Meet Sunehri the deer at this Wildlife Sanctuary

The jungle is throbbing with life and its very air carries folklore. My senses were completely drowned in the sights and sounds of wild creatures. Once teeming with lesser-known wildlife and even lakes, these jungles were where rajas and royal hunters would come searching for game!

The distant memories of the yore, carried by the humid air, sometimes rest, perched on top of a domed corner of this gigantic fort ruin. Now a UNESCO world heritage site, it’s hiding inside its walls many stepwells, temples and cenotaphs.

In 1970s after being declared a protected sanctuary and tiger reserve, the hunting excursions ended, and shooting of a different kind started.

The kind of shooting I do, aimed at such living gems - with my camera. On one such visit to the Ranthambore National Park, I met Sunehri, or the golden deer. Well that’s the name I chose for this vastly beautiful-to-behold deer, merrily picnicking with her family.