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India's Heart: A Tapestry of Nature and Tradition

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In November 2022, I packed my bags and headed to India in search of wildlife; Specifically the Royal Bengal Tiger. During my two weeks in India, I gained so much more than I had hoped. I met some incredible people, saw some unbelievable sights and was able to photograph some of the planet’s most beautiful wildlife. India reaches far past the expectations you may already hold. In this story, I will share some of these experiences and photographs, both human and wildlife.

Arriving in Mumbai

Mumbai, historically known as Bombay, is the most populous city in India with around 12.5 million occupants. It is the financial centre of India and the capital of the State of Maharashtra. This is where my journey through India began. I spent just 6 hours in Mumbai when I arrived before swiftly heading off by train to Nagpur in central India. I wasn’t able to explore the city so the photos below are from the return leg of my journey where I stayed in Mumbai for about 24 hours.

The Gateway to India

Constructed in 1924, the Gateway to India was built to commemorate the arrival of George V, Emperor of India. The grand arch is constructed in the indo-islamic style. The monument stands at 26 m tall and is constructed from basalt rock.

Mumbai Harbour

The Mumbai Harbour sits behind the Gateway of India and is a busy hub for shipping in and out of Mumbai. Here the city smog is clear as you look out into the ocean.

Refreshments

One of the first things you notice in Mumbai is the sheer number of vendors selling refreshments on the street. While I wasn't able to sample any, they were always bustling with activity. Here a vendor is making and selling fresh lemonade.

Mumbai’s Residents

During my short time in Mumbai, I was privileged to experience the diverse nature of Mumbai’s residents. The city is densely populated and this leads to people from all walks of life coming together in common places. The below images explore some of these people.

Families

This photograph of a family was taken whilst I was waiting for the train to depart. I was watching the child play games on the platform. I wanted to capture some of the excitement and energy in her expressions but on picking up my camera, the family turned and posed for a photograph. This was a spontaneous moment which I think will stick with me for ever. I do wonder what their situation was, or why they decided to pose for a photograph.

The Busy Folk

The Crawford market is one of Mumbai’s largest and busiest markets. If you need it, you’ll find it here. This photograph was taken whilst exploring the market. Just spend a moment looking at the people in this photograph, explore their diversity and contemplate what they might be up to.

The Workers

Here you can see a busy construction site manned by seven builders. I liked this image because I think it tackles some of the misconceptions about India whilst also reaffirming some room for improvement. Five of the builders are all wearing high-vis vests and hard hats while standing behind a safety barrier, something you may assume isn’t required in India if Western media is anything to go by. At the same time, two builders are sitting on the wrong side of the safety barrier and have ditched their hard hats! An interesting contrast.

Heading Out

After the short layover in Mumbai, my attention turned to getting to the train station ready for my 7pm sleeper train to Nagpur. Nagpur is a large city at the heart of India. Colloquially known as the Orange City after its famed high quality fruits, Nagpur is a staging ground for Tiger safaris due to it’s proximity to seven of the countries largest tiger reserves, including my destination, Tadoba.

Tiger Capital of India

Nagpur is considered the Tiger capital of India due to its proximity to the main tiger reserves. Some of these reserves can be spotted in the bottom right of this image. Most tourists heading for a tiger reserve will likely pass through Nagpur. If you do, be sure to pick up some oranges! I tried some and they are delicious!

Zero Milestone

The Zero Milestone is a monument in Nagpur marking the geographic “Centre of India”. The stone obelisk is thought to have been constructed around 1907 by the British however an exact date is not known. The base is hexagonal with each face pointing towards an Indian city, engraved with its distance. During my visit I was told that the legend goes that India regard this the centre of the world, how true this is I can’t comment but being in its presence it's hard to argue with their reasoning!

Fresh Produce

A common sight in India’s many high streets is the fresh produce available for purchase. It seems odd to westerners that food products would be sold beside a busy road, however in India this is a prime place for traders to present their wares to prospective customers. What I found most striking was not the location but the colours on display, I’ve never seen oranges, chillies and fruit look so vibrant and fresh!

