Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Jungle Stories Part - IV
Personally I have come across many small events like, one evening me and my family with two children were traveling from Bilaspur towards Korba and it was around 2330 hrs when I crossed the thickest part of the National Highway, children still enjoying the songs I am very steady on the wheels maneuvering at the best, when suddenly I stopped with a jerk, we all exclaimed, a big fat mother hyena with its family and friends stopped at the end of the road glaring their red eyes towards us, we were the only one in the midst of the forest and our AC in the car felt more chilly to us. We sat idle for a while, and waited for the family to disperse while they enjoyed a game all together in the high beam of our car. We had a thrill, but everybody is not so lucky. I remember our journey to Baikuntpur in Sarguja District, the last bus, running through the forest where everything is possible. A small river which would stop the communication through in rains as the hills would pour lush of water very fast although the retardation was also very fast. The road is the connector now to people from Bilaspur to Jabalpur and is very well maintained now but still is an overnight journey and in winters it is just a life time experience. It so happened that it was like 0200 hrs and the bus driver saw a in-coming bus so it just stopped by opened his driving window and started a chat with the other driver about some event, both the drivers seem to be friends in the same road for many years, the head lights were shut off, parking lights were on, no light inside the bus, outside it was so dark that people who have had ever been to deep rainy forest in the night can understand. The guy sitting just beside me suddenly got up and went towards the door, opened it and got down for a piss, the conductor urged the guy not to go more than 3 meters from the bus, the guy was almost still the sense of doze of nap he did not respond, within one minute, everybody heard a cry, we all tried to be alert, the drivers hastily switched on the inside and head light of the bus and pressed hard the horn, I along with the conductor jumped out of the bus with the torch, where we saw the guy bleeding high, laying about 20 meters away from the bus. The conductor and me helped him to board the bus again and assisted with some medical first-aid from the bus, and started the bus and travelled about 40 Kilometers to the nearest medical aided village on the way, where he was treated, before which he could hardly speak anything, totally shocked and in panic. It was almost in light the day broke and the bus stopped for letting people for a morning tea, I along with the conductor and the driver took the guy to the dispensary near the bus stop, where he was treated, and had a cup of tea too, he narrated, that, as soon as he got down of the bus he could not see anything before him, not even his own hands were visible, he started pissing only about 4-5 feet away from the bus, when something jumped over him, and had his jeans between his teeth, he fell to the ground, and before could decide what to do, he was dragged away from the bus, he shouted early and the instant reaction by the bus drivers and us saved his life, he had deep wound all over his body and almost the bone was visible in the right leg, he might have had a rig fracture also, as there was no x-ray it was not diagnosed. We took the guy to Jabalpur and had ranged the inmates and left on our way, I had to drop before for my schedule, but one thing was sure that if you do not know the visuals and try to mess, it would be really late and you will be in mess.
Jungle Stories Part - III
One may think it to be a mere story but only I and some of my childhood friends (who have lost) may recall, and still we have a hair raised situation. I was in about class 8, lean and thin, very active sporty, stood first in 800 meters race in the entire population of schools, had a pride that I was like Carl Levis, the Olympian.
We had made a self made play ground in the backyard of the temporary colony where we were staying, and only a few huts were there with some men with the job of Rickshaw puller and their wives were working as the house maid in this small population. Every evening we use to play football in that customized ground, which finished into a bush which resulted in a deep natural forest within a kilometer from where we played. One evening we were playing, I had a pre-call from my mother to come home, it was twilight, and the place was haunted by hyenas and black cats. A small baby was strolling out of the house and the mother was busy burning the ‘Sigri’ for the preparation of dinner. I saw that one hyena softly took the baby inside its feet and started running. Actually, hyenas have very long hind legs and small front legs, and it was balancing the baby while running away towards the bush, I panicked and thought I was the fastest and I will easily get to it which was around only 500 meters away from me. All my football team also saw and they too ran, the mother yelling behind and all knew that when Pinaki has gone (the fastest) the baby will be recovered as it was screaming too. I could hear the cry and was just following it, I reduced the gap and was about 60 feet away from the beast when the bushes started becoming dense and surrounding became darker, suddenly the sound stopped, the forest was calm as nothing has happened, all my panting friends came by, I too was panting we searched the surrounding in combing operation, but no mark of the beast or the baby could be found. Now, what? We wanted to return back to our premises, as the darkness would make us pray to some other carnivorous. We hanged and went back, we found the entire community waiting for us and they were sure that we ended up empty handed. I do not and shall never in my life forget the event and will make nothing a source of pride to me, no Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt or Ben Johnson could never meet the wild beast and the motive it has.
