2021: When the Forests Pulled Back
By February 2021, we had settled into our new home, and the urge to return to the forest was strong. I went back to Kabini — this time staying in tents, and this time with Harsha.
Kabini was generous.
We saw six tigers over the trip — including a sub-adult male resting by a sambar kill, swatting at a crow bold enough to steal meat. Later, he cooled off in the backwaters while wild dogs appeared nearby, restless and alert.
The final safari delivered something special: the Backwater Female, walking calmly, very close to the jeep — unhurried, unbothered.
That year unfolded with variety:
A monsoon Kabini trip filled with rain, peacocks, wild dogs, and fleeting tiger cub sightings
A bird hide session near Coorg that slowed everything down
A deeply emotional family safari, where Shwetha and Samvidha saw a black panther on a tree — for 45 minutes
My first leopard sighting in the wild, at Bandipur, watching a mother and cub together
The year ended in Ranthambhore, where winter light, lakes, and fort ruins shaped some of the most dramatic tiger sightings I had ever experienced — especially the unforgettable presence of Riddhi, walking beside the lake, chasing crocodiles, and approaching within fifteen feet of the jeep.
By the end of 2021, something had shifted.
I was no longer “trying wildlife photography.”
I was being shaped by it.
