Friday, January 30, 2015

Anshuman Singh

Anshuman Singh is a young lawyer based in Jabalpur in Central India. He is also a keen photographer and conservationist. At the forefront of conservation he participates with utmost sincerity in many activities relating to nature. He is active in initiating school children to nature conservation and birding. Here are some of the images by Anshuman Singh
Male Tiger

Pachmarhi Hill Resort

Painted Stork

Painted Stork in Flight

Tigress

Red Eye Tiger

Spectacled Cobra

Male Tiger

Male Tiger Kanha

Tigress

Patiha Female Bandhavgarh

Tree Planting + Indian Army

Umerpani Female Kanha

Verditor Flycatcher
 

The Tiger Story - Bandhavgarh

Leopard

Tiger

Male Tiger

Injured Blue Eyed Tiger and After wards

Blue Eyed Injured

Blue Tiger Bandhavgarh


Injured Tiger

Jeep Safari

Long Billed Vulture

Big Male Tiger

Tiger & Tree

Ruddy Mongoose
Alarmed Sambar

Save Tiger

Spotted Deer

Bengal Tiger

Tiger at Water

Tiger in Grass

Scent Marking Tiger

Snarling Tiger

Tiger Walk

Tige rin Bandhavgarh National Park

Wild Dog
Teerath Singh has been a great friend and client for website promotion. He is an equally great photographer, naturalist, and guide. Teerath Singh also operates a tour company called MP Tiger Safari in India.   

Bandhavgarh is a happening place and Teerath's Images keep telling exciting stories of the wild. Here is one incidence of a blue-eyed male tiger being injured in a fight and made to leave his territory. Well, this winter he is making a comeback. Territorial fights among the big cats could be a messy and bloody affair. See the images by Teerath Singh in this blog. 

Friday, January 23, 2015

Bandhavgarh: Up The Hill

Sesh Shaiyya
Blessed with eternal beauty Bandhavgarh National Park is a paradise on earth. It was some where in the nineties that I accompanied wildlife photographer Gertrude. She was from Germany and a frequent visitor to India. 

Hindu Temple
Tiger
On that hot summer day we ascended the Bandhavgarh Mountain at 800 MSL.The climb turns and twists precariously and tests the skill of the driver. A steep fall unto death awaits for those who go over the edge the abyss of silence. The weather beaten ascent crosses over a number of stables and small caves all man made craved out of the mountain walls.

On the way up is Shesh Shaiyya a twenty feet reclining Vishnu carved out of igneous rock. The statue lies besides the pool calm, composed and majestic. The Shesh Nag is as impressive hence the name. A number of freshwater springs trickle in to feed the pool - earlier used for bathing. The grove is surrounded by an aura of mystic and grandeur.  

Bandhvgarh Mountain
Stables
Old Temple
We spent considerable time at this spot. Inexperienced I poured large amount of water inside to deter the conquering heat.

Pristine.Fairy Tale Like. Esoteric.

Best way to describe the amazing holy domain of Lord Vishnu. Serenity prevails and an occasional tiger appears sometimes. The dense canopy is ideal for raising families for tigresses of the park. The location is an enchanting spectacle, picturesque to the core. Large looming trees provide shade and shelter from the sweltering heat of the sun.   

As we climb up the mountain on foot we encounter the Pujari. He was the priest appointed by Maharajah of Rewa for the upkeep of Ram Janki Laxman Temple on the hill top. Walking almost every day he trudged along the jungle road covering a distance of 11 km in order to reach the temple. On this trek he would often encounter a tiger. "I stand still whence the big cats are close to me," he narrated nonchalantly. Unimpressed by series of queries from us he moved on.        

Ram Janki Temple
The entrance is a majestic structure perhaps all that is left of the 2000 year fort. The massive door and sentry chamber greets the visitors in the abyss of silence. The chambers now house bats and that  is what we stopped to  photograph.

We then proceeded further on a jungle road that was surrounded by tall grasses. As we moved further we came across a towering statue of Lord Vishnu. We encountered statues of the Lord in zoomorphic forms. Amazing esoteric world of ancient is what we encountered. The fort now in ruins was ruled over by many dynasties but initial architecture is Gond - a tribal community in Central India or Madhya Pradesh.

The Bandhavgarh Mountain is a tabletop one with extensive plateau. The fort complex contains man made reservoirs besides ruins of the Fort itself.  All along the complex are scattered artifacts and run down walls.  

Reservoir
Ancient Temple

The visit to the ruins takes time and we sit down to have our lunch. Prepared by expert  chefs in our resort in Bandhavgarh we savor the gastronomic delights. But I was facing acute shortage of water having drunk a large amount on the way. Gertrude was kind enough to share hers with me.

We could hear the squeals of wild boar as we stood at the edge peeping right into the vast landscape of Bandhavgarh National Park. As we climbed down a memorable safari had just concluded.    

All images by Teerath Singh


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Latest Tiger Census - 2014

Tigers Mating by Dharmagiri at Pench
It is in the news the latest figures about tiger numbers in India. According to census conducted by Indian Government there are 2226 tigers in India. This constitutes seventy percent of the tiger population of the World.

In the year 2010 the population was little above 1700 and much below before that. The figures are encouraging especially since more scientific approach has been used. 

The big cat has a long way to go since the numbers do not extract it out of the endangered status. The rise in population could also be due to tigers discovered in areas hitherto unknown. But better managed reserves have definitely contributed to the increase.       

But what is discouraging is the ministers view that our big cats can be shared with other countries. This is nowhere advisable and the best that can be done is to trans locate the animals to protected areas with less or no tigers.

There are many neglected reserves in this country with decreasing population. At many places local factors like poaching, disease and habit destruction is making the majestic animal extinct. 

A new approach to census should be put in place with population of each and every reserve made open to public. This is a pertinent approach which will also put to pressure weak management and expose local problems.  

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Monu Dubey Amazing Lensmen

Once you start looking at the amazing photographs of wild India you cannot relax till the show ends. Young Monu Dubey is a creative photographer who travels to many places in India. 

Indian Wolf
He has a knack for capturing moments, some filled with empathy while many depict action. The work expresses the agility and understanding of his subjects. At a such young age, he has miles to go. Some of his work of art is added here for the viewers.   

CobraPair
Roseringedparakeet


Male Tiger
Leopard in Bush
Monitor Lizard
Tiger Family

Ruddy Mongoose
Wilddogsonkill