On one “fine” day at the end of March 2022, we found ourselves in the heart of a forest in Central India, seated dutifully in our safari chariots, baked under the blazing sun, awaiting magic. Our forest guide had some tantalizing news – two fabulous tigresses enjoying a siesta in a gorge. And so, despite the heat and the safari circus of curious onlookers attempting acrobatics worthy of a Jungle Book performance, we decided to stay put, basking in the fragrance of the wildflowers – or, more accurately, the aroma of our sweat-soaked shirts.
As we lounged in our safari vehicle, the clock was ticking fast, but the two tigresses seemed committed to their mid-noon beauty sleep, unfazed by the circus unfolding above them. Meanwhile, we, the amateurs of the safari world, were trying some Mowgli moves to catch a glimpse of one of the tigresses beneath making a splash in a puddle. The jungle around us was playing its game, testing our patience like Balloo testing Mowgli’s.
It was over an hour, and now the question lingered in the mid-noon air: should we abandon our post and search for other tigers or wait for the Jungle Book magic to unfold? The impending return flight back home added a dash of urgency. Did we catch a royal glimpse of the tigress queen, or did we leave with nothing but a tale of sweaty triumphs? The saga continues.
Pench National Park: Discovering Kipling’s Muse
Pench Tiger Reserve, the very forest that whispered inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for the epic “The Jungle Book,” immersed us in the jungle rulebook. It transformed into our classroom, imparting the sacred law of the wild – the art of patience.
For those unversed, in 1894, the British writer Rudyard Kipling crafted The Jungle Book, a compilation of short stories narrating the adventures of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves, navigating a dangerous world caught between his adopted wild family and the human community. This literary work drew inspiration from ancient Indian fables. Pench National Park is believed to be the setting, with the storyline rooted in Kipling’s childhood experiences growing up in India.
Spanning the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh (MP), Pench Forest is a unique ecosystem divided among different tourism zones, each managed by either the MP Forest Department or the Maharashtra State Forest Department.
Energized by our riveting adventure in the captivating Kanha Tiger Reserve in MP, my cousin and I had hatched an ingenious plan – an additional day in the prestigious Pench Tiger Reserve. Why, you ask? With its strategic location en route from Kanha to Nagpur, our gateway to the mundane realm of return flights, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. An extra day, another forest – a deal that resonated with “bucket list accomplished” and, as we soon realized, was worth every penny.
From Mowgli’s Birthplace to the Nostalgia of ’90s Doordarshan
So, with high enthusiasm from our amazing tiger-sighting triumphs of Kanha Tiger Reserve, we entered the Pench jungle with high expectations of unraveling the secrets. A place that birthed Mowgli, Baloo, and Bagheera – the VIPs of the Jungle Book world. The timeless ‘The Jungle Book’ anthem from the 90s animated version of the Doordarshan era, “Chaddi Pehen ke Phool Khila,” echoed in my mind. Maybe Gen Zs and Alphas don’t know about it, but it is nostalgia gold for me.
And for those new generation peeps, if you read current affairs over Insta reels and trolling, then you would remember that Pench was in the news in early 2022 for the death of its legendary tigress – the Collarwali – who lived for over 16 years and was known as Mother of Pench. In her lifetime, she gave birth to 29 cubs in 8 litters, significantly contributing to India’s tiger population.
Venturing into the heart of Pench Forest, where the Teak and Mahua trees reign supreme, is like entering a dry sauna during summer. The extensive stretches of leafless trees, casting mysterious shadows, are not merciful either. Mornings are bearable, but once that blazing sun hits late in the morning, it’s like being in an oven.
In contrast to Mowgli’s carefree demeanour, we found ourselves clad in full sleeves, armed with sunscreen, facing the scorching beginning-of-summer heat—all in pursuit of spotting the elusive real-life Bagheera, the renowned black panther of Pench and, in fiction Mowgli’s wise mentor on the Laws of the Jungle in the epic saga. As we traversed the forest, the spirit of Bagheera seemed to guide us through the challenges, mirroring the mentorship found in Kipling’s classic tale.
Turia Zone’s Unexpected Entries & Majestic Exits
Now, we indeed didn’t find real-life Bagheera! But the Jungle did try our patience as it didn’t unfold its chapters too quickly. Driving through the Turia Zone of Pench in MP, the first two hours felt like a scene from a silent movie – no four-legged stars, no interesting birds, just the relentless sun taking its toll. It was like the Jungle had hit the snooze button on its inhabitants. Our spirits were low until we encountered a family of foxes taking an afternoon siesta under a distant tree. Well, not the friendly Akela’s pack of wolves, but sleeping foxes too were some excitement for us that moment in the midday heat.
