Shot through the heart with Arrowhead
Lets be honest, COVID has destroyed much of the fun that one is supposed to have before getting married, like going to Thailand for your bachelors. So Lala called me up and said park is opening from 1st October, lets have your bachelors there. This was exactly the kind of opportunity i waiting to hear and I jumped at that opportunity. 7 months since the lockdown began, in the middle of marriage preparations, I stepped out of Delhi for the first time with dire warnings of becoming infected and falling ill ringing in my ears. Thankfully, some of my friends were there so that it seemed like a bachelors - plus Lala had planned 4 safaris for us.
Co - Travelers - Ashutosh, Swati, Atul, Naveen
I think this time i won't give a blow by blow account of what all happened. I'll just talk about the highlights. I visited the iconic zones of Ranthambore, not the Zone 7-10 nonsense. Also, we had beginners luck on our side - It was Naveen Khatri's first safari (rather, series of safaris). This was one of first times i went with a quiet confidence that we "will" see tigers.
We meet 4 Bears
On our first safari there was a strong chill in the air and we were dressed for summers. But, i have become experienced - i knew morning safaris are cold, so i brought protection. We were in zone 5 that morning, a beautiful zone - lush green, diametrically opposite to the arid and scrubby zone 6. Enjoying the rare privilege of seeing this scenery, i entered a wistful mood of quiet contemplation. Thinking about things that we rarely think about - our place in the world, freedom and weird looking trees straight out of game of thrones.
My sojourn into the inner recesses of my mind was dramatically interrupted by the screaming of an animal. Standing behind a tree some 20 m away from us at 1 o clock was a bear cub, which had just seen us crest a slope. To say that he was loud would be an understatement, it seemed like that we had mortally injured it. The bear cub kept clinging onto the tree and screaming its lungs out and as we approached closer, he ran away to our right into the relative safety of the forest. Congratulating ourselves for having seen the cub, we crossed the tree and started to continue on our path when suddenly, we heard a rustle behind us.
Down came a second bear cub and by the time we could get out any camera, down came the mother as well. It happened in the blink of an eye and the only memento i have of this instance is a blurred photo with three black spots. 3 bears, who were apparently trying to bring down a beehive.
Unrivalled beauty.
Prior to this moment i have only seen 1 bear in the wild. Now its was 4, soon to be 5. Th 4th bear was a bit anti climactic. Moving along the beautiful trails of the zone, we saw our 4th bear of the morning - a big guy who was, coincidentally, also climbing a tree for honey. Who then saw us, turned around and went away, probably irritated by our presence.
Zone 6 is iconic
I have already stated my disdain for the zones on the other side of town, but zone 6 is, ironically, the place where i have seen the most tigers. This is where i saw Noor and now....the story first.
We went into Zone 6, our second safari, with intelligence in hand - Ladli and her cubs have made a home at the entrance to the zone, a huge iconic gate - with a barn owl that lives in its hollow. Long story short - we entered and she was not there. We tried multiple angles with the gypsy, even reaching a point that overlooked the gate. But sadly our best and safest bet came to naught. That niggling feeling of missing a tiger sighting (not fear of missing out, no it should be named DOMO - despair of missing out) started gnawing at my insides, my confidence evaporating. We spent a generally fruitless drive through the zone which had become quite attractive post the monsoon season. Driving back, beaten and almost defeated we started following a tractor out of the gate when suddenly Swati whispered, "wo raha tiger" Pointing to a thicket at 10'o clock. Naveen's luck came through and boy did it payout.
Allowing the tractor to leave, we plonked our gypsy right next to the boundary wall. The tiger, a sub adult of Ladli was chilling like a villain in a clearing about 30 mts from us. All my DOMO cleared, like mist in sunlight and we sat there basking in the radiance of this magnificent animal. To our surprise, another cub appeared walking a further 20 mts into the thicket. Seeing our 2 tigers, spending some time with them, my purpose was fulfilled. Satiated, we headed out.
The Legend of the Mongoose
This is a legend i have heard often, probably propagated by the drivers and guides to first time/one time visitors so that they don't lose hope and patience, because frankly speaking everyone who comes into a national park has an expectation to see a tiger in the wild. Despite being a lover of wildlife, it's a love of tigers that drives me to such lengths and expenses to go see them.
The legend is a fairly simple one - you see mongooses, you will see tigers. Our 2nd day first safari was in zone 2, a beautiful and breathtaking zone where History and nature intermingle beautifully. Eventually leading to a fantastic safari, but no tiger.
No tiger and 3 mongooses. So, this paid out too.