My interaction with the people and beast in the wild has given me an utmost thrill and pleasure, I often narrate these stories to my family friends and anyone interested or not interested to here by my audio does not stops. Every night we four, my parents and we both brothers use to sit for dinner on the table where I had the door next to my right towards the courtyard and that would only open if anything would just touch it. It was about 2215 Hrs November end, very chilly weather, everybody silent eating food. We had a neighbor who had a poultry with about 10-15 chicken for emergency measure for a late night invitee as he was in a business of coal hacking and transport. We could hear the chickens making clatter often due to a guest of honor at the reception. That night too it happened same, we gossiped about it a bit and suddenly something dropped inside our courtyard, I asked dada to switch the light on, I opened the door by just beside me as described and closed it as fast as I opened it. Mother asked what was wrong, I said just continue your dinner, asked dada to put the light off, everything became normal. But my blood was running cool, as when I opened the door I peeped out and saw a black cat (Panther) just about to leap position staring me, the burning eyes just made my blood colder and I had problem in breathing too. After waiting for a few seconds I arose and closed the knob.
We had made a self made play ground in the backyard of the temporary colony where we were staying, and only a few huts were there with some men with the job of Rickshaw puller and their wives were working as the house maid in this small population. Every evening we use to play football in that customized ground, which finished into a bush which resulted in a deep natural forest within a kilometer from where we played. One evening we were playing, I had a pre-call from my mother to come home, it was twilight, and the place was haunted by hyenas and black cats. A small baby was strolling out of the house and the mother was busy burning the ‘Sigri’ for the preparation of dinner. I saw that one hyena softly took the baby inside its feet and started running. Actually, hyenas have very long hind legs and small front legs, and it was balancing the baby while running away towards the bush, I panicked and thought I was the fastest and I will easily get to it which was around only 500 meters away from me. All my football team also saw and they too ran, the mother yelling behind and all knew that when Pinaki has gone (the fastest) the baby will be recovered as it was screaming too. I could hear the cry and was just following it, I reduced the gap and was about 60 feet away from the beast when the bushes started becoming dense and surrounding became darker, suddenly the sound stopped, the forest was calm as nothing has happened, all my panting friends came by, I too was panting we searched the surrounding in combing operation, but no mark of the beast or the baby could be found. Now, what? We wanted to return back to our premises, as the darkness would make us pray to some other carnivorous. We hanged and went back, we found the entire community waiting for us and they were sure that we ended up empty handed. I do not and shall never in my life forget the event and will make nothing a source of pride to me, no Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt or Ben Johnson could never meet the wild beast and the motive it has.
My interaction with the people and beast in the wild has given me an utmost thrill and pleasure, I often narrate these stories to my family friends and anyone interested or not interested to here by my audio does not stops. Every night we four, my parents and we both brothers use to sit for dinner on the table where I had the door next to my right towards the courtyard and that would only open if anything would just touch it. It was about 2215 Hrs November end, very chilly weather, everybody silent eating food. We had a neighbor who had a poultry with about 10-15 chicken for emergency measure for a late night invitee as he was in a business of coal hacking and transport. We could hear the chickens making clatter often due to a guest of honor at the reception. That night too it happened same, we gossiped about it a bit and suddenly something dropped inside our courtyard, I asked dada to switch the light on, I opened the door by just beside me as described and closed it as fast as I opened it. Mother asked what was wrong, I said just continue your dinner, asked dada to put the light off, everything became normal. But my blood was running cool, as when I opened the door I peeped out and saw a black cat (Panther) just about to leap position staring me, the burning eyes just made my blood colder and I had problem in breathing too. After waiting for a few seconds I arose and closed the knob.
Jungle Stories Part - III
One may think it to be a mere story but only I and some of my childhood friends (who have lost) may recall, and still we have a hair raised situation. I was in about class 8, lean and thin, very active sporty, stood first in 800 meters race in the entire population of schools, had a pride that I was like Carl Levis, the Olympian.
