22.7.2013 The Jangal Lores: Episide-3 (Continued From 21.7 2013) As I told earlier, my mother expired when I was bare six year old, during the days was schooling, and even after marriage and also till my father was alive, we all spent our vacations at the Kalimitty itself. To look-after our domestic animals, there was a Charwaha (herdsman). None of us knew his real name. He was hard of hearing (not totally deaf), therefore he was always spoken to as Behra. Every day at about 3 in morning, he would be woken up by my father to take the buffalos for pahat grazing towards the Bagh Deo Tekri. In the wilds, there was no question of having latrine in the hut.For nature’s call we all went out on the open. On that particular day, Behra, while returning from the morning grazing, my father crossed him on the way. On his returned father even did not bother to wash his hands and animatingly queried Bahara in the local colloquial as below: “Kyon, Behra, tu aaj bhainso ko charaane kidhar giyo tho?” (Hello, Behra, today. where did you go to graze the buffalos?’ “Maharaj, Jahan roj jaat hoon” (Sir, where I go daily). “Roj kidhar?” (Daily where?)” “Ram Prasad ke kuan waale padati khet par (On the uncultivated field, where there is a well). “Tune vahan kuchh dekhyo yaa suno?” (There, did you see or hear something?). “Nahin Maharaj, mai to kuan ki baaju me so giyo tho (No sir, I had just slept near the well). I was hearing their dialogue attentively. I asked father as to what is the matter. Is there anything unusual? He told me thus: “When I reached the Ram Prasad’s field, I found that the grass and the weeds near the well were badly damaged and the whole patch was full of buffalo hoof-marks. I suspected that probably some wild animal had attacked the buffalos. And when I minutely examined, I found several pug-marks of a tiger also.” I said, “But there seems no injury on any of the buffalos, not even on the younger ones!” “Yes, you know, the domestic buffalos (water buffalos) as well as, their wild buffalo brothers – known as Indian Gaurs --- are much bigger, stouter, and healthier, mostly remain in herds. While the tiger, unlike lion, is a predator that relies on cover for success in hunting. The tiger is rarely able to kill the wild buffalo. What actually happens, whenever, a tiger attacks a herd, the buffalos keep their young in between, join their behinds together and then face the tiger in tandem head on. The tiger’s tries to separate the young or the weakest from the herd, and the herds endeavor is to keep themselves together. The fight may go on hours together and normally when tired, the tiger leaves in frustration.” Father paused and then continued, “The domestic buffalos also behave in the same manner. It seems similar act was being played at the close range of the well and hard of hearing Behra remained asleep under the spell of blissful morning slumber. And, perhaps, when the dawn broke, the tiger left.” __(Look for another Jungle Lore)
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 05:27:15 +0000
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