Landscapes Of The Mind
  • Home
  • Musings & Reflections
  • Glimpses Through The Lens
    • The Feathered Beauties
    • I Saw,I Clicked... >
      • Vishnupur
      • The Tantalizing Landscape Of Uttaranchal
      • Amidst The Sand Dunes Of Khuri
      • Chatris Of Shekawati
      • Havelis Of Shekawat
    • I Saw, I Clicked Part II >
      • Hosaholalu
      • Pristine Havelock
      • Pichavaram
      • Chidambaram
    • I Saw I Clicked Part III >
      • Yosemite
      • A Day At The Vatican Museum
      • Norcia
      • Moscow
    • Butterflies & Flowers
    • Close Encounters At Corbett
    • Bijapur & Beyond
    • Enchanting Athirapalli
    • Splendours of Seatlle
    • Monet's Garden
  • Glimpses Through The Lens: II
    • Poetry in stone >
      • Brihadeeswarar Koil
      • Gangaikondacholapuram
      • Dharasuram
      • Thanjavur Art Gallery
    • In The Land Of Enlightenment
    • Charming Chitrapu
    • Exploring Orissa >
      • Mesmerizing Mangalajodi
      • Bewitching Bhetnoi
      • Daksa Prajapati Temple
    • Birding Down Under >
      • Parrots Galore!
      • Lyrical Lyre Bird
      • Honey Eaters
      • Kingfishers, Wrens, Wagtails, Warblers...
      • Orioles, Golden Whistlers
      • Cockatoos, Kookaburras & Magpies
      • Pigeons, Doves
      • Birds Of Prey, Bower Birds
      • Water Birds & In Flight
      • Others
    • Murals of Pundarikapuram
  • Contact Me

Tryst With The Tiger

1/22/2017

36 Comments

 
Madhya Pradesh, the heartland of Indian subcontinent is often termed as the Tigerland and is home to approximately 20% of the tiger population of the world.  Engulfed in swathes of lush Sal, bamboo and tall grass interspersed with meadows, it is the epitome of Kipling country.

It was our first visit to Kanha, one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. During our stay we did safaris in all the four zones of the sanctuary. The morning safari lasts for four hours and the evening three hours. We drove through some of the most beautiful woodlands and meadows. As you venture deep inside, you feel how small and insignificant you are in the large, bewitching landscape. And to think that only 20% of the area is open to tourists!

During our first safari in the Mukki zone, we actively followed pug marks of a tiger and also heard the growls of the tiger cubs and spent several hours in tracking them, but in vain. To our great surprise and disappointment, there was an unseasonal rain on the second day of our stay and the morning safari through very dense mist, minimized the chances of any sighting of the tiger.

There is more to Kanha than the tigers…the array of bird life is truly bewitching. During our last safari in Mukki zone, we had some lovely sightings of birds.  As time progressed our hopes of seeing the striped king at Kanha kept getting dimmer.  However, to our great joy, a chance turn in the forest brought us face to face with a majestic male tiger. He walked out of the vegetation with a balletic grace, shoulders bunched and muscles rippling. His stripes blended perfectly with his surroundings. His colours seemed to ignite in the evening light like the burnt orange of the fallen leaves.

The forest staff who accompanied us whispered that it was T29, otherwise known as Chhota Munna, the offspring of the legendary big cat in Kanha, Munna.  To our delight, he started walking leisurely in front of us, occasionally stopping for a while to taste the mud and roll on the ground. He did everything that a tiger secure on his own territory would do…scratching, marking, spraying, sitting, rolling….everything! He slowly crossed the road, stopped in the middle and looked straight at me for a few minutes. No words, no photographs can describe the feeling I got when this tiger stared into my eyes. I lost myself in his enigmatic gaze. Those eyes..they still haunt me.

Having had a good look at me, he moved with a fluid grace through the well traversed paths of his territory, with subtle energy thrumming with every step.  He paused briefly to let out a soft growl at an annoying langur, chattering to warn others and continued with supreme confidence of the king of the jungle.

There is nothing as memorable as seeing the tiger roaming free in the wild.
Jorge Luis Borges described it more eloquently:

It wanders through its forest and its day
Printing a track along the muddy banks
Of sluggish streams whose names it does not know
(In its world there are no names or past
Or time to come, only the vivid now)
And makes its way across wild distances
Sniffing the braided labyrinth of smells
And in the wind picking the smell of dawn

In many ways it seems that much of Kanha remains unchanged since Kipling’s days (though Kipling himself never visited the place!). Sher Khan’s descendants rule the forest even today!

And of course, the glimpse of the Sher in his Garh will remain forever etched in our minds!

It was an extraordinary visual experience which I have tried to capture through the lens and glimpses are at:
goo.gl/photos/zTNYZssfSzbXaQVx9

36 Comments
Prathap Tharyan
1/22/2017 04:33:01 am

Really magnificent animal. Fabulous snaps.

