It was in the May of 2008, in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary- the only place in the world where you can still see Asiatic lions in the wild. The sun was on its way to light up the other half of the world, and we were driving back to the camp, tired, but deeply contended, after spending a long evening filming a pride of lions. We were slumped in our seats, drinking in the dusky air of the wilderness; our eyes half closed, enveloped by the tumultuous chirruping of the birds on their way to roost, when suddenly, our jeep came to a jolting halt.
And there he was, right in the middle of the road. Big and huge, with his head held high and tossing his freshly shampooed mane, walking right at us with royal bearing. We had stopped our jeep on a very narrow one-vehicle bridge, over a dry river bed, and there was barely enough space for a bicycle to pass by on either sides. As he closed in, I loosened my monopod’s screw to turn the camera when he turned and walked into the under growths on one of the sides. But he kept coming towards us, straight on. And then, he was so close, that he did not fit into my lens’ frame. I tore my eyes away from the lens and looked up, to see him brush right past my side of the jeep. He turned up his mighty head, and looked me right into the eyes. I stared into the depths of the golden orbs, and right then, right there, I felt the presence of God. I stood there transfixed. As he walked away, leaving me breathless and suffering from a mini heart attack, I looked back to see his receding behind, continuing to walk in the middle of the road, before finally disappearing around the bend…
Starting the jeep and moving forwards in silence, still not recovered from that close encounter, the jeep stopped again. And there he was, right in the middle of the road. I thought that history was repeating itself, giving me a chance to relive the moment so I could receive his blessing with more grace, and not just stand there like a mannequin. But sadly, that was not to be. This time, we had stopped in an open area, and it was his brother that we were looking at. This royal individual, chose to walk past the other side of the jeep, giving my mom the opportunity to receive a blessing. Though he did not brush past the jeep like his brother did, he was still close enough to give us another mini heart attack. He walked away on the middle of the road too, following in his brother’s footsteps, unaware that he and his brother had left a huge impression in the lives of the three mortals in the jeep that they had casually passed by.
We were now fully awake as we continued our journey back to the camp, with the sun finally set and leaving the last golden glow in the sky. Our hearts thumping in our throats, we were bursting to communicate our feelings through words, but failed miserably. So we gave up, and let our eyes do the talking. As I reran the moment in my head, I realized just how lucky we were to have witnessed an encounter like this, and to have been so welcomed in Mother Nature’s kingdom. We had been blessed by the King.
Incredible experience… I’m green.. (nicely green)..! 😉
Experiences, such as these have a way of changing us… Thank You for sharing..!
Ha ha ha!! And they certainly do change our lives!!
Thank you!! 🙂
I am so glad these magical moments happen to you of all people, because you are so skilled at capturing the moment and sharing it so that we can all experience it with you.
Thank you so much for those kind words… They mean a lot to me!! 🙂
I can’t even tell you how much I love this, but there is one thing that strikes me. You make no mention of fear – no fear on the part of you or your family, and no fear on the part of those great cats. If only we all were open to feeling such a divine presence in nature, Sumithra.
Now that you mention it, Sir, I remember my friends asking me the same question when I tell them about my experiences in the wild. Well, I guess this is so because I have been to the wilds ever since I was a child, and have had many a close encounter where the so called “wild animal” had the upper-hand. But not once did they harm us. They always walked away quietly(well elephants, not so quietly), but yes, leaving us unharmed. I guess I trust them more than I can ever trust humans!! 😉 And on the cat’s part, well, they are very much used to tourists and jeeps in that particular sanctuary. I certainly believe that Nature is God…
Beautifully written, Sumithra.So visual and yet poetic in description. Being blessed this way was indeed a memorable event amongst your family and words weren’t necessary.
Thank you so much!! It certainly was a once in a lifetime experience!! 🙂
Just once, I wouldn’t mind living in your shoes for a day 🙂
Awesome! Would give an arm and a leg for a ‘blessing’ like that! 🙂
Ha ha ha!! Thank you!! 🙂
Beautifully Captured !!!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Welcome 🙂
What a gorgeous cat. You captured his dignity and swagger perfectly. I envy your experience, but I’m not so sure I would have been so unruffled by his presence.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Ha ha ha!! Thank you!! 🙂
Just to let you know I won’t be posting for a while – won’t have access to the internet. Will let you know when I’m up and running again.
Sure!! And have a wonderful new year!! 🙂
What a great post, Sumithra. The only lions I’ve ever seen were in a zoo. To capture a photo of this magnificent beast in its habitat must be thrilling. You are fortunate!
Thank you so much, Louis… I really am lucky to have had audience with the King himself!! 🙂