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Urdu- translation
A tribute to my late father

By: Mohammed Nizamuddin

This book is dedicated to the memory of my late father Mohammed Salahuddin Sahib, because of whom I have reached this station in my life.
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Nizam’s State of Hyderabad-Deccan

My story began in the State of Hyderabad Deccan before the independence of India from the British Rule. There were two Princes, Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar and his brother Moazzam Jah. They were the sons of Hazoor[1] Nizam, the King of Hyderabad Deccan[2]. They had their own Shikar Gah (Game Reserve) in Saroor Nagar which was located 16 Km from the City of Hyderabad. Now a days, 16 Km is an easy commute but, in those days, it was a trip to the countryside.

My father, Mr. Mohammed Salahuddin was a Police Inspector based in Amberpet, Hyderabad. Sometimes, he was assigned to facilitating the hunting expeditions for the two princes, Azam Jah and Moazzam Jah. The Director of the Police Department was Khawja Nasiruddin, and he had the overall responsibility for the Saroor Nagar Shikar Gah which had abundance of Black Deer, Spotted Deer (Cheetal), Wild Boar as well as Leopards. The Jungle (a.k.a Tatti Khana and Jurwan Masjid Jungle) started from Nagole and continued to Bundlaguda to Kamdan Maqta. It followed the course of the Musi River. There was a dam on the Musi River called Narayan Reddy Dam (a.k.a Narayan Reddy Katta) where there were three large Tamarind trees[3]. At this Dam (Katta) awnings (Shamiyana) had been setup for the comfort and convenience of the Royal Princes.

I will share a vivid description of how the Prince of Berar had arrived in a two-horse-drawn carriage, with all the pomp and trappings deserving of a Crown Prince. He had travelled from Hyderabad City on a country road along the Musi River and it was the most enchanting thoroughfare; rugged and randomly strewn with large and small boulders of different shapes. Sometimes, one might see a large boulder sitting firmly on a small boulder. Lush green mesmerizing carpets of paddy fields creating natural vistas worthy of intriguing the artist to come and paint them on canvases. Sparsely growing Imlee (Tamarind) and Neem trees by the roadside provided a brief but necessary shelter from the scorching sunshine of the summertime. . Here, there are narrow strips of land besides the Musi river. They are annually submerged by the flood waters of the monsoon: thus, the lands are naturally enriched with otherwise expensive manure making it ideal for growing rice crops, bananas, bamboo and tobacco but more than three-quarters of it is given to rice cultivation.

In Telangana and many of the southern Indian states, the land is a bleak brown. But here, in the midst of the rice fields of the Musi, the landscape suddenly thickens lush greenery in a rich palette of shades and textures. The farmers nurse delicate infant rice seedlings in small plots whose rich velvety green stands out against the neighbouring fields. When, after thirty or forty days the plants are healthy and strong enough, labourers individually scoop them out from the root pods and transplant them into large flooded fields. These make for softer green shades. There the plants grow until a yellower hue signals, they are ready for the harvest.

The Prince arrives

On arrival, the Prince was greeted, by his staff and ushered into the awning. He sat down to relaxed for a few minutes under the shade of the three Tamarind trees expressing his appreciations for the amenities that had been setup for him. Customary tea and refreshments followed. After the brief sojourn the Prince went out with the hunting party looking for the big game. Despite the abundance of the wildlife, not even a single deer or a Cheetal was found. My father was not involved in making these arrangements at this time. Back at the police department, there was discussion of the disappointing outcome of the hunting expedition. My father listened to the details and identified the many missteps that were taken by the organizers of the expedition and remarked, “had this expedition been assigned to me, the Prince would have had a very successful outcome.” Soon his words got to the Prince, and the Prince decreed that all future hunting expeditions shall be organized under the auspices of Inspector Mohammed Salahuddin.

The Kuttaguram Jungle

The year was 1332 Fasli[4] (1922 A.D) and a new date was fixed for a hunting expedition in the Kuttagudum Jungle. Meticulous arrangements had been made by my father for this expedition. The Prince arrived on time, as expected, and it was the most successful hunt, resulting in eight (8) Spotted deer with big antlers plus six (6) black deer. The Prince was thrilled, he had a wonderful time. From here on, all future expeditions were assigned to my father. Henceforth, the Director of the Shikar Gah, Khawja Nasiruddin, became a titular Director, in name only.

The director’s position was offered to my father, but he refused to accept it because the Shikar Gah properties were once part of the inheritance of Khawja Nasiruddin which my father did not wish to accept and deny him his rightful place. So, a new position of a Director of the Shikar Gah was created. The Prince of Berar paid him a salary from the Bellavista budget (Prince’s own budget). In addition to it, he also received his salary from the Police Department.

In 1932, this was the first major hunting expeditions organized by my father. It took place in the forest of Kutta Guram. The total count was as follows:

Tigers= 32
Black Bears=25
Leopards=13
Several Asian Antilope or Nilgai
Several Sambar, a large deer native to Indian subcontinent.
Several Cheetal (Spotted deer)

After this successful expedition, my father was permanently taking care of all of Prince of Berar’s future hunting expeditions. Over time, the total number of Tigers killed by the Prince numbered 300. He also organized several other Royal expedition events.

Some other notable personalities, to mention a few, were: Sir Arthur Lothian, the British Resident of Hyderabad, the Nawab of Chattari[5], Sir Akbar Haidri[6], Sir Mackenzie, Major Graham. This was prior to the Police Action by India or Hyderabad becoming part of the Indian Union.

After the Police Action he organized hunting expeditions for several of the notable personalities who were the guest of the Prince. To mention a few: Major General J.N Chaudhuri , his successor, Vilodi and several other military officers.

The Prince of Berar greatly appreciated my father’s services. Even after he retired from the Police a total of seven extensions were granted to him. This may be a record. The Prince had nicknamed him “Salloo”. The Prince used to call him the Murshid of the Jungle to make the point that the animals in the jungle obeyed his command as if he was their Murshid or the ‘spiritual guide’. In the days when there were no GPS or terrain maps or back country maps available, his photographic memory of the terrain was his biggest asset. Organizing a successful Shikar expedition was his pride, passion and pleasure.

Salloo had expert knowledge of the jungle. He knew the habits and the instincts of the animals. He had intimate knowledge of the indigenous people who lived in the jungles and had a good rapport with their leaders. He was an expert tracker and an excellent marksman. He would look at the pawmarks (Pugmarks) and would instantly know how old the marks were, how old the animal was and weather it was a male or a female. He had developed a system or measuring the paw marks to determine the length and possibly the weight of the tigers and the leopards. I shall explain it as the hunting expedition stories unfold.

My first fire was accidental

My father would go to the jungle to organize the hunting expeditions. Occasionally, he would take me with him to the jungle. I was probably 10 or 11 years old when he first took me on one such trip. His staff and hunters would carry me on their shoulders into the depth of the forest. This is how I became familiar with the forest and the surrounding environment. Occasionally, he would take me on an actual Tiger hunt. I would be sitting on the Machan with an expert hunter watching the entire hunt. I will say more about it later.

My first gun fire was accidental, and it frightened the day lights out of me. Sir Arthur Lothian wanted to do some duck shooting. My father decided to take me there. After the duck hunting was over and the Resident had departed for Hyderabad, we lay down on a Shutrunji (a Cotton Spread) for a little rest. My father was resting but my curiosity had the better of me, all the 12-bore guns and the ammunitions were neatly arranged on the spread. The guns had been properly unloaded and safety latch engaged. I was looking at the guns, amongst them I saw my Dad’s favorite 12 -bore. Unbeknown to my father, I had loaded a cartridge into the gun and had forgotten about it. A tittle while later, I asked my Dad if I could aim it in the direction of the lake and pull the trigger. He knew it was unloaded, so he said, yes, go ahead. I aimed at the lake and pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang; I fell, and the gun went flying out of my hands. I had a sharp pain in my shoulder and soon I was in tears. My father was petrified, he came over and surprisingly, he did not scold me. Instead, he gently rubbed my aching shoulder and comforted me. Thank goodness I had not broken a bone. This was my first gunfire.

A few days later another duck hunting expedition was organized for Sir Arthur. This time it was on Ibrahimpatnam Road on the Masab Tank

The Duck Hunting

At 8:00 A.M sharp we left the Hyderabad City in the Royal fleet of cars. On the way to Ibrahimpatnam, there was a huge mountain which is called Gurram Guda Mountain (Gurram Guda ka Pahad). Right beside it there was a small hill known as the Nawab Hill (Nawab Takeri). A road passes between the two mountains and you could see hundreds of deer grazing on them. This was a game reserve which was called Gurram Guda Circle II (Gurram Guda Halqa Duwam).

A few kilometers down this road, there was a Checkpoint and the game reserve was guarded by the checkpoint sentries. We arrived at the Checkpoint and the sentries were expecting us. We could see deer grazing all around the Bungalow where we were staying for this duck shooting expedition.

We ushered to the Masab Tank (Masab Talab). by the game wardens. The lake had a long finger-like shallow section where a wooden platform had been placed on stilts orlegs. The platform had been installed such that it would be surrounded by the branches of tall trees that stood nearby and provided cover and camouflage for the hunters. The ducks have a keen eyesight. At the slightest of hunters, the ducks simply fly higher and vanish beyond the range of gunshots.

Next day, Sir Authur arrived at noon and a boat delivered him to the wooden platform. The same boat was sent to the middle of the lake to make sure that the ducks will fly up in the direction of the hunters. From time to time, garlic-shape firecrackers (Lahsun Patakha) were detonated to disturb the ducks.