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 04:37:28 am

Thanks Prathap

Reply
RAVINDRA MUNOLI
1/22/2017 04:43:34 am

Beautiful Sir, both pics and write-up. You took us with you in the wild.

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 04:52:56 am

Thanks Ravi

Reply
Prof Suresh Bada Math
1/22/2017 05:05:10 am

Excellent post .... Majestically captured the beast both in lens and also in words. Awesome .... Sir

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 05:13:38 am

Thanks Suresh!

Reply
Koshy Varghese
1/22/2017 05:28:49 am

Amazing

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 05:33:06 am

Thanks Koshy!

Reply
Abhay
1/22/2017 05:31:22 am

Amazing pics Sir.You literally took us there.

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 05:33:32 am

Thanks Abhay!

Reply
Malathi Swaminathan
1/22/2017 05:35:55 am

ABSOLUTELY Stunning, Sir!! Salute to T29, what majesty!! Beauty of it all we see through our eyes, words and of course the camera!Your descriptions capture the "feel" too well. A 100 thanks.

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 06:03:28 am

Thanks Malathi!

Reply
Naveen
1/22/2017 09:53:59 am

Awesome Sir,

We missed Kanha this time around.. due to improper planning.. some time in the future, we will cover this spot..

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 06:10:27 pm

You must Naveen! A bike trip?!

Reply
Saranya
1/22/2017 10:04:01 am

Enjoying Chotta Munna through your lens and words....

Reply
Ragu
1/22/2017 06:11:49 pm

I believe Chota Munna is already involved in territorial fight, establishing himself as the dominant male in the territory!

Reply
Radhika
1/23/2017 12:16:51 am

Beautiful sir!

Reply
Ragu
1/23/2017 10:04:12 am

Thanks Radhika!

Reply
Muralidharan Kesavan
1/23/2017 03:41:33 am

Dear Sir

thanks for sharing these wonderful pics and the write up..I am sure even the tiger was intimidated by you!!

warm regards, Murali

Reply
Ragu
1/23/2017 10:05:22 am

I was on my morning rounds Murali...checking on things:-)

Reply
Sethu
1/23/2017 07:02:27 am

Ragu,absolutely stunning,awesome snaps!!!
I can imagine how you must have felt in "Chota munna's" presence!!

Reply
Ragu
1/23/2017 10:06:52 am

Thanks Sethu. We were wondering as to how his father Munna would have been!

Reply
Chithra
1/23/2017 07:07:27 am

Not just Borges,you have described the jungle of Madhya Pradesh and its sights so well. And to think that the tiger looked at you! Now that is truly special! I can imagine how thrilling it must have been. I would be speechless,still haven't seen the tiger myself.

Reply
Ragu
1/23/2017 10:09:03 am

Though I have seen them before,it's a sublime experience to see them in their habitat...which unfortunately, we as humans are busy degrading:-(

Reply
Ravi Shankar Rao
1/23/2017 08:46:37 am

' Tyger, Tyger burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry'
William Blake's tribute to this majestic animal.
Lovely photographs Ragu.

Reply
Ragu
1/23/2017 10:10:21 am

It was indeed truly majestic as we spent quite a bit of time watching it as it felt at home in its territory

Reply
Dr Venkat Iyer
1/24/2017 09:33:50 pm

It was indeed a Worth to watch it Ragu Ram Sir.

Dr Venkat Iyer
1/24/2017 09:32:08 pm

True

Reply
Ragu
1/27/2017 10:21:08 am

Thanks Venkat!

Reply
Mohan Raj link
1/25/2017 01:14:38 am

Wonderful pictures!
Kudos to your patience, waiting for the tiger to get up and look at your side.

Reply
Ragu
1/27/2017 10:21:52 am

Worth waiting for Mohan!

Reply
Soudhamini
1/25/2017 02:41:21 am

The photographs are stunning, sir! The eye-to-eye moment with the tiger sounds remarkable! Thank you for sharing.

Reply
Ragu
1/27/2017 10:22:57 am

I never expected that moment and it was indescribable!

Reply
Pankaj Lad link
1/25/2017 07:07:08 pm

Fantastic write-up about the experience. It created a live view of the entire incidence. We saw themajestic and massive Munna once dozing off next to a waterhole. A person who visits Kanha once gets addicted to it and the landscape and the experience keeps calling one back time and again.

Reply
Ragu
1/27/2017 10:23:52 am

Absolutely true Pankaj. There's much more to Kanha than the tiger!

Reply
Paavannan
1/28/2017 09:58:13 pm

It is really interesting to read your recent experience in the forest of Madhyaparadesh. To have a chance to see the animal in its own habitat is really a best opportunity in the life. Observing the eyes of tiger from close vicinity is something great. I can call it as one of great poetic moment. I feel very happy to note that you had such great moments in life. Photos also are very nice. Great.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Dr Raguram

    Someone who keeps exploring beyond the boundaries of everyday life to savor and share those unforgettable moments....

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    May 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly