I clicked this picture on January 23 at precisely 8:08 am. It was my 45th birthday and I was on my first morning safari in the Bandhavgarh forest and tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This particular spot - Jhumri - is located in one of core zones known as Tala, and the watering hole to the right is where the resident tigress Spotty brought her four cubs to quench their thirst. I was with my driver Durgesh and allotted forest guide for that morning, Mahadev. Since I was travelling solo and didn't wish to share my safari drives with strangers, I had the entire gypsy to myself. This also meant interesting conversations with people I had never known earlier and probably wouldn't meet again, as opposed to those with whom I shared a history.

As we sat there, waiting for Spotty and the gang to turn up, my heart was beating faster in anticipation of the possibility of a sighting in the area to the left of this picture, the one that's not in the frame. There were alarm calls being raised by red jungle fowl, a wild boar with the longest tusks I have seen, langurs (monkeys) and chital (spotted deer), and there were all looking in the direction of the hill on the left (not in picture). Both Durgesh and Mahadev had a hunch that the presence of a leopard was responsible for the orchestra of sound and movement. My excitement by then was palpable, as I imagined how awesome it would be to witness a leopard in that setting! For if there's a big cat I adore just as much as the tiger, if not more, it's the gorgeous sleeker and more agile spotted cousin.

We spoke in hushed tones as we waited. I couldn't stop gushing over how different and even more magical the forest seemed at that hour, when I had visited the very same spots the previous evening. I asked them if it were even remotely possible that they could ever get bored of their jobs as they have been doing this day in and day out for years. They both smiled and said No, and then Mahadev said "Jungle mein har din naya lagta hai aur har ghadi alag..."(In the jungle, every day seems new and each hour is different.) Then unexpectedly my phone began to beep from inside the front zip of my knapsack, taking me by complete surprise, as I had been in "no service" zone ever since I landed in MP (well, it's a miracle if Vodafone works in the city so you can forget about the jungle!). I checked to find a few Happy Birthday text messages but before I could even reply, the signal disappeared again! Just like that! Amused at the erratic mobile network, I put it down to the Universe wanting me to receive a few birthday wishes before breakfast and went on to immerse myself in the magical surroundings again.

That morning safari eventually ended without a big cat sighting but I went on to have a wonderful day nevertheless, followed by a couple of more magical days. Back in the city, I caught up with a friend who laughed at the nature of my holiday remarking,"Who goes to the jungle to celebrate their birthday?" "Who doesn't?" I thought to myself. On being shown the photos on my phone, the friend pointed out, "These pictures are so boring and generic, I can get them from any stock image website. I'm sorry but there's just no magic in them."

"Well, you just had to be there," I thought again.

But I was wrong. You/he/she/they... no one else had to be there... nobody but me. Because that's the thing with magic (the non-illusion kind, the real deal) -- it's just as personal as everything else. You either feel it or you don't and when you do, the experience is yours to archive... for as long as you like.