Heat, Chai and a Bear
Of the many places to observe wildlife in India, Ranthambore is one of the most famous. While it is renowned worldwide for its tiger families, it is not just about tigers - as with many things in life, the little things we add to the environment make our memories special - like a cup of chai. It's a bit of a ritual to take a break to enjoy some 'chai' in parks which have that facility.
June is an especially difficult month to visit Ranthambore, when the heat is oppressive - so much so that if we are not careful, there is a real danger of catching a heatstroke. On one such oppressive June afternoon in 2022 we entered Zone-1 of the reserve in search of big cats.
After about an hour of seeking and not finding the big cat, we took the customary tea break, somehow managing to enjoy the hot tea in even hotter weather! Post this, we started again, and soon enough through the bushes saw a mother sloth bear with a small cub, who was moving quickly through the bushes.
Our safari guide quickly guessed that the bear was also in search of water, and directed the jeep to a waterbody close by. After a small wait, the duo arrived as predicted. Just like all good mothers, this mommy bear kept a very close watch on all of us while its cub drank some water. But just like all naughty kids, as soon as its thirst was quenched, the baby bear took to roaming around on its own, and climbed a small rock and pose beautifully for portraits! As sloth bears are notoriously shy and highly unpredictable, getting good frames of these have always been challenging for me. But this was an opportunity not to be missed!!
While the bears retreated back and disappeared from our view, the afternoon also retreated to make way for a cooler evening. As with all stories involving children and spicy drinks, a combination of fun, naughtiness and a mother's love had made an otherwise oppressive afternoon a truly memorable one.