Arriving in Tiger Country

After a long drive in the hot conditions, I finally arrived at my destination, a small lodge near to a local village called Kholera. This was home for the next two weeks. The area was baron, predominantly farmland and dusty roads. Religious scriptures blared out over loudspeakers to protect the crops and local birdlife sung away. A top all this was the periodic sound of cow bells as the local herds were shepherded from their home to grazing pasture.

Kholera Village

We passed through many small villages during our excursions looking for tigers. The local village to our lodge was a hive of activity. It took me several days to see the villages for what they really are, thriving communities full of happiness, children, great food and people’s homes. To western eyes these villages look like dire poverty, however this isn’t strictly the reality. Make no mistake, there are social issues at play, however this is a different way of living and when you see it, your world view changes dramatically.

Beings From Another World

My choice of caption might be interpreted in bad taste. The caption comes from friends and family who say these women look like aliens due to the items stacks a top their heads. This image shows eight women walking back to the village after cleaning clothing in a local stream. This is common practice and struck me as remarkable. We don’t think twice about throwing our clothes in a washing machine. These communities take several hours to wash their clothes, it’s part of life. In this image I was stood at the gates of our lodge after being advised not to leave at night due to coyotes and those big cats that are known to live in this area. These women were superbly back-lit by a passing car which made for a great photograph.

Indian Sunset

This is a sight that didn’t get old, every morning and evening the sun would grow to huge proportions with a deep, orange glow, almost mimicking the vibrant oranges of the nearby Nagpur. I think there’s something ceremonious about the sun setting over tiger country resembling the fruit of the Tiger Capital of the world; maybe I'm just longing for those sweet fruits.

Safari

My first taste of Indian safari was the afternoon of my arrival. I had some time to get oriented, have a bite to eat and prepare my gear for the drive. Our first safari drive was exhilarating! We spend a while looking for tigers, and we found tracks. We saw some other amazing wildlife too. Just as we approached end of our drive, the guide wanted to check one more spot. This spot was right on the limit of how far we could go and still make it out in time for closing. The risk paid off, I saw my first wild tiger.

A Wild Tiger

This was my first sighting of a wild tiger. I’d dreamt of photographing a tiger in the wild for a long time and this was that moment, realised. The tiger was very shy and didn’t come out of the dense vegetation. It was thought to be a sub-adult male that was yet unnamed. The sighting was brief as we had to head back to leave the park. But it was amazing.

Choti Tara

I can’t remember if we spotted this tigress second but it was after a few dry days. This is Choti Tara, or Little Star in Hindi, an adult female tiger. My sighting was fairly brief and she didn’t look in my direction, but it was nonetheless incredible. I watched her as she appeared to stalk prey further into the bushes. It was a remarkable thing to see and something I’ll never forget. My younger sister is also called Tara, imagine sharing a name with a real tiger!

Maya

Maya is legendary among tigerwalla. She is the queen of Tadoba, and the tigress many seek to lay eyes on. This sighting was on the last day of my time in India, and Maya put on a show, it was a finale. Not only did Maya appear from the bushes, she brought with her a very young cub. This sighting alone made the trip for me, and while it was fairly brief, and the angles we were able to get were not ideal, the experience was phenomenal. To set eyes on a tigress with international fame, and to be privileged enough to sit and observe her behaviour is an experience that has profoundly intensified my passion for nature.

This experience, above all, cemented my passion for nature and engrained it into my consciousness. Since this trip, my drive to photograph and experience nature has been unrelenting.

Acknowledgements

This trip was extraordinary and it was made so not just by the animals that I sought, but by the people who work to protect India's nature and share it with others. I have to thank my good friend Tal for accompanying me on this trip. I also need to thank Arpit for his outstanding organisation and infinite knowledge as our naturalist and guide. Finally I'd like to thank each and every other person involved in ensuring that these tigers can live alongside humans peacefully.

Aprit: Vanvasm
Tal: Tigstergram

Created by Niall Bell (niall@niallbell.com)