Shooting the tiger

Years of observation inform this good picture book on tigers; the Gandhi family presence is a small bonus.

This is a tiger book like no other that I have seen. It is the product of years, indeed decades, of being in and around Ranthambhore, devoting time to watching tigers at work and play, developing a familiarity with virtually every individual tiger on the magnificent reserve. The result is seen in shots that capture fleeting moments rarely preserved on film or disk: tigers mating, rearing on their hind legs like bears to fight over territory, dunking a kill in the water before lifting it out, posing three in a row for the camera, being caught in the act of pouncing on a sambhar, playing hide and seek in a ruined building, and much else — including a haunting picture of an aged tiger dragging its way out of a pool, clearly about to die.

You can admire the animal in its many moods: watching, grimacing, racing full tilt like a racehorse, preening itself, stalking prey, or cooling off in a watering hole. There are lighter sequences too, like that of a family on a motorcycle chancing upon a tiger on the road, hastily abandoning the motorcycle and fleeing on foot, while the tiger sprays a road sign that says “Ranthambhore 1”. Another sees a peahen caught unexpectedly in the middle of a tiger pouncing on its prey, flapping furiously as it races to make itself scarce. The most dramatic sequence, though, is in miniature, of a tiger attacking a crocodile that was muscling in on a kill; the crocodile was mortally wounded.

Part of the drama is provided by Ranthambhore itself, with its Mughal and Rajput ruins, its masjid and temple, its varied terrain and texture, and a magnificent fort. Some of the pictures do well therefore to focus not just on the animal but on the entire panorama, capturing the larger habitat and nature’s variegated splendour.

There is more wildlife on offer than the tiger. Predictable are the shots of sambhar, chital and chinkara, but worth pausing to admire are shots of an osprey with a kill in its claws, an eagle owl, an oriental honey buzzard spreading its wings as it takes off from a tree, and an arresting shot of a crested serpent eagle. There is also a great picture of a leopard hiding in khus grass, and of caracal, as well as more ordinary (if only in comparison) shots of a langur in mid-leap, and geese in flight.

The pictures have been taken by the three authors, but regrettably the book doesn’t say who took which — a matter of legitimate interest for the reader. The explanation, that the pictures should stand on their own, is not justification enough, as the same thing can be said about any literary or visual work. The text is terse and dry, understated in tone while doing the explaining, leaving one’s attention to focus on the pictures. Finally, the family-album pictures at the end, featuring both the Singhs and Gandhis, simply don’t belong, though admittedly there will be interest in the Gandhi shots.

The price is steep, but the book is well produced and the size is right. For anyone who has enjoyed Ranthambhore, and who is not short of money, this is a must-have.

Available at Goodearth outlets and select bookshops

RANTHAMBHORE
The Tiger’s Realm
Author: Anjali and Jaisal Singh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Publisher: Sujan Art
Pages: 164
Price: Rs 4,800