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Rendezvous with the Maharaja of Bandhavgarh National Park
(Tiger Safari in Bandhavgarh - A Personal Experience)
My
first visit to a national park, surprisingly, turned out to be quite an exciting
adventure. I visited the BNP in the month of June along with my colleagues from
Cox & Kings. The fear of the wild is naturally instinctive but after the
first experience, you learn to appreciate the wilderness and its habitat. If
you are lucky, you can witness the visual drama played day after day and understand
the psyche of the inhabitants of the jungle.
I have always been an animal lover and have naturally been attracted to them
since childhood. I was used to having pets (dogs) at home so you can well imagine
my plight when I encountered the king of the jungle for the very first time.
I could never understand human’s obsession with the TIGER, I believed it
was overrated until I met him for the first time. My instant reaction was fear
followed by fascination, delight, excitement…I was in awe of this beautiful
creature and never wanted this special moment to end.
Survival of the fittest was a term I studied in school and never paid too much
attention to until my visit to the BNP where I bumped into the most awesome
creature in the world – the Tiger. I was fortunate to be accompanied by
Sharad Vats, who is a wildlife enthusiast (obsessed with the tiger and understandably
so), an excellent photographer and a regular at the BNP for the last 9 years.
Sharad shared his wild experiences with us which made us more aware of a world
beyond us which was natural and magnificent. The hunger of the predator leading
to the chase of his prey and finally the kill made me dislike the Tiger and
empathise with his prey but on learning more about the workings of the jungle,
I was able to relate to the term ‘survival of the fittest’ and my
fascination with the Tiger was revived.
I
was amazed to know that all the Tigers at this enthralling park have names.
It’s kind of partial as the other animals do not. My first encounter was
with Sidh Baba, a tigress and her five month old 2 cubs. On my second (most
exciting) game drive, I was fortunate to meet BOKA – the most powerful
beast in the jungle (and very scary too). Boka was accompanied by his better
half ‘Jhur Jhuri’ and two cubs (12 months old) and the family reunion
was a rare sight, to be cherished forever. I was lucky to spot 3 more Tigers
when I decided (against all my wishes) to go on elephant back into the jungle
chasing the elusive Tiger.
Well, besides this majestic creature, I also spotted Deer, Wild Boar (with four
adorable piglets), Jackal, Elephants, Butterflies, Sambar, Peacocks, Langur,
Monkeys and a variety of birds. Not to be forgotten is the dramatic landscape
with varying vegetation and terrain.
My first experience is definitely not my last as I am finally hooked to the
“King of the Jungle” (clichéd but justifiably so). I would
like to thank Sharad for being the best escort ever and for making my visit
a memorable one. Thank you so much and I will be back very soon!! -- Shalini
Seth
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Meeting the Chief Wildlife Warden