Mighty Cat: Paarwali's Cub Crossing the Ramganga

the story

I had been watching the far bank for a long time, where the sand runs pale and flat and the river stones sit exposed in low water. Nothing moved for a while, and then a shape came down off the shingle and into the shallows. One of Paarwali's cubs, already carrying itself with the confidence as though he were the river's owner. He walked straight in, water breaking white around his forelegs, and looked up in my direction mid-stride. I left the frame wide. Small in all that sand and grey water felt closer to the truth of the moment than any tight portrait would have.

the encounter

A single crossing, seen from across the Ramganga. One of Paarwali's cubs entered the water from a bank of rounded stones and pushed forward through the shallows, splash rising at its chest, head turned toward the camera as I released the shutter. The light was low and warm on the sand, cool on the water, and the tiger's coat was the only strong colour in the scene. I kept the frame wide to hold the full width of the riverbed, and the crossing was over within moments.