Game Reserve Rangers were standing on the wooden platform and had been assigned the task of loading and unloading the guns for Sir Arthur and other hunters. As soon as one gun was fired the empty gun would be handed over to a Ranger while the other Ranger would offer a freshly loaded gun to the shooters. The ducks would land at the long finger lake, then fly way and land in the main lake; more garlic-shaped firecrackers would be detonated and send them flying our way and more ducks would be shot down. It was an amazing scene for me to watch those ducks suddenly coming down making summersaults on their way down. The water, as I have mentioned before, was knee-deep. So, I would go out and pick up the dead ducks and collect them in a pile near me.

After a while the bugle was blown; it was tea-time. Tea was brought to the wooden platform. As soon as the tea was finished, the Bugle was once again sounded, signaling the recommencement of the Shikar. The ducks would sometimes go to another lake nearby, but rangers were posted there too. They were given the Muskets and Garlic shape firecrackers to deflect the ducks back to the main lake. At 6:30 p.m. sharp, the bugle was sounded thus, signaling the end of the Shikar. The boat was brought to the wooden platform and the Resident Sahib got in the boat and went ashore. I was holding the ducks in both hands. I went close to the Resident and first my father introduced me to him, and I offered the ducks to him.

A few days later, my father received a letter of thanks and a large box of chocolates. The Resident Sahib wrote “Salahuddin Sahib, I beg your pardon for not being able to offer tea to your son at the Shikar. Please give this box of chocolates to your son on my behalf.” I still have this letter in my possession. New Residents came, one after another, to Hyderabad and they were all found of hunting. My father organized Shikar for all of them and each one of them gave certificates of recognition to my father. I also have all of them in my safekeeping.

Besides the British Residents, my father organized Shikar, for several nobles of Hyderabad. A few notables would be worth mentioning: Sir Akbar Haidri , his son Ali Haidar, Nawab Ahmed Said Chattari , Moinuddoulah , the Amir of Paigah , Nawab Himayat Nawazjung,, Nawab Muneeruddin Khan, Zahir Yarjung, Nawab Mazharuddin Khan, Nawab Iqbaluddin Khan, Colonel Hamidullah, Mukarrum Jah Bahadur, Mufaqqam Jah Bahadur.

After the Police Action by India, the notable ones would be; Major General J.N Chaudhary, his wife Aruna Chaudhuri, Colonel Bedhi Singh, Brigadier Verma and Colonel Sanjay Singh. They all enjoyed the Shikar.

After the schools closed for the summer; whenever my father went on an inspection of the Jungles, he would take me with him. Since I was under aged, I would sit on the shoulders of a Shikari and see various parts of the jungle.

The Shikar begins with the Hanka

The Hanka (Beat) would be the actual start of the Shikar. Usually, I would be seated on a triangular shape seat, tied with a rope to the tree trunk at about 5 meters above the ground. I would watch the Tiger hunt from my vantage point, safe and sound from my perch. At times a tigress with cubs would pass directly beneath my seat, panting with her tongue sticking out of her mouth because of the heat. The tigress or her cubs would be given a safe passage and no harm will be done to them. Thus, I developed a passion for tiger hunting. The mere knowledge of my father leaving on a Shikar in the morning, would keep me awake all night; with the very excitement of it.

When I was older, my father started training me in the tactics and strategies of the Shikar. He would teach me such things as:

Reading the Pug marks
How to determine the sex of the tiger from the pugmarks
Determine the size of the animal from the pugmarks
The habitats of the tiger
The paths they take to the watering places
How the Garah (Bait) is tied
How to organize a Hanka (Beat)
How to tie the Covering flags (Colored pennant flags)
How to tie the Covering
How to tie the Jhoola on a tree
How to select a tree for the Jhoola
The proper height of the Jhoola
On selecting type of growth for the Jhoola
How to ensure there are no honeybees nesting on the tree
How the tiger comes out of the dense forest growths
How the tiger comes out of the scrub
How the tiger passes through the glades
The stop and go movements of tiger out of thick growths
Tiger’s habit of galloping in open fields

My training:

I received extensive training in animal psychology and behavior through observations on these trips to the Jungle; later these observations became very useful in actual Shikar. For instance, all animals exercise caution when approaching a small stream or a watering place. When they are descending towards the stream from a higher ground, they would first stop and look all around before proceeding any further. Similarly, when ascending from the watering place to a higher ground, they will scale the elevation, stop, take a good look around and then proceed with caution. Watering venues provide an ideal place for installing a Jhoola or a Machan for shooting.

In their dietary preferences, every tiger a somewhat different. Some tigers like eat a cow or an Ox, others prefer a buffalo. Some tigers like to eat wild pigs. Sometimes, a tiger will make multiple kills. Old tigers start killing goats, perhaps because they may be easy prey.

Generally, most Garah (bait kills or kills) happen in the rainy season because it is the time farmers sow the fields. The farm animals are let lose, out of necessity, to graze and roam around the farm. These animals become an easy kill for the tiger.

Very old or injured tigers may start preying on humans. Once they develop a taste for human flesh the tigers become man-eaters. None could be an easier prey then human being. However, the tiger is known for its nobility too. The tiger is very scared of humans than the other way around. There are reasons why a tiger, regardless of its age, might become a man-eater:

The tiger might have been asleep while someone accidentally intrudes in his vicinity for collecting firewood or just cutting grass for animal feed. The tiger will surely attack in self-defense.
If a tigress is with her cubs and gets surprised by a human being, she may attack in defense of her cubs. If the cubs have eaten human flesh, they too will become man-eaters.
If humans accidentally intrude their mating place, the tigress is known to attack and kill; making her a man-eater.
The tiger may have been injured by porcupine (Sarsal) quills during the hunt.

A successful tiger hunt requires good preparation as well as the knowledge of the jungle where the hunt will take place. My father, over his entire career, had conducted several experiments to learn about the habits as well as the habitats of the tiger. He would first familiarize himself with the jungle and the outlying villages. An extensive examination of the tiger’s habitats would be conducted and then he would determine the paths, the tiger will take to and from the watering places.

As part of the preparation, he would have his men, loosen the soil of those potential paths and have the paths dragged with bundles of thorny bushes and palm leaves. Some bushes would be cut to size and men would roll the thorny bushes into cylindrical shapes. These cylindrical bundles would be tied, behind the Jeep if it could go there or his men would, drag those bundles, by a rope, to make the soil a bit sandy and softer and conducive to taking impression of the tiger’s paws. Behind these bundles of thorny bushes would be wide branches of palm trees to erase all previous pugmarks. This would usually be done late, in the afternoon, after the herdsmen had gone home from the pastures.

Fresh pug marks, if any, would be examined early in the morning, before the grazers would be going out to pastures. Dragging the paths was an essential exercise for determining where the tiger might have sojourned; hilltops, gorges and thickets would be the potential places. The tiger’s hideout is called a Gavi (the den). Potentially it spends more time in a Gavi. The tiger usually sleeps in his Gavi during the day, usually a cool place; such as in caves and a secure spot inside brushwoods. It is crucial to determine his entry and exit paths because they are a creature of habits. They will always follow the same paths. His preference is to walk on soft and sandy paths to protect the pads on his paws.

If the plan is to use the beaters (Hanka gangs) to dive the tiger to the hunters; before the beat starts, a small to medium size male buffalo (Khulga)is tied by its front leg with a rope a tiger can easily break after the kill. The tiger would then take his kill to a secure place, cover it with grass clippings, twigs or branches; he would then drink water and rest before dining on it. If the buffalo is too big the tiger may take a long time to kill it, on the other hand, if it is too young a Leopard, instead of a tiger, could sneak in and kill it easily.

The tiger may go to a faraway place, if the water is far from the kill. This is undesirable. We would install water troughs at the ground level, fill them with fresh water, thus making sure the tiger would not have to go too far after the kill. Suitable trees would select beforehand for installing a Jhoola or to build a Machan (Treehouse). Strong ropes would be used to anchor the Jhoola. A horizontal bar would also be installed across the Jhoola to rest the barrel of the rifle, thus, providing a stable platform for hunters to taking aim at the tiger.

Once the bait had been tied, a careful survey would be made of the probable pathways the tiger would travel on. We would pre-determine the nearby streams it might go to. The next step would be to start the Hanka (beat) which would consist of several people making raucous and noises to drive the tiger to the hunters. In those days, we paid anywhere from half a Rupee to one Rupee per person. A typical number of beaters would be anywhere from 12 to 200 people. Each beater was given a voucher which they cashed to collect their fees, after the Shikar was over.

The beat would start after 12:00 noon when the sun would be very hot. The tiger usually sleeps when the day is very hot. The beaters would be divided in two groups: the right and left covering. Each group would be led by an experienced hunter who knew the jungle very well. Some of the beaters would come out with a percussion instruments like the town Crier’s frame drum called the Dhapra, while others would repeatedly strike two dry pieces of sticks, or empty tin cans, or detonate firecrackers, and or release blank shots in the air making big noises to jolt the tiger out of slumber and run for his life.

The Stoppers would be spaced randomly and be seated on the trees around the Jhoola. They would be divided into two groups, to the right and left of the Jhoola. Each group of Stoppers would get an experienced Shikari (hunters) for protection. Their sole function is to keep still and maintain the silence and wait for their leader’s command. As the tiger passes by the Jhoola, their leader would signal them to clap their hands which would make the tiger look up in the direction of the Jhoola.

