First Sighting

My love for nature continued from my school and PUC trips into my Engineering days. It was 2004 when I entered BNMIT.

Without second thoughts, I jumped into BNMIT Nature club. In 2006, we went on an unforgettable trip to BR Hills. As soon as we reached there, we were briefed over sumptuous breakfast.

The bus dropped us off near the trekking spot. Led by the forest guard, we began walking on the dirt path cautiously. A few hours of non-stop hiking ensued. Tired and slightly disappointed at not having spotted wildlife yet, we took a break and considered our options. If we continued on the same path we would be back at the trailhead soon. Instead we could be adventurous and venture further into the forest.

We took the path less taken and entered the forest canopy. It was daunting. Ten meters felt like a kilometer. Ten minutes stretched to an hour. The tough terrain was covered with thick canopy, shrubs and thorns.

A couple of hours into the trek, the forest guard said, "Don't make noise." He pointed us to a herd of elephants about 50-60 meters away. That was the closest we had come to those magnificent animals. Luckily, the elephants were moving away from us. We were safe and our spirits soared.

We covered the rest of the trek with good vibes and a fervent wish to see a tiger. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

Trek came to an abrupt end when we reached the main road. Our bus waiting to pick us up. We could not stop talking about our day while we headed back to the camp. It was around 5pm.

I was sitting in the last row and decided to make a move to the front row. All of a sudden the bus came to screeching halt. "Tiger tiger, tiger! Look, look!" There it was - barely 15 get away! Sitting just by the side of the road. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared. I think we had startled it. That was my very first tiger sighting in the wild.

Our bus moved forward just about to accelerate when lightning struck twice! There was a tiger right in front of us on the road walking majestically toward us. Having made its presence felt, it seemed satisfied and walked away through the bushes.

What an incredible sighting! A herd of elephants and tigers! I could not be happier.

Thank you BNMIT for the gift.

Since then I have taken many trips to view tigers in the Wild. The Thrill of spotting one in the wild is as exciting as ever.