Thrice I was very near to Tiger, the King of Jungle.  Twice, the King was visible and only once invisible to me and I narrowly escaped a fatal danger.

The first meet happened on our way to the Drilling camp from the Base camp. That was an orientation programme for me before beginning my first assignment.

The year had just crossed over to mid of November. Due to many unforeseen delays, instead of broad day light of noontime, we could start from the Base camp only by Sunset.  

My senior geologist had asked me to meet Nair babu, the drilling camp- in- charge at the Hilltop, who came down from the hilltop to the Base camp for weekly meetings.

The time taken to complete the meetings, briefings and issue of materials from stores somehow pushed the scheduled departure from noon to afternoon.  To top that, Nair babu's driver and two other juniors caused further delays by doing the disappearing act.

Nair babu fumed about the delay and it was much later, during the course of the events that followed, that I was able to understand the justification of such fuming. (I shall talk about Nair Babu, my guru for all round development of mine, later on).

Keeping us waiting for more than half an hour, Nair babu’s juniors and the driver came back tottering with irregular steps. It was quite clear where the trio had disappeared and for what reasons! To avoid Nair babu's glaring eyes and flow of volcanic ire, they managed to huddle at the rear end of the jeep. 

Nair babu started the Jeep, which was an old model of Willy’s jeep of Mahindra (Willy’s), open on all sides except the tarpaulin top. Just after crossing the Main gate of the base camp, Nair babu, an ace driver deliberately drove over a speed breaker to shake the intoxicated back seat passengers with a rough jerk. His action resulted in the desired effect and the sloshed passengers sat straight with ram-rod backs.

We crossed a bridge on the hilly river and started on the twenty-one kilometre long hilly road, winding through the foothill forests with several hairpin bends. I was all attention, drinking in the beauty of the greenery which was fast becoming dark with the approaching nightfall. This was the only motor-able way to the hill top drilling camp.

 Joseph, the regular driver of this jeep, sitting right behind Nair babu, whispered something in Nair babu’s ear, but the latter just shook his head and replied something. Both were speaking in their mother tongue, Malayalam, which I could not follow. I, however, could guess from the driver’s body language, that he was nervous and catch a few English words spoken in between their Malayalam, like ‘evening’ and ‘cat’. I assumed that the evening hours would not allow fast drive up the hill, but ‘cat’, I learnt later, was a code word for Tiger. At that moment I was blissfully unaware.

Minutes later, I clearly understood the cause of such nervousness of the driver and the earlier ire of Nair babu.

At the end of the first hairpin bend of the hilly road, there was a long flat stretch but partially visible in the growing darkness. Nair babu switched on the headlights and was about to shift the gear from second to third, when I felt, rather than saw, everyone tensing up. I had no clue why. Evidently Nair babu had sighted something and brought the jeep to a screeching halt. Everyone else seemed to have seen something as well, excepting me.

One of the juniors, sitting behind me, suddenly used his hand to cover my mouth and whispered, “Buddy, just watch the shaking bushes by your side but don’t make any sound”

 My immediate reaction was something else. This guy, Mathias, from the very first meet, disliked me, possibly because a newcomer had suddenly become his senior. The side he was pointing was the valley side. Was this drunken man planning to throw me down the valley? 

 I immediately looked at Nair babu, but, he too was pointing towards the valley.  Following his signals, I first saw a big striped protruding head and glistening pair of eyes marked by red circular outlines.

Within seconds, the King of the Jungle came out from the bush and stepped on the hilly road. The width of the road was not sufficient for this fear inducing animal but he decided to lie there.

 I am a timid man by nature, but at that instant, any fears relating to potential attack or fatal mauling did not strike me. It was as if, all my senses, including fear, had left me.

In the following years of my stay in the Forest, I learnt through my experiences the truth of a popular jungle saying, “When the object of fear appears before your eyes, the sense of fear disappears”.

Nair Babu looked at me and signalled Mathias to remove his smelly hand from my mouth.  Nair babu and other occupants of the jeep did not lose their nerves.  He kept both his feet engaged on the clutch and brake pedals keeping the vehicle ready to leap at any moment.

Nair Babu, in hushed tones, asked Joseph, “Did the base camp garage crew change the fan Belt and replace the dynamo?”

Joseph replied, “Yes sir”

“I had told you to get it done under your vigil and check whether the work had been done properly. You chose to concentrate elsewhere. For you information, the dynamo is not charging the battery.”

 The other subordinate started to say “Sir, the head beams are becoming yellowish, in another few min…”

Nair babu looked at me and snarled, albeit in a whisper, “Mind your business and check the weapons under the seat.”

“Ji (Yes sir)”

“Get four-five of them ready and before diesel soaking check the tightness of the jute packs on each of them. It should not be like the last time.”

 “Ji”

My initial paralysed senses had slowly started creeping back, especially my fear, during this exchange around me. However, Nair babu’s firm tones and clear instructions to prepare for action provided the much necessary stress-relief to me. I felt secured in the knowledge that, whether illegal or legal, they were getting the self-defence ready. 

The smell of diesel from the backseat compelled me to have a look at those “weapons” which were getting ready after a diesel bath.