Before the beat starts, multicolor; green, yellow and red color Pennant Banner Flags would be tied to the left and right of the Jhoola, approximately 6 feet high. So, when all is set, a long whistle would be blown; signaling the beater to start the beat. The beaters would make the noise; some would rattle their empty tin cans, others would detonate the garlic shape firecrackers, still some other would strike two pieces of sticks and the Muskets would be fired with blank shots. The cacophony of sounds would scare the living day lights out of the sleeping tiger. These discordant noises would drive the tiger towards the Jhoola where the hunters would be scanning the anticipated paths out of the woods and streams.

When the stoppers would see the tiger, they would gently clap their hands. This makes the tiger stop and look. When the tiger sees the multicolor pennants, it turns around but with the beater in pursuit it goes in the direction of the Jhoola. In a successful kill, the tiger falls to the ground with a single bullet immediately. A long whistle would be blown, signaling a kill. However, if the tiger was injured and heads back in the direction of the beaters, the whistle would be blown continuously to warn the beaters to quickly climb up the nearest tree for safety.

There are two methods of measuring a dead tiger: (1) from the nose, over the head to the tip of his tail. The is called round the curve method. (2) the other method is to put the tiger on its back, with all four legs in the air, the measurement is taken from its chin, between the four legs to the tip of the tail. This method is called between-the-pugs measurement. If the tiger is to be trophy-mounted, the whiskers are removed and preserved for later use. The tiger has two bone called the leggy bones on the inner side of the front legs. Supposedly, it helps the tiger in making jumps. These bones are also removed and preserved for later use in taxidermy process.

Sometimes, a Shikari would not be successful in killing a tiger with one shot. This would be a grave situation inflecting suffering on the animal and endangering villagers as well as possibly turning the tiger into a man eater. In that case, an experienced Shikari would accompany the search party. They would follow the pugmarks and follow the blood trail to find the injured tiger and end his misery. As the search party would close in on the tiger’s hideout, the tiger usually reveals his hideout by growling or roaring; the searchers then close in carefully to kill it.

The other method is to use Khulgay[7] (a buffalo). A herd of buffalo is driven to the probable hideout of the injured tiger with experienced marksmen behind the herd. As the herd approaches the tiger, they sense his presence; they snarl and puff lowering their heads with the horns pointing in the direction of the tiger. This is how they stand their ground. Herds of cows or bulls would be never used as they would turn around and flee at the first sign of the tiger. This would be a dangerous situation resulting in a stampede endangering the hunter and searchers.

There is yet another method of baiting the tiger. A Khulga (a young male buffalo) is tied, on the tiger’s path by its front leg to the base of a strong tree. The rope needs to be strong enough to not break when the tiger pulls it. A Machan (Tree house) is set up, approximately 15 meters away, on a suitable tree and the hunters (Shikari) sit in it and wait for the tiger to kill the Khulga. The buffalo should be reasonably large so the tiger would not finish it in one meal.

After the Gara (the kill) has taken place, the remains of the Khulga are covered with branches of tree so the Eagles, the Vultures and the crows would not find it and more importantly, start eating it. These branches are then removed around 5:00 P.M. The Shikari would be seated on the Machan with their rifles. An experience Shikari would be ready with a searchlight. The tiger would return after dark to eat the remaining Gara. He usually comes growling and puffing to warn the scavengers. The tiger is first allowed to engage himself in eating to his satisfaction.

The rush of adrenaline and the moment of truth:

When the tiger would be coming back to the Gara, his footsteps could be heard easily: the dry leaves and the twigs he steps on give away his whereabouts. This is a moment of great nervousness and foreboding for the Shikar party, particularly for the novice. The rush of adrenaline does amazing things: you can hear other people’s nervous breathing in short gasps. Some people start breath fast and shallow with their mouths open. At times, you can hear the nervous Shikaris gulping down their saliva to moisten their dry throats, the ears become warm, you can hear their stomachs growling with fear and panic may set in.

The people on the Machan must keep motionless and silent. The swarm of mosquito may descend and bite but the people on the Machan must keep very still. The tiger can hear the minutest noises with his keen sense of hearing and would flee instantly. Sometimes, the person handling the torch light, cannot wait and turns it on too early, perhaps in a fit of nervousness and anxiety, causing the tiger to flee. The tiger must be allowed to eat his fill before shooting but the sight of the tiger is so unnerving that it mesmerizes people; the flight or fight instinct comes over them. This is the moment of truth for most people.

The tiger kills his prey by asphyxiation. He sinks the four long teeth into the neck of his prey choking the victim until it dies. Sometimes, his powerful jaws even break the neck of a strong Khulga (Buffalo). His tail continues to wiggle if he thinks his prey is still alive. He will only let go of his victim after it is dead. The tiger then drags it to a suitable hideout such as a wood-bush or a thicket to hide it from the ever-present scavengers. If the tiger is too tired to drag his kill to a safer place, he proceeds to eat his kill right away; otherwise, he eats it inside the bush. The tiger always eats his kill from the posterior legs first, to the belly. When he reaches the internal parts, he removes the intestines and the stomach and puts the entrails aside. He does not eat innards.

There is common myth that the tiger drinks the blood of his victims. This is false; because when the four large teeth are embedded into the neck of his victim, there is no bleeding from the sight and the teeth have no holes through which the tiger could suck up the blood and drink it. The tiger does not suck the water like other animals; he scoops the water into to his mouth with his tongue. There is no possibility of tiger drinking the blood of his prey. He is not a vampire; he is a powerful and majestic hunter. He can tear big chunks of flesh with one motion of his neck while the powerful paws keep it in a vise grip.

I have witnessed several Garas (kills): sometimes the tiger would bite off the tail of the Gara, but other times he would not. No two tiger behave the same; they essentially have their own individual personality and idiosyncrasies. If a tiger only eats wild pigs or wild boars, we will bait that tiger with his choice of food. Other tiger would only kill goats and we have baited him with his choice of food. A tiger had the habit of sleeping soon after his hunt; without eating it. Vultures would descend in the meantime and feast on his kill. This tiger would get angry and kill the vultures in turn. We have found dead vultures all around the Gara. My father had come upon a tiger who liked to kill donkeys. He nick-named it Gadha Maru Sher (donkey killing tiger).

My father was completely devoted to the tiger hunting hobby of Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar. The village informers or the forest department sources would inform him of a tiger kill. My father will make all the arrangements and then, the Prince would be informed of preparation having been completed. He would then arrive in the jungle, according to his convenience. We would then proceed with the Hanka and the Prince would kill the tiger.

If the Prince could not come immediately, my father would make sure the tiger stayed near the Gara. To keep the tiger from running away, a mixture of Ganja and Chloroform would be pasted on the hindquarters of the Gara. Similarly, the same mixture would be put in the water troughs, causing the tiger to relax and sleep by the kill.

If the Gara was completely eaten before the Prince arrived; the remaining bones would be cleared and, a new Khulga would be tied nearby, thus making sure the tiger remained at the site. Once a tiger was kept close by the Gara for two weeks; awaiting the arrival of the Prince.

The sex and size of the tiger are determined by the pugmarks: only four claws are visible in the impression on the ground. The male tends to have somewhat roundish shape of toes and his pad appears to be moon shaped; like the figure five in Urdu language: or an inverted heart shape.

To determine the size of the tiger; we would place a dry twig between the base of the pad and the tip of the topmost toe and then break it to size. If the twig measured the width of eight human fingers then, the tiger would measure between 9’ 4” (285 cm) to 9’ 6” (289 cm) long. If the twig measured the width of nine fingers (9), then the tiger would measure 10’ 4” (315 cm) to 10’ 6” (320 cm). The pugmarks should not be taken from the soil which is either too hard or too soft; the margin of error would be too great. Sometimes, we have found the tiger to be too short, thus making the measurement inaccurate.

This is how we were trained to come up with our best estimates in a jungle where we had no measuring tapes. It is very easy to hunt a tiger compared to what it takes to organizing a successful tiger hunting expedition. Now a days, hunting is very easy: you simply attach a search light to your Jeep, go out in the jungle at night; you can see the animal’s eyes reflecting the light, you pick up your rifle, take aim through the telescope and fire. When I think of the olden days, hunting was vastly more challenging. The animal had a better chance of escaping but now it is easier in every respect. There were no roads in the jungle in those days; just tracks. Now, we have clearly marked trails and, in some places; roads, bigger and wider tracks or even paved roads.

The fall of Hyderabad:

My father had organized a hunting expedition for Major General J. N Chaudhary and his wife Aruna Chaudhary. He was the first military Governor appointed after the Police Action by the Indian Union which took place in September 1948. They were both avid hunters. My father took them to the Royal Shikar Gah (Royal Hunting Reserve) at Saroor Nagar.

There were a lot of Spotted deer, deer, and pigs. The Hanka was arranged and I was one of Shikaris in this expedition. Aruna Chaudhary was seated up in a tree in a Jhoola; I was posted right underneath the tree where she sat. She was using a double barrel 240 Express rifle while I stood there with my rifle: a 275 calibre Holland. The beaters would drive the animals in the direction of the Jhoola: the fire would come from the top and I would fire from the ground level.

After Major General J.N Chaudhry left Hyderabad he was replaced by Mr. Velodi; he too was very fond of Shikar and my father organized it, this time in the forest of Nursapore. I was included: I used my Dad’s Jeffries rifle and killed a tiger in this expedition. Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar also joined us.

The tiger has a very poor sense of smell, but other animals can smell human beings from a distance and often run away quickly. However, the tiger has a keen hearing and a sharp eyesight. He can hear and see a Baitd Khulga from far away.

