At five pm, the August Kranti express leaves Nizamuddin station, and brings you to Sawai Madhopur at 8:30 the same evening. Barely four hours away from Delhi is a jungle that is teeming with tales of intrigue. Ranthambhore has never had it better. Read on, get to know the residents and all the juice from some recent sightings (with a heavy dash of spice and gossip)!
Zalim is a fierce tiger with a reputation for chasing and scaring motorcycle riders. He sired two female cubs with the Kachchida female. Now, tigers are supposed to be the solitary types. The mother has the responsibility of bringing up the cubs and teaching them the ways of the jungle, but once they are old enough, they part ways. The father is not known to bear such maternal instincts and the male cub would be lucky to not be killed by dad.
In this particular instance though, tragedy struck. The Kachchida female died due to some illness, and the little cubs were left to fend for themselves. Defying his name, and surprising the tiger experts, Zalim took the two little cubs under his wing, took care of them and protected them till they were old enough. Metrosexual male?
Sultan, the naughty little cub of Noor and Ustad doesn’t yet know the ways of the jungle. Playing by his mother’s side, he ventured into the bushes, and troubled a sleeping bear. The bear would have scolded the little cub, because the poor little dear came scampering back and hid behind mama and cried. So off went mama into the bushes, and had a word with the bear. A lot of roaring and growling was heard from behind the bushes, and when Noor came back, Sultan clung to her. The mother licked him all over to soothe his frayed nerves, and off they went to play some more!
Noor and Ustad were seen sharing a neelgai kill. Their full tummies were hanging low. In the spirit of putting leftover food in the fridge, Ustad was seen dragging the neelgai’s head to the Futa Kot pond and dropping it in the water to keep it cool. He then bared his teeth to warn everyone else to stay away and settled down in the pond for a nap.
The Rani of Ranthambhore, Machhli, who has given numerous litters and a glorious reputation to the jungle, ruled over Rajbagh and Padam Talao for several years. She is now old and has retired to Lakardah. The dominant female from her last litter, Sundari, seemed to have inherited the Rajbagh territory from her, and tiger watchers had very nearly anointed her the new queen of the jungle. Then cupid struck, and Sundari found love with Star. However, Sundari was also seen in the company of Zalim. This must have angered Star, because Sundari and Star reportedly had a serious tiff (both were seen injured afterwards). The disagreement turned so serious that Sundari left Rajbagh to deliver her litter (the paternity of which was uncertain). Then last week, Sundari’s three cubs were seen in the company of Zalim, fuelling suspicion that he was in fact the real father! Star, meanwhile, is lording it over Rajbagh, the prime territory in Ranthambhore.
History repeats itself. Sundari’s sister, Krishna, whose three cubs Suraj, Chanda and Akash are now reasonably grown, is available once more on the dating scene, and was going out with Zalim, until one fine morning two weeks ago, when she ditched him and was seen in the arms of Star. The sisters have the two guys running a merry dance around them. Zalim was seen moping around with a long face. Raees, the local guide is convinced that unless Krishna mates with Zalim, to buy peace, the safety of her future litter would be in serious jeopardy!
Meantime, all eyes are peeled for Sundari, who has kept a remarkably low profile the past three months. The forest officers are desperately looking for her at the time of writing this story. Will she live up to the early potential she demonstrated, and inherit the mantle of the Queen from her mother? Her sister Krishna has cosied up to Star and has the run of Rajbagh for now. Will Sundari return to reclaim the prime territory, and earn the title of the Lady of the Lakes, by which her mother was known? Will she oust Star in battle, or will she offer him the delights of heaven to seal a political alliance? Or will she meekly retire to another territory, disappointing the thousands of Machhli fans? Will she be found at all, or has a tragedy struck Ranthambhore again? Watch this space as the drama unfolds.
