• Birdwatching - National Parks - Sanctuaries - Tiger Reserve - Wildlife

    Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve: The Cradle of Mohan, the White Tiger

    If all the white tigers in the world today choose to visit their ancestoral house, all of them would have to pack their bags and head to Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve. It is said that Mohan, the white tiger who was found and rescued by the then Maharaja of Rewa in this forests in the 1950s, is the ancestor of all white tigers found in the world today. Not a small credit for this 1,600 sq km tiger reserve in central India, spread between Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. We had not heard of Sanjay Tiger Reserve (STR, also known as…

  • Birdwatching - National Parks - Sanctuaries - Tiger Reserve - Wildlife

    Bandhavgarh: Through the Dominions of Sita and Charger

    It was as if we were listening to the history of empires in the past—son killing/maiming father, then his son doing the same, and so on. With the apt background noise of an unexpected thunderstorm, Mandar (of Nature India) was talking to us about the history of current tigers in the Bandhavgarh forest, a bunch of us listening as eagerly as we were for the next day’s jungle safari. But our comparison of tigers with bloody empires is not right. These majestic kings of forests act not out of malice but by instinct. They don’t make cunning plans to satisfy…

  • Birdwatching - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries

    In the Land of Jungle Book – Kanha National Park

    (This article was originally published in Mid-Day Travel section) Wildlife safaris are always full of expectations, surprises, and disappointments. The feverish anticipation and wonderful surprises are what that makes these safaris special. Exploring Kanha National Park, the backdrop of Kiplingís Jungle Book, was no different. First of our five safaris in Kanha was in the evening. Unexpected rains in the afternoon, though offered a cool evening, dulled everyoneís expectations. But as it turned out, we had a few memorable sightings before we wound up for the day. It started with a jungle fox, a few minutes into the Kanha zone.…

  • Birdwatching - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries

    Where Mowgli Roamed – Pench National Park

    As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled Once, twice and again! And a doe leaped up and a doe leaped up From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup. – The Jungle Books, Rudyard Kipling Every morning, Mowgly and his friends perhaps would have woken up to this scene. We too were hoping for the same. The early morning drive from the Maharashtra side of Pench Tiger Reserve to the Madhya Pradesh side of Pench was filled with expectations. Never mind the rattling of the old Toyota Qualis and the chilly wind. We had to cover…