Readers' Forum
“Memoirs of a naturalist”
Further to my article "Memoirs of a naturalist” (Parsiana, March 7-20, 2020) I would like to narrate two more episodes, about galloping jumbos and a mare giving nightmares.
The first adventure did not take place in a forest but in a zoo. One Sunday morning, I decided to visit the Victoria Gardens of Bombay with my family. Arriving at the elephants’ enclosure we saw two jumbos being readied for giving joy rides. We decided to take a trip as the manager informed us that this was the last ride of the day as the animals were hungry. Half the ride was uneventful but later we felt that the elephant was becoming uneasy and the sound made by a passing camel proved to be the proverbial last straw which did not break the camel’s back but angered the elephant so much that it began to gallop at breakneck speed. The mahout was helpless as there was no rein to control the pachyderm.
Our worst fear was what could happen if the elephant ran past the main entrance gate onto the busy Byculla road with heavy traffic. But our prayers were soon answered for as we approached its enclosure the elephant calmed down and became as meek and mild as a lamb. All through this the mahout had remained unruffled. Perhaps for him it was a common occurrence, but we had lost all hope of survival.
The other experience of a mare involved Jean and Coleen from France who had settled in the Auroville campus near Pondicherry. They had invited my French colleague, his wife, their four-year-old son, a babe in arms and me to their cottage in the semi wilderness to get a taste of life in Auroville.
After a hearty lunch we visited the garden-cum-orchard to see how a wasteland had been turned into greenery. Just then a mare and a pony appeared on the scene and started running in circles.
Jean was very fond of horses, so much so that he sent his daughter to school riding a horse rather than a bicycle. As we were talking, the mare suddenly went berserk and began to attack us. Rearing on her hind legs, she would try to bring her front legs down on us with the hoofs missing us by inches. We tried to run away, but the mare chased us and further threatened us by bringing down her front legs.
The brave Coleen saved the day by jumping toward the animal and catching hold of the reins, bringing the mare under control. Jean was apologetic about the frightening incident. He had purchased the mare from a tongawalla in a neighboring town. As she had been ill treated by her former owner, she went berserk on seeing strangers who reminded her of her tortured past.
The four-year-old son of my French colleague was so shocked that he kept on repeating the same sentence for over an hour: "Le cheval est parti (the horse has gone).”
Dr VISPY MEHER-HOMJI
The first adventure did not take place in a forest but in a zoo. One Sunday morning, I decided to visit the Victoria Gardens of Bombay with my family. Arriving at the elephants’ enclosure we saw two jumbos being readied for giving joy rides. We decided to take a trip as the manager informed us that this was the last ride of the day as the animals were hungry. Half the ride was uneventful but later we felt that the elephant was becoming uneasy and the sound made by a passing camel proved to be the proverbial last straw which did not break the camel’s back but angered the elephant so much that it began to gallop at breakneck speed. The mahout was helpless as there was no rein to control the pachyderm.
Our worst fear was what could happen if the elephant ran past the main entrance gate onto the busy Byculla road with heavy traffic. But our prayers were soon answered for as we approached its enclosure the elephant calmed down and became as meek and mild as a lamb. All through this the mahout had remained unruffled. Perhaps for him it was a common occurrence, but we had lost all hope of survival.
The other experience of a mare involved Jean and Coleen from France who had settled in the Auroville campus near Pondicherry. They had invited my French colleague, his wife, their four-year-old son, a babe in arms and me to their cottage in the semi wilderness to get a taste of life in Auroville.
After a hearty lunch we visited the garden-cum-orchard to see how a wasteland had been turned into greenery. Just then a mare and a pony appeared on the scene and started running in circles.
Jean was very fond of horses, so much so that he sent his daughter to school riding a horse rather than a bicycle. As we were talking, the mare suddenly went berserk and began to attack us. Rearing on her hind legs, she would try to bring her front legs down on us with the hoofs missing us by inches. We tried to run away, but the mare chased us and further threatened us by bringing down her front legs.
The brave Coleen saved the day by jumping toward the animal and catching hold of the reins, bringing the mare under control. Jean was apologetic about the frightening incident. He had purchased the mare from a tongawalla in a neighboring town. As she had been ill treated by her former owner, she went berserk on seeing strangers who reminded her of her tortured past.
The four-year-old son of my French colleague was so shocked that he kept on repeating the same sentence for over an hour: "Le cheval est parti (the horse has gone).”
Dr VISPY MEHER-HOMJI
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