“Ek aur round ghurao Jagat”, the heavy commanding voice of the Visiting Agent of Jardines echoed throughout the Chulsa Club House- where he sat with his other bridge companions concentrating on the game. His presence would add vibrancy everywhere and he loved mingling with the youngsters. There is a warmth that exudes in the winters when all else is cold, in tea clubs. There is a spate of lawn tennis, golf and of course the nineteenth hole- the bar. This was in the first week of December 1996.
Akhil, the factory assistant of Chulsa bid goodbye to the club members and stood at the verandah of the Bada bungalow, almost at midnight, with a file that demanded the urgent attention of his bada saab, to be ushered in by the bearer into the drawing-room and was shocked to see his bada saab enjoying his scotch on the rocks with an unconventional guest who comfortably reclined on a sofa, his clothes looked muddy and ripped- even though ripped jeans had not yet become a fashion statement! His hair was matted and ruffled. His arms and legs all bruised and cut. In spite of everything, he had a stylish aura around him.
Earlier that evening, at the club, the elephant squad chowkidaars had gushed in announcing the arrival of the mammoth Maharajas (the wild elephants). All members were told that it was better to take the Mateli-Moortee Road as the herd of elephants had taken refuge at the Chulsa-Indong Road. The members began to disperse. A young couple Richard and Tanu, were also cruising back home on the mobike when Richard suddenly jammed on the brakes keeping the headlights dipped and saw the white ambassador car in the middle of the road, only to realize their blunder of having taken that route. He took in the surreal imagery of the situation. He scurried back to his wife who stood by the bike and in a nervous yet urgent voice he whispered-“Quick, let’s turn back! A herd of elephants is approaching!” She held on to her nerves, trying to match the long strides of her husband’s. Reversing, Richard dragged his mobike on foot in a hushed demeanour, making a note to reach the club and get help. He then added that though the car seemed familiar, there was no one to be seen in and around. The music was playing on with the car door ajar. The headlights blinked on.
Little did they know about the escapade from the car, just a few moments ago. The Visiting Agent had been happily driving on the undulating roads of Chulsa garden, with music filling the car, content with his successful game of golf and near-win at his hand of bridge. As he steered to the right of the blind uphill curve, peering through the blanket of the mist he saw a high greyish wall right in the middle of the road. “Are my eyes deceiving me?” he wondered, as his gaze travelled upwards to be met with the herd of elephants. One of them was approaching him with its huge trunk swaying and pillar-like limbs thumping nearer. Every muscle in his body knotted up, his heart hammering. The high of the games, as well as the liquid courage, quickly wore off. He looked behind in despair and saw a pair of huge ivory tusks, perhaps those of the rear guard elephant. If he were to reverse his fate was known. So was it, if he were to move forward. Such was the majestic vision that had overwhelmed him. He was terror-stricken and awestruck, all at once.
Now faced with imminent threat there was no way out. He was always known to make choices that rang true to his sense of self and now he knew that he had to be wittier and quicker than these ‘gentlemen of the jungle’ who were turning wild and the mothers protective. Though he had waited for them for half an hour to clear the path, he now knew that the rear guard elephants would trample him. With trembling fingers, he pushed the door open and jumped into the bushes as the darkness engulfed him. He had had many a wild dream but never in his wildest of imagination had he ever thought that he would be squeezing through the tight fit canopy of bushes as he moved forward on all fours. He could sense the trudging of the gigantic elephants’ limbs following him. In spite of the chilly night, he could feel the beads of sweat trickling down his brows and goosebumps all over his body.
Slinking forward with a parched throat from time to time he would stand to check the whereabouts of the elephants and also give respite to his hunched back as he tried to escape as noiselessly as he could. But his position was being revealed by the whiff of his spirited breath. He knew that he had to either find a large shade tree and spend the night there or rush towards a bungalow. Suddenly, he tumbled into a drain. The cold slush added to his shock. “Oh dear Ganesha! Spare me!” he pleaded. He started running as fast as his slushy and heavy feet could carry. His brain and body switched to survival mode and instinctively he kept heading towards the glow of the bungalow light, in the direction of Chulsa garden which could be seen atop a hillock. After several steps, he saw a glimpse of a leopard slinking away with a muffled growl as it was startled to see the someone running towards it or it may have sensed the elephants lumbering around.
