Humans and Animals

At the age when our hormones were kicking like beats of rock music, we were bunch of over enthusiastic kids with unimaginable limits of thinking. The young energy drew us through many adventures and pushed us to do more and expect more from life.

      It was one such instinct, which pulled us to volunteer for one of the NGOs in Bhadrakali tiger reserve. This NGO was working for the conservation of animals and welfare of villagers who were living around, volunteers from all across the country joined this movement. Volunteers were expected to go for surveys of animals everyday. And the two thumb rules of any animal surveys are, first survey should happen at early hours of the day or late afternoons(mostly evening), And second rule is, that survey should be conducted by minimum number of people in our case it was only two.

On one such evening Sharath and I were allowed a map called 'map 11'  and we were expected to complete the survey within allotted time. The journey of high Sholas and thick forest started with good omen, as we spotted elephants gazing freely with a calf of few months old, and at a distance we also spotted a Tusker. apart from survey  we also had to take care of our lives, we waited at the same spot for about 15 mins, shit scared as elephants were few hundred meters from us. Fearful and frightened we knew elephants can't see us but they can hear us if at all we make even a imperceptible amount of noise. After waiting for another 10 mins we decided to take a detour, as we saw elephant were in love with bushes of bamboo trees, and the tusker was decisively standing like a rock without moving.

We walked for another kilometre and registered good number of prey animals at different distances and angles from our survey paths. Now it was time to take 90 degree turn according to our map. We heard a barking deer at distance and sudden influx of noise by birds. We both were super excited  as this was signal of some predator crossing our path, and we started praying for good luck, because if at all luck was on our side we might spot Tiger. If we are blessed to see the King, it'll be the happiest day of my life as this was the sole purpose of toiling as volunteer. We stopped moving and were fastened to the ground as if we were standing there from ages.

We were born misfortunes I suppose, because after 5-7 mins we saw some movements in far bushes, and it was not predator but predator of predator. A human body emerged from the bushes in a camouflaged uniform. Following him two more men emerged in similar dresses, one with a rifle and other carried a body with long hairs on his shoulder. After careful observation we got to know that the body was of a small girl, may be of age 12 to 13.  By her visual appearances it was clear that she was either Nepali or a person from north eastern states. Her thin pale white nose was bleeding, hairs were greyed with dust and lips had marks of clotted blood. It was clear that she was victimised with violence, and might have been raped as she was half naked.

Our hearts were pumping the blood as though if allowed they will flood the forest.  The salty hot sweat was flowing with rush from head to toe, and my mouth was dried of nervousness as if drought had engulfed my salivary glands. The three guys started camping few meters away from where we were standing. The girl was tired so much so that she was unable to open her eyes, although she was still alive. By now it was clear that they were members of extremist group which was operating from this jungle and the girl might be victim of widespread human trafficking. The first guy started accumulating firewood as if he has no emotional sympathy towards that girl. The third guy who was carrying the girl was leaning to a tree might be to take a quick nap. The second guy with rifle started misbehaving with the girl and started taking off clothes from her body, 30 more minutes of distress passed as we were witnessing dark side of humans, although darkest was yet to be seen.
The sun  had already disappeared into the Arabian Sea, red and yellow stripes of sky were similar  to those of blood marks  on that girl, who was almost naked now. Our hearts were tucked in ourselves as the girl was crying, when the guy who was sleeping took out his knife and proceeded towards that girl. After pushing aside the guy who was raping her, he brutally cut the right breast of the girl from her body and started roasting in a fire which was just lit up by the first guy. As the screams of the girl stunned even the wildest animals in the forest, these guys one after another cut apart different parts of the girl and roasted in the blazing fire. The delight of her meat might have satisfied the wild hunger of those men, although the screams of the girl were lost in the wilderness of that jungle.