We all have heard of WORKOHOLICS, ALCHOLICS, and even CHOCOHOLICS, but I seem to be getting into a new form of addiction which is yet to be ‘Christened’ so I like to call it ‘PHOTOHOLISM’ You see, it wasn’t always this way for me. As most of you know, I not only love shooting wildlife and spending most of my weekends in the jungles, I also enjoy writing about photography, sharing ideas and experiences. It’s probably the most satisfying job in the world! The more time I spend making pictures or talking about photography with others, the more passionate I became about it. However, of late I’m a bit worried that I’m now a ‘Compulsive PHOTOHOLIC’. I get a feeling that I’m relating everything in life to PHOTOGRAPHY. Let me explain . . . . I met my doc after ages at a party. After the usual pleasantries, he fired the dreaded salvo “I know you are keeping fit, but nearing 50, let’s get a complete medical checkup done”.   So, here I was, sitting in the clinic, a band around my elb...

There is a popular belief that you need to be damn lucky to spot a big cat in the wild. While there is quite an element of truth behind the statement, in my personal view there is more science and art to spotting the great cats of the wild, along with Luck. This is especially true in the South Indian jungles where Luck does play an important part but then there is an element of preparation and labor involved in creating a conducive environment for luck to come in. It is like the famous verse: To win a Lottery, you need to buy a Lottery Ticket! Let me elaborate .   The key to spotting the elusive big cats is all about understanding the call of the wild. In other words it is about deciphering the Sounds and smell of the Jungle.   The movement of these big cats is constantly tracked by the natural GPS of the jungles. Yes, Langurs on the high perches on tree tops keep a constant vigil on the movement of these cats and give out a warning call to the others on the ground of a...

There's something about being deep in the Jungles—surrounded by nothing but the green and brown canopy of trees and bushes, occasionally broken by a refreshing waterhole or a salt pit —that makes me feel so incredibly alive. Every moment inside the jungles keeps the adrenalin levels soaring and the mind is alert for those magical moments that the wild animal or bird makes an appearance. I remember my friend Deepa Suresh’s words, a few years ago, when we were planning to take her on a Safari at Kabini. Are the Safari’s dangerous? What if a ‘Yaanai’ (elephant) attacks? While I did convince her with statistics of insignificant numbers of fatal incidents in the decades of Safari tourism, to this day, I keep pondering of what ‘Wildlife Tourism’ or a ‘Jungle Safari’ means or is perceived by different people. For me, the Jungles are a second home, a mind refreshing, blissful place—but in Deepa's world, this is probably an enigmatic, dangerous and unpredictable terrain, which can ...