Aware of the fact that mother leopards often used the drains as their dens, he flung himself out of the drain. His head was hit hard by the branch of one of the bushes, jolting him almost unconscious if it weren’t for the adrenaline. Though terror washed over him, raising the hair on his nape, he bolted towards the faint outline of a small pucca structure on the narrow pathway muttering to himself, “I shall not die today”. The echo of trumpeting resonated all around the estate as the herd of elephants had split into smaller groups and had scattered all over, as they were driven away from the workers’ colony.
His legs were giving up crippling with pain. He thought that he had managed to dodge them and was safe now. As he gasped for breath, he could sight an elephant moving towards him, close to the dark gnarled bark almost blending in. “Bloody hell!”, he muttered. It was a situation of 'do or die'. He ran down the slope, back towards the murmur of water.
He could fathom that the coast was clear around the jhora (stream), so he waded into it, stumbling on the boulders, into the water with a thud, moaning with pain. Around here there were more noises than his ears could separate. He looked around and he could feel the presence of elephants looming large. Though they had merged into the darkness, he could perceive the silhouette of two tuskers chomping on the wild banana trees. Through his peripheral vision, towards the right side of the slope, he could see the baby elephants having a whale of a time, sliding down the slope on their rump as their mother watched from the top. “Oh heck!” he blurted as the movement of the vicious rogue elephant heading towards him sounded his death knell. He closed his eyes and images of his wife and children flashed in front of his eyes. “I have to be alive”, he coaxed himself since his nervous anxiety had turned to panic.
Inhaling deeply and gathering the pieces of his shattered strength, with a pounding heart he dashed towards the left of the slopes and clung to it for his dear life. His eyes travelled up to the ledge jutting out on top of the cliff. He hiked up, finding the foothold on the jutting stones while he grabbed on to the clumps of shrubs and vegetation. It was a Herculean task but miraculously somehow he had the superpowers. He looked down as he was about to reach with just two more climbs. The magnanimous mammals were uprooting the jutted stones, the shrubs and the grass from slopes. One of the tuskers raised its trunk and trumpeted furiously almost deafening him. As he ascended, he felt something damp coiled around his ankle-“have they got me!" With a jerk, he pulled himself up with a great force to roll towards the bamboo hedge. The will to live gave him monstrous courage. Though his bones had no more strength and his muscles were out of power, he jumped over the fence of the Doctor’s Bungalow, using the dilapidated ladder of the maalis. Although relieved he could now feel the sting and pain of all his cuts and bruises.
The Doctor dropped him to the bada bungalow after first aid. The bada bungalow chowkidaar somewhat dazed reported to his saab, that there was an unusual guest to see him. “Swapan!” exclaimed his guest in his distinct voice. “Prem! what happened?!!!!” Swapan enquired instantly recognizing his voice. The Visiting Agent asked him to pour a double large to help him regain his composure, as he narrated the series of confrontations which he courageously endured defying death. He let the realization of being alive soak in gradually into his bones, savouring the moment, gulping down his amber drink, trying to soothe his jitters. He went on to add that the struggle of this ordeal had lasted for over two hours and as he had been slinking under the bushes he could hear the buzzing of a motorbike and see the faint beam of its headlight. Helplessly, he had prayed that they would turn around and arrange for help and hoped that his telepathy would reach them.
Indeed God has his own ways. Tanu and Richard reached the club and returned to the scene along with their friends in their car to find that the stranded car had vanished! They were now confused whether the scene witnessed was a reality or were they disillusioned by the high spirits of the enjoyable evening? Tanu swore that she had heard the elephant rumbling earlier and the ringing screams reverberated in her ears even now. Wary of the presence of elephants in the estates, they drove back to safety. Had they been just a few minutes early, they would have witnessed the Chulsa assistants Vaneet and Afreen getting the car towed with the help of the garden tractor.
As they steered the car into the bada bungalow, they met Akhil. They were invited in for a drink when the realization seeped in that the unconventional guest was none other than the Visiting Agent of Jardines, Mr Prem Singh!
It was well known in the tea circle that Prem Singh could charm anyone with his charismatic personality, be it the saabs, the memsaabs or the children. But the word travelled all over now that he had cast a magical spell by his magnetic personality even on the elephants as they were spotted every night around the Chulsa Bada Bungalow for a long time, probably looking for Prem!
