We were only 20 students in the ICWAI (Final) class at
Kochi in 1995 – twelve boys and eight girls.
Since most of us were working, the classes were held in the evening from
6 to 8. We were taught by senior
managers and executives from various companies.
Since we all met only during the class hours, we didn’t have much
opportunity for personal interactions.
Most of us used to reach the ICWAI centre just before the class started
and would be in a hurry to catch the bus back home when the class ended. We got time to chit-chat only when a teacher
came late or on those rare occasions when a teacher didn’t come. So, we decided to go on a one-day trip to
Thattekkad, a bird sanctuary, situated around 60 kilometers from Kochi.
Thattekkad is a popular bird sanctuary inside a reserve forest in Kothamangalam thaluk. On a Sunday, we set off to Thattekkad in a minibus. It was a sunny day with a clear sky. At the entrance, we were instructed not to make noise inside the sanctuary as that would disturb the birds. We started walking into the sanctuary, which was full of tall trees covering the entire sky. At some places, the sunlight was not touching the ground due to the wide and thick shades of the trees. We didn’t have any tourist guide with us. So, even though we spotted many birds, we could not identify them. Anyway, there was full of silence and the only noise was that of the wind blowing through the trees, creaking of bamboos, chirping of birds etc. Nature was at its best (Unfortunately, back then, we didn’t have cell phones with cameras). After walking for a long time, we reached an open space and the girls in our group decided to sit there for a while. Two boys also gave them company. The rest of us continued to walk further into the forest.
At one point, we saw a warning sign that visitors were not allowed beyond that point, because of the presence of wild elephants. However, there was no forest guard to stop us. We were hesitant to go further, but our friend Vasu insisted that we go little further. Vasu had already got selection as Sub-Inspector of Police and was waiting to join the training. So, obviously he showed courage and led us into the forest. We continued walking, though slowly and cautiously. The forest was getting thicker. After a while, the chirping of birds stopped and there was an eerie silence all over the place. We reached near a lake and saw a muddy path leading to the lake. We also saw the pug marks of elephants in the mud. It was clear that elephants took that path to reach the lake. We were scared to move any further. But Vasu kept telling us, ‘Come on nothing will happen’.
Suddenly we heard a loud noise on one side and saw the bushes shaking violently. None of us had the guts to wait and watch what it was. We all turned around and started running back. While running, I turned around to see where Vasu was. Some of my friends were running behind me, but Vasu was not among them. For a while I thought whether Vasu stayed back foolishly to exhibit his valour. But in no time, I spotted him. Those friends who were the first to turn around and run were in front of me – and the first among them was Vasu! We stopped only when we reached the place where our other friends were resting. Everyone started pulling the leg of Vasu. He said, ‘when one’s own life is at threat, even a policeman would flee’. While returning, we asked the forest guard at the entrance, ‘do you really spot elephants in that area?’. He said, ‘yes, quite often’.
