TIRUS AND CHUKOO

      Tirus was visiting his maternal uncle at Rampur. It was a huge house built during the days of one of the Rajas of Assam. It had a huge facade, with large columns that supported the portico. A few steps from the portico led to the veranda, which had intricately woven cane chairs painted in white, bedecked with fluffy blue and white cushions to match the white walls. The entire veranda area was covered with potted plants of different varieties and sizes, of different colours and shapes. It looked as if Tirus’ aunt had got a bit of the outdoors into this space, where most of the time the family would get together and talk endlessly over sah, coffee, juice, groundnuts, pakoras and whatever special Binita baidew would cook up in her kitchen. The portico opened up to an enormous patch covered with soft cushiony carpet grass and lined up with flowers of all types and hues. A not-so-high brick wall ran around the whole compound, with the entrance to the south and a variety of fruit trees at the bottom of the garden. A person could just sit in the veranda and actually watch the sun go down over the lazy village, which had around a hundred houses huddled together in the valley, like as if there was a good gossip going around, while the evening breeze played with the leaves and flowers!

Binita baidew’s eleven year old son, would come around the house once in a while just to find if his mother was alright but more so for the piping hot ‘goodies’ she would keep stashed away for him in a discrete corner of the kitchen, wrapped in an old newspaper. He would linger around near the back door and as soon as his mother would hand over the crumpled package to him by just barely opening the door, he would run like a bolt of lightning through the back gate and then skim as fast as he could through the open field and then disappear over a little hillock, which led down to his village.

Tirus has always had a strong bond with this little boy, Chukoo as his mother called him lovingly. Whenever he visited his uncle, Tirus would make sure he spent a lot of time with Chukoo as he showed him interesting things around the area. Chukoo would walk him through the village and constantly talk about the new things which have happened during Tirus’ absence.

So the next morning, even before Tirus woke up, there was a loud rap and subsequent softer raps on the glass pane of the window flanking Tirus’ bed. He knew it was Chukoo. Tirus jumped out of bed, brushed and got into his khaki shorts and black tee. As he rushed out of the room, he slipped on his red cap and went out through the back door near the kitchen which was kept open for Binita baidew to get into the house and start with her work. Tirus met Chukoo near the back gate. They both ran for a short while down the hill leading to the village and then both of them decided to sit on the grass under the shade of a tree and just enjoy the scene. Chukoo was so happy with Tirus around that he started rolling on the ground and just giggling. Tirus was happy too. He took out his sketch pad and started making a sketch of the beautiful village stretched out in front of his eyes. There were coconut and betel nut trees in the yards of almost all the villagers. There seemed to be a lot of early morning activity around the village. People were cycling to work. Some were getting back from their early morning activity at the fields. Little girls in uniforms with pony tails and plaits tied in red ribbons, holding hands and walking to school. Women in mekhela sadors busy with their early morning chores around the house. The village was humming with activity.

Chukoo took Tirus down to where the river flowed between the hillock, where the house stood and the village. The river was in full spate and Tirus was awestruck by the force with which it flowed from the north to the south. They crossed over the river through a small yet sturdy bamboo bridge and the first thing Tirus notices is a whole lot of goats greeting them. They seemed to recognise Chukoo and came bleating towards him. Chukoo got down on his knees and stretched out his arms and the goats pushed each other to get to him first. Tirus looked on amused.

Chukoo then guided Tirus towards a patch of tall grass that stretched far into the heart of a dense grove of trees, which usually saw the wrath of floods during the monsoons. But they still stood tall and gave the right amount of light and shade for undergrowth on the ground.

“The elephants come from there,” Chukoo pointed towards the distance. Tirus tried to understand from which side but couldn’t exactly make out from Chukoo’s description.

“Do they come from the hills?” Tirus asked. Chukoo couldn’t answer a thing.

Anyway, they walked past the tall elephant grasses which seemed to dwarf the two of them and made their way towards the grove. They were quite far from the village now and even further away from Tirus’ mama’s home. In the distance, they could hear a barking deer and still closer, they heard rustling in the tall bushes. They stopped for a while, their hearts racing. Chukoo put a finger to his lips to be as quiet as possible. Tirus looked tense but chose to follow Chukoo’s instructions.

All of a sudden, the tall grasses parted and something gambolled past them, making both of them cower in fear. They couldn’t see what crossed them but they decided to stay as still as possible, their breath coming forth in short spurts. Soon however, their fears were allayed and they caught sight of a creature that looked like a small dinosaur. Tirus recognised it from his books as a pangolin. The species was soon to disappear and as it looked back at both of them, Tirus and Chukoo almost thought it would spew fire; at least with its scaly body and thick tail, it definitely looked dangerous. But Tirus whispered to Chukoo that it was only an insectivore and quite harmless. These burrowing mammals eat ants and termites using an extraordinarily long, sticky tongue, and are able to quickly roll themselves up into a tight ball when threatened. Eight different pangolin species can be found across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Poaching for illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss have made these incredible creatures one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world. Chukoo looked at Tirus in awe. He really didn’t know anything at all about this animal. Deep down in his heart, he started to contemplate that he should now be more serious about his studies in school. Someday, he too would like to know a lot of things about the world and be able to talk about it with the children of the village. 

