Lord, Let My Country Awake!

I am hurt and saddened by the vicious assault resulting in the death of the brave young daughter of India and like my countrymen, I am distraught and upset by the state of affairs in my country.

I wonder, what I can do and how I can help prevent such heinous and inhuman acts. At this juncture I only wish to reaffirm my faith in my personal moral and ethical values and hope I can lead by example. I can also express myself and add my voice to the millions of outraged countrymen and women, hoping to be heard someday.

Right after the horrific incident, we waited for the Home Minister to speak, for the Prime Minister to address the shocked and stunned nation. But why only them? Are these the only two departments of the government which need to act?

It seems strange that the Minister of Law and Justice had nothing to say on the issue. In fact, he should have been the first to ask for convening both the houses of Parliament, to discuss and debate the pending criminal bill.

The Surface Transport minister has to be made accountable. This was the platform he should have used to suggest measures to streamline  public and private transport including bus routes, depots, bus-passes, timings, public conveniences and security to be put in place and to be adhered to by the public.

The Urban Development Minister along with the Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation should have spoken of the lop sided development, and addressed issues of  migrant labour,  outlined ways to manage these displaced and marginalized sections.

The Information and Broadcasting ministry's silence at this juncture is a cause for concern. Why not channelize public opinions and views, garner support and make the voices heard? Along with the Ministry of Culture, outline programs to raise the awareness, morale and pride of the Indian people, in her rich and great traditions?

We would definitely want to hear the Youth Affairs Minister, the Minister for Labour and Employment, the Education Minister, and review their programs in schools and colleges aimed at development of Youth, both emotionally and socially. 


I believe mental health falls under the purview of the Ministry of Health and along with the  Human Resource Development Ministry, it had to come out with compulsory bi-annual orientation programs for personnel including drivers, to sensitize the work force on various delicate issues-including foreign tourists and women.

 The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Women and Child Development need to assert their presence. A policy on involving the NCC, NSS, Community policing, mobilisation of paramilitary forces and other quasi government organizations within their fold, needs to be framed. In my view,  every department, including Statistics and Programme Implementation and Parliamentary Affairs should have spoken that day.
  
It would be foolhardy to believe that this malaise affects the police and judiciary alone. Unless every department works in tandem, such unspeakable crimes will continue to shock us. From the health of the nation, one diagnosis can surely be made..there is complete failure and breakdown of the government machinery.

Did the great poet Rabindranth write about this time..?

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake...

THE TIGER TRAIL!

The difference between a tourist and a traveler is that the tourist carries his own atmosphere around with him, the traveler tries to lose himself in his surroundings.                                  Freya Stark

I joined the group of ‘loafing ladies’, really, ‘laughing ladies’, hoping to travel and explore Incredible India. As I set out for Kanha and Pench, never did I dream of hitting the tiger trail at Pench, in Mowgli’s Land!

Our journey to Kanha was uneventful. As we drove into ‘Pugmark Resort’, located in Khatia village on the buffer zone, we got a glimpse of what was to follow- exotic tiger terrain! The resort was charming …from the two stuffed tigers mounted on the tree, to the delightful little villages surrounding it! I have brought back very fond memories of the resort, for here we were treated as family, by the Yadavs, who run the establishment. They are a warm and caring family, and we settled in soon and hit the first of our eight safari tours.

We entered Tiger country, a lush mixed forest, with thick undergrowth.  The huge anthills, the black boulders, the dried leaves and the fallen branches, played havoc with my imagination, each taking on the shape of some wild creature! The forest was strangely quiet that afternoon, as the guide unraveled, one by one, the wondrous world of the forest, inhabited by the Crocodile Bark trees, the green leafy Sal trees, the dense Bamboo grass, some with tiny white flowers, others, already dry after the flowering season! The tall Tendu trees were agog with bright young leaves, the Mahua, resplendent with red and green foliage. And amidst these, the Indian Ghost tree, which stood out, as if it had recently been white-washed! 

