Understanding Behavior

What is it that draws us back to the jungles and forests across the world? This is a question that has been ringing for a while, and the echoes of it have only gotten louder each time. Disclaimer — there’s no correct answer, but every answer is also correct.

On a recent safari, while we waited for action to happen, I came across a word that has been part of my vocabulary for years — sonder.

I’ve wondered what brings me back — the sights, the sounds, the air, the peace, the passion to be closer to nature, the conversations with fellow wildlife lovers. Or is it just to observe another creation go about their life?

That’s why we go. To spend time in their world, to experience wildlife while they go on about their lives. And their lives are all about survival — making sure their lineage continues. They are driven by emotion. And that, as a photographer, is what becomes key. Understanding behaviour. Reading that emotion or that moment.

An image that tells a story — whatever it may be. A kill. A mating ritual. A bird about to take off. A familial bond. Young ones learning how to survive.

Here are a few experiences that come to mind:

On a February morning in Dhikala, the forest gave us exactly that. We’d been tracking Paarwali’s daughter through a chain of langur alarm calls and conversations with other drivers. But it seemed like luck wasn’t on our side — she had crossed the Ramganga and vanished into the grasslands on the far bank. Most would have moved on. We waited. And then our guide, Ravi bhai, with the composure and quiet certainty that comes from years of oneness with the jungle, said — "टाइगर आया हैं, रेडी रहना" (The tiger is here, stay ready). And as fate would have it, she reappeared from the far side of the grasslands, crossed the river again, and stepped onto our road. But she wasn’t just passing through. She was on a mission — marking her territory, exhibiting the Flehmen response, completely absorbed in her own world. For over five minutes, we watched her work the road, sniffing, claiming, asserting. And then, just as quietly as she’d arrived, she disappeared into the bushes.