As they started walking further on, they realised that the sun was now high up in the sky and it was getting  warmer than before. They were both thirsty and a wee bit hungry.

All of a sudden, there was a loud noise in the distance that reverberated across the hills and made Tirus jump out of his skin. Chukoo was unmoved.

Tirus whispered, “What was that?”

“You will soon find out!” Chukoo said without any emotion.

Tirus looked quizzically at him but decided to let Chukoo show him whatever it was he was talking about.

Soon, they reached an open patch and decided to rest a while under the shade of a tree.

Another loud booming noise broke Chukoo and Tirus’ reverie.  The sound echoed, reverberated in the hills and traveled over the beel, which was mostly covered with water hyacinth, panicking anyone who would have heard it for the first time. They got to their feet with a start. The sound was accompanied with a rustle in the bushes and some deep-throated snorts. The booming continued for some time and by this time, Tirus was getting restless to know what was happening.

Chukoo put his fingers to his lips and directed Tirus to follow him. They stealthily moved a short distance. What they saw next as they crouched in the shrubs took Tirus’ breath away! There was a huge herd of swamp deer, gracefully trotting towards the swamp. Except for the soft sound of their hooves on the leaves, there was absolute silence.

Tirus had read about the swamp deer and he was now delighted to see this elegant animal in all its beauty.

“Chukoo, do you know that the swamp deer is also known as Barasingha?” Tirus whispered to Chukoo.

“Really? I didn’t know this!”

“And they are an endangered species!”

“What does that mean?”

“Chukoo, it means the population of the Barasingha is slowly dwindling. In the whole world, there are only around 5100 left.”

Chukoo became thoughtful and at the same time looked crestfallen.

“What happened,Chukoo? Why are you suddenly looking so sad?”

“You know what. I have grown up seeing the deer almost every day. They are my family. What will happen if they are to disappear?”

Tirus looked at him and both of them felt a numbness they couldn’t express.

As they watched, the entire herd of doe-coloured swamp deer got into the water, except for a couple of young deer, who looked apprehensively at the flock. They trotted on the banks of the water-body. The older ones looked back at them, as if beckoning them to join them in the revelry and not be afraid. They took a couple of steps forward and as if to test the temperature of the water, they touched it with their hooves and then slowly started inching into the water. Once in, they started splashing around like little kids in a swimming pool. The entire herd looked gorgeous as the sun shine glistened on their wet bodies. They stayed there for quite some time while Tirus and Chukoo looked on.

“Chukoo, I want you to take your studies very seriously from now on,” Tirus kept whispering. “I want you to read a lot of books on things that are happening around the world. With knowledge, you will be able to help the people of your village in more ways than one and maybe also help in the dwindling population of this most beautiful animal.”

Chukoo looked wide-eyed at Tirus and then nodded in affirmation.

“I will, I promise you.”

“By the way, Chukoo, did you know that only the males sport antlers on their heads? Incidentally, the female reindeer also have antlers but slightly smaller than the males. And do you what these antlers are?”

“Kokaideu, are these stuck to the head of the deer?”

“No dear Chukoo, these are not stuck to the head. The antlers are extensions of the skull. They are bone structures that usually grow in symmetrical pairs. You know bones? Bones that are inside our body and give the body shape and size?”

Chukoo nodded excitedly in affirmation.

“Yes, yes! I know about bones. See, I have very strong bones. My Koka always says that if we eat healthy food, we will have strong bones in our body.” Chukoo flexed his arms to show Tirus his muscles. Tirus smiled.

“Well, you see, the function of the antlers are mostly to attract and select their female counterpart and sometimes to fight other male deer. In many temperate zones, antlers are shed and regrown each year.” 

 Chukoo never knew that there was so much to learn about the deer which he had been seeing ever since he and his friends had been coming to this end of the area.

By this time, the huge herd of swamp-deer were done splashing in the beel and feeding on the tall grass growing there, which is locally known as dol ghah and is also a favourite with elephants!

Elephants? Ofcourse, Tirus and Chukoo, while watching the deer forgot that they were actually going to see the elephants. Both of them slowly crept through the shrubs so as not to frighten the deer and got onto the road, which lined the beel.

Tirus and Chukoo walked as fast and quietly as they could and soon reached a space where there were tall green grasses growing like the ones they saw before. They knew that the elephants were somewhere near.

