Written during the BBC’s land of the Tiger shoot by a dear friend who is no longer with us – Satya. I smile remembering the miles and good times we had. When DreamCatcher was very young, in its first year or two, Satya joined me, fresh out of Hotel Management school and we operated many camps and workshop around South India together. This is about his experience, while crewing with the BBC film team where he quite suddenly meets up with a herd of elephants on a narrow forest road.
The clouds were threatening to close in on the world. Even at 10 o’clock in the morning, the fog was heavy and clinging to the roads, and the trees hazy. Along both sides of the road we could see unending stretches of teak. Slowly the teak began giving way to the Sholas (evergreen forests). Every curve in that road was taken with the expectation of seeing something at the other end. We could hear the call of the Sambhar stag quite frequently. Within a few minutes we saw a Sambhar stag cross the road. We started to climb a steep hill called the Anagundi, on top of which there is a small temple. Beyond this hill lies a pocket of rich, evergreen forest called the Anagundi Shola.
There were 4 or 5 hairpin bends and I was taking them pretty fast when suddenly after curving round the last bend right at the top we burst into a herd of wild elephants. We were caught in the midst of the herd right in the middle of the road. I slowly counted up to thirteen elephants, including four tuskers and two calves. Unfortunately the two calves were standing about five feet ahead of the Gypsy, and a tusker was on each side. I was literally shaking inside. I didn’t know whether to admire these animals or find a fast way out. But we didn’t dare move.
Then the female in charge of the calves started to trumpet and slowly pushed the calves away from the road into the thicket. There was total silence. The four tuskers eyed us menacingly. In the side view mirror I could see the one behind the gypsy reaching out its trunk. I had to do something. We were like sitting ducks with four tuskers standing within striking distance. Then some instinct made me switch on the lights. This had an immediate effect on the herd; the calves moved further to the side, the rest of the herd with them.
Now we had only two tuskers to outwit – one in front and the other in the rear. The tusker in front started walking away, down the road very slowly. I immediately began to follow it. It led me away from the herd. The one behind followed for some time and then returned to the herd. The one in front however would not go off the road to give us room to zoom off. It walked for 50 meters , stopped , and glanced back at us. The tusker again walked for another 10 to 15 meters, again stopped, looked back , and stared at us.. This cat and mouse game went on for another 10 minutes. Each time it looked at us I visualized the tusker charging at us. When we were a couple of hundred meters away from the herd, the tusker stopped suddenly and started to climb up a slope on the left side of the road. This was the chance we were waiting for. I stepped on the accelerator and kept it down there as long as I could and for the next few minutes I could only see a flash of green through the windows. Only after some time did I relax a bit and turn to look at the others. Everybody’s face was full of relief, and suddenly we broke into nervous laughter. The rest of the journey was made in silence.
But only one thought was on my mind – the journey back to Top Slip. There was no other way back. I pondered over this till we reached V. There the friendly villagers offered us some tea. It was a good brew. It helped ease my tension. Then it started to drizzle and I hurried into the gypsy. I drove at a steady speed. As I approached the area where I had met the herd I slowed down and all three of us watched out for any signs of danger. Then I could see a female elephant standing guard at the rear of the herd about 15 meters to the left of the road. I raced down that hill and never really slowed down till we were out of sight of that area. After that it was a smooth ride back to Top Slip.
When I left Top Slip again, it was twilight and already the road was darkened by the shadows cast by the dense foliage. I moved slowly. After about 25 – 30 meters I switched on my headlights. I was thrown back by what they showed up on the road ahead – a leopard, one of the most shy and elusive members of the cat family. The feline looked magnificent in its spotted coat. It was crossing the road, its movements so graceful that it was almost like a dance. It looked casually at the gypsy and then continued on its evening stroll. At the edge of the road it jumped into the foliage and then it was gone out of my sight. The meeting .had not even lasted two minutes. For a few minutes everything I saw looked like a leopard. The rest of the way I was looking out for imaginary leopards jumping on to the soft top of the gypsy. It was sheer craziness. But that‘s the feeling a chance encounter with such a magnificent wild beast leaves you with. If I had not been sitting in the gypsy, what would it have been like?
I took a walk to stretch my limbs.
V. Satyanarayana
