Remember I’d mentioned ‘another chase’ when I wrote about the cow incident ? Well, here are the gory details of another chase of a whole new magnitude altogether…
This was when in the holidays after the 12th standard (grade) exams…i.e. we are all of 17 years old. Five of us girls decided to go on a jungle trip organised by an organisation. In all 40 of us, including our 2 guides, took a 7 day jungle trip to the beautiful jungles of Mudumalai in TamilNadu in South India.
When our bus reached the reception area of the forest department reserve there, it was around 4 p.m. While the guides were completing the formalities, they told us to walk to the dormitory which was about 1 km away. They would come with the bus and our entire luggage later. The road was straight and there was no chance that we would get lost.
So enthusiastically, off we went. As it often happens in large groups, sub-groups got formed. We (my 4 friends and I) were the last group to set off. The road was about 10 feet wide lined immediately by tall and densely set trees. We were merrily walking along, chatting, singing. We could see the groups walking ahead stop at a particular point, look in the jungle to the right and go ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over what they saw. The group before us got so excited that they even clicked some photographs. We were getting increasingly getting curious since we wouldn’t see what they were all stopping to look at. Finally, when we reached that spot, well after the group before us had gone past our field of vision, we too excitedly turned to the right, eager to see what was so exciting.
What we saw got us too very very excited. Just about 30 feet away was this huge female elephant with her tiny little baby, perhaps a day or two old. The baby was soooooo cute ! The five of us stood there transfixed at that lovely sight and suddenly, without any warning and definitely without provocation, the elephant trumpeted ! We nearly jumped out of our skins. Before we could recover, the elephant started running…TOWARDS US !!!
It took a while to register what was happening and then all of us simply started running. But one friend tripped on her shoe-lace and fell on the ground, her spectacles flying off. Two of us helped her up and one got the spectacles and continued running. The elephant kept up the chase. For what seemed like an eternity, we were running with the elephant in hot pursuit. What was worse was that the elephant kept trumpeting loudly at regular intervals. We could feel the thump of its footfall. We didn’t dare look back.
Suddenly we came at cross roads and a white Ambassador car came across the turn, screeched to a halt since we blocked them. The car was full of very dark men wearing pure white clothes and speaking Tamil, the local language, which neither of us could speak. We spoke to them in English, which they couldn’t understand. However, from our red faces, short breath and gestures they gathered that we needed help. So, within a minute of meeting them, we piled on in a car that was already full and there ended the whole dramatic chase. They dropped us at the dormitory. We nearly fell at their feet in gratitude. Then they left.
Outside the dormitory one friend sat down and began to cry, three sat down puffing and panting and looking so grim that they were unable to speak for about an hour afterwards and I was so restless / charged up that I just couldn’t get myself to even stand still, let alone sit. I too was unable to speak for nearly an hour afterwards.
Now when I think back or describe this incident to friends, they laugh and I laugh…we all laugh uproariously. But that evening…oh, that evening ! :)
Comments