On December 5, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had passed away. The city of Chennai came to a screeching halt for 24 hours. The stillness was eerie. It didn’t help that we were already dealing with demonetization, the government’s mischievously impotent strategy to fight corruption. It was a stressful day. But it was nothing compared to how the city would look a week later.
On December 12, we were bruised by the state’s worst cyclone ever. The wind was howling at speeds of 150 kilometers per hour. Roofs and panels were getting blown away. Glass windows shattered, trees uprooted, and power lines disrupted. Ten people died. Many livelihoods were lost. It was our second consecutive winter of managing a calamity. Last year, we were put through a flood crisis. It has not been a good winter for us so far.
I won’t ever forget it. But it isn’t because nothing eventful ever happens in the city. Or because I live in a third world country in which the progress is adjudged on the seamless accessibility of Starbucks and 4G. It is because I finally spotted wild cats during the first weekend of this month.
It is a big deal for me. It has been 4 years since I started traveling to the hills of south India in hope of seeing one. Wherever I went, I would pester the residents to help me out. From resorting to bribery to begging for divine intervention. But I always heard the same thing; how a stroke of luck was all that was needed. I hated that they were right. It was just a matter of chance anyway. There was nothing I could do but show up in the right place at the right time.
After 11-odd months of trekking in the jungles in search of wild cats and crossing my fingers, I gave up. By then, I was preoccupied with birdwatching, and my new career as a marketing consultant. And wild cats were no longer on my mind. I hadn’t thought much of them until last year when I encountered a sloth bear in Megamalai. Some of the local forest officers told me that even they hadn’t seen a bear in the region; that I was a very lucky man.
All I could think, greedily, was that I hadn’t yet seen a leopard or a tiger.
On December 3, in the Anaimalai Hills, I was on a night drive to the foothills. One of the locals was traveling with me. Early on, we spotted a full-grown Leopard Cat in the corner of a shed with some mangled plastic cover in its jaws. It disappeared, like lighting, before I had the chance to soak the moment in. Somehow, the magnitude of the moment hadn’t fully registered in me.
We drove on, and for miles and miles – I saw nothing but kamikaze insects whizzing past the windshield.
After having crossed a couple of villages, we heard a loud and raspy coughing sound. Quickly, we stopped the car by side of the road and stepped out with our battery-operated torches. We heard it again. This time, it was louder. The driver flashed his torch towards a cement platform that faced the forest. About 200 feet away from us, we saw a gorgeous leopard sitting on it. My eyebrows were raised. I am not sure but some drool might have escaped from the corner of my lips. Then, I remembered that the camera inside the car. I collected my bearings and made a dash for it. By the time I returned, the leopard had jumped down and disappeared.
I smiled and told the driver, who seemed upset on my behalf, that it will appear again. Inside, though, I was freaking out. I didn’t know it was going to come back. I couldn’t believe that I had left the camera behind. What was I supposed to do if the leopard came back? Stay there in the moment, united with the night sky above and the beautiful hunter below. Or breathe slowly and hold the camera steady until the next moment.
I was panicking in the gentlest way possible while keeping a brave face.
Suddenly, we heard guttural noises along the side of the road, about 5 feet away. For a flashing second, I envisioned a leopard pouncing on me. And we ran towards the car. But it had turned out to be a family of wild boars in a garbage heap nearby. So, we decided to wait inside. We kept as still and silent as possible. The car windows were rolled up. Wildcats are known for their ability to pick up the faintest of scents. And I reeked of fear and excitement.
An hour later, we heard the coughing sounds. Cautiously, we stepped out again. I had the camera with me. After flashing the torch on the thicker side of the forest, we saw a rustling in the bushes. It was close to where we had spotted the first leopard. My camera lens followed the torchlight. And then, there they were. Two more leopards sitting, coolly, on the adjacent wall.
I focused on the larger one and zoomed in. I saw it looking back at me. For a few seconds, I felt close to it. It was just me, and the leopard. I didn’t pay much attention to the other. Soon enough, both of them effortlessly climbed down the wall. Off they went into the forest, like soldiers retiring after a day spent in making war, love, and peace.
But something seemed amiss. As wonderful as I had felt during the moment, a sickening sense of worry came over me. I shrugged it off and tried to see the video that I had recorded. It turned out that I had forgotten to hit the little red button on the camera. There was no footage. Not that I would have been able to record any clear footage, considering how dark it was. At least, that is what I tell myself and anyone else who says, “okay, show me”.
It may sound anticlimactic to anyone who has been reading this blog for more than a year. Photographing or videotaping a leopard in the wild would have meant the world to me. Some have told me since that I was lucky to merely experience the moment. Rather than just documenting it and possibly – missing out on the best parts. But I can’t romanticize the fact that I am a clumsy and forgetful person. I wish I had pressed the stupid button.
