VANDE MATARAM: THE SAGA OF AN UNSUNG EMPRESS

“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. You are connected to your child and to all those who touch your lives. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”

— Sophia Loren

Patrolling the Homeland

Photo Credit: Omveer Choudhary

WHILE ADVANCING towards our destination in Kanha in January 2018, as I can can remember – Deepak Ganguly, my fellow voyager and ardent tiger lover, urged that we should be definitely paying a visit to Pench while standing at the entrance point of the reserve for a much-needed break. With the cordial hospitality of Omveer Choudhary, an ace guide and one of our friends who shares the same bower of passion for these extreme big cats, we managed to have the evening shift of safari to have a look around in the domain of Mataram, the very aptly attributed Super Mom of Pench. Though we happened to be warmly greeted by a leopard that evening and two adolescent tiger cubs offered a glimpse of their presence, we turned out to be devoid from the graceful fortune of witnessing the regal patrolling of Mataram in her territorial patch. Since 1990s, when the age of Bandhavgarh and Kanha, as well as some other prominent tiger reserves of Central India dominated the scenario, when very few knew about Pench, it was her for whom the forests of Seoni was relevant at world stage again. She reigned supreme as the Super Mom of Pench, and made the tiger reserve blossom into realty. Love and respect for her can also be realised from the reciprocation that is perceived at the moment of her sad demise. Even at the age of 17, she did not have any major injuries and succumbed only to her old age proves that her authority across the territory was also undisputed – indeed, a special one! This is her story. 

  The Tender Grip: Mataram carrying one of her tiny cubs

Photo Credit: Prashant Saini

  Supposedly, in the wildlife history of India it has never been heard of a tigress giving birth to twenty-nine cubs in a span of twelve years or so! This is the story of Mataram of Pench Tiger Reserve, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. History started to be chronicled in 2005 when she was born to Barhi Maada on whom the tripartite documentary film Tiger: Spy in the Jungle (2008) was made by BBC Natural History Unit, directed by John Downer (concerning whom, I can remember a verbal dispute with an infamous wildlife-based Bengali magazine), and narrated by the Sir David Attenborough. Nobody knew at that time that she will be a legend in the making – motherhood personified. She is one of the reasons for the increasing tiger population in the domain of the Satpura landscape. Of twenty-nine cubs, twenty-six have survived till date. 

 The Genesis of the Pioneer: Barhi Maada or T5 on a lookout

Photo Credit: BBC

  It all started in September 2005 when some Mahavats spotted a tiger family of five in the Adjalmata area under Karmajhri Range. At that time the cubs (two females and two males) were only 1-week-old, and Barhi Maada used to carry them in her mouth from one place to another for safety. What a beautiful glimpse of motherhood indeed!  When the cubs were around a year old, the mother started training her cubs for the survival and once the same was noticed by a patrolling team which astonished them. Barhi Maada bought a chital fawn which was hurt in the forelimb and could not run away and kept it in front of the cubs. When one of the cubs approached it started making loud noises which scared away the cubs, the mother again got hold of the fawn and kept it near the cubs and the fawn again made loud noises on which the cubs ran away this went on for a while. Finally, one of the male cubs came forward and killed the fawn and started feasting on it gradually the other cubs joined in. This made the cub confident in making his kill and surviving. By the age of a coupe of years old, the cubs accompanied their mother and soon after, left their mother's home range, making their own territories. 

Stealthy Stalk: Barhi Maada approaching a small herd of chital (Above)

Photo Credit: BBC

Family Time: The adolescents enjoying the restful hours with their mother (Below)

Photo Credit: BBC

  The territory of Mataram was around the Alikata near Kalapahad-Sitaghat and her sister made her domain near the Baaghin Nala area, who, later on, came to be known as Baaghin Nala Tigress. However, Mataram was radio-collared on March 11, 2008, the first-ever radio-collaring to be done in Pench, upholding her to be bestowed with her famous name – Collarwali. At the age of two-and-a-half years, Mataram gave birth to her first litter in May 2008. Quite an early age to commence one's journey of commitment as a mother. Unlike many or her own kind, Mataram turned out to be the first-time mother in such a tender age of raw adolescence. She was sighted with one male and two female cubs in the Kalapahad area. Unfortunately, all the three cubs died of pneumonia. The second litter was spotted by Mahavats when they saw a tigress on a chital kill with her teats swelled. When they followed her in the region, they saw her calling her cubs and four beautiful cubs came out and started suckling. She had given birth to four cubs – three males and a female.

 Eyes on the Vicinity: Mataram with one of the sub-adults 

Photo Credit: Omveer Choudhary

  Her third litter was something to be reckoned with in the story in Pench in particular, and in the history of tiger conservation in general, when she was spotted with five cubs in October 2010 – one male and four female cubs. Out of the four females, one K5 was shifted to Panna in January 2014. She has given birth to three cubs in Panna glorifying the name of her mother. However  the cubs of the fourth litter were seen in May 2012 of one male and two females, later among these three cubs, one female was found dead in the Bijamata area in April 2013. The cubs of the fifth litter were sighted in October 2013. Three males all of which survived and during the last year they were the show stoppers in Pench as they were frequently sighted by tourists. One of the cubs of the fifth litter has been nicknamed as Chhota Charger after the ertswhile famous tiger Charger from Bandhavgarh because of his instincts of delivering mock charges and grumpy growling towards tourist gypsies. 

