Back to life..

Back to Life

Lost in thought and lost in time | While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted | Outside, the rain fell dark and slow | While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime | I took a heavenly ride through our silence | I knew the moment had arrived | For killing the past and coming back to life…..

Even as I was humming Pink Floyd, non-stop, I looked outside watching the orange cat eyes lit up the entire runway, it was like a beacon, an illuminated path through which I’d flew into the sky, a starlit sky, a silent night, melting into dark dense clouds with constant chatter of thoughts and as I settled, the plane gushed into a mysterious cloud tunnel, holding me in its arms. I closed my eyes….

18 Oct 25. It was a hot afternoon. Very hot indeed. As I stepped out of the plane, the warm wind hit me like a fire ball. I could not open my eyes to the skies, and my body was on fire. I literally ran across the tarmac towards the Kilimanjaro immigration counter. What a relief! In a jiffy, all the formalities were done, and I was on my way to Arusha – I Stayed overnight at “The Outpost” and next morning, 19 Oct 2026, plan was to fly into Seronera (Serengeti) via Coastal Airways. The Outpost was alright, I loved the ambience, the pathway and property. It was tucked in midst of a plantation. I was so overjoyed to host my friend, James Nasary out there. He was my guide during my earlier trip and we stayed in touch. Evening coffee with him was extra special. James knows Serengeti like the back of his hand. I had amazing time and memories during my earlier trip with him. He has eagle's eyes, amazing birder, great spotting and such a fantastic human being! I hope he will join me during my next trip! 

19 Oct 2026. Thanks to Outpost staff, they packed breakfast for me to have at Arusha airport. A steaming cup of Arusha Coffee and I jumped into the flight at 7am. A typical journey of a bumpy ride, I landed at Seronera Airstrip at 845am.

Saied, my guide was waiting to welcome me while Regan, an intern at Olmara, was quite intrigued and kept watching the proceedings considering this was his first outing. We hit it off well, rolled on, driving into north-east, beating the traffic at central. Yes, there is traffic at Central Serengeti, and it is of a different kind. People who frequent Serengeti will understand.

An area I am so familiar with. The place I am so close to. the turns, the roads, the crossroads and the open skies, I call them mine. Certain trees that I know far too well. The moment I pass, I recall sightings on that tree, be a Leopard or an eagle or some nest that I would have seen. They smile at me, year after year, standing like a lighthouse, guarding the bushes, there is that feeling, I know them, I know this tree, I know this land, I know this trail, and that brings in a great deal of satisfaction. A great deal of familiarity, pride and selfishness. This was my first time to East Serengeti during peak of dry season, and it was unrecognisable. I wondered if this is the same place I have been going to for years now. Dark brown and yellow grass that was on the verge of getting uprooted by the wind, most of the dry patches were on fire (controlled fire by rangers) even as thick black smoke lay stagnated, like a monument, while Tawnies, Jackals and Secretary Birds used this as an opportunity to feast on rodents and other insects. Life ends for few while it gives life for few. How ironic!

I was terribly and visibly disappointed watching the forest fire towards the far eastern side of the plains (even though it was a controlled one), black smoke, dusty and a dead feeling. Even before I landed, from the flight I watched miles of black patch that had made me extremely uneasy and now on the ground, watching the dry lands turned me pale. What happened to the green plains that I saw earlier? Is this the same place I have been visiting for years? For miles together I could only see black and dead brown grass, sea of sands whistling away by the whooshing wind, where have I landed? A bit ahead, next to a thorny bush, to my dismay, I saw a Lion Cub sleeping on the side of the road, perhaps a year old, in such a feeble state, it was up to its ribs! Such a weakened one, it did not have strength even to look up! It was matter of hours before he took his final breath. Few yards up, a pride of lions gone so weak, their bones were almost protruding. With migration long gone and the predators left with Antelopes and Warthogs, it’s a tough life out there. Sun was beating everyone to death and parched earth crying out for rain, I just hoped these cats get something to eat else they would be gone! It is a hard life. This is true life out in the bushes and plains.

Even as the black smoke was hurling up into the sky, one could see dark clouds firming up. I assumed we would get the first of the many rains shortly. Interestingly, when I drove for a few hours towards south, the planes were green and orange! It had rained and the cats were looking healthy and in great shape! The cubs were playing around; lioness were seen sharp and of course, males were busy either in sleeping or checking on their territory! So many contrasts in life. Well, we say we know everything about nature! So untrue

A year back, I had but almost given up on my return to Serengeti. Things were extremely wicked and unfavorable. A constant lump of pain and terrible feeling of being in isolation rattled me every single day and night. Every single day I googled, looked up on airlines, looked at random dates, eyeballed every single frame and video of my previous visits – and I cried deep, inside, unconsolable. It was such a damp feeling, as though I had parted ways with something, a cold and hollow feeling creeping all through my head and body. Every day I got up only to feel dejected but consoled to an extent where I told myself – things will happen. It will happen. Life is going to be good! It is going to be alright! I just got to wait for the favorable winds… the winds of change. And finally, the wind blew, the wheel of life moved, clouds cleared a bit, I could see the light at the end of tunnel. It was a ray of hope, it had a wave of anticipation, I was breathing, it beckoned life, my life. I came back to life.