We had made a self made play ground in the backyard of the temporary colony where we were staying, and only a few huts were there with some men with the job of Rickshaw puller and their wives were working as the house maid in this small population. Every evening we use to play football in that customized ground, which finished into a bush which resulted in a deep natural forest within a kilometer from where we played. One evening we were playing, I had a pre-call from my mother to come home, it was twilight, and the place was haunted by hyenas and black cats. A small baby was strolling out of the house and the mother was busy burning the ‘Sigri’ for the preparation of dinner. I saw that one hyena softly took the baby inside its feet and started running. Actually, hyenas have very long hind legs and small front legs, and it was balancing the baby while running away towards the bush, I panicked and thought I was the fastest and I will easily get to it which was around only 500 meters away from me. All my football team also saw and they too ran, the mother yelling behind and all knew that when Pinaki has gone (the fastest) the baby will be recovered as it was screaming too. I could hear the cry and was just following it, I reduced the gap and was about 60 feet away from the beast when the bushes started becoming dense and surrounding became darker, suddenly the sound stopped, the forest was calm as nothing has happened, all my panting friends came by, I too was panting we searched the surrounding in combing operation, but no mark of the beast or the baby could be found. Now, what? We wanted to return back to our premises, as the darkness would make us pray to some other carnivorous. We hanged and went back, we found the entire community waiting for us and they were sure that we ended up empty handed. I do not and shall never in my life forget the event and will make nothing a source of pride to me, no Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt or Ben Johnson could never meet the wild beast and the motive it has.
My interaction with the people and beast in the wild has given me an utmost thrill and pleasure, I often narrate these stories to my family friends and anyone interested or not interested to here by my audio does not stops. Every night we four, my parents and we both brothers use to sit for dinner on the table where I had the door next to my right towards the courtyard and that would only open if anything would just touch it. It was about 2215 Hrs November end, very chilly weather, everybody silent eating food. We had a neighbor who had a poultry with about 10-15 chicken for emergency measure for a late night invitee as he was in a business of coal hacking and transport. We could hear the chickens making clatter often due to a guest of honor at the reception. That night too it happened same, we gossiped about it a bit and suddenly something dropped inside our courtyard, I asked dada to switch the light on, I opened the door by just beside me as described and closed it as fast as I opened it. Mother asked what was wrong, I said just continue your dinner, asked dada to put the light off, everything became normal. But my blood was running cool, as when I opened the door I peeped out and saw a black cat (Panther) just about to leap position staring me, the burning eyes just made my blood colder and I had problem in breathing too. After waiting for a few seconds I arose and closed the knob.
We had made a self made play ground in the backyard of the temporary colony where we were staying, and only a few huts were there with some men with the job of Rickshaw puller and their wives were working as the house maid in this small population. Every evening we use to play football in that customized ground, which finished into a bush which resulted in a deep natural forest within a kilometer from where we played. One evening we were playing, I had a pre-call from my mother to come home, it was twilight, and the place was haunted by hyenas and black cats. A small baby was strolling out of the house and the mother was busy burning the ‘Sigri’ for the preparation of dinner. I saw that one hyena softly took the baby inside its feet and started running. Actually, hyenas have very long hind legs and small front legs, and it was balancing the baby while running away towards the bush, I panicked and thought I was the fastest and I will easily get to it which was around only 500 meters away from me. All my football team also saw and they too ran, the mother yelling behind and all knew that when Pinaki has gone (the fastest) the baby will be recovered as it was screaming too. I could hear the cry and was just following it, I reduced the gap and was about 60 feet away from the beast when the bushes started becoming dense and surrounding became darker, suddenly the sound stopped, the forest was calm as nothing has happened, all my panting friends came by, I too was panting we searched the surrounding in combing operation, but no mark of the beast or the baby could be found. Now, what? We wanted to return back to our premises, as the darkness would make us pray to some other carnivorous. We hanged and went back, we found the entire community waiting for us and they were sure that we ended up empty handed. I do not and shall never in my life forget the event and will make nothing a source of pride to me, no Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt or Ben Johnson could never meet the wild beast and the motive it has.
