Suman’s grandfather, Gourkanta, who is in his eighties, has seen the forest since his
childhood. He has seen the small forest grow into the dense jungle Gorumara that it is
today. Not well educated, he is yet wise through his experiences of life, and there is
always a distinct glint in his eyes when he talks about the forest and its wild animals. He
tries to inculcate his values and deep love of forest in his grandson.
In his youth, Gourkanta was a stout man who dared to take on every other man in
wrist fights and boasted of his strength to be equal to that of a bison or a rhino. He used
to fish in the river during the rainy season when the waters of Murti had abundance of
fish, snails, crabs etc. Gourkanta used to have huge catch everyday at dawn when
incessant rains throughout night would bring more fish to his net. One day when he was
busy throwing the net, a leopard crept towards him under cover of darkness. The
leopard pounced on him from behind and clawed into his back and shoulders.
Gourkanta felt the pain, but he could not immediately make out what it was on his
shoulders. He stretched his right arm and got hold of the beast on his shoulders; then he
pulled it down with a flick of his hand and saw the leopard. Gourkanta used to carry a
cane staff to scare away stray dogs and to protect himself from the attack of wild
animals. He picked it up and whacked the leopard very hard. Badly hurt, the leopard
twisted in pain, and then sprang to the nearby bush and disappeared in the dark.
Gourkanta still carries the scratches of leopard claws on his back and shoulders.
Suman hears all these heroics of his grandfather with wonder and consternation. As
a child, he feels naturally attracted towards animals. He would have loved to take them
in his lap and caress them. But alas, the ferocious carnivores, venomous snakes or even
harmless antelopes have no affinity towards human beings.
Suman asks his grandfather, ‘We love them so much. Why are they not friendly with
us?’
‘Nature has given every creature a weapon to survive in this world, my son. Long ago
humans lived in the jungle with wild animals. They were endowed with intelligence; so
they moved away and built this civilization. Today only wild animals live in the jungles.
Nature has made them fierce and they need to be so, or else man won’t let them
survive,’ Gourkanta tries to educate his grandson.
Suman scratches his head and tries to makes sense of what his grandfather says about
the jungle. Then he asks, ‘Dada, why do we still love the jungle? Why don’t we conquer
it?’
‘Suman, we love the jungle because it is beautiful. Besides it is a mystery. It should
remain a mystery. If we conquer it, there will be no thrill in it. If there is no thrill, we will
lose interest in the jungle and it will lose its charm.’
‘Dada, when will I see a leopard?’ asks Suman. He has seen herds of elephants stray into
villages and cause havoc by destroying crops and pulling down houses. But he has seen
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