After a four-hour-long safari, we returned to Chandrapur for lunch. The mercury had shot up to a temperature I had never experienced before. In desperate need of an air-conditioned restaurant, we skipped the small eateries around the forest area and headed for the town.
Some much-needed nourishment and a power nap over, we hit the Kolsa range in the evening. This time, the drive through the forest took us to the Tadoba Lake. A myth has it that highly thirsty members of a baraat going through the forest stopped at that place. Someone asked the groom to dig a hole at that spot, rightly surmising that there was underground water. As the groom dug up the ground, he was treated to a fresh water spring, which later formed the lake. The myth apart, this lake was indeed a beautiful sight to behold. It takes care of water supply to the few settlements that still exist inside the forests of Tadoba-Andhari. Roaming through the jungle, we went from waterhole to waterhole in search of the tiger, but returned with nothing more than pictures of an innumerable variety of birds. 
Hopes high once again, we ventured into the Mohorli range again the next day in search of the elusive one. Today our plan was different. We decided not to roam about too much. Instead, we parked our car at the main water reservoir and decided to wait for the tiger throughout the day. Mr Dhamankar, our safari guide and driver, took us to a small pond that was surrounded by dense vegetation. As we came close and parked our car in the tranquil surroundings, the first thing that we heard was the call of a barking deer, telling one and all that a tiger was in the vicinity. We sat still. The slightest movement in the bushes grabbed our attention. Not once, though, was it due to an approaching tiger. Three hours later, disappointed, we decided to head back. 
Two days spent in the scorching heat of the reserve and nary a single glimpse of the beautiful beast. No doubt, the Royal Bengal has become a rare sight. On our way back, I recalled having seen a hoarding at the entrance of the reserve, showing a palmist reading a 
tourist’s palm and saying, “Nobody can assure you a tiger and that is the fun of it.” Fun probably it wasn’t for us, who had come all the way from Pune, having driven almost a thousand kilometres on mostly unfriendly surfaces. However, lucky Mr Kakubhai Kothari, our fellow traveller and ace photographer, spotted one in the Mohorli range while we were roaming in its Kolsa counterpart. He generously gave us the pictures taken by him. Those pictures have added to my craving to visit Tadoba-Andhari and try my luck once again.
I will be out again in search of the tiger in its natural habitat. Ranthambor, here we come!
