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First Encounter of the Wild Kind

It was while in Taklech that I learnt the important lesson of retaining one’s presence of mind during a crisis, and not falling prey to panic. Mr. Patyal, my boss, was on tour to the forests in my jurisdiction, and took me along with him to check the markings that the ACF, Mr. N K Negi, and I had been carrying out for the past one month. By marking, I mean the selection of trees that needed to be felled to reduce congestion in the forest, thereby allowing the remaining trees to put on faster growth. We had climbed some 10 km from Taklech, high into the Deodar forests, where the trees were being marked. About a dozen forest guards were carving numbers at the bases of the trees, as we walked about the forest. We had lunch in the forest itself and then, after a cup of tea, started back for Taklech. It was bitterly cold as Mr. Patyal and I started our downhill trek, slightly ahead of the rest of the group, who had stayed back to collect their equipment and pack their records.
Some way down the track, Mr. Patyal suddenly grabbed my arm and motioned me to stop. I looked up at him questioningly. He silently pointed downhill. As I followed his finger, I spotted a small black shape moving up the same track that we were descending. It was a Black Bear, some 100 meters away. I had to admire my boss’ eyesight. The ridge that we were descending was comparatively treeless, with dense forests further down the slopes on either side. I eyed the solitary oak tree some 20 meters ahead of me, thinking whether I could make it before the bear got to me. The childhood tale of the man who lay face down and acted dead, and being spared by a bear, flashed in my mind. My career was just beginning, and I didn’t want it to end on this lonely ridge near Munish.
Mr Patyal, however, appeared least concerned. He sat down on a rock and dug into his pocket for his cigarettes and matchbox. He calmly placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. Observing his relaxed demeanour, I too relaxed somewhat …. though still keeping half an eye on the tree in the distance. The bear, in the meantime, had come close enough for me to clearly see the white ‘V’ on its chest, and even the vapour of its breath. My boss calmly kept smoking. When the bear was some 20 meters away, it stopped, raised its snout, and began sniffing the air. After a couple of minutes, as it caught the smell of the cigarette smoke, it turned towards the forests down the slope. I audibly let out my breath, which I had been holding involuntarily. The DFO looked towards me and smiled. Then we continued sitting there till the rest of our party caught up with us.
It was then that I decided to take up smoking …..

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