Ancients say that everything we have ever done has led us
exactly down the path we were supposed to tread. They also say that by the same
logic, it is impossible to make a mistake.
Take a moment to let that sink in… “There are no accidents”,
said Master Oogway; “There are no mistakes”, say these ancient people blessed
with universal wisdom. Of course, this engenders questions of free will and
begs a full blown philosophical debate, but that’s not where I’m heading right
now. I’d like to narrate an incident that really made me think about this
concept.
It happened to us in a recent forest trip (yes, forests give
one a lot of learnings!). We were on a boat safari on the Kabini River. It’s
just one of those things that you do when you go to a place like that. Let me
explain. When we reached our resort in the Nagarahole forest, we had a choice
of road safaris and boat safaris. We were told that road safaris, though
slightly more expensive, were the overwhelming favourite, as one seldom, if
ever, spotted a big cat while on a boat.
Since we had a few days and sufficient road safaris booked,
we decided that it was worth it, taking a boat trip at the crack of dawn on the
river anyway, as it would be a beautiful ride with the forest all along the
banks. So, up we got, rather earlier than one is used to, and were in the boat
by 5am. The pre-dawn sky made sure the early morning was completely worth it!
As the sun slowly started peeking out of the horizon, the sky turned into a
playground of colours. Orange, pink, grey and white forming a delectable
cocktail in the sky. Birds of numerous exotic species perched on branches
eerily jutting out of the water, and the river itself, grey in the dawn, daring
us to delve further into its mysteries.
The boat had eight other tourists, and one of them, by his
speech, body language and dressing, was clearly one of our brethren from the
north of our great nation. It is this delightful man that this story revolves
around.
The journey started uneventfully enough, at a human level –
nature all around us was dancing the most alluring of dances. The boat motored
on, showing us sights that opened our eyes more effectively than a triple
expresso! Snake birds, serpent eagles, three species of Kingfishers,
innumerable Swifts and even a lone Vulture. Somewhere down our watery path, we
were also treated to an entertaining show put up by Otters – first diving into
the water, and then gambolling all around us, posing for pictures all along! We
had forgotten all about spotting a big cat, as the immersive experience went on,
completely mesmerising us.
And this is when it happened.
The venerable northern gentleman decided it was a bit chilly
for him, what with the December winds and the watery surroundings, and demanded
the boat be stopped for, err… ablutions, the short variety. Needless to say,
the faces of the rest of the gathering betrayed a mixture of amusement and
irritability.
The boatman obliged soon – a small island appeared in front of
us, and the boat was taken to it and the motor switched off. Our friend nimbly,
and rather urgently, jumped off the boat, onto the island, and did his job. As
we waited for him to climb back into the vehicle, we were looking around,
taking pictures of an eagle that had just taken off from a branch.
Soon, though, the calm interior of the boat wasn’t so calm
anymore. As the man stepped back in, the boatman attempted to restart the boat
to be on our way, but couldn’t. As it happened, a fishing net had gotten caught
in the mighty vessel’s mechanical parts!
As he laboured on for a quarter of an hour, we couldn’t help
but feel a little stranded, as the couple of other early morning boats had
already passed us by on their return journey…we were quite alone in the middle
of the river! Finally, through sheer hard work, the good boatman was able to
pull her free from the net, and once more we headed into the deep grey.
Grumbling about the fifteen minute delay caused by our friend
with the small bladder, we were less amused now, but still taken by the beauty
around us. Thus went our journey until we reached the point where we were
supposed to turn around and head back for the starting point. As we were doing
this, with no other boats in sight, because they hadn’t been delayed by
small-bladdered men from the north, we saw the sight of the morning!
A vision in orange and black, perfectly camouflaged and yet
standing out majestically; black stripes that seemed like they were painted by
the night itself, and an orange that burnt brighter than the morning sky! A
young tiger, no older than a year, walking casually, gracefully, along the
banks of the river, in clear sight!
As the clicks of the cameras formed a rhythm and squeals of
delight rose from the boat, we realised that ours was the only vessel in this
part of the river. All other boats had passed by fifteen minutes ago, and we
were the only ones to have had the rare luck of spotting a big cat while on a
boat safari.
As the experience sank in, we looked at our handsome friend
from the north, secretly admiring his lack of bladder control, and blessing the
moment when that fisherman cast the net that broke down our boat!
The return journey was even more stunning, in our eyes! The
colours of the sky, the sounds of the birds, the melody of the river and the
hum of the boat’s motor – everything was twice as beautiful as before.
As we came away, delighted, Master Oogway’s words became a
refrain in my head…
“There are no accidents”
