“The steel blue of the fern-fringed pool where the water rests a
little before cascading over rock and shingle to draw breath again in another
pool more beautiful than the one just left - the flash of the gaily colored
kingfisher as he breaks the surface of the water, shedding a shower of diamonds
from his wings as he rises with a chirp of delight, a silver minnow held firmly
in his vermilion bill - the belling of the sambhar and the clear tuneful call
of the chital apprising the jungle folk that the tiger, whose pugmarks show wet
on the sand where a few minutes before he crossed the river, is out in search
of his dinner”… Jim Corbet, Man-Eaters of Kumaon.
I think whenever I start sharing my experiences about wild then
this name i.e. Jim Corbet’s quotes comes to my rescue to give me a startup
push, just the way in my childhood the Fiat ( I beg pardon) popularly known as
Premier Padmini car used to make its engine start by a push! Indeed there have
been other great wild life writers but the way Corbet has explored Indian
jungles & penned them down; I haven’t found anybody to match him! It’s not
just tigers Corbet writes but he write with equal zest about trees, hills, springs,
birds & even the locals around the forests & that’s why it makes him a
true wild lifer. Those who recognize Corbet as “man eater’s hunter”, I pity
them as Corbet never loved shooting tigers by gun, it’s just to save some
human’s life, he said I killed those tigers; in reality the man was a living
jungle by himself! And no wonder when I started to pen down my recent trip from
the land of Sal i.e. none other than Kanha, once again its Corbet whose words I
started with! See the way he describes forest around a tiger, indeed tiger is
there but it’s just in last line, the entire paragraph tells us about the world
of tiger which we call habitat & every aspect of that habitat is equally
interesting as well important for the tiger! Had I not read Corbet in my
childhood, I wonder whether I have understood the beauty of jungle the way I do
now! And when its jungle nothing beats Kanha, keeping due respect to Tadoba
which is now pride of country’s tiger sightings, yet the ever green Sal has
fascinated me the day I first saw them . There is something magical about kanha’s
Sal forests, the road keeps on taking turns through the Sal trees walls on both
sides, suddenly there are huge meadows surrounded by hills. And it’s not just
tiger but the barsingas which are equally majestic, roaming on the canvas of
grass lands bordered by green walls of Sal trees. Whatever the season may be yet
the beauty is ever enchanting of kana forest & that’s why when it was gap
of two years it seemed like ages to visit here!
Of-late I wasn’t been in kanha in mid May which indeed is a good
season for tiger sightings yet even just to be within the Sal trees is most
exciting for me. As my Innova started towards kanha from Nagpur airport, the
first thing I noticed is the widening of the road. Its mammoth work which is
going on & it will cut the distance by two hours to kanha from Nagpur,
which sure is good news for the travelers to kanha. My only concern is the
entire patch goes through forest, right from Deolapar which is last Tahasil in
Maharashtra to Seoni i.e. first district in MP. Once up on a time this entire
land was forest acting like a corridor where tigers must be roaming right from
kanha to pench to tadoba, though our so called growth has now cut off this
corridor yet there is still lots of wild life left around the road. And knowing
our countrymen’s attitude for speed (when get a good patch of road) then all I
am worried about road kills on this road! By me the entire road passing through
the forest must be barricaded so as not to allow animals on road as there seems
to have arrangement of underpass at frequent intervals, yet in a country where
grown-up men cross the road from anywhere at their will & wish how can we
blame wild animals for doing same! And then there still is issue of safety of reptiles
as well smaller animals like jackals & porcupine, which can come through
such barriers.
And while I was travelling to kanha, suddenly the dry weather
becomes cloudy & black clouds started pouring all way along. This is the
last thing you want as a photographer though rains are most essential for any
forest yet the selfish photographer in me was upset with the weather, I must
admit! I really don’t know about weather effect on tiger sighting but the poor
light sure makes photography difficult & then entire wild animal’s body
clock moves on sun, so there must be some change with sudden darkness around is
what I feel. Though there have been sightings of the tiger in full rains yet
the upset photographer within was concerned. But fortunately in kanha, the sky
was still clear & it was humid hot outside the park.