Machali's genes have been inherited
Our 4th Safari was in Zone 4, fresh off seeing 3 mongooses and with credible intelligence that one of the daughter's of Arrowhead was settled and comfortable there - we were on our way.
Now, Arrowhead's grandmother was Machali. The most famous tigress of India her story is in itself the stuff of legends and we can take a few moments to recount it here. Inheriting the name from her mother (and her mothers fish/gill like markings), she was the dominant cub of her litter who separated from her mother at 2 years old and captured the prime real estate of RTR. She was one of the biggest reasons why RTR regained its glory and its tiger numbers. But, her biggest claim to fame was when she fought and killed a 14 foot crocodile, losing 2 canines in the process (in the wild, this means death, though she didn't die) and she became the most photographed tigress in the world. Honored by the Rajasthan government for her contribution to tourism, a postage stamp was also released in her honor. She is also responsible for repopulating Sariska Tiger reserve. Her genes and her impact go beyond those of a normal tiger.
But probably her biggest impact is still felt at RTR. She gave birth to multiple litters during her prime but the one lineage that we must speak about is her last litter - Sundari, Baghani and Krishna (T - 17,18,19). While Sundari and Baghani found other destinies; Krishna, eventually, became the inheritor of Machali's will and gave birth to T-84/Arrowhead. Who in turn has given birth to 2 of the current darlings of RTR - Riddhi and Siddhi.
Machali's heir apparent
While Arrowhead is undoubtedly the queen of RTR, her daughters are now at an age when they are challenging her every few days for the control of the zone. They might or might not succeed, but their presence in Zone 4 was success for us.
We barreled straight to sookhi talai in Zone 4 and saw Riddhi sitting calmly in a pool cooling off after a meal. A bunch of gypsies were huddled around the pool and cameras were going wild. This manic energy calmed down after a bit of time, when folks had had a fill of their camera thirst. We chilled with her for a bit, Naveen Khatri positively gleeful at such a sighting. But, then she suddenly stood up, crossed a rough patch and entered a field of tall grass.
Our gypsy was off following her to her probable destination. We emerged at a scenic vista overlooking a lake, a small clearing between the dense tree and bush cover - probably getting the best view of the entire cohort of gypsies. We waited for a few moments and Riddhi emerged walking confidently towards what seemed like a log. She walked and settled in front of it at the edge of the lake.
Then the log moved.
It was a crocodile and upon closer inspection, there were 2 crocodiles sunning themselves on the bank of the lake with Riddhi sitting a couple of meters from them. She seemed to be in a playful and relaxed mood - rolling about in the grass, twitching her tail. Suddenly, she was alert, moving and within a moment she attacked one of crocs, chasing it almost into the water. A wave of excitement went through everyone in audience. Excited mutterings were to be heard from the guides "Machali se aayi hai na" one spoke. There was some unfathomable reason why she didn't chase away the second one, but that is for her to know and us to guess. After this brief flurry of activity, she relaxed again and promptly went to sleep in the shade of the only tree on the bank.
THIS was what an ideal sighting looks like in my head. Me, observing from an elevated position, an expansive and cover free vista, and a tiger which is completely at ease. The crocodile action was just the icing on the cake.
The Reigning Regent
We were the first or second gypsy in the zone and here i must mention the Lady guide who led us. Amazing, hands down one of the most knowledgeable and competent guides i have ever had the pleasure of doing a safari with. She combined intimate knowledge of the terrain and tiger behavior to give us one of the most phenomenal experiences ever.
10 mins into the park, she guided us towards a part of the zone that is usually inhabited by the reigning regent of the park - Arrowhead - Machali's true granddaughter.
We stopped and a sambar call went up - shortly and without any wastage of time the current Lady of the Lake showed up, gracing us with her regal presence. There was no fuss about her, slowly and unhurriedly she went about her business of marking her territory while everyone was struck dumbfounded by her beauty. Her demeanor and behavior was one of quiet confidence, unperturbed by the host of gypsies that were going mad with joy. This disregard for human presence, bold nature and overall kickass attitude is why she will be another beloved and legendary tigress in the mold of her grandmother. This is what made Machali who she was, Arrowhead has all of this and some more.
Net Net
While we only saw 4 tigers in 5 safari's ("Only" "Bhai, bhagwan se darr" - 4 is a lot of tigers) and while i thought nothing could trump my experience at Tadoba. This has become my most beloved safari experience, my bachelor experience, doing the thing i love the most. If only there were a rewarding career where one could watch tigers.
As is my nature i must repeat the immortal words of Jim Corbett - The tiger is a large hearted gentleman.
Truer words have not been spoken.
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