Lessons from the wild

As an avid photographer of nature, I frequent the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. After the first few trips, I started realising what the animals are trying to teach us and we refuse to understand.

In one of the trips, I was wondering what would be the view of the wilderness, if I were a mongoose. So I started working on a project ‘Mongoose View.’

In this particular instance, I had set my expensive equipment at 18 inches above the ground after carefully checking the surroundings and was waiting for the ideal frame. I saw a herd of elephants at about 200 metres and noticed that the wind was carrying my scent away from the herd. That meant they were not aware of my presence! A few minutes later, I noticed an elephant breaking away from the herd and moving towards me. And I developed instantaneous courage to take this image. The elephant was around 15 feet away and walking towards me.

I was surprised at the chain of events that followed. The elephant changed its direction and I wondered why.

Looking closely at the image I realised that the wind direction had changed suddenly and carried my scent thus prompting the elephant to act.

That day I learnt one more fact. Everything is dynamic in this world and things could change anytime for good or bad. Anticipation and ability to take action is important for survival.

The writer is co-founder of Jeevan Public Cord Blood Bank and award winning nature photographer.