My first safari was in Sarahi zone, for those who are not
familiar to kanha, there are four zones in core part of kanha forest, kisli,
kanha, mukki & sarahi. This has been made to avoid flow of tourists in one
zone as well it’s a huge forest & you can’t cover even one zone in single
safari. Then there is buffer zone too, which is in between the villages on
fringe & the core forest. As per my information the major tiger sighting
was going in kanha, kisli & mukki & I have got sarahi zone for first
ride. With so many outings in forest now I know one thing if you are going to
hit a jackpot then you hit it (read good sighting of tiger), despite any zone
or timing! Yet it’s always advisable to have information of the sightings as
well situation of water especially in summer as if there is no water in any
particular part of a forest its obvious that there will be no major animals in
that part! Sarhai as I have been told wasn’t having much water & tiger sightings
are not that common though forest of sarahi is much unexplored & if you see
a tiger in sarahi then its best chance that you get to see it for good length
of the time. So the safari started & here is what I came across &
posted in bits on FB, sharing the same to describe in words my exposure with a
male tiger…
Undisputed King!
First ride at kanha after a gap of two years & its mid May,
you are all geared up & though guide says Sarahi zone doesn’t have much
sighting yet when you get to see a tiger in sarahi you see it in best way;
& gypsy start rolling on hilly roads, you cross one up & a huge male
tiger is walking leisurely ahead, marking his territory! For a split second it
moves away from road & the gypsy goes past him giving you head shots, you
can’t believe your luck, its dhamangaon male aka yuvraj, a very less
photographed tiger, guide tells you, but you are engrossed in his massive yet
graceful strides even the way he sits!! The knaha trip has started with bang,
more to follow!..
-------
One more of the undisputed King!
To get head on snaps of a young male tiger right looking in your
eyes is a dream of every wild life photographer & I too am no exception to
it! And when the male is Yuvraj aka Dhamnagoan male from Kanha the joy gets
multiplied, I really wonder when a tiger looking at you head on in camera, what
he must be thinking about us, may be nothing, just a blank stare yet those
piercing eyes locks in yours, asking you, "what are you doing in my
way?"! At the same time important is your position as if you can position
your gypsy a bit lower side & at perfect distance to get eye level with the
tiger then that’s best, which happened here with me & the tiger is on walk
so you too have to keep in motion not to allow him too close to your gypsy, as
no point in cause of anger to such huge tiger :)
Generous Kanha!
Kanha has never sent me back without tiger sighting & indeed
kanha Sal’s has a lot more to offer than just tigers yet to see a tiger in
kanha is always a special experience! May be just like the water of Himalayas
tastes sweeter, so is sighting of tiger in kanha & this time the Dhamangaon
male aka Yuvaraj obliged me with probably every angle you can click a tiger,
really Sarahi zone rocks when it plays the tune! Here is one more pose or say
mood of him.
Sarahi Sighting!
There is something special when you get to see a tiger in sarahi
zone & sighting of yuvraj aka dhmangaon male confirmed it! Less numbers
of vehicle isn’t the only thing but as this zone is less explored &
tiger if comes on road gives you his full time, making you able to observe him
at length! Here in this sighting yuvraj gave us every possible pose & he
was least concerned about us, in his own mood! Here is one more from series...
Moods of the King!
One more from series of Yuvraj aka dhamnagoan male from Sarahi
zone, Kanha! Tiger is ever alert, those ears listens smallest of sound around
& those piercing eyes rarely miss anything! Tiered, panting due to May heat
& sitting in the shadow from a long walk which was in search of kill as
well territory marking, he seems relaxing but even the camera clicks he can
hear which were on like a machine -gun fire! This one I liked most.. as so calm
& in control he looked!. ------
Don't angry Me!