The Khulga is tied with the front leg to a tree; alone in the solitude of the Jungle he panics, in trying to get away he falls to the ground, picks itself up and makes bellowing noises. The tiger can hear the distressful noises from far and slowly approaches the Khulga for a kill. The tiger digs one set of his claws into the back of the victim and then chokes the Khulga by the throat. He sinks his four long teeth into his neck and pulls the animal to the ground and waits for it to die.

The tiger, as mentioned before, prefers to drag his kill into a safe wooded area where he proceeded to dine on his kill from the hind legs.

In the mating season, the tiger issues his mating call with a deep throated noise of ‘haon haon’ whereas a Leopard makes a “ghar, ghar, ghar, ghar’ sound. The male and female call each other and while doing so, they spray the bushes and the trees with their urine to reveal their presence and whereabouts.
Warangal, Pakhal

Pakhal’s livstock eating tiger:

Pakhal is a Taluka (Division) in the Warangal district. It is the Royal Game Reserve of Prince Azam Jah, the oldest son of Mir Osman Ali Kan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. In the outlying areas of Pakhal there is a large indigenous population of the Gond or Gondi people.

There is a man-made lake called the Pakhal ka Talaab which has a large Chabutra (Patio) in the middle of the lake. This lake has a very large dam to and control the flow of water.

Mehboob Ali Pasha, the father of Mir Osman Ali Khan and the grandfather of the Prince used to relax, and pic nick hear. The view of the surrounding woods used to delight him.

We were continually getting news of tigers killing domesticated animals of the Gondi people. The Gond people live in the middle of the dense forest around here. Their dwellings are round-shape-thatched-hutments and for security, they stake wooden poles into the ground and install horizontal barriers, of bamboo, to keep the predatory animals out. At night, they light up dried up logs to deter the big cats as they don’t like fire or embers.

At night, the Gond people tie their domesticated animals in a barn. The barn has similar arrangements, wooden poles staked in the ground and bamboos tied all around as a fence and as barrier to intruders. To further mitigate any possible attacks, they place Phantay (coconut palm branches) on the bamboo poles, all along the fence, to obstruct the view from prying eyes of predators, leaving just a narrow-gated passage for the animals to come in and go out. When darkness comes, dry tree stumps or logs would be lit up to scare the predators. Furthermore, inside the barn and the compound, they have built a Machan and would post a security-guard for night watch on their animals. It is their wealth and they do what they can with the resources they have to protect it. The Gond people do not wear much: they are almost naked, as they have come out of their mother’s wombs, except of the Lungot (Kaupina or a loincloth). They cover themselves with a blanket at night to stay warm, in cold weather. When their animals go out in the jungle for grazing, the tigers attack and kill them.

The Gond had informed Prince Azam Jah that the tigers were playing mayhem with their livestocks and their lives. The Prince immediately ordered my father Mohammed Salahuddin and Colonel Hamidullah, his Aide De Camp (ADC), to go to Pakhal and kill those marauding tigers.
Nursapet

Trip to Warungal and Pakhal

It was the month of May, and the weather had turned quite hot. One fine morning, at about 8:00 A.M. my father, Colonel Hamidullah, Jahangir Baig Sahib and Mohammed bin Saalim who was one of Prince’s official hunters; along with his Cook Zafar left for Warangal and Pakhal, in a CTC army van. My school had already closed, so my father granted me permission to come on this expedition.

We drove through the city of Warangal to Nursampet. The local authorities had already been informed of our arrival. We were received by the Talukdar (Governor) and the Revenue Collector (Tahsildar) Mr. Zafar Ali Khan and briefed on the situation. Arrangements had been made for us to stay in the Royal Residential Quarters (Aywan e Shahi). It was built on a very large piece of land for hosting Kings, emperors and royal guests; it was surrounded by high walls for privacy and security. The Royal Quarters consisted of huge rooms. The servant quarters and the Kitchen were built to the side of the main building.

In the evening we met the local administrator and, his men responsible for the operations of the Shahi Shikar Gah (the Royal Game Reserve). Mr. Zafarullah Khan, the Revenue Collector and Mr. Mahboob Reddy, who was a big landlord and, one of my father’s friends, also joined us for a meeting. They were very fond of hunting; whenever my father would come to Pakhal for hunting, he would always take these people with him on the hunting expeditions. We all discussed the plans for the hunt in detail. Six Khulgay (male buffalo) had been procured and were ready to be deployed.

The next morning, soon after a hearty breakfast, we left from Nursimpet to Pakhal. On the way to Pakhal, there were two places where the tigers were known to live. The first Margoo (Muddy land) was just below a lake that trickle fed the Margoo (muddy land). We immediately sent some local Shikari to work on the paths traversed by the tigers. Their mission was to comb the tracks with the Phantay (Palm tree branches) to obliterate old pug marks, speak to locals, and report on recent activities by tigers.

Further down, there was another place called Alumboori which was situated in the lower regions of the Pakhal Lake; this was an excellent place for tigers to live. We sent three local Shikaris with the same mission: comb the tracks with the Phantay (Palm tree branches) to obliterate old pug marks, speak to locals, and report on recent activities by tigers.They were to do reconnaissance and including the paths along the small rivulet and water channels that trickle out from the Pakhal Lake.

We finally arrived at the Shahi Chabootra (the Royal Patio or Platform) which gives a spectacular view of the entire vista around the lake. The lake is surrounded by tall rolling hills. The dense forest graces the hills all around, making it difficult to see through the woods. We also spotted several crocodiles in the lake. It put a damper on any thoughts of entering the waters for a swim.

On the east of the lake there was a bullock cart trail which went in the direction of Yeland and Kutta Guda. Further down this track there was a Guest House and this place is called Kutta Guda Guest House. A short distance from here, you could see the dome shaped hutments (Jhonpriyan) of the Gondi people.

Our van approached the huts and immediately, fearful stark-naked women and children ran straight into their huts. They were staring through the huts and looking at us. Our Administrator and his men got out of the van and went to the huts to speak with them. They called for the Mukhya (The Headman) to come for a meeting. He came to our van followed by the curious but frightened kids. They started to relax when seeing their elder speaking to us. The Mukhya was dressed in Langot[8] (Kaupinam) only. We explained the purpose of our visit. Then, the Administrator instructed him to let us know if a fresh kill was made. His people were to leave the remains of the kill for us to examine etc. He was told to immediately inform the guard at the guest house, with details of any such kill.

We now returned to Nursimpet Road. On the way back, we stopped to collect the two parties of Shakari we had dropped off earlier. With their missions accomplished, they were wait for us, where we had dropped them off, at Alumboori and Madna Borgoo . We picked them up and soon we were all back at the Aiywan e Shahi (Royal) Guest House.

Next morning, at 8:00 A.M, after the breakfast, we arrived at a small Talaab (lake) at Madna Borgoo. Just below the dam there was a small rivulet which was fed from the lake. There was a dense growth of fern, the Jamun (Java Plum) trees and the Elephant Grass (Phragmites). It was mostly wetland full of Dal Dal (Sticky Mud). The thick growth of vegetation made the place cooler and ideal for the tiger to seek shelter.

We inspected the Nala (rivulet or creek) and the soil around the water thoroughly. There were fresh pugmarks of a big tiger on the trail which had been combed earlier. The tiger had gone into the Dal Dal (wetland), sticky mud in which your feet will sink down to ankles deep. My father and his companions. Mr. Hamidullah, Mr. Jahangir and Mr. Mohammed bin Saalim made the decision to have a Jhoola (Machan) built on a large Mohua (Telagu Ippa, Madhuca longifolia var latifolia is the Botanical name) tree. We had a good supply of ropes in our van, so the Machan was built very quickly and with attention paid to safety of users. Three people could comfortably sit on the Machan. A suitable tree was selected to tie a Khulga at about 15 meters away on the same trail. Our plan was to tie the Khulga in the evening and shoot the tiger from the Machan we had just built.

Having completed it, we returned to the Royal Guest House to rest and refresh ourselves. Around 4:00 P.M in the evening, we took the Khulga in the trailer hitched behind our van. For creature comfort, we had two Thermos; one full of fresh tea and the other full of drinking water. We also brought a five-cell torch light with us.

Colonel Hamidullah, Mr. Mohammed bin Saalim and I sat in the Jhoola in the tree. Colonel Hamidullah had a .350 double barrel rifle, Mohammed bin Saalim sat to his right and had the torch light in his hand. His job was to turn the light on after the Tiger makes the kill. I sat, on the Jhoola, to his right to watch the whole drama unfold before my eyes. My father and Mr. Jahingir Baig tied the Khulga (a young buffalo) to the tree trunk, close to the base of the selected tree. They double-looped the braided cotton rope and tied the other end to the front leg of the Khulga. My father and Mr. Jahangir Baig returned to the van and waited for the action to begin. The van was parked quite a distance away from the Jhoola.