Arguably, one of the best camps in Eastern side is Olmara and of course another one is Asilia. Olmara nestled away in woodlands, tucked deep yet so close to the main stage. There are 2 Lion Prides – viz., Olmara Pride and Marsh Pride that overlaps each other’s territory. Interestingly one of the Olmara Lioness frequented our camp’s kitchen during night times, during my stay. I saw her walking carefully looking around while I froze and stay-put not wanting to startle her or make a noise with my camera.

Measuring the vastness of the plains until I could stretch my eyes to the maximum, it is nothing but heaven. Watching the sun rise with vibrant colors, the nip in the air, the freshness of early morning breeze, the dampness in the morning hues, it is a different feeling. Watching the subjects of this never ending meadows, with renewed energy after surviving yet another harrowing night with no clue of what would come upon them, they stare at me and run away to their troops. Tommys and Impalas stand on guard while far across the distance a giraffe looks on! And I drive through, with the intent of making most of my life! A morning out here gives me a thousand lives. It’s a lifeline.

One of the key highlights was at Gol Kopjes – Well, just as the Kopjes were in sight, suddenly, Saied slammed brakes, and he took a sharp turn to the right. I was left to wonder what prompted him. I bent forward to asking him to which he was silent as he was scanning from his eagle eyes! At one point, he almost jumped off his seat with a soft scream – Caracal! An exciting moment! Even as we went near the Caracal, I admired his natural ability to spot subjects – It was incredible. Out of nowhere, he literally created a sighting. What a spotting! While I congratulated him for his eagle eyes and spotting, little did we realize we were in for a NatGeo Moment! This Caracal walked before spotting something and zoomed! It was in hunt-mode! The hare ran for its life even as the caracal sprinted to its limits, but in the end, it gave up while the hare lived for yet another day. It was 7-00am and my hands were shaking for the cold and for what I saw.

Two years ago, the Gol Kopje Pride had around 18 Cubs however I got to hear, only 6 to 8 survived. When we watch these animals, it gives the impression that everything is alright, but it is not. Brutal summer, lack of prey after migration and excruciating dry season did not give them a chance. Right after witnessing the Caracal’s hunt, we rushed towards the Kopje and followed the pug marks – As we were moving from one Kopje to another, the toy train was spotted. 20 Cubs, 6 Females and 4 adolescent – A HUGE PRIDE of Lions were coming right into us! What a moment! What a moment! At times you wonder what to do – Take a video or Photographs or just watch them? The next hour and a half were the best time I had in life. Watching the cubs play, run-around, pull one another, gaping at me while I photographed – Oh God! There was this one cub, a curious one that used to walk up to the Jeep, staring at me and running back to its mother. It did few times, got bored before getting back to its nursery. As the morning sun opened, the matriarch got up to get into the cave in the Kopjes, looked back with a sound and all furballs ran behind while others lazily made their way back.

 The dry lands, dusty air, brown grasses talk about their own struggle. For impalas and tommie’s, nibbling on juiceless grass gave no satisfaction as they moved on to the other side hoping the grass would be greener. Interesting thing to watch out was for miles, I felt being in a desert, in a dusty bowl and after few minutes of driving up to the horizon only to see a wide spectrum of brimming vegetation. Nature and its surprises. Serengeti is by no means a small patch. It is seriously huge, wide and endless. Gol Kopjes, Research Kopjes, Sametu Kopjes, Zebra Kopjes, Masai Kopjes and many more – All through my stay, I relentlessly tried tracking lions in these Kopjes. I was successful in few but came back empty most of the time. Luck plays a very important role. One needs to be there at the right time and on the right day!

One evening, I spent time with a Cheetah family and got a tip that there was Masai Kopje Lion Pride nearby. It was an extremely dry, dusty but hot day. As we drove towards the southern side, like magic, the weather crept in. 10 minutes into the drive, I could feel the wet wind, black clouds jamming up from nowhere and it happened so quickly and in no time, I stretched out my hands to feel the rain drops! My guide ensured I was insulated in a raincoat much before little drops became monstrous and it was free fall rain! It rained and rained! I thoroughly enjoyed the moments. Things change so much in the savannah. Like our lives. How we used to be and how we are now. Our adolescent times, carefree times, all frolic and fun, loads of laughs to now, life filled with uncertainty, filled with despair, occasional drops of laughter but living the life in anguish, resentment, unpredictability and worries – how life has come through? It takes much to smile, it takes much to be free of pain and worries, chaos and commotion have taken over our lives.

It was one of the morning drives. The previous evening’s game drive was quite dry except for a dramatic moment I was caught in. As we were heading back to the camp with not much of a game, I was watching the sun melt into the horizon when we saw this Lioness. It was such a beautiful sight, begging to be framed! With the sun setting and this lioness looking at me straight, a dream come true moment. 