The yuvraj aka dhamngaon male series continues; when I first saw
him on road he was walking ahead obvious we were eager to get some head shots
& for that we needed to go past him which is not allowed by forest law
& it’s right as well the road was so narrow that with the size of tiger he
is its nearly impossible. So we waited patiently keeping our gypsy at safe
distance & watch him mark his territory on trees with jet of spray! He must
have walked long so with luck on our side he stopped at a clearing on way &
got down from the road, giving us space to go ahead of him & then again we
could keep looking at this majestic king which obliged us with every possible
pose. Here he is showing his canines as if he is angry at us but no, he was
just tiered with May sun & yawning :)
Size does matter!
Many a times with head on shots of a tiger you don’t get to know
his size yet if you go by likes on FB you will find every photographer dreams
for head on shot of tiger. But to know the real size as well identify the tiger
it’s important to get his side profile as it shows the lengths as well the
pattern of stripes. Here the yuvaraj aka dhamnagon male gave us his full massive
side profile while turning away from the road & he was empty stomach,
so imagine what he will look like with full meal in!
My Home!
Off late I have realizes to zoom in on a tiger & get his
solo snaps is ok but real pleasure & fun is in understanding its habitat,
the forest in which he moves the way we move in our home! The tiger is most at
ease in bamboos thickset as well woody terrain. I remember some ten years back
the kanha meadows i.e. grass lands were the best sighting place for tiger
but somehow recent sightings isn’t that frequent in meadows, may be kanha
tigers are no more fond of grass land, just joking! But tigers prefer shaded
areas with water body nearby where they can chill themselves out especially in
summers of central India! Here is one home shot of yuavraj aka dhamangaon male
where finely he is heading for water & possibly a kill around the water!
Well, as by now you must have got the essence, the very first
ride has hit the gold for me & again I am not saying it’s all about tiger
sighting, yet in a forest as big like kanha a male tiger sighting whose
territory can be nearly fifty to seventy sq kms, you get to see him at length
is indeed luck! As I have shared earlier also, every time I go to forest with a
wish list & to see a full grown male tiger & capture his moods was a
long pending agenda & I knew it’s not easy because as I mentioned to see a
male tiger in itself is something rare & then to be able to have his time
at length only except when sitting at water-hole, is very rare. As a male tiger
when not sleeping or relaxing in water is on constant move & to cover as
well protect his huge territory is a big job. This kanha trip made me able to
watch a young & huge male tiger’s behavior at close & needless to say
was a treat to that selfish, greedy photographer in me too!
And then two more things made this trip more memorable as that
way every moment I spend in forest I relive again & again yet some of them
are more precious! Sighting of sloth bear is one such as it has very erratic
nature & you never know where it will head next or what it will do. Those
who are veteran wild lifers only knows how rare & lucky one can be to get
opportunity to see sloth bear at leisure & in this kanha trip I got
that opportunity four times. Many a people found sloth bear sighting as a very
causal thing as they don’t know about the shyness as well it’s being endangered
species! Hardly three or four decades back sloth bear was a common sight in
most Indian forests even nearby hills of any town but as all other species
habitats got demolished by we the human this big animals also is finding hard
to get a home & result is now its existence remains mostly only in
protected forests. Though at night it’s been seen hanging around near villages
in buffers of the protected forests, rarely it gives opportunity to photograph
in day light. In my nearly twenty years of visiting to kanha just once I could
click a sloth bear in clear & this time I got to click it four times, now
you can imagine the luck! This is how I described the scene…
“It has rained heavily last night & the air was damp in the
morning as the earth was breathing steam due to absorbed rain water. The Sal
trees were silent with no breeze & gypsy started taking turns through the
silence around, the sun has yet to come up full & on the damp road ahead we
saw a black rock rolling, the guide whispered , "sir bhalu chal raha hai
aage"! In my many recent trips to kanha, I have never seen sloth bear in
clear & the excitement was more than seeing a tiger! Bears are very
unpredictable in behavior & that's why their sighting is always exiting!,
though I was eager to click him by side or front, yet the entire frame from
back with the bear amidst green wall was mesmerizing! And this trip I saw slot
bear in kanha for four times & very clear, another bonus by kanha! Sharing
first post of sloth bear…”
This time sloth bear also gave every possible pose to us except
standing. The best thing was to watch it drinking water as it sucks water &
don’t use tongue like most other animals to gulp it. As well it displayed the
way it digs the earth mounds for search of termite & making unpredictable
moves all the times!
