On the tiger trail

Tiger, Tiger burning bright, in the forests of the night8217;8217; said, the colonel quoting Blake, as he strode into the breakfast room a...

Tiger, Tiger burning bright, in the forests of the night8217;8217; said, the colonel quoting Blake, as he strode into the breakfast room at Savaimadhavpur Lodge purposefully.

8216;8216;Did you see any tigers?8217;8217; asked Chottu breathlessly.

The colonel who had just begun to attack a plate of fried eggs and bacon looked up from his plate a little reluctantly, and said, 8216;8216;When you have been in the forest as often as I have, you will stop worrying about whether you have seen any tigers or not.8217;8217;

8216;8216;But did you see any tigers today?8217;8217; persisted Chottu who was not going to settle for an evasive reply and had made up his mind to quiz the colonel as often as was required hoping to get to the bottom of this tiger business. The colonel looked very impressive to him in his khakhi attire, khakhi bush shirt baggy khakhi shorts as also khakhi sola topi. He looked extremely knowledgeable and Chottu wasn8217;t going to be fobbed of so easily.

8216;8216;Young man, there are three phases one goes through at Ranthambore. First, you are so keen to see the tiger that as you go over mile after mile of dusty road you notice nothing of the beautiful forest, the wonderful dhok trees, the lovely lakes, the various animals, you are just concerned with seeking the tiger even though the leopard is rarer, the neelgai more beautiful. The disappointment is acute when with every passing mile you still don8217;t see the tiger. You start doubting the wisdom of coming to the sanctuary and spending all this time looking for tigers. After a while there is a feeling of passing time and missed opportunity. You know that there are tigers nearby. You can feel the presence of tigers nearby but you cannot see any and with every passing mile your frustration mounts.

8216;8216;But did you see any tigers today?8221; asked Chottu. 8216;8216;We saw the tail of a tiger in the forest yesterday8217;8217;.

8216;8216;The second stage is when you actually see the tiger. By this time you have been expecting so much that while you are enthralled at seeing the tiger it is more a sense of relief. Whoosh so you8217;ve seen a tiger at last. That is the feeling. The impact only hits you later. You suddenly see tigers everywhere. A cheetal bolts in the undergrowth and you think you8217;ve sighted a tiger. A sambar stirs in the bush and you think you8217;ve seen a tiger. You are on your toes now. Your nerves are a jangle. You are ultra sensitive to every sound around you. Every gust of wind, every flutter of the leaves. The tiger completely possess you now.

8216;8216;You just see lots of cheetal and sambar in the forest, hardly any tigers8217;8217; said Chottu. The colonel continued.8216;8216;After a while your heart stops racing. Your breathing returns to normal. Your sense of betrayal slowly vanishes. And then you start enjoying the forest for what it is. You notice the snake eagle perched menacingly on the tree. You see the painted stork take off from the lake, a little uncertain at first, then growing in strength and height. You see the jagged U on the chest of the neelgai. You enjoy the scents wafting through the air. You start to notice the interplay of shade and sun in the forest. That is really what the forest is all about. And then you are really at peace. You are happy if you see a tiger. You are happy if you don8217;t. You start noticing the season and wondering how the forest must change with the seasons. You realise that the chance of seeing the animals goes up a great deal in the summer as many of the water holes vanish. On the other hand, it is hot as hell and you will be, pouring sweat. So you are truly happy to be in the forest today and enjoy every moment without any expectations8217;8217;.

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8216;8216;But I want to see the tiger. I have come all the way from Bombay. Preferably a tigress with her cubs. Or a tiger making a kill8217;8217;.

8216;8216;Did you see any tigers this time;8217;8217; said Chottu.

Not today but I did see sambar with velvet on its antlers. Believe me they were beautiful8217;8217; said the colonel.