Tiger was not our national animal until 1973 !
- July 29 is World Tiger Day -

S Balakrishnan *

Stamp issued in 1963

It was a surprise to me when I read somewhere the other day that Tiger was not our national animal before 1973! That was a shocking revelation of my IQ level. It was the Lion that was our national animal up to April 1973 when, with a view to save tiger, the ‘Project Tiger’ was launched and the Royal Bengal Tiger declared India’s national animal. The Lion, however, continues to be our National Emblem, adopting the Lion Capital erected by Emperor Ashoka in Saranath.

The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris, is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark black stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country (except in the north-western region) and also in the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

So far, 53 tiger reserves, cumulatively protecting an area of 75,796.83 sq. km., have been established in the country under this project, effectively covering 2.3% of India's total land area. The Lion, on the other hand, is found restricted only to Gir in Gujarat. The current estimated population of Tiger in India is 3682 to 3925, which is 70-75% of world tiger count.

The Tiger gave me a short & distant darshan at Kaziranga reserve forest in Assam. When the tourists on jeep safari spotted the tiger their excitement disturbed the tiger that was quenching its thirst from a rivulet; it just slipped deep into the bushes.

It is always exciting to watch animals in natural surroundings rather than in cramped cages in zoos. There was a time when they were performing in circuses also with a protective fence specially erected for the lion and tiger stints. It was a pity to watch these majestic animals cower by the sound of ringmaster’s whiplash.

I can’t help remembering a stupid boss of mine named T. Jeya Raaj who was nicknamed Tiger. He came as a frightening Tiger but because of his scandalous golmaal activities was shunted out and exited like a meek cat. There was this famous Carnatic vocalist Varadhachariar (1876-1950) who was honoured with the title ‘Tiger’ by Mysore King, Krishnaraja Wodeyar.

If someone is expert in maths (‘kanakku’ in Tamil) that person is praised as ‘kanakku Puli (tiger)’. Well, I was not kanakku puli in my school days, so I do not know the connection between tiger and maths. Can the tiger at least count its stripes!

Air India key chain

In Hindu religion, tiger is the mount (vaahan) of Lord Ayappan and Goddess Shakthi. Bhagwan Shiva is always depicted wearing tiger skin around his waist. How did the tiger become the vaahan of Ayappan? He was the adopted son of Maharaja of Pandhalam in Kerala. When the queen gave birth to their own son, she devised a plan to eliminate this adopted son. Feigning sick, she sought tigress milk to cure her.

Ayappan was so fond of her that He came forward to bring it. He returned from the forest riding a tigress, followed by an ambush (group) of tigers. Realising His divinity, the queen asked for forgiveness but Ayappan became an ascetic and proceeded to Sabarimala hills from where He rules His devotees to this day. This incident has led to the phrase ‘Am I asking you to bring tigress milk?’, while allotting a task which is evaded as tough.

In the days past, probably there were more tigers in Tamil Nadu that a lot of hero stones are found in the State where a man is seen fighting with a tiger; his dogs also join him in fighting the ferocious tiger. In Tamil Nadu temples, one can see rows of stone pillars of horse-riding warriors fighting tigers/lions. They are minutely carved with all finer details that they look so realistic.

There are also many Tamil phrases linking the tiger – ‘A tiger under the garb of a cow's skin’ meaning ‘an evil person masquerading as a good person’; ‘holding a tiger by its tail’ depicts the situation of a person in which he can neither continue nor escape from; a person sitting on a tiger also faces the same situation – he can neither get down nor continue forever riding a tiger.

‘Even if hungry, the tiger won’t eat grass’ explains that a person of high standards will not stoop even when he is down. Another phrase says the pitiable condition of a cat that wanted to become a tiger and applied hot iron rod all over its body to create stripes! If a tiger is hiding, it is only to pounce upon, goes one saying. What is born of a tiger will not turn out to be a cat, so goes another phrase.

In Tamil literature of bygone ‘Sangam’ period, there is mention of a woman who chased away a wild tiger with a winnow. In recent times, Tigers meant the cadres of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, headed by V. Prabhakaran. Men used to wear tiger nail/tooth as macho ornament around neck and arms.

Now that this has been banned, lookalikes of tiger nail/tooth are available in plastic. The chain with tiger nail/tooth was a fashion statement of men in the past. Puli aattam (tiger dance) is a folk dance in which men disguise as tigers and dance to the beat of drums.

For the royals and zamindars of the past, it was a status symbol to display the tiger head & skin that they hunted. I still remember the fierce eyes (of glass) of such a tiger skin spread on a circular table in our landlord Gopi Pillai’s vast bungalow in Tirunelveli Town.

While India Post has issued many stamps to honour this majestic animal, the first one was issued in 1963 with a face value of 50 naya paise. The past year (2023) being the 50th year since the establishment of Project Tiger, a 50-rupee commemorative coin was issued by RBI. In 1950, RBI had issued a two rupee note with a tiger face and, later, a standing tiger, which are now out of circulation. Recently, we have seen the ten rupee currency notes with a tiger.

For the first time, a tiger was spotted at an altitude of 3640 meters at Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary in Sikkim, in early 2023. This is the highest point in India where a tiger has been spotted.

The Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) is famous for White Tigers. Unfortunately, though I spent three years in Odisha (1980-83; it was Orissa then), I could not visit the zoo. Even when we visited Odisha in 2018, we did not have the time to visit the zoo. What a pity! It is a shame that while I have a varied collection of showcase objects, there is no tiger or the peacock, except an Air India key chain with these two figures on both the sides.

I should have bought them when I was free as a bachelor; now, I have to get my wife’s sanction to buy them. I hope to get her nod while she is immersed in one of her favourite TV serials. I am waiting for the opportune time, like the Tiger.