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Young World
When I saw a tiger!
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The tiger walked towards the forest. And then, it paused in front of the jeep...
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I have faint memories of seeing a tiger in the wild for the first time when I was 10 years old. So blurred are those visions, that I almost feel that I have constructed that reality for myself. As a result whenever I was asked about it, I could never give a straight answer.
But things have changed now. After years of witnessing protected tiger habitats, on elephant back, it finally happened. Or it almost didn't if a senior colleague had not insisted on taking the route through the forests of Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
I had given up this time around too, till we saw the jeep parked right ahead. We stopped to witness what was going to be one of most stunning seven minutes of our lives.
Majestic
There was a tiger to our right. He moved slowly towards the forest, to cross over. He faced the jeep. There was a stillness in the air and I could hear my heart beat. With each second, I felt I connected better with the cat.
The tiger moved with cool demeanor; marking territory, smelling trees in case it had been already taken by another! The tiger does this to set his boundary and to attract a mate. It is a unique form of communication.
Today, we know that the tiger is dying and there aren't too many left in our jungles. Those that are there, are being hunted, poached or forced to flee when their habitats are taken over for dams, mines and industries. The health of the tiger is directly related to the health of the forests; which several communities are deeply dependent on.
Several cameras around me clicked; I kept mine away. No picture can capture one's first real run in with the wild cat. I have come back with several portraits stashed away in my soul; and the desire for more so that the recollections get hazy again.
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