KAMLI

We just set off from the rest house. The sun has not risen yet. While driving on the jungle trail, Jairaj, our guide, instantly held back Bhanu, our driver. The jeepsy was driven backwards. To the left, there happened to be fresh pugmarks of a tiger. Jairaj told us to keep silence, and be on the lookout. Not even a couple of minutes has been passed, an adult female just emerged on the route and swingingly moved towards the left. "That's Kamli," Jairaj whispered. She is the empress of the very patch of wilderness where we have set off to catch up with tigers on this trip.

(Translated from an article by Debdoot Ghosh Thakur, published in "Rabibasoriyo", Anandabazar Patrika, 17 November 2019)

"My domain, my right": Kamli snarling at the tourists, assembled to see her in a safari

Photo Credit: Jairaj Singh Parihar 

OVER THE last few years, I have been tremendously enjoying the chances of getting the interactions with people, related to the vast domain of wildlife and conservation and, one such occasion happened to occur on 18 November 2018 – on the day of the fourth series of Wildlife Awareness Rally in Kolkata when I got to know Jairaj Singh Parihar. Amiable and entirely committed to his concerns, he is an ace naturalist and a conservation worker in Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh. During a short break before my presentation, we had been enjoying a hearty conversation on Kamli the tigress. Kamli. A name that sufficiently tells about herself — from her ruptured early days as a small cub to a graceful adult, who turned out to be a matriarch of the park in recent days. Recalling my novice days as an enthusiast who used to collect the paper cuttings on several wildlife coverages from popular Bengali and English dailies, I was just piecing together her family dynasty. Now, she has turned out to be the matriarch of the park but the initiation of life that she endured, is awe-striking and inspiring. Here is her story. Today on the auspicious occasion of International Tigers Day, let us be on the trail of Kamli.

The legendary Kankatti, the mother of Kamli, captured just a month before her death

Photo Credit: Gudda, Sr. Naturalist of Kings Lodge/ Pugdundee Safaris

  It all started when Vijaya, Kamli's mother, was defending her young family laying her life on the line to protect her cubs from an unwelcome male intruder. The tourists, who are innately associated with Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, fondly called her Kankatti, meaning "the torn ear" in Hindi. To know Kamli intimately, first we will be commemorating Kankatti's life. She happened to be an extraordinary fighter. Born in 2007 to Jhurjhura Female named Durga, and fathered by Bokha, Kankatti was one of the legacy bearers of Bandhavgarh's renowned matriarch, Sita, representing the beacon of the fourth generation in Sita's lineage (Born in April 2002, Durga was one of the daughters of Pyari, also known as Chakradhara Female or Chakraa, one of the cubs from Sita's last litter from September 1996). It was the time of December 2010, when a savage territorial takeover occurred. At that time, the famous Chakradhara and Sidhbaba area was dominated by Lakshmi, Durga's sister. Since she developed a limp in her right hind leg, she was frequently called Langrhi, meaning "the limping one" in Hindi. Her two cubs, fathered by Bamera, were under a year old, and were entirely dependent on her. A little did Langrhi realised at that point that her apparently peaceful family frame was about to be upside-down. Leaving her natal territory at Rajbehra, Kankatti decided to move into Chakradhara. The altercation was inevitable. The first fight between Langrhi and Kankatti was taken place in January 2011. Inexperienced, Kankatti lost the battle and immediately backed down. But it was a submission, displayed only to embolden her massive determination to come back and try her luck yet again. Three months later in March 2011, Kankatti returned to Chakradhara. What happened next, was probably beyond everyone's imagination. In that terrible fight, Langrhi was killed and later on, Kankatti was found devouring some of the body parts of Langrhi – a graphical illustration of cannibalism in tigers was caught in the lenses probably for the first time! This was a terrible shock to everyone's eyes for sure.

The Hope for Future: A bird's-eye perspective of Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve 

Photo Courtesy: Amitabha Guha

  Despite losing the left eye and having a torn ear in her previous battle with Langrhi, Kankatti turned out to be unstoppable. Gradually, she became the undisputed queen of Chakradhara. Langrhi's cubs sought refuge in the Kithauli zone, where they were provided with meals by the park authorities. Kankatti was settled down in Chakradhara and, gifted the park with her first litter of three cubs – two females and a male – in September 2011, fathered by Bamera. They literally became the real bonanza of the park. Everyone coming to Bandhavgarh wanted to see this flourishing family. Sadly, this picture of contentment was shattered immediately after a few months when her two female cubs were killed by an invading male, unknown to everyone. Her male cub (later named Mr X, or Chhota Bamera) fled. In early 2014, Kankatti once again became a mother. Again three cubs were born – one male and two females as per the reports. It seemed that her battle with Langrhi was chronicled as a matter of bygone days and everything was pretty settled. No sooner than Kankatti managed to renovate the familial peace, another storm blew a massive punch. In order to save her cubs from the same invading male who killed the two cubs of her first litter, she once again put herself in a risky fight against the invader. This time, the consequence was grimmer. She died. The cause was the massive wounds, inflicted by the male. Furthermore, her male cub from this litter to found dead nearby, almost certainly killed by the new intruder. Her cubs were five-month-old, completely depended on her when the massacre took place. There was no question of survival on their own. When the surviving two cubs were rescued from a den site, they were absolutely shocked and terrified by the doldrums. A vet was called and the health condition of the cubs were thoroughly examined. Unfortunately, it was too late for one of the little females. Soon after the medical check-up, she passed away.

