No, the word 'Tiger' in the title does not refer to mercenaries from Sri Lanka,
nor does the word  'Kwai' refer to some river in the island country.

'Tiger' in this blog refers to a real animal known by its biological name
- panthera tigris. Kwai is a river in the western part of Thailand made
famous by a hollywood war movie called "Bridge on the River Kwai " 
that was released many years ago.

Thailand is a hot and humid country with temperatures in summer 
hitting 40 degC. On a hot day, people just cool off in their homes. The
risk of a sun stroke or a heat stroke is too high on a hot summer
afternoon. But insanity is in my genes. Sun or no sun, the thought of
petting a full grown bengal tiger is too strong to resist. Being a tiger
fan - I am sure I am not the only one - it did not take too long for this
insane fellow to grab his digital camera and set out on a three hour 
journey from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi.

As the modern high speed car leaves the "City of Devas" ( 'Khrung thep'
in thai) behind, I start reading the small pamphlet given to me by a hotel staff
in Bangkok. It describes a remote buddhist monastery in the Kanchanaburi
province of western Thailand, where for the past several years, buddhist
monks have been giving shelter to many wild animals - tigers, deer, elephants,
etc. I was curious to find out how they succeeded in taming the tigers which
are extremely ferocious by nature. A man is no match for its god given
strength. Yet, through some magical ritual, the 'dharma warriors' have been
able to tame one of  the most dangerous creatures on this earth. It is also
perhaps, one of the most beautiful creations of nature.

The driver is a friendly siamese hat. He attempts to teach me a few thai words
and fails. I suspect the real reason for failure at picking up the language
has more to do with images of the car odometer flashing across a bewildered
passengers mind. There were stretches on that road to Kanchanaburi where the
modern machine raced along at 150 kmph. The driver explained that we have
to reach the monastery before 3pm, otherwise the whole trip will be wasted.
After 3pm they will not let me see the tigers. Reluctantly, I allow the driver to
step on the gas pedal.

Reaching the gates of the monastery just before 3pm, we rushed to the ticket
counter, paid 150 bahts for the ticket (the money is used by the monks to look
after the animals) and headed straight for the abandoned quarry where the
striped felines usually take their afternoon walk. What I saw was unbelievable.
Man and animal bonded instantly, some primordial force of nature acting up
to bridge a long gap of time.


                  (That's me with my 'pet' .)

I am told that the first tiger cub came to the monastery quite accidently some
years ago. The abott found the injured cub in the forest and brought it to the
monastery where it was looked after well. In due course of time it healed
completely and became a permanent member of the buddhist community.
Encouraged by this unexpected course of events, the monastery was
emboldened to accept more injured wild animals brought in by the villagers
living close to the forests of Kanchanaburi. Soon there was a thriving sanctuary
right in the middle of a place of worship. Buddha had smiled again at the
helpless animals of Siam.



It is the only place in the world where the public is allowed to touch and feel
these magnificent animals. Just make sure you are not wearing brightly coloured
clothes and have your mobiles switched off. Cameras are handled by the staff
only.


               "Tigers need to cool off too."

This monastery, more than any place else, has exploded the myth that tigers
are bloody thirsty creatures out to tear you to pieces. They are not. They can be
as gentle as your neighbourhood pussy cat. Their very presence is awe-
inspiring. It makes me sad that one day this creature will be pushed to extinction
by  man - who is at once benevolent and in a most contradictory way, one of the
most cruel & destructive creatures on the planet.
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