Cooling Off: Mataram on the move from one of her favourite resting spots

Photo Credit: Omveer Choudhary

  In January 2015, Mataram was spotted with bulge in the belly, and everyone awaited another litter. Finally, in April 2015, the patrolling team spotted her with four beautiful cubs – two males and two females. Since the opening of the season of 2016-17, it was noticed that Mataram was again pregnant and the entire fraternity was awaiting the good news of the record-breaking phenomenon of the birth of the cubs. She was spotted at end of December 2016, and all knew she had given birth to a seventh litter, but not even the forest team could locate her cubs at that point of time. However, in the beginning of January 2017, the forest patrolling team located four cubs of this litter. It was like a celebration in Pench on getting such a fantastic news. With this now she has given birth to twenty-six cubs which are world record in itself! But during March the news started coming in that only three cubs were being sighted regularly by the forest patrolling team, which definitely meant one of the cubs could not make it to the maturity. One of the tourists and die-heart Pench lover records his experience: 

Since the news of the seventh litter, I was eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of the cubs for the last four months and was alert on regular updates from the park. I was getting the report that she was keeping her cubs on the island on the Pench River which is her favourite place. As there were territorial disputes in the main  she kept her cubs at the island and when she sensed that now the danger is over, then around the first week of May she brought her cubs to the mainland. I still remember the day when I was inside the jungle for a safari and got the news that Mataram is with her cubs in the central area of the park, but alas by the time I reached there she went inside the lantanas with her cubs, and hardly any vehicles saw her other than the forest people — it was very disheartening for me but then n there decided to take chance next day morning safari. Placed our gypsy at 4:00 a.m. at the gate to enter first once inside drove straight to the area where she was last evening, waited for few minutes and crisscrossing the same area, suddenly a lone sambar call ... and my wife said there she has been walking like a queen. It was 6:15 a.m., she came out alone in the saucer and quenched her thirst – even while she was drinking her eyes were continuously surveying the area and then after 10 minutes again she vanished inside. Now we were sure she, along with her cubs was in that area. So we waited there all other gypsies went away as that day sightings were happening all across Pench but my target was only Mataram. Then around 8:10 a.m., I was standing on the Malkundam road when saw two forest guards running towards us, when they neared our gypsy said, "Sir, Mataram bachey lekar arahi hein." Hearing that I said them either to go to the centre point camp or board the gypsy on that they said that they would go to the camp from the backside. Within a few minutes after the guards went ten pairs of eyes on our gypsy were looking towards the direction and scanning the area and slowly the queen appeared from the bushes with her cubs. What a sighting it was for us! She came to the water saucer, and sat first and later on the three cubs came behind her to drink water, as it was the first day for her cubs in front of the world as a mother she continuously guarded the cubs, that day I saw what an experienced mother with previous twenty-two cubs do to rear her cubs. Till date, when I think of the moment get goosebumps and really we all felt crying after getting the first glimpse of the cubs!

Adieu: Mataram on her heavenly abode

Photo Courtesy: Tigers of Central India (Facebook)

  Mataram just happened to be the undisputed empress of Pench and she is an epitome of how a single individual can make a difference by making such a much-needed contribution to her gene pool. Sadly, a royal denizen of her stature, did not get that tinge of recognition like her species-cousin Machli from Ranthambore – something that I call Tiger Capitalism for good reasons. Machli is a name, which is known to all across the wildlife enthusiasts in the world, and claimed to be God Mother of Ranthambore with nine cubs, delivered in four litters – quite a justifiable reason. Should not we think that Mataram also should have been known to the wildlife fraternity of the world with the same enigma? She is one of the major factors for the tiger population not only in Pench, but the Satpura-Maikal landscape of central India as her cubs have been traced in Nagzira in Maharashtra, Satpura in Madhya Pradesh and in the corridors which are connected with Pench. Mataram's is a legacy that is the ultimate beacon of eternity, and without her, Pench will not be the same:

The last rays of the setting sun was bellowing a majestic abendrot across the meadows of the Seoni green. The magisterial set was royal and poetic. A silence ran through the vast plainfield of Mowgli's kingdom. Amidst all these imperial presence, the Queen bestowed her presence as she slowly trodded forward from behind the shal and teak forest into the open canvas. She was ready for her last act at the nature's grand stage. Out in the open, infront of a handful of awaiting visitors and jeeps she rested on her thrown with deep shy of relief as she let her last breadth echo across the green carpet. The entire ecosystem was let known that the Queen is no more. The greatest mother to ever grace the tiger kingdom, T 15, who went by multiple names such as Collarwali, Mataram, Super Mom, The Queen of Central India has finally gave in to her fading age after reigning supreme for more than 17 long years and breeding twenty-nine beautiful cubs in record eight litters. 

—  Arani Mukherjee, "Queen's Farewell"/  https://m.facebook.com/groups/993544600791448/permalink/2682879525191272/

The Lineage: A cladogram that represents Mataram's extended family tree

Illustration: Varun Thakkar

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 ...