The Lord of the Jungles..
The tiger is the hallmark of India. It roams the jungles of this land with pride. The tiger is rightly called as the large hearted gentleman. So let us get a glimpse of this ‘pride of the wild’.
In the jungles of Kanha, the tale began.. On the search of tigers we were an eager group, waiting to get a glimpse of the ruler of the forest. As we travelled deep into the jungle, there was excitement in the air. Our elephant ventured deep in the forest. Suddenly there was movement among the bushes.
After a few heart stopping moments he came into view- the proud tiger sitting in a perfect position amidst the tall grass. I was stunned beyond words. His eyes reflected a quiet aura of pride. The stance in which he was sitting clearly mirrored his command over the surrounding territory. We went closer to him. Our elephant came to a halt just beside him. Then suddenly he looked up- directly into my eyes. A shiver ran down my spine as my eyes literally locked into his. I am sure, I will not forget that gaze ever in life.
Since that encounter, I have had a passion for the tiger. He is really a large hearted gentleman. We are lucky to have the tiger walking on this Indian soil. Yet sadly, some people do not understand his worth. Selfish motives being the prime cause of poaching tigers, the ruler of the forests is indeed facing a huge threat. The cold wind of terror and the footprints of death are approaching tigers fast. We blame the tigers for bursting into human settlements. But truth be told, humans are the ones responsible for this situation.
Who asked them to burst into the habitat of tigers? Though the tigers are quite unaware of the motives of these uninvited guests it is not that they are going to keep quiet for long..
Humans either need to stop these activities, else just wait and watch..
Because in the end they are TIGERS..
The Universe
The cosmos is within us.. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the Universe to know itself. -Carl Sagan
The sun was spreading its familiar glow, birds were chirping and the city was awakening. I stood in my window watching this transition. There was solitude in the air, a feeling that today would bring with it something different just as everyday does. Looking at the vast stretch of the Pune suburb before my eyes, my thoughts journeyed far.. Was there any place beyond the Earth that held something similar to ours? Are we alone? And then..the inevitable one- is there life beyond the Earth? I could just ponder. Looking up at the sky, we experience its celestial beauty and no doubt it is vast. In fact it is the biggest creation we have ever known. But what if we broaden our horizon?
Going beyond the earth’s atmosphere, we enter a whole new world. A colossal and majestic world full of wonders. The sky is like a shield for our ‘pale blue dot’. It is a comfort zone, secured and secluded. We do not like to come out of it. And yet we are curious to know what lies out there. I think that we live in a life of partial oblivion. I mean that there are so many things that humans are unheard of. As it is said, we just need to have eyes to see, hearts to feel, a will to know and curiosity to discover. Just for once look up at the stars. I know that it is not going to help you get good admissions, good jobs and stuff like that. But it is essential to remind us that humans are mere puppets in the hands of the universe..
After these thoughts, I came back to Earth and suddenly realised that I had virtually travelled beyond the Earth. A feeling of happiness washed over me. And I can assure you that you too will experience heavenly bliss. Just have the time to discover yourself through the eyes of the Universe and to discover the Universe through your own eyes..
-Mugdha Deshpande
