It was one of those cold evenings in Mussoorie. I finished school by four o clock and rushed home through the cold. Winters are severe here.
It was the last week of December and also the last week of
school. We always had a winter break of almost three months as getting out of
the house for these three months was
next to impossible due to the terribly low temperatures. As a second grade student
i did not have much to study unlike my seniors who sat through the cold December
nights studying for their approaching exams. Oh..!! Boy..!!! How nice it is to
be a second grader....???My mother used to teach at my school, therefore most
of the teachers knew me quite well, hence the last week meant meeting all of
them and wishing them happy holidays. One of my mother’s friends Sangeetha
Aunty was going to be coming over for dinner. Sangeetha Aunty was a senior
school teacher and was very fond of me. Her arrival meant a box full of my
favourite butter candies which were specially bought at TheTrishul Bakery in
Dehra Dun. I was looking forward to meeting her at dinner. She came at around
seven-thirty. She chatted with my mother for some time while I enjoyed my
candies..!!After sometime we all settled at the dinner table.
Mussoorie, situated
in the dense forests of the Himalayas, is one of the most beautiful hill
stations' in northern India but alas! Its beauty, like all other hills has been
invaded by commercialization. Due to extensive deforestation for commercial
use, the animals have been forced out of their habitat to enter villages and
towns. While walking down any road, one needs to be very careful in Mussoorie,
you might just come across a Cobra or if its an unlucky day maybe a Viper. I
have often come across many small snakes while walking back from school, but
these snakes were harmless. Allot of other animals like the big cats too have
been forced to move out of their habitat. Just imagine
While walking on a lonely road by the forest, sighting wild
animals, even to the extent of big cats, it’s really no surprise. But then of course
it is really not advisable to walk down such lonely lanes, at least without
protection..!
After we finished dinner, we all had a nice cup of my
mother's wonderfull coffee. In the winters, a nice cup of aromatic coffee is
welcome at any hour of the day. Sangeetha Aunty lived at the other end of the
school. Chatting, all three of us lost track of time, it was ten-thirty and
ma'am decided that it was time for her to leave. My mother and I also walked
out with her to drop her till her car which was parked outside the gate which
was a good about a hundred feet away. As we moved out of the house, my mother
heard the phone ring, she rushed in thinking that it must be my father..
I nevertheless walked along with ma'am. We reached the gate
and aunty asked me to stay within the boundaries. I looked on as she drove. The
gates were still open, and as I started moving towards my house I sensed a
movement outside the gate. My heart skipped a heart beat. I knew that the
movement was not the rustle of the leaves nor was it a car nor was it the wind.
I turned around and saw a pair of sparkling green eyes in the light of the
watchman's torch. I heard the two watchmen shout at the Leopard. Scaring it
away with their lathis. If I was not mistaken, one of them had a shotgun, which
he fired without any hesitation, aiming not at the leopard but a few yards away
from it. Just then the beautiful cat leaped into the valley. My mother came
running towards me fearing that something had happened to me. Once she realized
that I was safe, she took me back home.
I was
awed by the sight of the leopard. The last thing that I saw in its eyes, before
it plunged into the deep valley, was Fear. An animal known for its fierceness
and ruthlessness, had joined the other brigade of animals, who were facing the
consequences of different human activities which included deforestation etc.
Many of these animals are close to extinction. As I slowly trudged back home,
my heart filled with pity for the leopard. An animal as beautiful as it, was
not only haunted by the evil commercial activities but was also a prey to the
poachers who traded their skin for a mere small amount of money. I know that
saying a small amount of money is wrong, leopard skins are traded for lakhs of
rupees, but it is a very small amount when compared to the loss of one of god's
most beautiful creations. They deserve to live. Actually they have equal rights
to live on this earth as we do. Their homes are lost, they are now homeless. What
else can they do….but too move around and look for food. But if they are found
in any residential area or rather near a human, they are either shot or immediately
taken to the zoos. Why don't we follow the universal philosophy of live and let
live...??? If we cannot let them live in peace, how can they let us live in
peace..?? It is, after all the law of nature, isn't it..
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