“Sia, don’t go off too far,” the mother tusker, Meghali, trumpeted out to her four-month-old daughter. Meghali was leading the herd into Tiruchi, a village hamlet established in the Tosi forest area by the fishing folk, who were preparing their boats and nets as the golden hues began to paint the sky.
Sia was enjoying the bananas offered to her by the village women waiting to join the kids, who were busy chasing the red crabs that played hide and seek in the countless holes dotting the beach.
Meghali was leading the way for her herd of eighteen elephants to the banana and jackfruit plantations that lined the slope from the Tosi hills to the waterfront.
“Subho, throw the ball towards Sia. Let her join us,” Tusti, the village tailor Saugata’s eleven-year-old daughter told her seven-year-old brother.
Subho caught the ball that Tusti had thrown at him and threw it towards Sia. An elated Sia trumpeted and came running to kick the ball towards Tusti, who always fed her coconuts and biscuits.
The bright red ball went up in the air as if to greet the rising Sun that was peeping from behind the darkest window of the night sky. Tusti leapt and caught it as it came down. Sia’s dark-brown eyes sparkled as dawn caught the glint in them.
The three kids continued their game till they heard the shrill voice of Saugata’s wife, Sweta. The woman had brought sugarcane for her two kids as well as the baby guest.
Sia broke out into a tippity-tippity tap dance, flapped her huge ears, and extended her trunk as she ran to get the treat that her two human playmates’ mother had brought for them. “Here, enjoy these sweet sugarcane sticks that I broke from the backyard yesterday,” Sweta said, before vanishing inside her red-tiled roof home to complete the morning chores.
Meghali was keeping a watch on Sia as the herd meandered through the narrow lanes of Tiruchi. The crabs were climbing the tall coconut trees skirting the seashore. The rustling tender leaves of the banana plants fanned the gentle giants and the sweet fragrance of the ripe jackfruits added the heady welcoming punch.
“Waiting for my cuppa,” Saugata hollered from the freshly swept verandah, in the middle of which Sweta had drawn a alpana after taking a bath. “Don’t drown it in water and sugar,” he shouted.
Though the hamlet seemed to offer nothing less than an idyllic life to the fishing community, the life thriving there was not beyond human follies. Saugata had a verbal duel last evening with his brother, Sagun, over the boundary of their houses. They were built on the land on which the thatched hut of their father once stood. The two brothers had spent many winters and summers as partners-in-crime in childhood and teenage escapades. It was indeed unfortunate that sibling rivalry had turned into a contemptuous bone that now stuck in their throat, that too over the small piece of land.
Sweta had pulled away her husband from one such fight last evening. She could still sense the tension squirming in his nerves as his fingers weaved a needle through a fishing net. “I am cooking rice and sambhar. Have it before you open shop,” Sweta said as she laid the steaming cup of coffee beside Saugata.
Thud.
The cup toppled over, splattering the hot coffee on Saugata and Sweta, who had just turned her back and was about to enter the house. Saugata, already in a foul mood, picked up his needle and dashed towards the culprit, who had thrown the ball and was running towards him with wobbly legs. Sweta, understanding her husband’s intention, sprinted towards Sia to save her from Saugata’s wrath. However, he pricked the pink end of the trunk that was raised in joy with the sharp long needle. Sia let out a shriek.
“Come soon. Your daughter is hurt,” Shourya called out to his partner, Meghali. A furious Meghali let out a loud trumpet and ran towards her baby. A trail of uprooted trees and broken huts lay behind. Sweta, Tusti, and Subho, who were trying to pacify Sia, looked on at the marauding tusker in horror.
Hearing her mother’s call, Sia ran towards her. “Mama, my trunk hurts. I can’t hold anything with it,” the toddler let out a low cry.
Meghali and Shourya caressed their child. “Take the leaves of these herbal plants, crush it, and put it on the wound,” Sneha pushed it towards her sister, Meghali.
“It’s cold, mom,” Sia told the matriarch as tears streamed down her cheeks. Meghali covered Sia as the herd walked back to their home in the Tosi hills, her blood still dripping from the wound.
“Listen, you all. We will meet under the Ashoka tree tonight. Saugata must come else he will face our wrath. I declare the Animal Court open.” Meghali’s thunder rang through the trees and the warm cerulean sky. It woke up a few slumbering animals who nodded in agreement.
*********
The animals met at their usual meeting point, Classic Circle, as the moonlight peeped from the towering foliage on the Tosi hills.
Without wasting time, Meghali trumpeted, commanding the silence of all present there and bowed low before Nanju, the Nilgiri Tahr, the judge in the court.
Saugata stood in one corner, his eyes downcast in fear and guilt. Veera, the wolf, Leila, the leopard, Oviya, the wise owl, looked at him in contempt.
“Meghali, you are the prosecutor in this case condemning Saugata for his reckless and callous attitude towards Sia and other animals.”
“Yes, your honour,” she nodded in assent.
“Saugata, do you have a defence lawyer?” Nanju gruntled.
“No, Your Honour, I will speak for myself.”
“Ok, you have heard the accusations….”