Then, a rumour of a leopard spot echoed through the air. Our safari driver shifted gears, chasing the promise of a wild encounter. Alas, no leopard in sight, but by the river Pench, we found two mischievous wild dogs or the Dholes. In Kipling’s tale, Dholes are on the villain’s side, but for us, they displayed an amazing drama. The red dogs had hidden their “hunt” near a tree, and we found ourselves enthralled by their playful antics. Our first wild dog sighting and these rebels sat near our vehicle, asserting their street cred. After all, it was their turf, and no one could dispute that, unlike their urban brethren, the city stray dogs – who are constantly being in existential controversy these days.
There were some wild dogs, a lazy fox family and a few parakeets, and it was almost time to leave the forest. We had given up hope of seeing Sher Khan in his jungle when our guide’s keen eyes spotted orange-black stripes behind a faraway tree – a tiger! Cue the safari halt and the ticking clock. But the tiger wasn’t moving, and we could get a glimpse from the distance. We had almost resigned to a lackluster sighting situation when she decided to move. It was like the Jungle Book had scripted a last-minute twist for our grand exit.
In a majestic display, the tigress known as Langdi, daughter of the legendary Collarwali, stole the show in our safari exit parade. With regal poise, she crossed a water body, leaving us in awe, and gracefully vanished back into the dense forest as we exited the Turia zone safari gate on time. It felt like the Jungle Book had orchestrated the perfect finale, proving that sometimes the best moments come when you least expect them.
From Endless Waiting to Meme-Worthy Moments in Khursapur
And so when we entered the other safari zone – Khursapur in Maharashtra side, we did not keep our expectations very high. But then the jungle air is the master of illusion, and it whispered about presence of two beautiful tigresses at the same spot. Now this afternoon safari, we had to schedule to finish earlier than the time allotted as we had return home flight to catch and drive up to Nagpur, some 90 kms of distance.
But when nature conspires you can’t rush. A three-hour long wait was our destiny to ultimately get the reward of sighting Baras, the most exquisite tigress. Our patience was truly put to the test, but the forest had its way of imparting wisdom – enjoy the stillness, relish the anticipation, and embrace the art of waiting.
But we humans are creatures of impatience and greed like the cruel ‘Linda’s’ father in the Jungle Book tale. Positioned above a gorge where Baras and her daughter revelled in a midday siesta, we were engaged in impromptu acrobatics to catch a glimpse of these majestic beings. Well, much to our amusement we managed to get a peek of Baras’s girl, but the majestic mother was elusive and the wait continued.
So to kill some time, I turned my lens towards us, capturing capturing moments of sweat and perhaps a nap or two. Little did I know, these snapshots would create not just memories but some meme worthy material. Sure, Pench is a worthy muse of creativity and in the spirit of Kipling’s Jungle Book, I unintentionally ended up creating my own Jungle Meme!!
Baras’s Walk, Out-of-Focus Photos, and Jungle Laws
After three hours of sweating and napping, I mean waiting, our guide shook us to leave the forest. Just as we were about to drive back towards the exit gate, the unmistakable sounds of tiger movement echoed through the air. Behold, the most gracious and beautiful tigress, Baras, walked out royally right past all the gypsy vehicles. Baras, a diva unperturbed by the crazy fan following of safari enthusiasts, took a long walk amidst all of us, leaving us with some beautiful moments to cherish a lifetime.
While the Jungle Book forest had rewarded us for our patience, in a funny twist of tale, or perhaps hypnotised by the deep eyes of Baras, my cousin, the designated photographer that time, forgot to keep the focus button steady. It meant we had lots of photos of Baras, but most were out of focus! In that moment, my brother surely hated himself when he checked the previews, but then maybe that was also a lesson that the Jungle wanted to teach. Be patient and focused – do not get distracted by anything – like Baras, who didn’t blink an eye at the onlookers.
In our version of ‘The Jungle Book’, sure Sher Khan is not a villain or Sherni Khan to be precise for us. In fact, no animal is a bad character the only negatives were us – the humans – prying all over to get glimpse of the wilderness. We need to learn many things from the jungle – for us we learned the timeless wisdom of Laws of the Jungle – patience, focus and unexpected joy.
As we were preparing for our journey to Nagpur to catch the flight, a captivating procession unfolded outside the Khursapur zone gate. According to the locals, it was a religious procession led by the tribals of Pench. The rhythmic beats of drums and the clash of cymbals echoed through the air, reminiscent of the grand finale in The Jungle Book.
Much like Mowgli’s triumphant return to civilisation after defeating Sher Khan (in our case just sighting the tigers), we, too, were concluding our forest saga, the sounds of drums and cymbals marking a splendid completion of our jungle adventure.
Excellent cover up
Very touching write up as if we are traveling through