His Royal Highness....

I have always had this mania for tigers. The great Panthera Tigris. I can still recollect - I cried at an unbearable pitch when my parents were taking me away from the tiger cage, at a local zoo. Umpteen Animal planet and NG videos showcasing the majesty still cross my memories, added to many photographs in my hard disk. Be it his royal way of strolling amidst the wild jungles, the black stripy bright yellow flexible body or just the sharp eyes, I have always loved them. If only I had a permit from PETA, his royal highness would have already been my husband. Such is my love.

This rose to an all-new level seeing a 2004 release, Two Brothers. One of the most amazing animal adventure fables ever captured on silver screen. A tale of two tiger cubs – Kumal and Sangha. The director, Jean-Jacques Annaud is cool enough to take us deep into the soul of the plot rolling on. We must have thought only about human survival when attacked by savage animals. At least that is what our evolution says, taming and taking control over them. However, have you ever empathized how hard it would be for the same animal facing hurdles literally every moment?

Plot is simple, two cubs and a mother, departed by human selfish means, surviving through tough phases and converging at last. But the flick made me think of many dimensions, which are not so often taken in. The typical nature of human dominance over nature, mother tiger’s agony when departed from cubs, their resistance against cruel circus taming and the difficulties they experience when brought far away from  nature’s lap. So natural, so convincing even for people like us, who already lost the sparkle touch of nature.

This slowly drifted me to the current scenario of tigers. 10,000 were alive a century back, leaving less than 4,000 now.  Both of us, the wild cats and we, the social animals struggle alike for survival. Yet, so much discrimination - Deprived of their basic rights. So uncivilized. 

How could the world's favorite animal be a poacher’s barbaric target? I leave it to the morals of our tech-savvy yet ethics-deprived world.