Tiger tiger burning bright...

(Click image to enlarge)

Tiger tiger burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? …
(from ‘The Tiger’ by William Blake)

Taking a break, for a couple of days, from the IPL T20 Cricket and meeting a tigress from the 1411 left in the wild, was quite an experience, indeed.

Within minutes, from the time we entered the jungle of Indira Priadarshani Tiger Reserve at Pench, she welcomed us to her dwelling. The beautiful beast greeted us, Hamish, Julian, my photographer colleagues from Getty images, and me, as if with a 'Hello'.

Let me share with you some of the pictures that I took, when she majestically posed for us, in all her glory. I know, no picture can do justice to her colossal presence. But, this is the best I can do, as a photographer, to bring you as close to our chance encounter with our majestic national animal.