Page 19 - Seniors Today -Volume no1

the wild. There is something about being in
the expanse and enormity of the wilderness
that puts things in perspective. I was lucky to
experience my love of nature with two of the
most important people in my life: my father
and my husband.

My journeys began rather young: my father
was forever bitten by the travel bug. When
the courts shut, it was vacation time! And Tigers cooling off in Ranthambore
vacation meant travel, and travel meant
wildlife sanctuaries. Back then, words like
“wildlife” and “sanctuary” were meaningless.
All I knew was that the wilderness was
vast and deep – far more beautiful than any
playground the city had to offer – and it
awoke in my young heart a thirst that has not
yet been quenched.
It was only years later, during my travels
with my husband, that I slowly began to
understand the nature of my yearning. Being
in the expanse and enormity of the wild put
things in perspective.

Since then I became a regular traveller to
the African wild and the Indian natural
reserves. In Africa’s vast expanse, I learnt
to appreciate how small we are, how
insignificant most of our daily tribulations.
I learnt how Mother Nature meted out her
choicest gifts – even the smallest animals
were provided with some form of camouflage
for survival; the largest were prey to disease
and death.
In India, my favourite forests to visit are
the tiger reserves of Pench, Ranthambore, An owl in Ranthambore
Kanha and Tadoba. Here began the next big
relationship in my life – with the majestic tiger.
It was during one of our earlier expeditions
to Kanha, when, after a rather disappointing
day, I caught my first glimpse of that elusive
animal: stealthy, striped, orange, black.
Slowly, she emerged from between the bushes,
into a clearing. Her eyes, yellow and black,
penetrated deep into my soul. It was for but a
brief second – it felt like eternity!
When you become a regular visitor, the tigers
become family. You follow their lives, with
almost the same joy and concern, that you do

SENIORS TODAY | Volume 1 | Issue 1