The Elusive Tiger

Yes I am finally back, arrived the day before but was so tired that could not write anything. Almost 2000 Kms by car during those 10 days and poor road conditions left every muscle and bone in pain. Nevertheless driving is my most preferred mode of travel. So I always drive down to Delhi, takes 8-9 hours, its bit tiring and boring to be driving that long alone but then I can have my car to move around once I am there.

On the second night in Delhi, one of my uncle’s landed up and he said I am going to Jim Corbett Park tomorrow morning if u want u can come with us. Now this is something I had been wanting to do for a long time but it just did not happen so now I just could not let this chance go.

Next day 8 AM we where on the way, the park is about 315 Kms from Delhi, one of the oldest and best kept parks. Not too many species of animals there, elephants, deer’s and yes tigers. Everyone who goes there has just one aim, to see the tiger in the wild. This is the place where the recently released movie ‘Kaal’ was shot. Late afternoon we are there, dense forest, with patches of open grasslands and hills and yes the river I found the surrounding so beautiful and fresh, the sky so blue, the water so clean just fell in love with the place. No wonder my uncle’s frnd who came along with us has been there 15 times. The accommodation was nice and comfortable, though a lil scary right into the heart of the forest, but they have a electric fence all around to keep the animals away. And it was like being cut off frm the rest of the world with no cell phones working, no TV or radio permitted but for a change its good.

Day two we went out in the forest twice, in the morning and then again in the evening, yes the mission was to find the tiger, all we got to see was deers and more deers. Some how the forest appeared so calm that it seemed that there are no tigers around. But some one had spotted one, they have a board where people write down if they saw one. And you want to meet the lucky ones, how …where, you just wish that you were there too, seeing them in the Zoo’s is one thing and tracking one down in the wild is just another experience.

Day three, got up at 5 AM, this time around we took an elephant to go deep in areas where the jeeps cannot go, may be this time we would have better luck. All we got to see where some carcasses of deer devoured by tigers sometimes back, yes we did see the pug marks near the river, but tiger noo where. However we did manage to get within 50 mts of wild elephants heard before the dashed off. Had a quick breakfast and we were back in the forest this time with jeep, it was getting a bit frustrating by now. We tried to cajole the tiger, playing hindi song on the cell….ek baar aa ja ..(come one time) and then those insulting dialogues ..ma ka dood piya hai to bhar nikal….(if u have had ur mother’s milk come out ..lol)……kya sab ne chudiyan pahein li hain (have u all started wearing bangles)..but nothing worked. Finally we headed back, the driver going a lil fast, as we came on the straight, on those winding roads suddenly found this huge elephant hardly 20 mts away, crossing the road, as the jeep screeched to a halt it turned towards us. Shit ..back off …angry males can be so dangerous but thankfully this one after a brief pause continued on its way. But it was scary, what we had been a lil faster we would have ended up being right next to it. Another excursion in the evening too drew a blank.

Last day again we got up early and took a final tour of forest, in an open jeep, standing on top it was so uncomfortable, too cold and I had nothing to keep me warm. Our last hope, in fact half the group refused to come, we are too sleepy. However, today somehow the forest seemed a bit different, suddenly the forest guard Babban said he heard a Sambhar ‘call’. Animals have a peculiar way of warning there gang when the tiger is around. First time we had heard that call. There was so much excitement, we waited there for 30 mins….nothing…….we decided to move to another place….just then we saw another jeep…the guide waived us over….he said he had seen a tiger who disappeared in the tall grass, we kept waiting there for about an hour, was it a hoax, then suddenly the deer grazing there look anxious, there tail up, one of them barked….surely its there….but another hour passed nothing happened…..it was time to head back……disappointment writ large on everyone’s face…Babban’s prayers too did not help…..atleast I had some nice pictures which I cud take back….we drove towards our guest house…..Babban whispered..i have heard a monkey call….behind us…lets turn back….a few deer frightened came out from the bushes…we turned back and had barely gone a few yards….suddenly it was there..right in the middle of the road just 40-50 yards from us….the most majestic beast of all….and then it vanished in the bushes on the other side….will never forget that moment…its so hard to put in words how I felt at that time…..mission accomplished…….