Wild for Wildlife

As our jeep traversed the rough and smooth terrain of Tadoba looking for the tiger which could have been hiding just behind any bush on the path and yet go undetected, I wondered at this feverish desire we have for sighting tigers, lions and leopards. As these thoughts persisted and I thought of penning it, I felt they were not new and searched through my archives. Right enough, I found this blog I had written exactly a year back: Tiger = Maya (https://meera-lastingimpressions.blogspot.com/2023/10/tiger-maya.html).

Desires breed desires and this passion for tiger sighting too hasn't died even after a year. But not just for me - after all, I go on these trips only once in a while. Even those who go often seem to find the lure unabating. The more good photographs they get, the more the desire to capture the moments. 

Escaping the Depression

The unrelenting rain

A party of 6 from Chennai was all set to leave for Tadoba in Maharashtra on October 16th, 2024, on a wildlife tour organized by Naturographers. But by Oct 9th, talks of a depression and heavy rains, bringing with it the dreaded floods that could paralyze the city, started floating again. On Oct 14th, the group decided to be prepared for the worst - but what was the worst we could expect and what should be our plan of action?

Sometimes, the best actions come most spontaneously. Oct 16th was supposed to see the landfall. Already on Oct 15th, many neighbourhoods were seeing severe flooding. Trains were running late. Should we wait and risk it?