 Yet, the forest was alive and kicking! Here and there, darted the spotted deer, the small barking deer, lonesome Sambars, the dark Nilgais, the cunning jackals-always in pairs; the angry Gaur (a wild ox) and the wild Boars. The Sloth Bears and Leopards roamed about at night, away from the eyes of curious tourists. The forest soon gave way to grassland and meadows, the home of the Barasingha.  Here we found herds of deer grazing silently. The hot afternoon had silenced the chattering monkeys, the common langurs and the rhesus macaque.  They emerged, curiously, one by one and soon, they were all there, on the tree in front of us, on the dusty path, these playful sentinels of the forest!

 As afternoon turned to evening, we heard the call of birds, the glorious peacocks, in their enticing dance, with the peahens following shyly behind! A blue jay flitted across the branches. The owl and the eagles were perched in the shade. At the waterholes, were king fishers, cormorants and egrets, and here we waited for sometime, for the King to appear!

 The early morning jungle is very cold, and very quiet. As the sun rose, it energized the whole forest, which came alive with intermittent call of birds. We could hear the loud mating calls and we heard the desperate alarm calls. The whole forest then waits with bated breath, for this signals that the King is on his prowl. The monkey shrieks in warning, the barking deer screams to save its life. Somewhere, hidden from  human eyes, lurks the predator. We stop and wait with bated breath! Again, it’s a false alarm!

Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, is the largest National Park in Central India. The Pench Tiger Reserve is located in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts. Both Kanha and Pench forest Reserves are maintained very well. The forest safari is divided into zones or paths, with each zone having its water hole and rest houses. Here, live forest guards and mahouts with trained elephants. Each vehicle must keep to the route/zone allotted and any diversion is penalized. Every morning, the mahouts set off early, and with the help of pug marks, distress calls, and radio collars, monitor the movement of these elusive big cats. When one of them is spotted, and the forest officials feel it is safe to bring in the tourists, the information is relayed to the rest house and tourists are taken on elephant back, deep into the jungle, on first come first served basis, on a payment of Rs. 200 each.

The first morning we got an opportunity to view the ‘tiger show’. We raced on our jeep, scrambled on elephant backs and went a very short distance into the forest…and there, lay the Magnificent tiger, beside the stream, its belly bloated with deer meat, the carcass rotting nearby! It could hardly raise its head to view the scene around it-four elephants, with four tourists each, a dozen forest guards and mahouts, in all. After a minute, the elephant turned back and brought in another group of eager tourists! I will never forget this glorious setting…the tiger lying deceptively like a pampered pet!

 We spent three days at Kanha and two at Pench. We had not spotted the elusive tiger during our safari in Kanha, but were given to understand that sighting in Pench would be easier, as the forest consisted of predominantly teak trees, which had dried up in summer.  The undergrowth was also dry and this would enhance visibility. The river Pench was almost dry, as were most of the water holes, which were few and far between. The log cabins at Tiger N Woods Resort, located at the edge of the jungle, were the perfect getaway for the travel bugs. It was easy to believe that we were literally being taken for a ride!

Sunday, the last of our eight safaris! We had finished packing and thoughts of home were already tugging at our hearts. It was hot and the travel group was mighty disappointed with the near misses in spotting the tiger! We jealously listened to the experiences of other tourists who had seen the tiger walking by or lying almost camouflaged, or devouring its prey! We came to believe that we were the most unfortunate ones and a team member decided to stay back. So we set out on our last ride together.

We had just driven half an hour into the forest, when our young and alert guide noticed pug marks. He announced that it belonged to a tigress, which had been spotted with her three cubs! Our responses must not have added to his enthusiasm, as we believed it was one more false alarm. But the guide was insistent, he asked us to keep watch to our left. Slowly, the trees petered out and in a wide clearing, right on a stretch of brown dry grasses, we saw the  most unbelievable sight……the mother tiger with her three cubs, seated, getting  ready for the morning siesta!

We stopped short, with bated breath.  Staring unbelievably for a few minutes, looking askance! One little tiger moved aside, out of view, into the thicket. Then out came the binoculars, the cameras! The tiger family seemed to be oblivious of our presence. All three lay down, and the cubs would pick up and give their heads a shake by turns, sometimes wander off, even look directly at us! The mother ignored the little ones; she wanted a good sleep and with her paws raised up, went into slumber.

