Man Eater of Rajaji National Park
I was watching, beautiful orange reflection of, the setting Sun on the Ganga river through the window of my room. I was supposed to be studying but the view was so striking that it caught my attention. I was starting to drift away in my thoughts, enjoying the view, when I was shaken up by someone touching my shoulder. As I turned around my sister was standing there, she said “dad is calling you, can’t you hear ?”. I immediately sprung into action and went straight to the drawing room, where my dad was sitting with his evening cup of tea. “Keshu”, he said, “your uncle is coming tomorrow morning to visit us and the milk is about to finish. Your mother is thinking to make some kheer, indian rice pudding, for breakfast tomorrow. I am waiting for an urgent phone call, Could you go get some milk from Heeralal”.
Heeralal was our milkman. Every morning, for last many year, he punctually delivering milk from the Khasi village, close to Rajaji National Park, to our house. I picked up the keys of scooter and the jerrycan and walked out of the garage, while I was about to leave my mother cautioned me a bit, “don’t take the route across the hill side, I heard some villagers talking about a leopard roaming there attacking people”.
It was twilight and as I rode my scooter I could feel the cool air touching my face. After the heavy monsoon season of July and August cooler period of September has just started, which made mornings and evenings a bit cooler and pleasant. I took the route road along the hills surrounding Rajaji National Park. A shorter faster route crossing across the hills existed too but my mother had asked me to avoid it. Within 20 minutes I was at Heeralal’s house in the village. I called for his name and out came Heeralal, “what are you doing here at this time?”, he asked. I told him about my uncle coming in the morning and that we were out of milk. He asked me to wait, while he took my jerrycan to get it filled. Heeralal was back in no time. It was getting dark now. I asked Heeralal, “I heard there is a leopard roaming around, have you seen any recently ? “. Leopard’s are so common here, they usually attack humans”, said Heeralal.
I took the jerrycan filled with milk and hung it on to the handle of my scooter and kicked started it. It immediately came to life in just one kick, my amazing 1984 Priya, I switched on the headlamp and headed towards my home. After driving few minutes I reached to the junction where I had to choose again if I should take the road along the hills or the shorter route crossing the hills through the Rajaji National Park. I remembered Heeralal’s word, “ Leopard usually dont attack humans”. When Heeralal said that I didn’t paid attention to the word “usually”. I decided to cross the hill through the park after-all it was a shorter and quicker route.
It was completely dark now but I had taken this route several time before in the day times I knew it with my eyes closed. As I crossed through the park I reached to the top of the hill I as I started to roll down something flashed in the bushes ahead. I thought it must be a deer. Rajaji park is full of deers. I stopped and turned my scooters headlamps towards the bushes. In the Scooters light I could see a set of eyes glowing through the bushes. I moved a little forward to see, which animal is it. My heart started to beat a bit faster. A black leopard stuck his head out of the bushes. Now my heart was pounding I could hear it beating. Is this the leopard my mother has warned me against, I asked myself. In a moment I turned the scooter around and pressed hard on the accelerator. I could see, in the rear view mirror, the leopard starting to chase me. The Scooter was rolling fast down the hill. I looked into the rear view mirror the Leopard was right at at my tail and was about to jump. I press harder onto the accelerator in bid to escape from it. As I looked again I could see him taking a jump at me. I immediately pressed hard on to the breaks the scooter skidded and stooped. I had caught leopard by surprise he jumped over me with his paws scratching my helmet. Now we were facing each other leopard lying in front of me. Adrenaline in my body got into my head and I decided to hit him with the 120 horsepower of my scooter. I pressed hard onto the accelerator again and maximised my speed and rushed towards the leopard and hit it hard with my scooter. We both fell, the milk jerrycan flunked out of the handle bar and hit the leopard on his head. This was too much of a surprise for leopard it got up limping a bit and disappeared into the bushes.
I gather myself together and picked up the empty jerrycan, lifted the scooter up and also decided to head back to the junction to take the other route to home. I was happy to be alive and had a thought in my head. Although there would be no kheer tomorrow, I have my own story, of the Man Eater of Rajaji National Park, to tell everyone.
