Chapter 6

The resort would switch off all lights by 9.00 every night.
“To save energy, sir” Moni Shankar had explained.
Therefore, Shrikant was asked to finish his dinner and all necessary activities by 9.00 p.m. The arrangement suited him as it would provide the right ambience to think over his day’s discussion with Moni Shankar.

As the lights went out leaving him in pitch darkness, Shrikant quietly went and sat in the balcony in front of his room. The full moon night sheathed the surroundings in a blanket of pristine white. The night’s ensemble was made all the more magical by the thousands of glittering fireflies that shimmered and sparkled all around Shrikant. It was a mesmerising vision that left him dazed.

For a moment Shrikant forgot about everything and closed his eyes to soak in the peace and serenity of the surroundings.

It was then that he heard the first call.
For a few moments, his urban mind failed to identify the sound. It took him some time to realise the source. He came to stand in front of the balcony rails to get a better view of what he thought he had heard.

The Resort was a two-storeyed bungalow and Shrikant had been given the room on the second floor that had a beautiful balcony attached to it overlooking the wilderness. From where he stood now, Shrikant had a perfect view of the lush green Chilapata range and the gurgling Bania flowing through the forest. Just on the edge of the Bania, its huge shape vividly silhouetted against the bright moonlight, Shrikant saw the elephant.

It was youngest member of Mata’s herd whom Amodini had named Bheem. The calf was lapping up the waters of the Bania with youthful zest, raising his trunk frequently to call out to his family to witness the amazing feat he had recently accomplished. The call of the young one tore through the quiet forest.

Shrikant knew he had to capture this beautiful moment. He rushed inside to get his camera only to realise he had forgotten to get the zoom lens he used for capturing long shots. Without thinking, he came out of the resort and slowly and stealthily started walking towards the calf. In his excitement, he completely ignored the fervent warnings by Moni da forbidding him to step out of the resort after dark without any escort. All that he could think of now was to capture this moment and share it with Surabhi.

As he approached the banks of the river, he realised there was very little tree cover to hide him from the Pachyderm’s view. But Shrikant did not think that was of any concern,
“I will just click a few close ups and leave, even before it realises I am here” he thought.

In his urban naivety, Shrikant had forgotten an essential element – Elephants have a strong sense of smell which is their primary guide in identifying unwanted presence. Unaware, he confidently closed in for a better angle. He focused his camera on the rollicking calf and was about to press the shutter button when he suddenly realised that he was looking at two, and not one elephant vision. The smaller playful calf was now protectively covered within the massive legs of its mother. Shrikant had been unmindful of another important fact. An elephant calf is seldom left unattended.

The adult cow had now raised its trunk sensing danger. As she picked up the unwanted smell of an intruder, she flared her ears and trumpeted loudly shattering the surrounding silence.

Shrikant balked and in his nervousness accidentally pressed the button to release the shutter. It was then that he realised he had made another mistake – he had forgotten to switch off the flash!

As the brief bling of the camera flash slashed across the darkness of the night like a sharp-edged knife, Shrikant felt the earth tremble. He watched in wide-eyed horror as the gigantic apparition hurtled towards him with her huge ears fanning out wildly and her trunk stiffly raised, livid with anger. Shrikant thought the earth was collapsing around him. He remained rooted to the spot as he witnessed, awestruck and dumbfounded, the massive adult cow elephant advancing towards him in a full charge.

Finally, collecting his senses Shrikant started retreating. In his hurry he tripped on the fallen branches and lay paralyzed on the damp forest floor watching helplessly as death thundered towards him. A voice in his head was screaming at him to run. However, his limbs refused to budge. He felt life drain out of him. The elephant steadily closed in on him in mad fury. He could almost feel her mighty trunk breathing fire on him as its trumpeting call informed the whole forest of this trespasser who had dared to threaten her peace. Perspiration moistened his dry lips providing the only succour.

Shrikant shut his eyes in horror. It was then that he felt a change in the vibrations around him. It was as if the climax in an orchestra having reached a crescendo was slowly scaling down. He opened his eyes to find that the elephant had stopped in her tracks. As he lay wondering what had caused the miracle, he realised that at that moment, they were not the only ones in the wilderness. Fear had blurred his vision. He could vaguely make out the shape of another human figure.

As he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, he observed a strange act unfolding before him. The figure, that had her back towards him, appeared to be that of a little girl and she seemed to be doing a strange thing. She was gently stroking the trunk of the animal and crooning to it in the most soothing tone. The elephant gradually calmed down, lowered its trunk and stepped back. The little girl turned to look at Shrikant with wide-spaced eyes and a gentle smile playing on her lips. He realised she could not be more than 10 or 11-years-old.

As she easily climbed onto the elephant’s wide back, her dirty matted locks flying wildly in the mild night air, and her hands caked with mud, Shrikant thought she was no mortal being. She was the Devi, the goddess that the newspapers had been ranting about. She continued to smile at him innocently before the elephant walked off into the forest. Shrikant knew he had to find this girl. He had to know how she did what she did just now. What is it that makes her go back to the forest again and again?

He carefully lifted himself only to find that he had badly sprained his ankle in his attempt to flee the elephant. He turned around to find Moni da with a few of the other hotel staff running towards him armed with sticks, rods, and torches. They had heard the chaos and sensing danger had rushed out. When they realised it was Shrikant they ran forward to help him. Carefully supported on their shoulders, Shrikant limped back towards the resort. Moni da attended to his wounded ankle urgently, apologising all the while as if the whole incident was his fault. Shrikant brushed aside all his feelings of guilt and admitted his own idiocy at having stepped out unarmed and unescorted not heeding Moni da’s warnings.

After gulping down a glass of warm milk laced with turmeric which Moni da insisted would relieve him of all stress and body ache that would be the obvious side effect of this incident, Shrikant finally reached his room to rest for the night.

Just out of curiosity he limped to the balcony. The vista surprisingly held no memories of the attack. The bright moonlight still irradiated the forest, washing it clean of any evidence of the tussle it had recently witnessed. Far away in the distance, he could make out the dark shapes of a mother peacefully walking home with her calf safely enclosed within her massive legs. Straddling the mother, with her hand resting on its head, he could perceive a human shape swaying rhythmically to the sway of the elephant’s stride. Somehow, the casual and relaxed posture of the girl made him feel as if she too was returning to the hearth her heart desired.

Chapter 5

Chapter 7 – Preview
Moni Shankar assigns Dhoomketu, another villager, to be with Shrikant throughout his stay in Chilapata. Dhoomketu accompanies Shrikant to Matongini’s village where he introduces him to several villagers and Matongini. What does Shrikant learn there? Does it help him go closer to the truth?
Read Chapter 7

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