A beautiful morning but I was lost in thoughts. Me and my fluctuating mood. It was extremely cold as we set out. We drove and drove – I felt as though we were going towards the end of Serengeti, but we were going in circles, in a long loop. Saied stopped to check for pug marks and other leads but there was nothing substantial. I lazily looked around, feeling dejected (for no reason), I was suddenly angry, I was feeling restless, waiting to pounce on someone like a cat. On top of it, there was no news on lions that further added to my misery. Even when Saied and Regan were chatting with me, I was in no mood to even reply. I was extremely agitated. At around 11am, I asked them to drive me back to the camp.

I rolled on my bed; I sat on the verandah watching the planes from my comfort even as babblers and few birds were busy with their routine. A pair of dik-dik that ran past my camp, and few impalas came close by did not make me any good. At around 230pm, I got ready and walked towards the camp lounge. With a sunken and sulking face, I sat facing the bush sipping coffee. Few minutes later, I could smell the rain! And did it rain? The next couple of hours, lightning, thunderstorms and sheets of rain took over the MainStage. It poured. Heavens opened up like how! Every now and then, the sound of lightning gave goosebumps. Sipping hot coffee, watching the extravagant magic of nature is such a heavenly feeling.

I wanted to be out, the relief rain gave me, I wanted me to be right in middle of the bush. I wanted to get drenched, stretch my hands out, feel the drops, hear the tires sloshing through the water, wanted to smell the rain, watch the dark skies. But Saied did not come out of his tent, and I nudged the manager to talk to him. I was desperate. At 5ish, as the intensity of rain came down, Saied walked in and I burst out on him. He said he was not aware of my plan and hoped I’d have let him know. My disappointment and sunken face made him realize I was not happy at all. We parted ways while I continued to watch the rain, swearing at everything. I was completely off. I was disappointed, I was angry, I was furious.

That night, I recalled all the memorable moments I spent the earlier week. While I ensured I web-check in my flights, my mind was running all over the bushes. The night when Elephants visited my camp, it was nothing but a chilling moment. The time I spent with Leopard Mom and her 2 cubs, few hunts that went missing by the Cheetahs, a natural geographic moment of a Caracal hunting a hare, Tons of Lions, Servals and many more! With all this running across my eyes, I did not realize when I fell asleep.

26th October 25.

It was my departure day from Serengeti. My bags were packed and kept ready in the main tent. I was sipping coffee when Saied came to me saying he wanted to speak. To the point, he said, he was very disappointed with the way the trip came to an end. He was talking about the previous evening’s talks and the way I expressed my disappointment. He said, I could have just walked up to his tent asking him if we could go on a drive, but I did not etc. My head was bursting out. I did not want to debate; all I wanted was to scream and shout. I did not want my trip to end on his bitter note. We were on the wheels to Seronora Airstrip. The next 3 hours, not a word was spoken, no soul stirred. It was complete silence. It was extremely awkward. As we reached Central Serengeti, we saw a leopard descending a tree and I took few shots. Even then, it was just an animated discussion, unsaid and unspoken.

At the Seronera Air Strip, even as Saied dropped my luggage at the Coastal counter, I shook hands with him and Regan. I spoke to Saied, thanked him for an amazing trip. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart and I smiled. His eyes were wet. He held my hands tight, wrapping them with his. He looked right into my eyes and smiled. Perhaps he thought, I would just walk away without a word being said, and we hugged, we truly hugged. Both of us were relieved and happy. I told him that my trip is now complete. I waved at him even as Coastal took its lift from the dry and dusty airstrip of Seronera. I continued to wave at him…. Some things that happen remain a mystery.. like me... quite mysterious me :) 

It was 730am on 27th October 25, my eyes opened after hearing the captain’s announcement of the flight’s descent into Bangalore… I was telling myself that I should not waste any more time but start planning for my next trip to The Serengeti!

I was singing to myself as I looked at the landing zone, my thoughts were still hooked to the Lions and Leopards, to the rain and the plains … as the plane came to a grinding halt, I started humming … I took a heavenly ride through our silence | I knew the moment had arrived | For killing the past and coming back to life…. Back to Life

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Once again, special thanks to True Africa Safaris, #trueafrica who planned this trip to the Tee. My planning happens through the year with many changes and Agatha was so very patient with me, my sincere thanks for all the help and arrangements. I have been a recall client for #TrueAfrica and I can only say, how amazing it has been! Agatha was in touch with me all through and I must say, I did not have to worry about anything at all, except, fly out and spend the heavenly time out there in the bushes. Agatha, Kim and Troy - Big 5 and High-5 to all of you :) 

Special thanks to my dear friend, Mr. Goutham (#BookMyLens) for the wide angle. 

Itinerary


19th October 2025 – Bangalore to Kilimanjaro Via Doha – Qatar Airways
(Stayed overnight at #arusha, The OutPost)

26th October 2025 – Kilimanjaro to Bangalore Via Addis-Ababa – Ethiopian Airlines 

My Gear


#Canon EOS RF-R5 mounted on Canon EF-500mm, f4.0, IS II | Canon EOS RF-R5 mounted on Canon EF 70-200mm, f.2.8 | Canon EOS EF 16-35mm, f.2.8 ISII

Camp at #Serengeti – #Olmara at Namiri Plains.

Visit me at www.wildmeadows.in