Aatankwadi: A Tiger Story

Aatankwadi – A Tiger Story

Jungle: Kanha National Park

Zone: Kisli

Area: Karai Ghati

Waqt: 8.30 A.M.

Date: 1/11/2016

Jeep Number: 193

Driver: Sajid

Guides: Ramkumar Yadav and Jhaduram

Sighting: Aatankwadi – Male Tiger

On the morning of 1^st November, 2016 we waited impatiently in our Jeep at the Khatia gate of the Kanha National Park. We felt like veterans after our first safari the day before. We were some of the luckiest people to have seen the Umarpani female on 31^st October in the Kanha Zone, Link 8. But the sighting was very brief. The female walked on to the road for two minutes and made her way back inside. The heat being too much for her (Though it was only 15 degrees Celsius!).

The forest guard stood at the Khatia gate and looked at the line of jeeps waiting to get inside. Today again our jeep was the first one in the line and the excitement and anxiety were palpable. The guard stared at his wristwatch and looked at us and showed us one finger. One minute to go.

‘Bhai sahib ki ghadi kharab hai. 6.15 toh baj gaye.’ Sajid snorted, impatiently.

After the minute got over, which felt like a lifetime, the guard pushed open the door of the Khatia gate and signaled the jeeps to enter. Sajid revved the engine and we entered stealthily. The eerie silence hit us as soon as we crossed the threshold of the gate. The feeling of being watched was so strong that I squirmed in my seat. I remembered the sign board I had seen yesterday during our evening walk, with the bloodshot eyes of the tiger and with words ‘I have seen you before you see me’. Chills.

The first two hours of the morning safari were crucial as maximum movement happened during these hours. Kisli zone was the territory of the world famous Munna and we were excited to get a look at the celebrity tiger of the country. We saw a number of animals in the first one hour of the safari; jackals, bison, the famous Barasingha, Sambar deer, Barking deer and the Spotted deer. 

 A Spotted Deer

A Female Barasingha

A Sambar Deer

A Jackal

There were no tiger pug-marks anywhere that day. We kept staring into the depths of the forest and on the path in front of us to see if the tiger had traversed on the same path before us. But no such luck that day.

While on our way, we crossed another jeep. As was customary, quick updates were taken.

‘Kahi kuch?’ asked the guide from the other jeep.

‘Pura khali pada hai.’ Said Jhaduram.

‘Diwali ki chutti toh khatam ho gayi. Tigers kaha gaye?’

Jhaduram laughing, ‘Aaj Sunday toh nahi hai bhaiyya. Kya kahe kaha gaye.’

The passengers of both the jeeps exchanged troubled glances and we moved on, in opposite directions.

At 7.50 AM, we crossed another jeep.

‘There is some calling. Wait.’ The guide of the other jeep told us.

There was a group of deer eating grass in the small opening in front of us. Suddenly some of them started running. We watched with bated breath. Another ten minutes passed and the calling ceased. We decided to move on.

‘The jungle sees strange relationships. The langur and the deer are like soul mates. The langur can spot the tiger from afar and quickly intimates the grazing deer. The deer then manages to run and save its life. That’s called friendship. Life saving dosti.’

It was 8 AM and we were losing hope of seeing a tiger. Sajid hadn’t lost hope yet.

‘Tiger toh dikhega.’ He confirmed.

A short ride ahead we came across another jeep in the distance. We saw someone frantically waving his arms from the jeep. Sajid quickly reduced the speed and moved along at snail’s pace. When we reached the other jeep, all the passengers were staring at some grass in the distance.

Ramkumar Yadav was the other jeep’s guide.

‘Heavy calling. The tiger must be resting in the grass. We have to wait here.’ He said.

Suddenly the air was filled with the calling of the langurs. This sound was very different from their normal calling. We could hear the urgency and the danger in their call. The calls kept coming in regular intervals. All of us looked on, impatiently.

‘One has to show immense patience to see a tiger.’ Ramkumar said.

We nodded and stared ahead. All of a sudden, the calling increased. The langurs went crazy and didn’t stop for a second.

‘The tiger is moving now.’ The guides told us.

Suddenly there was heavy movement and something big and strong ran a couple of meters in the grass. There was a collective gasp.

‘Aatankwadi. Runs like the wind. Wait now.’ Ramkumar said.

I was perplexed at the name given to the tiger. Such a beautiful animal and such a horrendous name! I decided that I would ask him later about the name.

The grass moved again and we continued watching. I was hardly blinking. The tension and the anxiety were now overbearing.

There was a split second break in the langur’s call and within that minuscule break in eternity, the majestic Aatankwadi moved out from behind the grass. His majestic-self moved across the grass. He knew we were watching. We knew he was putting up a show just for us. He kept walking parallel to us and we couldn’t move, nor breathe.

He stopped again after walking for a while and dramatically turned his head towards us. His eyes looking directly at us. His gaze sent chills down my spine. His gaze told us that he knew about the power he had over us. He knew he had us mesmerized to the core. He was the undisputed lord of the jungle. The seconds lapsed into minutes and we both stared at each other. We were deaf to the impatient calls of the langurs now.

‘Aatankwadi.’ Ramkumar whispered again.

Aatankwadi proceeded again into the grass and settled down under a tree’s shade. Only his head was visible to us while his body hidden from our gaze by the long shoots of grass.

‘We will stay here till he stays here.’ I told Jhaduram. Everyone nodded their agreement. The tiger rested in the shade and we continued to stare at his head. He seemed to be looking into the forest, probably waiting for us to finish our staring.

After resting for a good 5-6 minutes, he got up again and looked at us.  He seemed to be saying his goodbyes, through his gaze. And after a final toss of his head, he walked into the forest and disappeared behind the thick Sal forest.

After a few minutes had passed, we decided to breathe again, I looked at Ramkumar.

‘Aatankwadi? Why such a name?’ I asked.

‘He will attack you if you come in his way. He spares no one. He is like the wind and the fire. Runs like the wind and burns like the fire. He is the most dangerous tiger in the forest and he knows it. I am glad he wasn’t right next to us. Who would have known what would have happened! Aatankwadi.’ He told me.

The name stuck in my head. He was an Aatankwadi, but I was irrefutably in love with him. He had stolen my speech and my sanity. Such is love.

Sajid was pretty much as excited as we were to have spotted the tiger. He looked satisfied and happy looking at us. Ramkumar and Jhaduram were pretty ecstatic too.

We ended our safari on a high note and said our goodbyes to the two guides.

‘Come back to Tiger Land’ Ramkumar said while parting ways.

‘I won’t be able to stay away for too long anyway’ I said and smiled at him.

To many more tigers and safaris!

Photo Credits: Ujwal Jakhotiya