Reshma: Sojan wanting to attain 'nirvana' set out for the dense forests of Kerala. It was there that he met Chandran and Babu. Read on to find out what happened...!!

The Forest Guards

Chandran and Babu live in the forests of Pathanamthitta. They are relatives who have worked together for most of their life. They never married. Although they are aged, they are not bothered about what to do when they grow old. They work as guards with the Forestry Department at Naduvathumuzhy Range (about 20 Km from the District Capital). Chandran and Babu have been here for the last 28 years (that’s a pretty long time to remember). They are the natives of Kokkathodu – a place just 6 kms from here).

 

As Forest Guards they ensure that no one trespasses into the forest range to illegally cut down the teak  trees or undertake poaching of any sort. Chandran and Babu work in shifts. One of them is on duty at night, the other one during daytime. I met both of them when they meet at their small asbestos thatched roof shelter, facing the Achenkovil river - beyond lies dense forest. I ask, whether the harsh weather does not affect them. They quip that they are so used to funny climates, especially nowadays when one cannot predict the climate as in the old days (maybe due to El Nino effect). Together they prepare their food - a spicy preparation of fish fried in coconut oil - which would appeal to the taste buds of many. I am still amazed at the way they live their life, here in the natural woods. Their clothing is very simple - as seen in the picture it consists of a loose Lungi (a 2meter long cotton cloth worn around the waist) and a cotton towel (called Thorth) on their shoulder.

They are regular smokers of Beedi (a locally made small cigar). They also consume distilled alcohol which is the malayali’s scotch -  called Charayam (distilled twice out of the mix of natural herbs and fruits). Today Babu (the one in Blue lungi) is on night duty but he got up when I came around at 11am. He usually snores off till 12 noon to wake up for lunch, then goes to sleep between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. again until he is joined by Chandran who returns after signing off at the range officer’s office. Together they walk to the kavala (junction where two roads meet) to chill out and return around 8.30 pm to have their dinner together. They usually eat with their bare hands and if it is rice porridge they make a funnel shaped spoon out of a semi dried leaf of the Jackfruit tree (which is in abundance). After dinner Babu goes on duty and Chandran goes to sleep. 

 

Chandran’s day starts around 5 a.m. with a cup of black coffee and a Beedi, then off he goes to the loo (here the human excreta is dumped in a very naturally made facility – a deep hole is dug up and two supporting parallel planks of wood on either side to rest the feet, this pit is covered with a covering made of knotted coconut leaves which is very broad to cover the top of the pit, the excreta disintegrates into manure later). Then he goes to prepare boiled rice, coconut chutney and dry vegetable preparations. The breakfast usually is fermented boiled rice (boiled rice put in water along with crushed shallots) drained off the water contents to which spicy butter milk of the previous day is added and then they have with either coconut chutney or green chilly chutney.
 

Then off he goes to work after a dip in the river by around 9 a.m., returns for lunch around 11.30 with some freshwater fish and cooks it for lunch and dinner in one effort. Chandran joins back at work by1.30 p.m. and returns to the shelter at about 6 p.m. They use the dried wood from the forest for cooking. They say that many a time, during the dry season they have encountered wild elephants, and boars, coming over from the forest to the nearby village.

 

Let's not forget to mention Ichi, the little puppy Chandran and Babu own. One fine morning they just found him near their shelter. Chandran & Babu read the local Malayalam dailies and discuss politics. Both are staunch communists, despite the fact that the communist government of the last 5 years had left the state treasury in a state of emptiness; they remark that it is not a big crime for the government to spend so lavishly and to hand over an empty treasury to the present Congress government in the state. It was wonderful experience getting to know their simple lifestyle here in the forest. Their salary is very low (approx. Rs.2900 = Euros 67 a month) -  hardly enough, but they carry on in their own world of wild fun ! 

Sojan T Matthew

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