My interaction with the people and beast in the wild has given me an utmost thrill and pleasure, I often narrate these stories to my family friends and anyone interested or not interested to here by my audio does not stops. Every night we four, my parents and we both brothers use to sit for dinner on the table where I had the door next to my right towards the courtyard and that would only open if anything would just touch it. It was about 2215 Hrs November end, very chilly weather, everybody silent eating food. We had a neighbor who had a poultry with about 10-15 chicken for emergency measure for a late night invitee as he was in a business of coal hacking and transport. We could hear the chickens making clatter often due to a guest of honor at the reception. That night too it happened same, we gossiped about it a bit and suddenly something dropped inside our courtyard, I asked dada to switch the light on, I opened the door by just beside me as described and closed it as fast as I opened it. Mother asked what was wrong, I said just continue your dinner, asked dada to put the light off, everything became normal. But my blood was running cool, as when I opened the door I peeped out and saw a black cat (Panther) just about to leap position staring me, the burning eyes just made my blood colder and I had problem in breathing too. After waiting for a few seconds I arose and closed the knob.
Jungle Stories Part - II
Things were not so humorous always, to promote games to the people; Government asked the local schools and with the help of Ngo often organized sports and games in the remote out skirts. As among these people sex was the only sports and the mortally rate for both mother and child is high. Anyways, we had been once camped away in the village Mahant in Champa-Janjgir District, where we had made a small ground for a football tournament between the local schools, matches between the local administration and business institution, where every individual participated not only for the sponsored uniform and sports shoes, but it was a part of entertainment in the wild also, with all cooks and cookeries every person (players only) would go and have a days outing, all the nearby villagers were invited with lunch to visualize the event and it was fun always. Once I was accompanying an Ngo for an aforestation work and I encountered a strange thing.
There were groups in different aspects, some to collect the seedlings and some to distribute and some to look after the plantation and monitor the growth and Ngo were there to promote the use of plants in daily life and to preserve them. I was in the last stage of plantation and monitoring the growth. Initially the entire team works and when growth is monitored only me or a accompanist is left to do so and the rest of the members go ahead for a new site. We were served food from the local mandir as Prasad containing ‘Chauur’ i.e Rice and ‘Patal ke Chatni’ or ‘Jhojho’ a Solution of Tomato lots of green chilies and salt. That tastes great ask a Chatisgaria about that, anyways, One moon lit night everything was calm, the place I remember was like my childhood story ‘In the country of blinds, one eye man is the king’ I had my seventh sense working a form filling work in the light (daytime) and rest when there is no light, that too sleep in the mandir itself. However, we had to finish our morning pressure very early as the places were pre decided by the head of the village and we had to travel a lot to do so, one morning when the sun has not yet thought to wake up we 5 boys were in the predefined location in a equal interval of 4 feet some were smoking local biri, chatting and laughing at each other. I saw Nitin Paul continuous frog walking towards the centre away from the circle what we had made. We could hardly each other but could distinguish and assume some things in the fresh sand, when asked Nitin told that he was being pushed from behind, we could feel nothing, when to my shock, and a pig was just waiting behind him to deliver some product which he was consuming. We call it direct from cooking platform to the dish. All laughed. I suddenly remember once I had been to Turripani near Damoh-Dhara where there were pots below to collect the morning stuff and the whole family use to go in and pour, I wasted the most less time, I hated both going there and some people like me human beings caring the same over there head and dispose them. Anyways, we do not have such pot-shiting now-a-days. One morning my elder brother Partha, joined us, he always carried his SLR Pentax with him, he went for getting the pressure off, I saw him running down the stairs of the so called latrine naked towards his camp and running back in the same speed with his SLR in his hands, We were loitering beside and were shocked. He came off after a few minutes, when asked he was content with two things one from the morning pressure and one from getting the photograph of the big fat pig sitting below with his mouth open gulping his morning breakfast directly. Any ways it may be distracting, but still we had good times.