As the sun went down, the Peacocks, the Pheasants and the jungle fowls and the Sparrows started hurrying back to their nests. As darkness fell: the Khulga started to fret in darkness and the silence of the jungle caused him to panic. He was barking and making a Bhus, Bhus sound while blowing air through the nostrils. Mr. Saalim commented to Colonel Hamidullah that the tiger will be listening to the sounds Khulga was making. “The tiger’s den is close by; I expect the tiger will come soon. Please be ready.” Around 8:00 P.M, we heard an animal approaching from the small water channel to the right of us. There was a faint moonlight and I could see another water channel beyond the place where the Khulga was tied: it was nearer to the tiger’s den. A short while late, a tiger appeared from the water channel, it lowered its belly to the ground and started looking at the Khulga. He had possibly two hundred yards to go and though he was built for stalking, he covered the distance as smoothly as a snake and as silently as a shadow. In the faint moonlight the tiger looked almost like a black dot. The Khulga could sense and smell the tiger’s presence. Soon the bellowing noises by the Khulga intensified; it was trying to run away but his front leg had been tied, he would fall to the ground then rise and fall back to the ground repeatedly. It could not break the strong rope, no matter how much he tried.

It was very hot that night and Colonel Hamidullah was bothered by the swarm of mosquito, and he was perspiring profusely. He proceeded to wipe his face with handkerchief, soon he was swatting the mosquitos with it. The tiger sat there for a while and then descended back into the water channel he had come from and later went behind us.

Mr. Saalim whispered to Colonel Hamidullah, “the tiger has seen your movements; therefore, it has left and gone behind us, but it has seen the Khulga too; it will come back, soon; be ready to shoot it.” Half an hour later, the tiger came back on gallop from behind us, passing the tree where we were sitting. The tiger caught hold of the neck of the buffalo and pulled it so hard that the rope snapped with a cracking sound. The buffalo flew in the air and fell back to the ground; in the blink of an eye, the tiger disappeared with the young buffalo. To me, it was as if an eagle had swooped on a tiny chick and disappeared into the sky. It is not easy to break a strong rope which had been doubled for strength. I used to hear stories of the tiger’s strength but now I had witnessed it with my own eyes. I was quite young at the time, but the entire scene is imprinted in my memory; even now, I can see it in my mind’s eye.

We were all stunned by the speed and the strength of tiger; we sat in complete shock and silence. Then, Mr. Saalim shone the torch light in the direction of the van, signaling others to come to the Jhoola. We got down to the ground and walked to the van with my father and Mr. Baig. All of us then returned to the Aiywan e Shahi Guest House. Later that night, Mr. Saalim gave a detailed report to my father and said, “in spite of my cautions to keep still, Colonel Hamidullah’s movements alerted the tiger to our presence and we lost a golden opportunity.” At the camp, we made the program to have the jungle checked out and then arrange a beat (Hanka) to hunt down this tiger. The Tahsildar, the Patel and the Patwaris were instructed to arrange for 80 beaters.

The following morning, we finished our breakfast, at 10:00 A.M, then went down to inspect the spot where the tiger had attacked and taken the buffalo last night. The tiger had thrown the buffalo 70 feet away from where it was tied. The tiger had then proceeded to drag the buffalo all the way into the muddy water channel. The two horns of the buffalo made furrows into the wetland as if a plow had cut them in the soil. We checked the animal pathways and footpaths, and the trails for pugmarks. We established that the tiger had not left this water channel.

About a kilometer or so down this spot, we installed two Jhoolys: Colonel Hamidullah sat in one, my father and I sat in the other. My father had his Jeffries single barrel bolt action .404 rifle: it had one cartridge in the chamber and two in the magazine. The men tied multicolored pennant on rope to the right and left of each Jhoola. The stoppers were posted on the side of each Jhoola. The whistle was blown and the Hanka began in earnest. Firecrackers were detonated, the Dhupras (the town Crier’s drum) were beaten, tin cans were rattled, and men made as much noise they possibly could.

Little while later, we saw the tiger approaching our Machan; my father readied himself for the shot: he had now removed the safety latch from his rifle, the tiger was walking with its tongue hanging out of his mouth and panting a little. The tiger came to about 50 feet away from us; he stopped then turned a little and was now looking in the direction of the beaters. My father took an aim from his shoulder and fired; simultaneously with the loud bang, the tiger fell to the ground. For a while his tail was moving a little, and my father quickly loaded another cartridge in his rifle and took aim at the tiger. He did not have to fire another round: the tiger had died from the single bullet.

In a little while, we all gathered around the dead tiger. My father received complements for the shot from everyone, including the beaters who had now joined us; group pictures were taken. This was a very big tiger: it measured 10 feet 6 inches in length. We tied the tiger’s four legs to a strong piece of lumber and then put it in the van and took it to the Aiywan e Shahi Guest House, in Nursimpet, where it was skinned, his hide was preserved by application of common salt. The skinner’s name was Kaloo jee.

In all, our camp lasted for fifteen day, during this time, we killed eight (8) tigers: Colonel Hamidullah killed 7 and my father one (1). We returned to Hyderabad at the end of these memorable fifteen days.
Method of tranquilizing or hunting a man-eating tiger:

How to safely search for the tiger and familiarize oneself with the jungle

Identifying tiger’s drinking places.
Identifying the frequently travelled paths
Using a big bore rifle, you are comfortable with
Rifle should neither has scope of sling to prevent entanglement in woods
Back of head should be covered with paper Makhota (Mask with human face) to prevent attack from behind. The tiger never attacks from the front.
Must have company of a marksman on the hunting expedition
When hunting a man-eater, search the jungle when the sun is at its above your head; because the tiger would be asleep at that time.
Wherever a man-eater kills and feeds on human flesh, it will stay there for two to three days. On second day of the kill, the body should be removed. The man-eater, for sure, will return to this place.

One should study the features of the paw marks, thoroughly so that you can readily recognize them. The tigers have the habit of traveling, to and from on the same path. The hunter should select a suitable tree to build a Machan on the path used by the tiger. The Jhoola should be made with a strong rectangular wooden frame woven with strapping yarn. A large piece of foam mattress would be good for creature comfort as one may be waiting long hours for the tiger to come there.

The Machan should be covered with a camouflaging Mosquito net. A round shaped Mosquito net would be ideal for tying the dome with a rope. The mosquito net should be tucked under the matters. One can find these nets with a zipper at the front. This net can provide some measure of protection against the painful bites of the red ants, as well as against the highly poisonous Chirgue (Leaping or flying snake) snakes.

The Shikari should dress in comfortable and soft clothing.
The rifle cartridges should be of soft nose type.
To attract a man eater, prepare a realistic human effigy using suitable textile material and dress it in normal clothing. When relatives or colleagues realize that their loved one is missing; they usually start the search in the morning. They collect and remove the remains from the kill site. Instructions should be given to the Police, the Forest Authorities and the villagers to save the blood-stained clothing of the victim. Soak the clothing in water and dress the effigy with it.
Tie the dressed effigy, with a strong rope and suspend it with a tree at 30 meters from the Machan.
The Shikari should take a battery-operated (6 Volt usually) CD player with him. The CD should be recorded with the cries of a man or a woman.
Place the human remains and the CD speaker inside the effigy. Connect the CD Speaker with a long audio quality wire (cable). Test and make sure it is working.
Play the crying sounds from the Machan from time to time. The man-eating tiger will come to the human effigy to investigate. You will have a good opportunity to kill the man-eating tiger. This is a much safer way of killing a man-eater.
Aim your shots at the head, the neck, the shoulder or in the proximity of the shoulder; this will ensure the tiger will drop dead on the spot.
An injured man-eating tiger who escapes will be a big danger for the Shikari and the villagers.

If, on the other hand, you would tie a bait where a human being had been killed, the Man-eater will kill the bait but you would not know if it was the man-eater that killed the bait or some other tiger that killed! The best method is to use the human effigy with a concealed loudspeaker as discussed earlier. Any other tiger will not respond to the human cries and is unlikely to attack an effigy.

The other method of hunting a man-eater is by night driving in a Jeep. You need to ensure the following before embarking on a night hunt:

The hunter must become completely familiar with the jungle and the different trails such as those trails traversed by the villagers, trails used by the herders, the pathways used by the bullock carts etc.
The hunter must remember the sources of water where the animals drink: water channels, stagnant or rainwater holes, marsh lands, wetlands.
One must look for sandy or soft soil pathways and note down the pug marks, if any.
Where the pathways and trails cross, tie a buffalo (Khulga) on each end. Make sure that the rope used to tie the Bait is strong and the tiger will not be able to break it.
Make a Machan close to the buffalo bait.
The pathways must be combed with thorny branches after the grazers have taken their animals home. This exercise is essential for identifying new pug marks. This will tell you the whereabouts of the tiger.
Make a map of the topology and the pathways.
Having done the above, search these trails and pathways at night.
You will find the tiger eating the bait at night.
However, you must have an expert driver who can drive the Jeep for this mission.
You will also need an expert search light handler who will make sure that the beam of the search light does not interfere with the sight of the rifle or the scope.
You must also have a local guide with you who knows the jungle and help you in your search for the man-eater.
The ideal time for searching a tiger at night is from 7:00 P.M to midnight.

If the tiger kills the bait in one place, make sure the other baits are removed because the tiger will also kill the other and will not return to the kill near the Machan where you would be sitting.

