Breathtaking moments at Jim Corbett National park

 When a person behaves in an  uncultured way , we say, "He is  behaving like a junglee". Today I asked myself, "What have I  learnt from the jungle?" 

A trip to the Jim Corbett national park, fulfilled my childhood dream to visit the place to relive the experience I had as a teenager while reading the books  "Man eaters of kumaon" and "Jungle lore".
We set out early in the morning, in the biting cold, expecting to see the majestic tiger in the jungle. Three hours of safari seemed to be in vain and we were very disappointed. For the evening safari, I decided to experience the jungle flora and the other fauna rather than anticipate a tiger encounter. 

A  life lesson awaited me in the jungle.

  As our safari was coming to a close, our guide( a naturalist) stood still for close to 30 minutes, looking for the tiger, listening to the alarm calls of the spotted deer. There was absolute silence as all our ears were tuned to the sounds of the jungle. From one jeep, they even saw a tiger cub. So it was confirmed that the mother was in the bushes. She was probably waiting to hunt. It is said that tigers are patient hunters, and can stalk their prey for thirty minutes or more. Our time was up and we had to leave the jungle.We could not spot the tiger. That does not matter anymore. Those moments of silence has brought an inner peace in me and the jungle beckons me for such moments everytime I seek from within.Yes. Our time was up and we had to leave.
When our time is up, we need to leave. Be it the park, be it life. So let's live the moments when we still have the time...

When our expectations are high, our awareness at the moment drops down to the minimum and we are really not there to appreciate what life offers us. But, when we drop all expectations and hold the wonder of a young child, we perceive the gifts that are unfolding right in front of our eyes.
When you stop expecting, what life offers you will far exceed your expectations and you experience true joy.
Thank you, mother nature, for being a valuable teacher.
  

The deers meet the tiger eye to eye...

The next day we set out, with dim expectations. As we were in the last leg of our safari, at the turn of the road, we saw a herd of ?? spotted deer looking up in one direction( picture

) . Their alarm calls indicated the presence of a predator nearby. Our guide pointed to a patch in the clearing, and we saw the majestic tigress walkby steadily. She turned to glance at the deer. I expected them to flee, but they didn't. Probably they knew the tiger was just passing by. The predator and the prey were looking at each other, eye to eye. It was a sight to behold.
A tiger hunts only when he/she is  hungry. What a contrast to humans. We eat even when we are not hungry, and invite life style diseases to ourselves. These jungle beings don't need doctors to cure their illnesses. They know their bodies better than humans.
The tigress, Luma, we later learnt, is a loner. She is hardly seen. She could be four years of age, with three cubs to feed. She looked weak.  The tiger fathers play no role in parenting. It's the mother and only the mother who cares and nurtures her cubs.  I empathized with Luma, praying that she is successful in her kill that night.  The odds are, one kill in twenty attempts.
I wonder why in  the human kingdom, we expect success in the  first attempt. Who sets these standards?

The mystery of the mystic morning.....

The next day, our excitement knew no bounds because, in the dhikala zone, the beauty of the grass lands, the Ramganga river and the tall sal trees are treat enough for the eyes and soul. As the Sun lifted it's veil of the morning mist , we noticed a majestic elephant walking towards our jeep. She stopped, glanced, and turned into the grasslands. A few more steps would have flattened us to the jungle floor. But she was too gentle for words. The moment seemed absolutely poetic in the stillness of the morning(picture). Far behind, we noticed a huge broken Sal tree, nicknamed Mota sal ( picture) who has stood the test of time, broken and bruised, yet standing strong. A testimony to many generations of tigers. The grasswali tigress, as she is called fondly, is often sighted with her cubs resting near the Mota sal. We could hear the alarm calls of spotted deer, but the tigress was not to be seen. One last try, we turned to the other side of the bridge where the tigress Paro and her three female cubs are often sighted. Just as we reached the place, we heard from the other jeep drivers that we had just missed the cubs in mock fight. Quiet with disappointment, we resolved to  stay there in silence, till our time was up . Through our binoculars, we saw the head of one of Paro's daughters in the grasslands. For close to thirty minutes, we kept waiting and waiting. She moved her head, she yawned, she stretched, but dint get up. Most of the jeeps turned back to leave. Slowly she stood up and walked towards the road. She came close to our jeep, and walked by, oblivious of the humans inside. Later I heard that Paro is known to be very comfortable with tourists around, and I guess that she has passed that to  her cubs through her genes. The young tigress then crossed over to the river and sat there watching a pair of yellow throated martins. To our surprise, she sprang at them and gave a chase. What a treat it was to watch her in action. That beauty and grace,  I have captured in my inward eye and it plays and replays in my head,  on and off ! Having missed her catch, she sat quietly for a while in the grass, and again walked past us to wade in the water. The super  model was literally doing an exclusive ramp walk for us( picture).Her soft luxurious hair and the  rich colour of her stripes is her pride. I wished I could cuddle her. I dare not, lest she be deemed a man-eater. How many tigers and leopards are killed in this name, God forbid.??) When we respect the laws of the jungle, these gentle beings reciprocate. We experienced that today. How lucky we were ......
And I remembered the lesson I had learnt on the first day in the jungle.
When you stop expecting, what life offers you will far exceed your expectations and you experience true joy.
Thank you, mother nature, for being a valuable teacher.