The song that summoned a Tiger

Ranthambore is a renowned Tiger reserve located in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. It abounds in rich fauna like Bengal tigers, chital and sambar deer, wild boar, peacock and many other bird species. Last year, my wife and I travelled to Ranthambore with our daughter and son-in-law, from Gurugam, and reached after an almost six hour drive. The roads were good and the weather was pleasant. We reached and settled in the hotel in sylvan surroundings and opted to go on a jungle safari the next afternoon by an open gypsy jeep, with our driver Goldie and the tour guide Nikhil, who spoke English and Hindi and was conversant with local history.

Deer gambolling in the jungle — Photos by Piyush Joshi

Goldie got this name from the locals and forest people. He was responsible for boldly entering the forest single handed, to retrieve the body of a forest ranger who was killed by a Tiger. Conversant with the jungle trips with long experience of driving, Goldie spotted different animals and birds, as he was familiar with their sounds, and relied on this ability to spot even tigers in ear shot distance. Listening to the sounds he used to regale us with anecdotes.

The forest path

There was no tiger in sight for some time, but sensing from the sounds of the animals and birds he assured us of the sighting, even if it entailed recircling of the track. He asked if we were alright with the plan and we readily agreed. After circling at least thrice on the beaten track, quite suddenly we saw a tiger! The majestic figure walked nonchalantly looking majestic. Words fall short when I try to describe the sight.

[embed]The tiger walks — Video by Piyush Joshi

We had almost given up on seeing the tiger, after a few rounds, but on the third round of circling, my wife had started singing in her melodious voice “van van dhoondana jaaoon, kitha hu chup gaye krishna murari” followed by “aao bhagwan mere bhagwan, chup chup ke chale aao”. Almost as if in response to this entreaty, the tiger appeared as our vehicle turned around. My wife claimed that it was her singing that made the tiger appear. The guide and driver readily agreed with her, sounding suitably stunned with the sudden appearance of the tiger. The majestic animal ambled along, and we watched its every movement, before it went back into the undergrowth of the forest. This is a memory that we will cherish deeply through our life.

Euphoric after this sighting we returned to the hotel, and after some refreshments I sat down to search for tiger history in the library, and found a rewarding read and a video presentation. I made these notes: “Tigers are a matriarchal society. They fiercely claim ownership of their territories and drive away everybody including their own blood relations, sisters and mothers. History records Machili the Tigress to be the Queen from 1997 to 2016 — the longest ruling Tigress in the territory.”

The Tigers at Ranthambore are numbered and Goldie remembered most of them and their names. Among the names that cropped up were, Riddhi, Siddhi Sundari and Krishna. The most powerful after Machili was Sundari. The forest department has demarcated the reserve forest area into 9 zones, where the Safari can take visitors and we travelled in Zone 4. We returned to Gurugram, our hearts full and with lasting memories of an eventful and exciting journey to Ranthambore.

The tiger sighted — Photos by Piyush Joshi

Here’s a recording of one of the songs Jaya sang to summon the tiger.

[embed]Jaya singing aao bhagwan mere bhagwan