So, who are the likely victims of a man-eater? They are most likely:

The pickers of the Mohua flowers
The herders who take their animals into the jungle for grazing
Firewood collectors who go in the jungle to cut dead branches of trees.
Farmworkers whose farms are in the vicinity of the jungle.
Villagers who travel from one village to another in bullock carts.
Beginning of the monsoon: this is when the fields are seeded. Animals are let out of the barns to roam and graze in the jungle. This is an opportune time for the tiger to kill domesticated animals. Owners then go out looking for the missing animals and themselves become hunted by the man-eating tigers.
If the tiger kills the bait, he starts eating the kill from the hind legs first. He often leaves part of the buffalo for later. The left over Gara (Buffalo) should be covered with branches of tree so that the vultures and crows do not start feeding on the leftover parts.
Before you sit on the Machan, remove the branches and other covering completely and through it far away from the remains of the kill.
You can also install the modern video cameras on the pathways to see the movements of the tiger. A good location will be the water holes and water channels to monitor the tiger.
If you are planning to capture a tiger; use the rifle with tranquilizing darts. The best approach would be to tie a buffalo as Bait and sit on a Machan[9] near the Bait. As soon as the tiger comes to the Bait, shoot the tiger with the tranquilizing dart. Bait
Have your staff ready with the proper cage to capture the tranquilized tiger. This should be completed with haste as the effect may ware off.
The staff should be trained and ready to administer an antidote, if necessary, to revive the unconscious tiger.
However, if the tiger or the Leopard was a man-eater, it must be killed. Otherwise, a man-eater can kill large number of people.

Now days, the Forestry departments and the governments have more sympathy with the animals than with those human beings that get mauled by the tigers. There is none to shed a tear for the victims.

Tranquilizing a tiger after darting it with a rifle at night is a very difficult proposition:

a) It takes up to 15- 20 minutes to render it unconscious.
b) In the meantime, he goes for shelter in the thick of the forest
c) As forest are being cut down to make way for agricultural lands, the tiger’s natural habitat is shrinking.
d) This is the primary reason why the tiger is entering villages and praying on domesticated animals and the easiest pray of all are humans. Thus, causing the tiger to become a man-eating animal.

Tiger sanctuary proposal:

The Forestry departments and governments have imposed so many restrictions on hunting that those who lose their animals and loved one’s are resorting to poisoning the leftover flesh to kill the tiger in a more grotesque fashion. They either sell the hide or dispose it off by burying in the ground. Even when the Forestry officials come to know about these practices, they keep silence to save their jobs. The net result is; dwindling tiger population.

When the game sanctuary was being created, the authorities had invited my father to attend the foundation laying ceremony. His proposal was to the fence the sanctuaries with barbed wire and to simultaneously ensure that the villages will not encroaching into the sanctuaries. Each sanctuary shall have its own tiger breeding farms and allow the cubs to grow up unharmed in the confines of the sanctuaries. Once the cubs were old enough to fend for themselves, they should be released into the wild to procreate in a more natural habitat. They paid lip service to his proposal and did not followed it. As of this writing, these sanctuaries are full of new villages. Should this continue much longer, the tiger is in danger of extinction. The Forestry authorities and governments will have to pay special attention to encroachment by humans and poisoning of tigers.

Finally, as of this writing, the wild pigs are being killed by high voltage fences in their paths. Some of the pathways have been set up as snares made from the scooter brake or clutch wires. They are then hung out on trees to die a painful death. Some tigers and Leopards are being killed by these wire-snares. A more humane method of culling the wild pigs is necessary.
Trip to Medak

At Pulli Guppa kundaram, Medak, Telangana.

My first tiger kill:

The summer had arrived in Hyderabad, it was the month of March and two blocks had been opened for hunting. Nawab Mazharuddin Khan (a.k.a Shah Sahib Mian) who was the son of Nawab Moinud Dawlah, the Amir of Paigah Asman Jahi had reserved two blocks in Zilah (District) Medak for tiger hunting.

One of the blocks was in Quazi Pulli which is located about 7 Km from Medak. The other block was loated in Pulli Guppa which is in the basin of the Pocharum Talaab (Lake) and nearer to the settlement of Gundharum.

The hunting expedition arrangements were made under the auspices of my late father Mr. Mohammed Salhauddin Sahib. We were joined by six well known and expert Shikari (Hunters) from Bellavista, the official residence of the Prince of Berar. They had been subordinated to my father’s command. Their names were:

1) Mohammed bin Saalim

2) Mohammed Jahangir Baig

3) Ahmed bin Rehman

4) Quasem

5) Lingayya

6) Ayrega

My father had assigned specific tasks to the team of these Shikaris, such as:

a) Survey the pathways, animal footpaths in the jungle for pugmarks.
b) Identify the water sources and the drinking places of the tigers.
c) tying Khulga (buffalo) baits to appropriate places
d) Selecting suitable places for installing Machans
e) Tying the pennants at the right and left covering of the Machan[10] (Jhoola)
f) Organizing and initiating the beat
g) Searching for the injured Tiger or the Leopard: this being the most important task, was assigned to me, Jahangir Baig, Quasem and Lingayya.

We were setting up Gara in two places: (1) Palli Guppa and (2) Quazi Palli.: Mohammed, myself and other Shikari were assigned to this Gara. The Nawab Sahib’s Chauffer, Karim, would drive us to the spots, which were located 20 Km from the Pocharum Dock Bungalow, in his Jeep. We would, usually, set off at 7:00 A.M.

The Nawab and his wife, the Rani Sahiba, of Samatsan Nayarranpore, his two brothers; Iqbal Nawab and Maqbool Nawab were camped in the Pocharum Dock Bungalow at the Lake. All of us were also camped in the same Dock Bungalow.

The next day, early in the morning, we went looking for signs of Gara, at Palli Guppa. We had Parked the Jeep at quite a distance from the bait. All of us got out and walked very slowly in the direction of the Gara. This was the pathway most frequented by the Tiger. My father, who was very familiar with the jungle, had selected the place for tying the baits.

Slowly and softly, we climbed up to the brow of a small hill. We could easily see the Gara. However, even before we reached the top, we had a pretty good idea that the tiger had killed the Khulga (buffalo) because there were crows sitting on the close by tres.. They crow were making quite a racket and looking down. They had the smell of the flesh but had not yet descended to the ground. This was a strong indication that the Tiger was still sitting near the kill.

We took cover behind the trunk of a large tree. I looked at my wristwatch and it was 8:15 A.M. We stayed still for about 30 minutes then, we stealthily went down the hill back to wherefrom we had seen the Gara. From this vantage point, we could see the buffalo lying on the ground. The tiger had ripped open the buffalo; the entrails were already on the ground.

Our task was to give my father news of Gara because the he had to organize the beat and make several other arrangements. We got back to the Pocharum Dock Bungalow and we briefed him about the Gara. He sent for the local Patels: they were to gather up some beaters for a 1:00 P.M Hanka (beat). The Patels gathered 200 beaters for the beat.

We all got to the Gara place and decided not to install Jhoolas. Instead, decision was made to build Maat (platform on the ground); right on the most likely pathway; the Shikari call such pathways the Saal.

At 12:15 P.M sharp, Nawab Mazharuddin Khan, Iqbal Nawab, Maqbool Nawab and Colonel Hamidullah (ADC to the Prince of Berar) arrived. Iqbal Nawab did not like the Maat and said to the Nawab (Mazharuddin Khan), “Bhai (Brother), the Tiger will not come anywhere close to this Maat; it will come from in between the two hills “A prolonged discussing followed between my father and Iqbal Nawab. Reasoning with him, my father said, “look, hunting and planning a successful hunt are two different things. Granted, you might have hunted several times, but I am familiar with this jungle and am certain about the trails Tiger will follow.” The back and forth arguments went on for a long time and Iqbal Nawab would not budge. In the end, reluctantly, my father relented.

The brothers disagreed:

The two brothers had separate Maats built; and they sat down on their respective Maat. My father had to alter his plans for the Hanka (beat) at the last minute. Still he kept telling them that the beaters cannot drive the Tiger between these two hills, but it was to no avail.

They seated Colonel Hamidullah on one side and Maqbool Nawab on the other. My father sat where he thought the Tiger might appear. He had the double pennants or flags tied around this place. I was ordered to go sit on a nearby higher Knoll. There was a small rock and I decided to sit up on it; watching the Hanka (beat) unfold.

As mentioned, my father was sitting by the double covering because he was certain the Tiger will come there. I was also certain that if the Tiger passes through the pennants, it will come straight to where I was seated. I was sitting on a slightly elevated ground or a mound and I could see the beaters coming from the distant mountain. The beat started with a dummy gunfire in the air, it was followed by loud firecrackers and incessant Dhupra beatings, more dummy gun firings followed.

Suddenly, I saw the Tiger in the valley just below the position where the gang of beaters were. The Tiger was heading in the direction my father had predicted. As the Tiger approached the covering flags the stoppers who were perched on trees, began to get ready. As soon as the Tiger saw the flags; instead of going in the direction of the Nawab Sahib’s Maat, it turned around and headed back in the direction of the beaters. Now, the beaters, made a tremendous noise: throaty noises were raised, the Lahsan patakhas exploded in quick succession and the Dhupra were beaten in a hurry. Once again, the Tiger did not go in the direction of the Maat where the Nawab was sitting. Instead, it returned to where the flags were installed. Despite the clapping by the stoppers, the Tiger was annoyed and roared at the flags. It attacked the pennant ropes with its front paws and started running.

As the Tiger emerged from underneath the flags, Maqbool Nawab fired at the tiger from far away. It was out of his range and the bullet did not hit the tiger. Soon the Tiger was heading in my direction: I removed the safety latch on the .404 bolt action, single barrel rifle. First, I took cover behind the rock where I sat a little while later, the tiger reappeared 15 meters to my side, he was on full gallop. I took aim at the top part of his shoulder and gently pulled the trigger.

There was a tremendous explosion and simultaneously, I saw the tiger make eight (8) or ten (10) summersaults in the air: it looked as if a wheel had freed itself from the vehicle in motion and was rolling down the hill . Seconds later, the tiger fell into a lifeless heap of flesh. I quickly reloaded my rifle and took aim at the tiger, but the Tiger had already died. Next, I heard the whistle which was in my father’s possession; he was walking fast in my direction. I signaled to him that the tiger was lying in front of me.