“Pardon me for the interruption, Your Honour.” All heads turned towards Leila, the leopard. “I have seen some humans like him use an injection to tranquilize animals. Last month, Shipri, the lone tiger in the hills, was taken to the Government zoo, I guess. What right do they have to hold us captive so nonchalantly? Isn’t freedom important to us?” his painful guttural roar terrified Saugata.
“Ok, so accusations continue to pour in against these humans. Saugata must prove us wrong. Else, we will declare war against your race. It’s time we start the proceedings. The court should be adjourned before daybreak. Prosecution may begin.”
Nanju took centre stage.
“Your Honour, to cut a long story short, while Sia was playing ball with his two children this morning near the hamlet, the ball hit his cup full of coffee thus scalding his hands. This was an unintentional act by my little child. But he struck her little trunk with his long fishing needle. She bled and almost fainted. Sia is still in pain.” Tears streamed down Meghali’s dark creased face.
“This is the Exhibit No1, Saugata’s needle,” Oviya flew across to Nanju with the blood-stained needle in her beak.
Nanju took it and examined it with his sharp brown eyes.
“Saugata, do you have to say anything in your defence?” Nanju walked closer to him.
“Your Honour, whatever happened was a mistake. I was in a foul mood after a brawl with my brother, Sagun, over land ownership. It turned worse after the ball mishap. Tusti and Subho, my kids and Sweta, my wife always care for the herd. Our fishing community adores these hill elephants. We reserve some bananas, jackfruit and coconuts to feed them,” he cried over his fate, believing he may not return alive from the court.
“This is not happening the first time, Your Honour.” trumpeted Meghali obsessed with anger. “Last week, he threw his fishing net over a pair of squirrels and cooked them for lunch, Tusti told Sia.”
Saugata smiled for the first time in court. “We do this often, as it is rich in calories and iron — A wholesome meal for our children. Your Honour, this is a silly accusation. I want it dismissed.”
“Dismissed.” Nanju gruntled disinterestedly. “Meghali, you may please refrain from bringing new accusations to the court other than those already mentioned. Do not waste our time.”
Meghali blushed, the pink insides of her trunk turning red in embarrassment.
At that moment, Shourya hurried into the court, the bell around his neck tinkling in excitement. He announced that Sia was conscious and could walk down to drink the water from the forest rivulet.
Mother Meghali shed happy tears and the animals danced a little victory jig, rustling the dead leaves to life in their joy. Nanju let out a sigh of relief but he quickly assumed command and brought the court to order.
“Friends, we have to try Saugata for other accusations against him and announce the verdict,” he gruntled in earnest, highlighting the paucity of time as the sky was getting a shade lighter by the hour.
Leila, the leopard sauntered to the front of the clearing and raised a leg in acceptance.
“I will now allow Saugata to defend himself. Remember, this is a charge against your brethren. Whatever you say will be held against the entire human race.” Nanju warned Saugata.
“Your Honour, I am not much educated. But in my fishing community, I have heard people speaking about trespassers into the forest. They fell trees and destroy your homes. But I don’t fully agree with these accusations. The doctor who visits from Tiruchi once said that animals can be sedated with Xylazine to relieve pain and taken to cities for treatment. Yes, we never know if this is used illegally.”
Leila snarled in anger at this line of defense.
Saugata, however had gained confidence after Sia’s recovery. He knew where this was leading to.
“Regarding the blame of keeping animals in zoos, I am against it. But I lead a busy life. My livelihood depends on the arduous job of fishing. I don’t have the time nor am I educated to counter this irrational behaviour of humans.”
Nanju looked at the gathering.
“Meghali, does the prosecution have anything more to say? The Exhibit No. 1 has Saugata’s fingerprints, as clarified by our Oviya,” Nanju’s wary eyes looked at Meghali.
He noticed that the veins of the forest were beginning to come alive with the chirping of the birds.
“No, your Honour. My child is fine, so there’s point in punishing Saugata. I rest my case.” She trumpeted low. The ordeal of the day had tired Meghali.
“I announce my verdict. Saugata cannot be blamed for the act of other humans. There is no evidence to prove that he had used any tranquilizer. He is cleared of all charges and I conclude that he is not guilty.”
Saugata’s happy whistle echoed through the silent hills that stood testimony to the Animal court proceedings.
“But before I adjourn, I order Saugata to keep his eyes and ears open to any sacrilegious act happening in the hills against animals or humans here. He must teach Tusti, Subho and the younger generation to bridge our worlds with compassion and respect and advocate the preservation of the wild in their own small way. Else, we will reconvene and the judgement will be harsh. Do you accept this?” Nanju was firm in his decision.
Saugata smiled and shook his head in agreement.
“I declare the Animal Court adjourned.”
Saugata watched as Nanju, and the other animals walked out of the cracking darkness to greet the streaks of gold painting the green in the Tosi hills.
*********
Glossary:
alpana- a traditional art drawn with coloured or rice powder, usually outside one’s home to welcome auspiciousness.
Written by Srividya Subramanian and Suchira Nandi Purkayastha for Duology event by Artoonsinn.