I have taken a full day safari also in kanha as well in tadoba
this time. But let me share you it doesn’t necessarily guaranties tiger
sighting in full day safari as we could see just one tiger in full day at
tadoba but that doesn’t meant there are no tigers in tadoba, it means we were
just unlucky as well in hot summer of tadoba as well kanha, the noon times are
of no actions with every animal taking shelter in cooler places or shadows. In
kanha most of water holes (read, accessible by gypsy) are under open sky i.e.
providing no protection from harsh sun, so tiger avoids them only except very
thirsty, so waiting is the only thing you can do & for that it needs lots
of patience as well persistence to bare the heat! Though you may not be able to sight a tiger yet to get fourteen
hours strait inside forest & you can witness many moments which otherwise
you would have missed on the run for getting a glimpse of tiger! And these
moments not necessary be involving big animals as jungle is always live &
happening however silent & dead it may look on surface. On one such harsh hot May noon I saw
a jackal under a tree standing upright on a small mound & howling as there
was a tiger nearby where its puppies (don’t know what’s called to jackals’ new
born), it was so fascinating as I have never witnessed jackal’s alarm call
& the entire scene was like from a Disney animation movie! Or even you can
stop to see the dance in air the paradise fly catcher does. Trust me you will
forget everything watching this snow white long tailed bird in action &
then try observing its habitat & click him on the background of those green
bamboo leafs!
And then come the best part of full day safari as in summer real
action starts late noon i.e. after 4 pm. While we were geared up for some
sighting ahead, the weather was real hot & humid, the tigers were bound to
hit the water holes soon & suddenly the wind started howling not just
blowing, dark clouds covered the sun & tall Sal were started swaying on the
tune of the wind! Our driver said, “sir toofan aanewala hai” i.e. there seems a
storm coming & soon the wind was blowing at fearful speed, we hurried out
of Sal as to avoid any tree falling on us & stood in open patch of ground.
For next hour I realized what it must be for the forest guards as well labors
who get caught in open in such storm as sitting in an enclosed concrete home,
sipping tea & clicking snaps of heavy rains outside is easy but to face
that rains with thunderbolt of lightning crashing all around with trees falling
with nothing in between you & this wild nature, it’s a nightmare! But then
that too was an experience which I won’t forget & it has made me to respect
people working in forest more!
It’s funny the entire time in jungle as if you ask how was your
day in jungle, then most people can replay in two or three sentence, if they
haven't seen a tiger then the reply will be, ‘’Kuch dikha nahi yaar, bakwas hai
ye forest”. But if they have seen a tiger then they will go on & on,
telling how lucky they were & how cleverly they (not guide or driver)
located the tiger & followed him. That’s all, but in actual even one
ride in forest you can keep speaking or writing about but what is most
important for me is like we saw CD’s of some events & rejoice those
moments, when I am back in my concrete jungle I review those moments with Sals’
in my mind again & again. As I may be back in this so called modern world
of ours but I have left behind a piece of mine which is everywhere in the forest,
right at water hole to on the top of a Sal tree to got tagged with a termite
house, making me feel yes I too am forest by myself! I think it’s this feel which is why one should go to forest
& try to look rather live it by the words of Corbet as then only you
realize life is not just being successful but its understanding the meaning of
being successful & who better teacher than forest can be there for this
self understanding!
* plz do see some more kanha/tadoba moments
at link below
Sanjay Deshpande
Sanjeevani Dev.
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