There were groups in different aspects, some to collect the seedlings and some to distribute and some to look after the plantation and monitor the growth and Ngo were there to promote the use of plants in daily life and to preserve them. I was in the last stage of plantation and monitoring the growth. Initially the entire team works and when growth is monitored only me or a accompanist is left to do so and the rest of the members go ahead for a new site. We were served food from the local mandir as Prasad containing ‘Chauur’ i.e Rice and ‘Patal ke Chatni’ or ‘Jhojho’ a Solution of Tomato lots of green chilies and salt. That tastes great ask a Chatisgaria about that, anyways, One moon lit night everything was calm, the place I remember was like my childhood story ‘In the country of blinds, one eye man is the king’ I had my seventh sense working a form filling work in the light (daytime) and rest when there is no light, that too sleep in the mandir itself. However, we had to finish our morning pressure very early as the places were pre decided by the head of the village and we had to travel a lot to do so, one morning when the sun has not yet thought to wake up we 5 boys were in the predefined location in a equal interval of 4 feet some were smoking local biri, chatting and laughing at each other. I saw Nitin Paul continuous frog walking towards the centre away from the circle what we had made. We could hardly each other but could distinguish and assume some things in the fresh sand, when asked Nitin told that he was being pushed from behind, we could feel nothing, when to my shock, and a pig was just waiting behind him to deliver some product which he was consuming. We call it direct from cooking platform to the dish. All laughed. I suddenly remember once I had been to Turripani near Damoh-Dhara where there were pots below to collect the morning stuff and the whole family use to go in and pour, I wasted the most less time, I hated both going there and some people like me human beings caring the same over there head and dispose them. Anyways, we do not have such pot-shiting now-a-days. One morning my elder brother Partha, joined us, he always carried his SLR Pentax with him, he went for getting the pressure off, I saw him running down the stairs of the so called latrine naked towards his camp and running back in the same speed with his SLR in his hands, We were loitering beside and were shocked. He came off after a few minutes, when asked he was content with two things one from the morning pressure and one from getting the photograph of the big fat pig sitting below with his mouth open gulping his morning breakfast directly. Any ways it may be distracting, but still we had good times.
Jungle Story Part -I
Since it was a long stay at the Chattisgarh previously Madhya Pradesh, I had traveled many of the un-haunted places in the forest and the people therein. It has always been a trill to be a part of the green and dry, but due to cultural heritage and daily livelihood I had to shift to Kolkata a forest of concrete and people, but still I remember the routine in the forest. Here today I would share some of the stories through which I have gained all these experiences. Now also when friends and relatives ask for an outing in the wild I suggest Chattisgarh, and of course do not leave the opportunity to accompany them.
Once, some of my friends asked me for a camp fire and night long stay in the forest and conduct hunting. I had to have all the necessary equipments of hunting and precaution and left at 7:30PM, it was in November and in the wild the cold is different. Small animals like hare, wild bore, wild hen etc. are in plenty and some birds which I do not know the names but in tastes are the best, better than our daily poultry. Firstly
I would start with a humor. That night I remember where everything was set and Sandip a new companion from Jabalpur had his first time life experience to be with our team, everything was going fine we had couple of hunts with us and were preparing for a camp fire, everybody of us was exhausted and wanted to rest after a walk for more than 3 hours in search for a wild bore. Our team leader asked me to take a break, so all of us got a place in the ground for a stretch-up process, Sandeep Sukla being from the City found a log about 3 feet away from me and sat there, within a few seconds he asked me whether normally logs get wet in the winter, I turned towards him with my head-light fitted cap and I asked him to just get up immediately and come towards me, he hastily got up and walked, I told him to point his torch where he was sitting, he jumped in shock, as he was sitting over a sleeping python, which was very much annoyed with his 72Kg weight over him, we laughed a lot.
Once, some of my friends asked me for a camp fire and night long stay in the forest and conduct hunting. I had to have all the necessary equipments of hunting and precaution and left at 7:30PM, it was in November and in the wild the cold is different. Small animals like hare, wild bore, wild hen etc. are in plenty and some birds which I do not know the names but in tastes are the best, better than our daily poultry. Firstly
I would start with a humor. That night I remember where everything was set and Sandip a new companion from Jabalpur had his first time life experience to be with our team, everything was going fine we had couple of hunts with us and were preparing for a camp fire, everybody of us was exhausted and wanted to rest after a walk for more than 3 hours in search for a wild bore. Our team leader asked me to take a break, so all of us got a place in the ground for a stretch-up process, Sandeep Sukla being from the City found a log about 3 feet away from me and sat there, within a few seconds he asked me whether normally logs get wet in the winter, I turned towards him with my head-light fitted cap and I asked him to just get up immediately and come towards me, he hastily got up and walked, I told him to point his torch where he was sitting, he jumped in shock, as he was sitting over a sleeping python, which was very much annoyed with his 72Kg weight over him, we laughed a lot.
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