A Close Monitoring: Forest elephants on their regular patrolling 

Photo Credit: Amitabha Guha

  Our survivor was kept in an enclosure of 0.25 hectares. That happened to be her destiny until she was ready to cope with the independent life. Since the lone female had lost her mother, she was deprived of all the essential basics of hunting lessons that the cubs usually learn from their mother during the course of hunting. She was fed by the park conservancy with chicken and buffalo meat; occasionally with milk, supplemented with vitamin and essential nutritional elements. Gradually, she was turning out to be a promising adolescent. In the meantime, the authorities were concerned with the issue of finding out a befitting home for her along with a new escort. The undertakings went on according to the planning. To everyone's sheer joy, the news of a potential mate came, the beaconing prospect at Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve, just 150 kilometres away from her old home, Bandhavgarh.

Kamli on a cold wintery morning, checking out her territory 

Photo Credit: Jairaj Singh Parihar 

  Sanjay National Park (Guru Ghasidas National Park) happens to be a national park in the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh and Sidhi and Singrauli districts of Madhya Pradesh. It covers an area of 466.657 sq km (180.177 sq mi) and, is a part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve. It is located in the Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests ecoregion. All of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve used to be in Madhya Pradesh before Chhattisgarh was carved out of it in 2000. A large part of this 1,440 sq km (560 sq mi) area is now located in Chhattisgarh, which was renamed Guru Ghasidas National Park by the Government of Chhattisgarh. The Tiger Reserve comprises Sanjay National Park and the Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary, both of which cover more than 831 sq km, and are located in Sidhi District. The area, with its large size and rich biodiversity, is well-known. It is preoccupied with sal, bamboo and mixed forests. According to an official census of Madhya Pradesh carried out in 2004, Sanjay National Park had six tigers. Now, however, the new home for the upcoming feline jewel was nearly set up near the Kajra lake. She was brought to her new destination – to the heart of the park in February 2016. Erstwhile, there used to be a village but now it was duly relocated, making the room for the rich habitat, ideal for the tigers and the other species. The speciality of the enclosure was its bifurcated areas that are divided into the inner zone and the outer space quite distinctly. It is widely said that one cannot literally figure out whether or not there was any distinction between the two areas of the enclosure. The spotted deer were used to be pushed inside the core zone of the enclosure so that the tigress might be able to maximise her hunting lessons by flexing her muscles.

Lookout: Kamli making sure of the proximity of her small cubs, followed by Karnavat, also known as Barka Deo

Photo Credit: Sayantan Dey 

  It turned out to be a daily happening of entering the prey into the area of the tigress, but none of the efforts seemed to enable her for launching an ambush. Initially, she used to be much afraid of the adult stags who could eventually injure her with the stouty antlers of theirs. On the third day of this strategic development, one of the forest officials passionately screamed: "Charge Kamli, charge!" She slipped. Kamli made no mistake on the fourth day. No sooner than a fawn made an entrance into the area, she got accelerated by its presence. She got herself shrunken to a stalking gesture, as if, we all were witnessing a wild behavioural display of a predatory instinct. She grabbed the fawn by its throat. Kamli's first kill was more than a meal, it was a triumph. A triumph that showed that she was eminently capable in hunting down prey on her own; a victory for the authorities, because for the first time in the wild, a tigress nurtured in captivity became able to prove herself to be fully capable of leading a wild and unfathomed life. Within three months or so, Kamli was entirely ready to push her luck. On 18 October 2016, she was released to the park – after two and a half years of captivity, she was set free. That was the commencing point of yet another legacy of tiger dynasty. Mr Veerbhadra Singh Parihar joined as a Forest Range Officer in Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve just a few months before Kamli's release. Coincidentally, she was released just a day before his birthday. On 19 October 2016, he, along with a handful of well-wishers happened to celebrate his birthday on a machan (a wooden structure like a watchtower for a lookout of the surrounding). At about 1:00 am, when Kamli was seen sitting underneath it, an innate bond was developed between Mr Parihar and her. He has named her Kamli, primarily because of two reflective attachments. In Hindi, the word 'kamal' designates 'the lotus'. Kamli was bearing a lotus-like formation of stripes on her right flank. Alongside that, since she was highly regarded by him as a precious birthday gift from Mother Nature herself, the name Kamli simultaneously turned out to be an echo of his mother Mrs Kamala Singh Parihar. With a glorious emotional essence, christening her turned out to be a humble tribute to his mother too. What a fantastic coordination of happenings!

