THE JOURNEY OF WILDLIFE WHISPERER (PART 1 – The Beginning)

THE JOURNEY OF WILDLIFE WHISPERER

(PART 1 – The Beginning)

My tryst with wildlife started in March 2008, when I accidentally wandered off to Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh – central India), as a part of an itinerary curated for a friend who was visiting India for the first time. We went to Agra, Khajuraho and Bandhavgarh – logic of the itinerary being to introduce him to different beautiful aspects of India – one of the wonders of the world, an ancient heritage site and a jungle. In our 1^st safari itself, before I saw the tiger, I heard it roar, a happy roar of a full tummy as it descended a hill. We were 3 people in the gypsy, one felt super scared, one entertained and one ecstatic. No prizes for guessing which one of these was me.

Back then I did not have a DSLR. I was still shooting with a point and shoot, and the 1^st picture that I clicked of the tiger was a blur, as it was moving while we exited the gate. The thrill stayed with me and inspired me to buy my 1^st DSLR camera – Nikon D80 with an 18-135 mm lens in April 2008.

I have always liked to click pictures as they tell a story and capture memories to last a lifetime, of places visited, people met, fleeting joys and sorrows, of life’s journeys as we traverse the unknown. Since my work entailed travel, and I love travel in general, over the years I took a number of pictures from around the world, pictures of heritage sites, buildings, festivals, and special occasions.

In February 2011 I again got a chance to visit a jungle. This time Ranthambore National Park (Rajasthan – western India). This trip was with a group, and on this trip when I first locked eyes with a tigress, through my viewfinder, is perhaps the moment I fell in love with this apex predator. The thrill of seeing a tigress walk towards you, with grace and sheer power, is not something that one can forget easily. And thus, started my love affair with the wild.

Post Ranthambore, since I was fascinated by tigers, but could not physically go near a tiger and take a picture with them I was enticed by Kanchanaburi Tiger Temple in Thailand. It was known as a sanctuary for tigers that Buddhist monks looked after and I had seen a lot of pictures of people with tigers. Needless to say, I was curious to know how this wild species could be tamed. Same month I was to be in Bangkok for another commitment, so I took a day off to visit the temple. And what a horrendous place it was. I came back with real trauma. Because the beautiful species that I admired for their grace and power and had fallen in love with a couple of days ago, I now saw in chains, with blood oozing out. The ones that were outside had such sorrow on their faces that my heart shattered into pieces[1]. And as soon as I returned to India, I visited Ranthambore again, saw the tiger in the wild, and reaffirmed my faith that wild animals rightfully belong in jungles.

In May 2011 I moved to Delhi from Mumbai (my home state) and that was Step 1 of my wildlife journey. Delhi was closely connected with a number of jungles, so I was at the right place. However, going on safaris was expensive by yourself, and groups that travelled were usually exclusively of men photographers, or all women groups who were more interested in the cultural part of wildlife tourism. I tried to join smaller group trips, but nothing worked out. So I parked myself at Hotel Vinayak, Ranthambore when I was traveling by myself; and coaxed and cajoled my sister into joining in trips to Tadoba, Sariska and Ranthambore. With every trip my love for wildlife kept increasing, but the lack of travel partners was a major deterrent for regular travel. However, I continued to plod alone.

Such was my madness that in July 2015, keen to witness the wildebeest migration, the 8^th wonder of the world, I went to the Masai Mara all by myself, hired a 4x4 for 6 days, and explored the length and breadth of Mara, Nakuru and other places. It was in Mara that I captured one of my best wildlife action shots to date. It took this leopard 1.5 hrs, and 3 location changes, before he actually went for the kill. Hope you have noticed the leopard in the picture by now J

On my return from Mara, through online platforms and conversations, I discovered a unique website named TheSafarist[2] in November 2015, a start-up floated by two youngsters, devised as a cost sharing trip organiser for interested wildlife travellers. This was clearly Step 2 of my wildlife journey. I did my 1^st cost-sharing trip with an interesting motley group of people in January 2016, and have never looked back since then. In 2016 itself, through TheSafarist, I visit Satpuda, Kanha, Serengeti, Kabini, Ranthambore, Jhalana. All new forests for me, all brilliant in their own regard. The platform not only helped me to break barriers and go to new places, but brought new friends in my life who continue to be great travel partners and some very close buddies. But most importantly the trips and different groups help me both improve my photography and learn nuances of wildlife and photography both.

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[1] In 2016, 147 tigers were seized in a government raid of the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, following allegations of animal abuse and breeding for illegal trade in tiger parts

[2] https://thesafarist.com/