He saw the tiger and it made him very happy. He patted my back and said to me “that is what happens when someone does not listen to an experienced hunter. Had the Nawab Sahib followed my advice, he would have bagged this tiger.”

Everyone was now gathered around the dead Tiger. The look on the faces of the Nawab Sahib and his brothers was one of self-inflicted embarrassment, The Nawab came to me and said, “Nizam, this is your Tiger and you keep the hide too.” I saluted the Nawab and thanked him. My father’s joy knew no bounds, he measured the Tiger; it was 9 ft, 6 inches; a very big tiger. This was my first tiger kill.
Peeran Charoo
Natnayapalli

The injurd tiger of Natnayapalli

It was the month of March and the heat of the summer was noticeable. My father, Mohammed Salahuddin Sahib was busy making plans for a hunting expedition for Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar. He had with him; Shikaris, Mohammed Saalim, and Jahangir Baig. They were joined by the local Shikaris Lingaya, and Ayriga who were employees of the Royal Shikargah Bellavesta.

They headed for place called Narsapur in an International Van which had the Bellavista markings (Royal Markings) on it. Narsapur lies 30 miles north of Hyderabad in the District of Meduk. Approximately 10 miles south of the District of Medak is a village called Natnaya Palli; surrounding it are forests and hills. There is a lake in the middle of this forest, which is called Peeran Charu. Below the lake, a stream flows all year round and it has a muddy wetland. There is dense foliage consisting of Jamun Berry Trees, the Fern and Elephant Grass. This is an ideal place for the Tiger to rest during the hot summer days.

My father arrived in Natnaya Palli around 10:00 A.M. He was accompanied by Mohammed Saalim, Jahangir Baig and the local Shikari Lingaya and Ayriga: I was also with them. A camp had already been set up in the shadow of a large Mango tree. We organized our belongings in the camp, then Lingaya and Ayriga set off to buy two buffalo for bait. These two Shikaris were also responsible for this Royal Game Reserve. Their daily routine was to pass through the various pathways, trails and tracks and to be watchful of the pug marks. The various pathways were combed with thorny branches and Phantay to obliterate the old pug marks.

The next morning, we inspected these accesses for new pug marks. If we found new pug marks of Tiger, we would inform my father, who would personally inspect them and then the bait (Gara) would be set up at suitable locations. After finishing our lunch at the camp, we set off to the locations my father had selected. The buffalo, the ropes and the Jhoola (mattresses) and other necessary materials were brought to the site.

The Prince had ordered my father to choose a location where he could bring his automobile: a luxurious Bentley. The tree chosen for the Jhoola was a Moha tree. Before tying the Jhoola, we made sure there were no honeybees or the wasp nesting in this tree which was beside a Bullock Cart road: wide enough for the Prince’s Bentley to be brought here. The road had been widened and groomed prior to his arrival.

Three Jhoola were installed: one on the Moha tree and the other two behind the Moha tree. This Bullock cart road was used by the Tiger, so we instructed Lingaya and Ayriga to tie the baits in two preselected location, comb the road with thorny bushes and the Phantasy (palm leaves) before returning to the camp. We had now returned to the camp.

The following morning, at 8:30 A.M we returned to inspect the jungle. We arrived at the first site of the bait. As soon as the buffalo heard our footsteps, he stood up and was looking at us. We proceeded to inspect the second bait; from a distance we could hear the noises of the flock of crows in the nearby trees. We were certain that the Tiger had taken the bait. However, when we arrived at the place where the second buffalo was tied; we could not see the kill.

The Tiger had grabbed the buffalo by the neck; broken the rope tied to the front leg of the bait, then dragged it below the Lake, into the dense growth around the stream. We checked the soil and the paths around the stream; the Tiger had not left the area. We quickly returned to the camp. It had rained a few days before we camped here. This was a Kodsa forest. One could see the tall Teak trees stretched as far as the eye could see.

Now, we had to inform the Prince that the Tiger had taken the bait. We sent a messenger with our driver to Nursapur to inform the Prince by phone. The local Patels were going to organize the gang of beaters. We got the word back that the Prince will be arriving around noon.

Soon, the beaters were dispatched to the jungle with their two leaders: Lingaya and Ayriga. They were provided with supplies of garlic shape firecrackers, Dhupras, empty tin cans, etc. We instructed the two to make sure the Hanka (beat) shall begin after the Prince had been seated in the Jhoola. They were to listen to our signature long whistle indicating we were seated and ready for the Hanks to commence. Jahangir Baig and Mohammed bin Saalim were posted to the right and left covering pennant flags with there respective team of stoppers. My father and I went to the spot where the Prince were expected to arrive.

The prince arrives in his Bentley

The Prince arrived, at 12:00 noon sharp, with his guest and his ADC. They had travelled in a Royal motorcade of Bentley, Jaguar and a Daimler; all of them with the Bellavista markings. The guests were Colonel Hamidullah, ADC; his son Karamatullah, Mehmud Ali Baig, Nawab Mazharuddin Khan and three young ladies. We ushered them all to the Jhoolas, which had been set up earlier. They all climbed up using the ladders; Prince Azam Jah was in the first Jhoola, he had the company of the three young ladies. Behind him sat Colonel Hamidullah and his son Karamat and Nawab Mazharuddin Khan. In the third Jhoola, which was behind the second one, sat Colonel Mehmud Ali Baig and a Doctor and someone else.

My father and Mohammed Saalim Sahib went with the folks on right covering. Jahangir Baig Sahib had the pennants flags: his men tied the pennants to the surrounding bushes, then they all climbed up on different trees. Jahangir Baig Sahib and I stood on the ground, taking cover behind a tree: he had a .12 bore shotgun and I had my father’s .404 single barrel-bolt-action rifle. In the distance, Lingaya and Ayriga were waiting ready with their beaters and anticipating our signal to start the beat. My father blew the signature whistle and the beat started in earnest.

As usual, the beat started with the detonation of garlic-shaped firecrackers, the beating of the Dhupra (town crier’s drums), yelling of men, clapping of hands. Minutes passed and the cacophony of jarring and discordant sounds increased in intensity. Twenty minutes into the beat, I heard the big bang of the .500 / .465 double barrel Holland rifle go off. It was followed by a second shot and simultaneously, I head the growling of a tiger.

Jahangir Baig Sahib and I crept closer to the Jhoola where the Prince and his guest were seated and asked the Prince, using a sign language, as to what had happened? The Prince said, “the Tiger was coming fast on the bullock cart road, my first fire missed him, I fired the second shot, but the Tiger just growled and disappeared into the dense jungle.”

The Tiger had been injured. The signature whistle indicating an injured tiger was repeatedly sounded. The beaters had been instructed to stop the beat and immediately climb up the nearest tree for safety. The Prince said, “Jahangir, so long as the injured Tiger has not been killed, I will not dismount the Jhoola.”

By now, my father and Mohammed bin Saalim had arrived at the Prince’s Jhoola. Our collective opinion was that the Tiger, most likely, had been hit somewhere in the abdomen. Now, we had to search for the injured Tiger. Neither the two Colonels nor the Nawab got down their respective Jhoola to join the search party.
Injurd tiger search

Searching an injurd tiger:

This task fell to Jahangir Baig Sahib, Mohammed bin Saalim Sahib and me. The three of us formed a line and went to the spot where the Prince had fired the second shot.There was considerable amount of blood found at this spot. Jahangir Baig Sahib was in the middle, Mohammed bin Saalim Sahib to his right and I was to his left. Jahangir Sahib was looking for the trail of blood and slowly moving forward while were keeping a watch. It had recently rained; the foliage of the Teak forest was very dense; we could not see far into the woods.

The tiger first sends a warning signal to anyone encroaching upon his territory. If he sees or senses human presence from a distance, he will make a gentle growl. Mohammed bin Saalim and Jahangir Baig Sahib were both trained by my father: they thought that the hind legs of the Tiger had been rendered paralyzed by the second shot and, the Tiger was dragging the rest of his body forward with his powerful front legs. As we moved forward, we could see the drag marks of his body and the trail of blood. Approximately 30 yards further in, we heard another growl and saw the movement of a plant in the woods. As we moved forward, the Tiger issued a terrifying growl and was charging at us. It was now, 15 yards away from me: it was dragging the collapsed hind portion of body with his front legs. The chest portion of the tiger was pointing upwards on his front legs; I immediately took aim at his chest and pulled the trigger of my rifle. The Tiger collapsed into a heap right on the spot and I immediately reloaded my rifle with the bolt action lever. Messer Jahangir Baig and Mohammed Saalim rushed to my side and aimed their loaded guns at the Tiger. It was already dead. They both patted my back. These two gentlemen were my mentors. They had taught me the art and science of hunting, so to speak. They said to me, “the one who injures the tiger does not bag it, the who kills an injured Tiger bags it.”

The Prince had been informed that I had shot the tiger. He came to me and put his hand on my shoulder and congratulated me. My father was also very pleased with my kill. The Tiger was brought to the bullock cart road and laid flat. Everyone gathered in a row and photos were taken by the world-renowned photographer Raja Deen Dayal. The Tiger measured 9 ft, 6 inches.

The Prince of Berar had hunted 37 tigers in this jungle.
Milatary Governor: Velodi

Nursapur

The Prince of Berar, Azam Jah (The Prince) was also the Crown Prince of the Hyderabad State. After the fall of Hyderabad, the Indian Union had appointed a Military Governor when his term finished, Mr. Velodi succeeded him as the second Military Governor.

