIND-BLOWING FELINE GAVE A COMPLETE PERFORMANCE ON THE CATWALK. SHE DUG OUT THE EARTH, SNIFFED AND SPRAYED ON A TREE MARKING HER TERRITORY AND STRODE STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE VEHICLE. SHE WAS JUST A LEAP AWAY.