There it was. A massive male, king of its domain. Walking towards us. Fearless large round eyes, the colour of fire. Closer now and it looked even bigger. One knock from this majestic beast could mean death, yet it saunters past nonchalantly as if saying ‘majesty couldn’t care less’, much to my relief. This is the Ranthambore tiger for you!
Content, but still a bit jolted by the experience we headed back to our cottage at the Taj Vivanta for some good food and well deserved rest.
It’s 5.40 am, the alarm rings and in no time we are back on the road in the comfort of the Fortuner. The good people of Vivanta had packed some sandwiches, which came in useful both as our breakfast and lunch as we stopped for neither. By late afternoon we were out of Rajasthan and in the evening entered Gujarat. We had dinner at a noisy restaurant on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, which served unbelievably spicy food, and spent the night at a quieter hotel nearby. Next morning we again started early so that we could reach our homes and tell our dear ones the tale of the tiger hunt. We reached Thane around lunch and had lip smacking Parsi food. Sleepy after the heavy meal we crawled into Mumbai around 4.00 pm where we bid good-bye to Uncle Ronnie and headed straight for Pune.
We reached Pune about 7.00 pm, but there wasn’t an ounce of fatigue. This is the effect of seeing a tiger eye-to-eye, a rare experience never to be forgotten, probably never to be lived again.
Story: Sarmad Kadiri
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
CAPTIONS:
1. Sambar deer take a cool dip in the shallow waters of Padam Talao, where the famous “lake hunters” (tigers) of Ranthambore operate.
2. Driving directions:
We crossed three of the most magnificent states of India to reach Ranthambore. Here’s how we mapped our driving route:
Pune – Thane – Vapi – Surat – Ahmedabad – Udaipur – Kota – Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambore)3.Raj Bagh Palace ruins on the edge of the lake reflect the glorious past and still make an astounding spectacle
4.The camera’s shutter noise grabs the attention of the spotted deer…
5….and the deer grab the attention of this tiger
6.A ride in the colourful camel-cart offered at the Taj Vivanta, brightens up the lazy afternoons
