Sariska
It was our first trip to Sariska. I was getting impatient. The speedometer indicated it would not be safe to drive faster, given the numerous villages and the speedbrakers on the road. We started late in the morning due to heavy fog. And now I was getting worried because I thought I [...]
It was a winter morning, and I decided to have my morning cup of tea in the sun. Suddenly I noticed a bird in the swampy land adjoining my house. Minutes later, with my spectacles on I was delighted to have seen a Purple Moore Hen. Needless to say that the tea went cold [...]
Tigers in the dark
It’s been three long years, since I had this amazing experience. It was the summer of 2005. Surjit called me to ask if I would be able to join him on a trip to Malani in Corbett National Park. I had not been to this part of Corbett [...]
Tourism: Boon or Bane
Wildlife tourism is viewed as a mode of protecting our wildplaces. The monetary benefits accruing out of wildlife tourism is used to justify spending on creation and maintenance of wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks by the Government in various developing countries. The argument is that wildlife tourism is a non-consumptive [...]
Right of Way
Roads have been the bane of most of our wild areas. Some of the pristine wildlife habitats have been dissected by roads. In the early part of the 21st Century, the motorable roads were much less. The dirt roads were not much of a menace, as less population and a low [...]
When the Wildlife Hits Back: Tales from the Land of the Tiger
On two occasions I had been charged by a tiger. When people hear this, the immediate reaction is “Wow”. Immediately, they feel jealous. Unfortunately, that is the reaction of people.
People don’t realise that as a rule, a tiger or for that [...]
I was trekking on the outskirts of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in July 2008 and came across elephant dung about few hundred meters from the Segur road, a prime elephant migratory corridor. The elephant dung contained polythene bags. The elephant had eaten the polythene bag along with some other garbage and the polythene had come [...]
Sunabeda Diary: Tales from a Tiger Census
January 2006
I woke up abruptly, on the incessant barking of the dogs. I fumbled across the bed for my watch; it was five in the morning and about an hour before dawn. The dogs were persistent in their barking. It was not the [...]
A Night in Similipal
If I have to account for my earliest experience with the Tiger, I would have to go back to Similipal National Park in the state of Orissa, India. Recalling the experience, I realise how fortunate I have been to have such an experience in the midst of a carefree, fun [...]
A mongoose flattened by a speeding Vehicle
I love driving. A broken leg didn’t dim my enthusiasm for driving fast; rather it shifted my preferences from motorbikes to cars. Off late, the Chennai roads and the driving habits of people have somewhat tempered my temptation to drive fast. I have witnessed incidents where [...]
