Whispers of the Wild

He rolled over the massive wooden bed to see that the clock on the side table read 11.40 p.m. The knock that he thought he had been dreaming about grew louder. Straining his ears, he heard the mumble, "Saab? Saaaab?" said the Chowkidaar.

"What now?" Akhil wondered as he groggily switched on the lights, which momentarily blinded him. Fighting his exhaustion from the long day of kaamjaari, and the irresistible call of dreamland following the sumptuous dinner at the Burra Bungalow, he sat up and let out a long yawn.

Akhil joined Gandrapara Tea Garden in 1983 as a trainee assistant and was immediately consumed by the diverse tasks this field allowed him to pursue. Renovating the factory and installing an SKL engine during the winters were among the engineering feats that he had achieved. His joy knew no bounds when he looked back, and the satisfaction of a job well done was the greatest reward for him. His Burra Saab, Mr. Jaggi Lal and other senior colleagues, Mr. S.K. Dutta and Mr. Ishwar Lama, guided him and taught him the tea way of life. After a short stint of eleven months, he bid them adieu as he was transferred to Chulsa T.G.

Mr Jeevan Pradhan (Burra Saab), Chulsa T.G. and Akhil Tiwari (1984)

The Burra Saab, Mr. Jeevan Pradhan, invited him, "Why don't you join us for dinner at the Burra Bungalow?" His Burra Memsaab, Mrs. Neena Pradhan, added, "Professor Rao, your alma mater, from IIT Kharagpur, is also visiting."

As Akhil arrived for dinner at the Burra Bungalow, he was overwhelmed by the larger-than-life surroundings. The bearers dressed in starched white uniforms moved to a choreographed rhythm as they set the skillfully prepared Chinese dishes on the table. Soaking it all in, they enjoyed the hospitality of their hosts and thanked them for the memorable dining experience as the evening drew to a close. "I know how to use chopsticks now, which I will remember forever," he thanked Mrs. Pradhan. "I take your leave, sir," he turned towards his Manager, who shook his hand affirmingly and said, "Have the samples ready by 7 a.m., with the help of Godaam Babu," bidding him a good night.

Verandah of Chulsa Burra Bungalow

Just as he was sinking into deep sleep, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Saab Saab... Ganeshji aaya hai," he heard Ganesh, the Chowkidaar's voice. Why is he mumbling his own name? Akhil wondered. Moreover, with the honorific "ji"?

He swung open the door of the Chhota bungalow to meet Chowkidar's frightened face. Ganesh, the Chowkidar, shushed Akhil and nudged him towards the jaali window of the pantry. He parted the curtains gently and whispered, "Maharaja ji."

Lo and behold, there was a colossal elephant, towering next to the massive tree of the maali baari, merging into the darkness about twenty feet away from them. The giant creature met Akhil's eyes directly. And then he noticed the herd of about fifteen to twenty of the majestic Maharajas moving slowly out of the thicket of banana groves of the maali baari towards their bungalow.

"Saab yeh kaath ka kothi hai," said the Chowkidar. "Maharaja ji log ke ek dhakka se..." Akhil's expression washed blank. He had no idea as to what the Chowkidar was hinting at. He did exactly what the Chowkidar told him to do. They positioned themselves near the window of the gol kamra. The elephants continued moving towards the lawn in front of the bungalow. The sheer presence and size of the wild elephants leading the herd was mesmerising yet scary. Akhil watched with his jaw dropping, "I never dreamt that I would get such a close view of the wild haathi," said Akhil. "Saab, Maharaja ji boliye," advised Ganesh as he joined his hands in reverence. The deep sense of respect for the might of the Gentlemen of the Jungle was evident in Ganesh's actions.

A stilted tea garden bungalow

The elephants continued to chomp on the banana tree leaves, their boulder-grey bodies glistening under the drizzle. As the two men watched in awe, the huge, wrinkled trunk of an elephant slithered into the verandah, picked up an Areca palm pot, and hurled it towards the lawn, as if it were just a plaything. One of the mammoth tuskers gored the enormous pot of foliage and stomped it with its feet. Suddenly, Akhil and Ganesh felt vibrations passing through their body.

Then, as if a switch had been flicked, the herd began approaching the bungalow. The wooden bungalow, which stood 6 feet high on cement stilts, continued to sway with the tremors. Flapping their ears and bellowing loudly, they surrounded the stilts. A couple of baby elephants were stuck under the stilts of the bungalow! The herd lifted their trunks high above their heads, producing an orchestra of loud bellows and low vocalisation. The men stood in silence, listening to their pounding hearts provide the beat to the cacophony.

As the beasts pulled out their young ones, the entire bungalow shook violently as though undergoing an earthquake. The wooden planks creaked and shifted upwards as the baby elephants ambled beneath the old bungalow. Akhil and Ganesh stood baffled and petrified, at a loss for a solution to tackle the situation. With no way to send out a message, they waited. Trapped and helpless.

After a few hours, which felt like an eternity, the men heaved a sigh of relief as they noticed the baby elephants reunite with their families. The herd disappeared towards the tea area, just as the first rays of the sun painted the sky. The baby elephants trotted along, their trunks waving gently as they grasped their mothers' tails, forming a tender and reassuring bond.

Photo Courtesy: Niraj Mani Chourasia

Both Akhil and Ganesh snapped out of what seemed like a trance, surrounded by the looming, large wild beasts. The last elephant of the herd, one of the tuskers, stepped back clumsily, yet gracefully. It turned its regal head with its deep brown eyes meeting Akhil's as if trying to communicate something. Akhil and Ganesh stared and stared until they could see them no longer. A loud trumpet boomed through the bungalow.

At 7 a.m., the hoot of the siren was heard throughout the garden as the gypsy entered the factory. The Burra Saab saw the tea sample cups laid out meticulously in the factory and commented, "Good to see you Akhil, despite your night encounter."

Glossary:

Saab - Sir

Kaamjaari - to carry out work operations for the day

Burra Bungalow - Manager's Bungalow

Burra Saab - Manager

Burra Memsaab - Manager's wife

Ganeshji - The Elephant God

Ji - suffix used for reverence

Chota Bungalow - Assistant Manager's Bungalow

Chowkidar - Night Sentinel

Maharaja ji - Great King/ Refers to elephant with respect

Maali Baari - Kitchen Garden

Ye kaath ka kothi hai - This is a wooden bungalow

Maharaja ji log - A group of elephants

Ek dhakka se - With one push

Gol Kamra - Drawing Room

Haathi - Elephant

Then & Now - Akhil Speaks