In this incessant struggle of who dominates who in this world, are we ‘Buck’, who had forgotten what it’s truly like being domesticated or being in the wild? How do we define this state of being constantly perplexed by who we are?
Let’s get our heads wrapped around one thing clearly, be it the wild, or a busy city where traffic honks replace alarm calls, our primitive instincts remain-survival. It’s a rusty old saying, “survival of the fittest”, but is it not true? The mere fact that us homo sapiens are a superior character than Buck, gives us an edge of breathing free, of surviving every hardship thrown our way. No struggle, or at least we like to believe there is none. Living in a constant bubble, forgetting what it is really like to survive and fight for every step you take, BEING IN A JUNGLE, BEING AWARE, BEING WATCHED.
Take it from a person who has spent close to three decades studying wildlife and national parks of India, it is not easy. You either adapt or you adapt soon. There are no two ways around it. A tiger adapts itself to a new territory, making the jungle amply aware of his presence, rule and power.
Being superior comes with massive responsibility. We sapiens (wise) need to abide by that term. Our national parks were not given to us as a gift, and I don’t mean this is a negative way. Mother nature has truly blessed us in abundance. What I do want everyone to understand is that, it was given to us at a cost. The down payment to such a cost–educating our future generation and helping them master the art of how survival instincts help every species in a jungle, and us in real life.
Buck was no different, he had been domesticated for way too long to have known how to survive in the wild. But when push comes to shove, everyone steps up. You live to cease a new dawn, yet doubting the sight of dusk.
Born and brought up in New Delhi, it was Sharad’s childhood passion to play cricket for India. While on a holiday in 1990, he saw his first tiger. Little did he know that this one sighting would immerse him into a realm where forests and tigers were all that mattered.
Sharad’s experiences as a wildlife photographer have inspired him to observe the tiger’s behavior for over 30 years and motivated him on his own journey as an entrepreneur. He started Nature Safari India Pvt Ltd, with a focus on “Conservation through Tourism.” to align himself to the mission of saving the regal species and repopulating them in India’s forests. In 2006, he set up one of India’s premier jungle lodges in Kanha National Park.
Sharad believes that there are many lessons to be learned from a tiger that can be applied successfully to leadership—both in business and in life. Here’s a new book by Sharad Vats on management and leadership skills to learn from a Tiger.