All I could see in the darkness were few one and half-meter bamboo sticks with thick thread like things at the end. Actually these were “Massals” (torches). My fear came rushing back! Our lives were at the mercy of the Lord of the jungle, just 50 metres away. These mere bamboo sticks, at best used for driving away street dogs, taming naughty boys or even coaxing or patting a lazy tiger, dozing inside the zoo cage, were supposed to be our life-saving weapons!?! 

Were my colleagues planning to pat and coax this tiger back into the bushes? Lying so close to irresistible and tasty human flesh, he just had to let out a roar for us to drop faint and he could spend the rest of the evening picking and choosing the choicest of us!

Right then, the King from his lying position looked at the Jeep and surveyed the timid yellowish headlight beams with disdain. Clearly unimpressed with the boring display of the pale lights, he yawned expansively, exposing the glistening rows of deadly, flesh gorging teeth and then unhurriedly turned his head away from us. 

We held our breath, resigned to our fate and the jeep engine also surrendered itself to a complete shutdown with a smothered cough and splutter. The weak battery, however, stood by us by keeping the dim headlights on for a few more minutes. There was absolute silence all around, except the humming of insects and the rippling sounds of hilly waterfalls, coming from far away, deep within the forests.   

Nair babu nudged me and indicated that I pick up one of the sticks. He whispered “This works as a torch when lit with this lighter here. Keep both of them handy and remain alert. The moment we sense anything wrong, I shall tap on your shoulder.”

“What do I do then?” Uncomprehendingly, I managed to whisper back, although my throat had dried up with terror. I hoped fervently that the tiger was not able to overhear.

With a deep furrow in his forehead, Nair babu stared at me quizzically, then realising that I had blanked out completely, said dryly “We all jump out from the jeep and strike the ignited lighter to the massal and turn it into a torch. Mind you, this has to be done within seconds.”

“Oh! Please do not do anything on your own- such heroics shall invite danger only.” He added after thought.

As if I needed any other warning!

The struggling headlights finally caved in and switched off. However, our alert brains did not require more lights than the available feeble moon beams, coming through the floating wisps of clouds, to see the outline of the resting tiger.

Somebody shifted position and possibly put his weight on the ropes attached to the tarpaulin cover. There was a slight rustle of the tarpaulin sheet. Nair babu whispered another warning “Nobody moves. Stay still”

 I lost track of the ticking minutes. I tried to remember the faces of my nearest and dearest ones. I wondered if I would ever get to see them again.

I do not know after how much longer, but I was jerked out of my self-pitying state with a huge roar…..no…not from our blockading tiger…some other tiger. By the intensity of the roar, it appeared to be approaching our way!

Shouting and screaming were prohibited but mercifully, not trembling. I could not control the shivers and a chill feel flow from my head to toe through the spine that ensued after this roar. It reminded me of the recent attack of Malaria.

 I needed water badly to moisten my dry tongue and throat. I looked around and saw my colleagues sitting calmly. I mentally berated my nervous temperament and resolved to emulate my fearless companions. They too had heard this roar, but instead of terror compounding, they actually appeared pretty relieved. Almost in unison, but in whisper, came “Aha” from everybody.

Nair Babu enlightened me, “Possibly in a few moments, there is a chance of road clearance”

Intrigued, I queried “By clearing us?”

I meant it seriously but Nair babu treated it as a joke well dealt out and whispered back, “That’s the spirit! Keep on smiling, your worst troubles get greased and pass over smoothly.”

 As soon as he finished, the King of the forest got up, raised his neck to the sky and either from the sky or from his throat, I heard a thunder and nothing else.

 A jerk helped me regain my senses and this jerk was due to the jeep restarting after being pushed by my fearless companions. Nair babu had no chance to know that I had actually blacked out for a few minutes. He was busy organising a fast but stealthy getaway.  He was focussed on the possible location of the tiger, which was now out of sight, but had every possibility of reappearing. Getting away as far as possible from the site of its last location without the jeep further betraying was a challenge and my fainting held no greater significance at that time.

 We were on our way up to the Drilling camp of Hilltop. Nair babu was driving the jeep with dim headlights and smartly negotiating the curves. The others were still discussing about the roar and counter roar.

Joseph said “Biswas Sir, this is the mating season of the tigers and that roar from down the valley was the last call from his fiancée. When we heard the roar from down the valley, we knew that it belonged to a tigress and this tiger cannot ignore it and thus we were sure that the road would be cleared soon.”

Joseph went on to brag how quickly he had identified that the first roar was soft and it belonged to a tigress.    

Nair babu laughed and said, “So our tiger could not ignore this call.”

“Our tiger!” Well!

That night, I learnt that brave people like Nair babu did not dither to befriend a tiger neither did they hesitate to use diesel soaked torches if so required. 

Later on, Nair babu counselled me that even if I managed to come across a tiger, chances were that the tiger would not be a Man-eater.

Just before reaching the camp, Nair babu looked at me and said, “Our camp is well protected with trenches and tall barbed wire fencing. You may pitch your tent anywhere inside the camp. Valley side is cool and well ventilated.”

Joseph pitched in with “Biswas Sir, in valley side, wolfs, hyenas and jackals shout loudly after midnight and disturb your sleep.”

 “Oh!..That’s no big deal.” I claimed in all confidence. When I had survived a roar, a wolf’s howl would be the last sound to scare me!

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