Singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo was greeted by rare sight of a white tiger during a safari and all he could react was to hum one of his popular songs, "Kaho na pyar hai...".
When asked how he felt after seeing the white tiger yesterday at the White Tiger Safari and Zoo in Mukundpur in Rewa district, Supriyo told reporters here today that he hummed this song.
Union minister of state for urban development, Supriyo was accompanied by state Public Relation and Energy minister, Rajendra Shukla.
"It was amazing to see the white tiger sitting in front of us the moment we entered the safari," he said.
"It was interesting to know that this is the origin of white tiger and how Mahraja Martand Singh caught one while gaming in the wild and then conserved it. From here, it went to other parts of the world," Supriyo said.
Supriyo lauded the efforts of Shukla and officials in setting up the white tiger safari in the district.
He was in Rewa yesterday to attend a function along with Union agriculture minister Radhamohan Singh.
According to historians, the first white tiger was spotted in Madhya Pradesh's Vindhya region in 1915. The rare breed of the big cat, which was caught for the first time, died in 1920.
In 1951, a white tiger cub, named Mohan, was captured. It later became the progenitor of white tigers in the world after the Rewa princely states ruler Maharaja Martand Singh for felicitated its breeding.