I felt sad too, on the way back to the cottage. Because I thought a lot about Raj. I wished he had been there with me. He wanted to see a leopard as much as I ever did. Unless there is a zombie uprising, I don’t think he is ever going to see one. Life isn’t fair, I suppose.
I promise to bring back photographs of the leopards the next time I stumble upon them. Or whenever they decide to come and find me. Something tells me that I don’t have to wait another 4 years. Hopefully, neither do any of you.
Of course, I was lucky enough to spot other animals during my trip to the Anaimalai Hills. I shall post stories about some of them over the next few weeks.
Have a peaceful and memorable end to December.
Forget the photos. They are etched in your head. That’s all that matters.
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Awww thank you, LG! I want to think like that too. But I can’t seem to let go, at times.
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There is something so refreshing in the humility of your encounters with nature and her gifts! The fact of your obvious talent with words and pictures-that is always there to add to the joy of reading your posts! Today I read that Humus- which eats into itself giving new life, is the origin of humility, humorous, humiliation(!), humble et al…:) All the best!
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Thank you, Ministhy. I am touched that you find my awkwardness and clumsiness to be even slightly endearing.
What an interesting origin to the word “humility”. Woawsie. I would have never guessed it. Thank you for that too.
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Correction: Humus – Latin for earth, soil, ground shares the root with those words- including hubris!!
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“Shares root” – Beautifully-said!
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Christy, not my contribution! Daughter forwarded her University ‘Giving’ video message for Christmas! It started with this sentence…went on about gift of music, gift of nature, gift of knowledge etc..
Btw, so many versions of that poem on one humanity in different tongues:
You did your best to seperate us above the Earth
But beneath, our roots were entwined!
Happy Christmas!
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How lovely is that! Do give an extra pat on your daughter’s head for me, she brought some vigor into my mind today!
If you find the time, do look for the origin of the word “undermine”. It’s all so interesting!
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Yay! In that situation I would have preferred to view in field lenses for a good long time rather than take a picture. I wear binocs like a necklace, but the camera gets ‘lugged.’ If I happen to get a photo, then lucky YOU, but to see a leopard in the wild with my own eyes and some magnifying glass? Lucky ME!!
Happy to see you are still scratching you wild nature itch, Christy. Have been missing you for sure, prefer that you keep in touch with nature rather than fellow bloggers. Cheers!!
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Awww Shannon, I wish I had a strong enough neck to wear binoculars around it. But it just really hurts! I get headaches because of looking through them too. I don’t know. Just weird, my dear friend.
“Prefer that you keep in touch with nature rather than fellow bloggers” – I don’t know about bloggers in general, but I would equally want to keep in touch with you, Shannonrooo! 2016 will not end without some “face-time” (big smile). Hope you are having a lovely December.
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Nice to see your post – been a long time, isn’t it? I know how you must feel. I once got a lousy photo of a whale opening its mouth wide just a few metres from the jetty where I was standing, because my hands shook with excitement. I regretted it for awhile, but eventually decided that I had been lucky enough to see it. Same goes for you. Also, you’ll have other opportunities.
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Yes, it’s been a long time, doc. Some side projects are keeping me busy. It’s always a treat to hear from you.
For long, it has been on my wish list to see whale opening its mouth as it comes up for air. You’re very lucky indeed. Was it a humpback?
Thanks again for the kind words!
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Yes, I think it was. It was at a place called Come By Chance in Newfoundland. I’ve written a blog post about it titled Come By Chance a couple of years ago.
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Will check it out for sure!
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Btw, Wish you a happy Christmas and New Year!
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Season’s wishes to you too, doc!
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What you describe is similar to a hunter’s “buck fever”. Finally the rare animal is in your sights, but you freeze, fail to cock the gun, or push the red button on the camera. Its a well known malady; maybe next time.
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Damn. Buck fever it is then! Sounds a bit like “a deer caught in the headlights of a car” syndrome.
Thank you, Stephen, I am hoping that maybe next time too!
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aw…we could have seen the guy through your eyes…(i think every photographer has his own version of a big cat, unseen by others) next time you spot one keep cool & don’t let excitement rule…that moon pic is as awesome as awesomeness could be…thanks for the post Christy…
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Awww those are mighty kind words, Sumana. Thank you so much.
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Not to go all Zen-preachy here, but maybe there’s a useful takeaway about not having “captured” the leopards anywhere but in your mind. I know my one and only experience with wild cats–pumas, a mother and three large youngsters–occurred too swiftly for me to even grab my camera. But boy, are they still with me. (On the other hand, I’m a pathetic photographer who doesn’t use much photography in my blog, so my experience probably isn’t helpful.) Happy New Year!
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Thank you for them fighting words, Gretchen. I agree with you that sometimes, when the focus is shifted from observation to documentation – the moment tends to pass. Especially for the nimble-footed creatures that fascinate us so much that they have our senses in a tizzy.
Also, pumas. Wow!
Happy new year to you too, dear friend.
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