They could hear something approaching them but didn’t know how to react. Suddenly the grasses parted and a baby elephant rushed at them. It looked excited and playful and both Tirus and Chukoo fell in opposite directions in the process. As they sat on the grass, the elephant came towards them and nudged Tirus with his trunk to get up. Both of them got up and patted the elephant. It gambolled around them, almost galloping at times like a horse. It ran a short distance and came back to where both the boys were standing as if to tell them to follow it. Tirus and Chukoo followed the baby elephant obediently.

As they crossed the tall grasses, they came to a clearing where they saw a huge herd of elephants. They were grazing under the shade of some trees. Tirus looked apprehensive about going any closer but Chukoo whispered that it’s okay.

Tirus whispered, “Do you know that the elephants in Assam feed on 20 different species of grasses, plants and trees?”

Chukoo shook his head.

As they watched the beautiful animals in all their grace, they saw a human figure detach itself from the shadows. The man walked towards them swiftly and reached them in a couple of strides. They noticed that he was not very tall, wore a half jacket with several bulging pockets, coupled with a pair of hunter pants and teamed with a pair of ankle-length boots with camouflage print. He had his hair tied in a small pig-tail and sported quite a moustache.

He held out his hands to Tirus, “I am Dudul Chowdhury.”

“I am Tirus and this is my friend Chukoo. He has got me here to meet the elephants.”

“Well, yes, the elephants. I have been associated with them since the time I learnt to love this animal. I have lived my entire life for them. There was a time when we would be proudly speaking of this grand mammal but now it’s a sad state of affairs. Come with me!”

As Dudul khura led them towards the elephant herd, he kept on speaking. “Do you know that initially the elephants of the entire Northeastern India had a contiguous distribution with the populations of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar in the past? However, due to degradation and fragmentation of the habitat, the elephants are now confined to certain discrete populations. On the north bank of the Brahmaputra, the population extends from northern West Bengal through the Himalayan foothills and Dooars covering southern Bhutan, northern Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The elephant population on the south bank of the Brahmaputra can be divided into three distinct populations: that of the eastern, central and western areas. The central range is one of the most important habitats for the elephant and extends from Kaziranga National Park across the Karbi plateau, parts of the central Brahmaputra plains and the basin of the Diyung River to the foot of the Meghalaya plateau in Assam and Meghalaya.”

Tirus and Chukoo listened in rapt silence, however, Chukoo deciphering only parts of it. For a brief moment, they fell silent as they exchanged looks with the elephants. Dudul khura patted one of the larger ones on the trunk and then continued talking.

“This population has become separated from the south bank-western population due to the expansion of Guwahati, clearing of forest, placing of railway tracks, ‘jhum' cultivation and settlements along the National Highway 40 of the Guwahati-Shillong Road, in the Rhi-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The habitat in the western range supports a significant population of elephants in parts of Assam and Meghalaya. It extends from near Guwahati through the foothills of the Meghalaya plateau (Garo and Khasi Hills) including the districts of Kamrup and Goalpara in Assam and Rhi-Bhoi, West Khasi Hills, East Garo Hills, West Garo Hills and South Garo Hills of Meghalaya. They also occasionally move to forests of Balpakram in Bangladesh, from the forest areas of Baghmara in Meghalaya.”

Tirus looked very disturbed by now. How could we humans lose sight of preserving this gentle giant?

“As if this is not enough, look at what these people are doing now?” Dudul Khura pointed towards a stone quarry. There was a lot of activity going on. The loud noise that resounded across the hills and valley was actually the sound of stones being blasted. The area was milling with several trucks, now being loaded with these huge stones.

“Can you see what’s happening Tirus? The elephants, because of all this chaos, are now too scared to go to their watering hole, which they have to reach by crossing this stone and the sand quarry. And if they do so, they are chased down by the village people, sometimes beaten to death! They are now confined to a small space. They are unable to move through their natural corridor to other places. These are some of the reasons why the genetic quality of our elephants has reduced to a great extent. Also, due to in-breeding, the elephants are now smaller in size.”

Tirus, sad like never before, whispered in a broken voice, “What can we do now?”

“Well, there is a lot we can do at various levels. You as a young person can get together with friends and start an awareness campaign. Speak about this grand animal. The more you speak, the more people know. Elephants are the gardeners of our forests. They are constantly on the move to maintain a harmonious balance. Scientists call it transhumance, which is not exactly migration. During transhumance, elephants encounter man-made barriers. When the corridor is completely blocked, they make an effort to get through human habitat which leads to conflict. While we may not be able to turn the human development clock backwards, we can think of solutions.  At a governmental level, we will have to try and maintain large unfragmented landscapes. We have to try and do everything in our capacity to save this most loving animal.”

Tirus, soaked in deep thought, watched Dudul khura walking back to the herd of elephants. They welcomed him with their flaying trunks and Tirus could bet he saw them smiling.