Soon we were joined by other jeeps, many more tourists and the click click of the cameras. We took in this scene for an hour. The sun rose higher, it grew unbearably hot and mother and cubs rose to leave for a shady home. Just then, our jeep jerked forward. Our driver had forgotten to put the hand brake and we did not see the tigers walking away! 

Nostalgia...thou faithful woman!

Sree Leathers is a chain of footwear store, in Jamshedpur. Back then, they had a wide variety of affordable shoes and slippers. Their shops would always be overflowing with people, especially during Dushehra and Diwali. And no one returned with just a pair! One fine day, we saw the Sree Leathers ad in the newspaper in Chennai and we made up our minds to visit, just for old times' sake!

The shop in Chennai was situated very far away from home. Most weekends, we would remind ourselves about the visit. However, this  Sunday, we were determined to find the shop and speak to the owner and tell him of our joy!

Traffic in a city like Chennai can be very daunting. But this Sunday afternoon, it appeared thin, but just only   in our residential area. As we drove to the city-center, we found that roads everywhere had been diverted or dug up for laying the Metro rail. On reaching the busy T-Nagar Market area, we started making enquiries. Sadly, no one had heard of Sree Leathers; most of them directed us to Bata!

Finally, based on the address, we parked nearby and decided to walk the rest of the way. My husband took it up as a challenge! Finally, one gentleman said he knew that the shop was right on the main road, a little to our left. And lo and behold, we crossed the road and there, right in front of us was Sree Leathers.

I don't know what it is about Jamshedpur, but nostalgia is a faithful woman! Any talk of Jamshedpur takes us   back to that wonderful place, that Eldorado! We turn into that unfortunate suffering native, who has left behind his heart and home! The other day, during the parent-teacher meeting, a young father came to meet me. It is rare for fathers to attend this meeting and I expressed my appreciation to him. As we spoke, he mentioned that he was from Jamshedpur. So am I ... I blurted. Momentarily, all was forgotten, and it was just Jamshedpur--the place where we were born and raised, twenty years apart.  The birthplace bond is something very strong!

Well, then, having spotted Sree Leathers, my husband walked in triumphantly.

 Where is the owner? can I speak to him?

The shop had very few customers. One of the assistants came up.

Sir whom would you like to meet?

 The owner..!Where does he sit..kothai?  he lapsed into Bengali.

The supervisor appeared on the scene. He was graciousness personified.

Dada, he hasn't come in yet. Do sit down. Shall I show you some shoes in the meantime?

Yes, of course. I came to buy shoes. But I also want to meet your owner. You see....I know him from my days in Jamshedpur. I was so happy to see that you have opened  a branch here in Chennai. When does he usually come in? How is the shop doing?

The assistant didn't say a word but heard my husband out patiently.

Then came along the Manager, a smart and affable lady.

Good morning sir, I heard you wanted to meet the owner... 

Yes, Yes..my husband eagerly repeated the old nostalgic tale. He took out his card.

When your owner  from Calcutta comes the next time, give me a call..I'd like to meet him.

She was very hospitable, and offered us some tea and cold drinks. She also asked us to choose what ever we liked.

As we went to the leather section, the young supervisor joined us. He had been working in the Jamshedpur branch. He said he was missing his family and of course, Jamshedpur.

He then dropped his voice and said..

Sir, we were really taken aback, when you walked in, demanding to meet the  owner. Do you remember, more than twenty years ago, our owner's son was in the shop. An intruder entered his room and shot him dead..point blank!  We are really very careful after that incident....

But Dada, it was good to meet you..have a good day!

That is the harsh reality of life! But what does Nostalgia know of that!

As our days pass on
a certain pain indescribable
our hearts do clutch
sweet memories flood
of November evenings gone by
Laughter floating down corridors
twilight splendour over trees
Steel smoke mingling with flying pollen
and lazy evenings spent in leisure
Oh Jamshedpur!
a million heart strings tie us to thee.
Nostalgia, thou faithful woman
You have taken abode forever in our hearts!

(penned by my husband's college mate, Cyril Alappet and without whose permission, I reproduce it here..with two words of my own!)