Spot the Tiger in this picture

January 2016

Look harder. There could be a tiger in this picture.

We went tiger spotting to Pench Tiger Reserve in southern Madhya Pradesh, about 100 kms north of Nagpur. With early morning temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius, we embarked upon the quest to spot the tiger in the jungle.

Open jeeps, dusty roads, an occasional herd of spotted deer crossing our path, langoors hanging on branches keenly observing our every move – they all contributed to the climax of spotting the tiger.

They say you cannot directly go and spot a tiger. You need to learn about the tiger’s movement, its habitat and various other subtle signs that would ultimately lead to the tiger.

When a tiger moves, the monkeys are the first reporters of the movement. They keep a constant watch on the tiger from up above the trees. Their primary objective is to warn the rest of the jungle about the movement of the tiger.

The verbal chattering of the monkeys is picked up the deer community. They immediately sound an alert within their group and focus their entire attention to any movement around them. As a group they quickly evaluate the best possible escape route and start making a run for it. One false move or one inadvertent delay could cost them deerly!

The jungle is an amazingly silent place. No traffic, no honking, no people, no domestic sounds – just plain unadulterated silence interspersed by an occasional animal or bird sound. It is a civilization based on basic animal needs. The primary objective of every animal in the jungle is to not become the next meal of the animal higher up in the food chain. Survival is essential to fulfil the second most important objective – Reproduction.

Let us get back to the tiger. We could not spot a tiger in our safari quest, but it taught me an important lesson. Metaphorically speaking – tiger is like an opportunity. It is out there and not readily visible. As individuals, we need to make our quest to find the opportunity. Waking up early, braving the freezing winter breeze, open jeep, dusty roads etc. are nothing but indicators of our commitment in meeting that opportunity.

We need to read the signs. Maintain absolute silence and listen for the screech of the spotted deer or chattering of monkeys to learn about the location of the opportunity. We know the opportunity is out there and we want to align ourselves to the sound-bytes that would eventually take us there.

Just like the tiger, the opportunity also moves on. You could reach the location only to realize that the tiger has moved on. We need to have the perseverance and determination to start all over again. Put in your commitment, do your homework and set out again on the journey to read the signs. Business, life, marriage, friendship, and tiger-spotting – they all follow the same rules.

Happy Tiger Spotting to you! What next?