Art of Doing Nothing

Comedy of waiting for hours for a lion to lift its head.

We have found the perfect tree.
And beneath it, we have found the pride.

Now begins the real safari experience: waiting for atleast one to acknowledge our existence, even for a moment.

It’s been… honestly, I have lost track of time. When we first arrived, the morning still carried softness. The sun was playing hide and keep with cloud and the air was full of optimism. But now the sun sits directly above us, shining with personal vengeance.

The lions, meanwhile, remain committed to The Majestic Art of Minimal Movement.

Over those long waiting hours, we moved through several phases as humans: from excitement, to anticipation, wandered into artistic and political discussions, sat through long stretches of silence, and eventually wondering the seriousness of a lion’s sleep. Finally, surrendering to the idea that with a belly full of hearty meal, sleep is all one needs under a shaded tree.

And, they were determined to make a convincing arguments. By the second hour, one lion had changed position twice, once by accident.

Now, my tryst with the heat, and those relentlessly annoying flies, made me think that we travel thousands of kilometres just to learn advanced resting techniques from them. :))

But, Somewhere between the sixth yawn and the second nap, enlightenment dawned on me: Being productive is a scam which humans are suffering from since forever. Lions sleep for 20 hours a day, contributes minimally and still universally respected. Just imagine!

While I was busy spiralling through these thoughts, one of them finally stood up. Along with him, our cameras and hope lifted too.

His Majesty walked exactly five steps, plopped down, and slept again.

Another rotated its ear slightly, probably contemplating but then deciding otherwise.  

One rolled over and somehow managed to achieve an even higher level of comfort.

And then there was the one who had clearly grown up in size, but still believed it was a cub. Trying to squeeze itself into a tiny space among the others, it got slightly disturbed by the commotion, lifted its head for a moment, yawned lazily and went back to sleep like it had just finished a double shift.

Well, That’s a Kingdom Powered by Sleep.

The consistency they showed in practising the Art of Doing Nothing throughout our trip was simply remarkable.

Whether dramatic volcanic clouds were building in the background or the sun was beautifully outlining their bodies, they remained completely flat on the ground, unwavering in their commitment to rest.

By the end of it, watching lions sleep was something we were all taking very seriously. :))