Like Mother, Like Son: Barka Deo spending his time with Kamli and her second litter of cubs in Route 1

Photo Credit: Sayantan Dey

  A year passed on. Kamli is now designated as T11. A new era dawned in Sanjay-Dubri with her — Kamli's era. On 1 June 2017, she was discovered nurturing her three newborns – one male and two females. As the time passed, the cubs grew up with their mother's tender loving care, and with the bold protection of their father, officially known as T5. Sitting here remotely, and compassionately receiving the news from several corners, known and unknown, I was just about to discover yet another fascinating sights one can hardly imagine! Nilanjan Roy Chowdhury, Sayantan Dey and Late Amitabha Guha – three passionate hearts, who are quite close to being, set out for Sanjay-Dubri in October 2019 along with a handful of other escorts from the close constellation. Already we have received the news that Kamli has given birth to her second litter on 3 March 2019. This time, there are four cubs – three females and a male. By now, they should be seven-month-old. Framing the full family of mother and the cubs were going to be a real treat, we thought. With his keen observational skills and sheer guiding capacity, Jairaj Ji soon tracked down the entire family, proudly prowling on the horizon of Route 1. One bonus was there to be embraced. There is a great sense of integration in the big cats of having the birthplace of the cubs selected quite assuredly, a hardwired response of securing the prospect of the new generation. Kamli used to select the same zone in Route 2 for having her own cubs, where the erstwhile territory holder of the area used to give birth. Moreover, perhaps in order to put a healthy distance between the two litters of cubs, as well as to avoid some inevitable territorial disputes, Kamli never let her litters step out of the specific zones as long as they used to hang out with her. The bonus that our acquaintances got was Karnavat, the male cub from Kamli's first litter; fondly known as Barka Deo by the guides and the drivers, meaning 'the elderly god'. He stepped out of his natal range as the male tigers usually do to put a distance between their birthplace and them to avoid inbreeding. Here in this case, however, Barka Deo had not only stepped out of his horizon, rather, he was very much hanging out with his mother and younger brothers and sisters. Occasionally, he was seen performing the act of babysitting when Kamli was out for hunting. Not so long ago, witnessing a wonderful capture by Nilanjan Roy Chowdhury, featuring Kamli, her two cubs along with Barka Deo in the auspicious evening of the eighth day of Navaratri, or, to say it otherwise, the evening of Mahashtami of Durga Puja was really something special. It was 6 October 2019 and it happens to be my birthday. So, it took the sensational frame quite personally, as a presentation from Nature on my birthday in this case.

The Festive Contentment: Children during Navaratri in an adjacent village of Sanjay-Dubri 

Photo Credit: Amitabha Guha

  People are mostly acquainted with Dubri and frequently consider it to be the entire tiger reserve. There are actually four more zones here – Koilari, Giddha, Bastua and Machmahua — all these are less known for having the sighting of tigers. Although, these are the areas that represent the rich biodiversity of the landscape which is equivalent to that of Dubri. As speculators, we are fortunate enough to witness the success story of Kamli in the rich domain. It is quite a paradoxical gesture for some of us to commemorate the iconic day like the International Tigers Day, and to have an emphasis on the species only, unwittingly having no regard for the ecosystem or the habitat that is eventually beholding the tigers. There lies an innately proper-hoc connection between the big cats and their habitats, having which oblivious may lead to a partial success of the notion of commemoration. It is indeed time to keep aside the photogenicity of the felines. 

Kamli and Barka Deo on the trail with some of the spotted deer cautiously observing them

Photo Credit: Jairaj Singh Parihar 

Only venturing out on the trail of a newly estimating province like Sanjay-Dubri, we may actually understand the ratio of the pressure on lands from our part and the acquirability of the big predators. There are a number of villages still inhabiting there in the adjacent area of the park failing to rehabilitate which would eventually lead to a massive confrontation. The sincere statistical observations of 2017-2018 seasonal visits prove that the revenue of tourism happens to increase after the relocation of Kamli in Sanjay-Dubri. Whereas the number of safaris in late 2017 happened to be confined within thirty-two, the subsequent seasons of early and late 2018 (pre-monsoonal and post-monsoonal) turned out to be the increased figure of one hundred and seventy-two and four hundred. It all happened due to the magnificent presence of Kamli. Recently, after getting shifted from Bandhavgarh, one of her daughters from the second litter has been released in Mohan Range alongside a young male from Katni. People are eventually drawn towards these massive predators and, of course, in a wider spectrum, they are keeping the thread of the reciprocation of tourism quite substantially. As we always use to recall in our discussions and commemorations, our fundamental initiation of watching an animal gradually turns out to be an integration with the individual. Kamli's story is something that pronouncedly justifies the notion. Of late, we have got the news that Kamli has recently been seen with her third litter of cubs since March this year. Three cubs are there this time. We still are not quite sure about how many of them are males and how many females. Hope to catch up with them very soon.

The Frame of Contentment: Kamli's story eventually turned out to be a successful anecdote of tiger conservation in India; with her older cubs grown up and new litters under her nurturance, her designation as the mother of the park is fully justified

Photo Credit: Sayantan Dey 

Dedicated to the loving memories of Amitabha Guha, our beloved Ujaan Pathik, whose concerns for nature in general and about tigers in particular, have been making my rendering on this iconic commemoration special one for so many years; and his essence will be nurturing our concerns for our surroundings forever ...