The Prince had invited the Mr. Velodi for tiger hunting on his Game Reserve at Narsapur. Mr. Velodi, like his predecessor, Major General J.N Chaudhary, was an avid hunter. My father who was the Managing Director of the Royal Game Reserves was asked to organize this tiger hunting expedition.

He decided to take them to Nursapur, which lies between Hyderabad City and the District of Medak, at a distance of 30 miles north of Hyderabad. Approximately 10 miles south of the District of Medak is a village called Natnaya Palli; surrounding it are beautiful forests and hills. There is a lake in the middle of this forest, which is called Peeran Charu, Below the lake there a stream which flows all year round and it has a muddy wetland. There is dense foliage consisting of Jamun Berry Trees, and Fern. This is an ideal place for the Tiger to rest during the heat of the day.

There was a diversity of wildlife in this Jungle: to mention a few:

Tigers
Leopards
Bear
Sambhar
Neal Gai
Cheetal (spotted deer)
Mountain Goat
Wild pigs
Peacocks and Peahens

Piran Charo

There is a lake (Talaab) called Piran Charo and the village, in this Jungle, is called Natnaya Palli. Right below the lake there is stream that flows year-round and, the wetland is muddy. Animals come here for drink and the tiger likes to sleep or rest in the cool dense growth around the stream. Some local hunters; Lingaya, Ayriga, Mallaya and Saayloo look after the whole jungle. They are employees of the Bellavista, official residence of the Prince. These men were all trained by my father. Every morning, these men would go out and inspect the jungle and brief my father on their unusual observations, if any.

One day, they reported, to father, about a big bull had been been killed by a tiger. The tiger had dragged the bull into valley known as the Adagoo valley. My father and his staff went to Natnaya Palli and investigated the reported kill. The Tiger was still in the Adagoo valley. The pathways and trails were searched for pug marks; thus, it was established that the Tiger was on a mountain near the valley. A Hanka was organized at this venue.

The Prince was informed, and he decided to arrive at this site with Mr. Velodi, the new Military Governor, by 3:00 P.M that afternoon. There was a streamlet to the north of Adagoo valley; it fllowed down from its source on the mountain. A large Moha tree had grown to maturity. A Jhoola (Machan) was set up on this tree. As mentioned before, Mohammed and Jahangir Baig were the Prince’s official Shikari. They were experience shooters. Mohammed was assigned the task of installing Covering pennant flags to the right and left of the Machan while Jahangir Baig, Lingaya, Ayriga, Malaya and Saayloo were given the responsibility for the Hanka (Beat). All tasks had been completed before the Prince arrived with his honored guest.

The Prince and Mr. Velodi arrived, in a Bentley, at exactly 3:00 P.M. They climbed up into the Machan (Jhooka) using a step ladder. Soon, the right and left conering (??) pennant flags were tied to the selected branches of nearby trees.

I took my position, behind a rock and a large tree with my father who stood behind me, his hand was resting on my shoulder. My father blew the signature whistle to commence the beat. First, I heard the firecrackers exploding, next came blank Musket firings in the air, then the repetitive sound of the Dhapra drums mixed with the human uproar with hand clippings. We were on the right covering (????) which was about one furlong away. I had my father’s .404 rifle which had three shells: one in the chamber and two in the magazine. I put it on safe. The entire forest was echoing with the sounds of the Hanka (Beat).

I heard a large animal running: shortly thereafter, a beautiful Neal stood just 50 yards away from us. As soon he saw the pennant flags, it ran towards the Machan and disappeared. The Hanks gang came up the brow of the hill and again I heard the rustling sound of dried up leaves. Soon at the same spot where the Neal had stood, minutes ago, a large animal, a Tiger briefly stopped and then slowly walked towards the Machan (Jhoola). I then heard two rifle firings in rapid succession. It was the sound of .500 / 465 Holland and Holland rifles I and II. Bothe the Prince and Mr. Velodi had the similar rifles. After the two firings, the Tiger again came back to the same spot where it had stopped previously. I had removed the safety latch and stood ready. Then I aimed the sight on the Tiger’S shoulder and pulled the trigger. The Tiger fell on the spot. I stepped forward a few steps and saw the Tiger still breathing and wagging his tail, so I put the second bullet into the back, just between the shoulder blades because his back was facing me.

My father had explained the rule to everyone before the hunting began: if the Prince had fired but missed, then everyone was free to take shots at the Tiger. Both bullets were fired by Mr. Velodi but had missed the Tiger completely. Mr. Velodi and the Prince got off the Machan and came to where the dead Tiger was lying. Mr. Veldi was told that both bullets hitting the Tiger came from his gun. He was super happy to hear it.

The Prince took me aside, he patted my back and then complemented me for being brave to stand on the ground and shooting the Tiger. My father too was very happy for this was my second (???? I think it was the third) Tiger kill at such a young age.

The Tiger measured 9 ft, 4 inches and it was a very fat Tiger. Individual and group photos were taken by the famous Hyderabadi as well as now world-renowned photographer Deen Dayal. The late afternoon tea was served by the roadside. The Tiger was brought to this spot and more pictures were taken. The Prince came to my father and thanked him for the excellent arrangements he had made for this Shikar. They were soon on their way back to Hyderabad City.

Cattle-Loafer tiger

The cattle loafer of Medak

A round the district of Medak, a tiger had played havoc with the livestock, causing multiple killings. The tiger had become a habitual killer. The forestry department had received numerous complaints from citizens, about loss of their livelihood caused by tiger. In one such attack on an Island in the Manjira River, the Tiger had killed 13 livestocks. Therefore, the Forestry Authorities had declared it “The Cattle Loafer Tiger”. They wanted this tiger killed, as soon as possible.

The Tiger was hiding in an Island in the River Manjira. The river flows through the Medak District. There is a dam built on it: to the left of it is the Ghanpore Dock Bungalow and to the right of it is the large Temple of Aur payal. Here the river divides into two branches: creating an Island which has a small forest in it. Six km downstream is their confluence.

Prince Muffaqam Jah who is the grandson of the Huzur Nizam had obtained a permit from the Forest Department to kill this Tiger. Other hunters too had obtained permits to shoot the Tiger, and several attempts had been made to kill it. They had used baits and Hanka technique; some hunters had chances to kill it but despite firing several times at the Tiger, he had managed to escape unharmed. The Tiger had become quite cunning and alert: he would run on the slightest hint or suspicion of danger.

Prince Muffaqam Jah, I, Mohammed bin Saalim and Jahangir Baig pursued the Tiger for two years, but this Tiger had become an expert in sensing and dodging any would be hunters. On sensing the slightest movement of his enemies, he would run for the safety of the Forest. We had organized Hanka twice: each time, the Tiger would come out of its den, then run in the opposite direction to where the beaters wanted him to go. Thus, escaping from his enemies successfully on each occasion. Two years had passed, and this Tiger had killed numerous livestock

Prince Muffaqam Jah was insistent that we must make our plans anew and get rid of this Tiger to provide some relief to those people who were affected by the mayhem it had created. It was the month of May and the summer heat was quite oppressive. It was decided that we would try to shoot the Tiger in the forest of Quazi Pulli which is located approximately 15 Km from Medak. In the past, my father had successfully arranged thirteen hunting expeditions for Prince Azam Jah in this forest. We were quite familiar with this forest. Therefore, it was decided that I should collect some Shikaris and go with them to Quazi Palli to make the necessary arrangements such as: purchasing buffalos for bait and selecting the places for Gara etc.

One fine morning, at 6:00 A.M, I, Mohammed bin Saalim, Jahingir Baiga and Mansoor Ali, who is the chauffer to Prince Muffaqam jah, drove us to Medak in a Jeep. Just before Narsapur, there is a village called Natnaye Palli: we picked up two more experienced hunters there: Lingaya and Ayraga. Both were employed by Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar. We drove to Quazi Palli and arrived there by 10:00 A.M.

We went to the house of Chandraya Patel; the Patel for Quazi Palli. He was a friend of my fathers and had previously participated in planning for the Prince of Berar’s hunting expeditions. We briefed him about Prince Muffaqum Jah’s plan to shoot the rouge Tiger. There was a terra-cotta roofed Chowri (Guest Hall), close to his home.It was mostly used for accommodating out of town government officials. He kindly arranged our accommodations in the Chowri.

We requested Chandraya Patel to provide us with two men and have four Khulga purchased for bait. We then left for the Chowri. We had a trailer hitched to our Jeep. It carried our belongings: a Jhoola, ropes, the covering pennant flags, our provisions, the cookware and our beddings. We unloaded our belongings and left with Chandraya Patel to inspect the jungle. Our plan was to set up the bait: if the bait was taken then we would phone Prince Muffaqqum Jah to come to the jungle.

We left the Jeep on the outskirts of the jungle and walked on the bullock cart road around the Gharonjee Hill. I, Chandraya Patel, Jahangir Baig, Lingaya and a local guide went out looking for pug marks of the Tiger. This mountain has a glut of rocks; big rocks stand upon smaller rocks making it a natural wonder and an ideal place for the tigers to make their dens. There were several dens already made among these majestic rocks. On hot summer days, the tigers stay in these cool dark dens.

Daspa Kaccha

Next to this mountain is a bigger mountain called Daspa Kaccha. We send Mohammed bin Saalim, Ayariga and the local man to look for pugmarks on the Bullock cart road. They found pugmarks that were two to three days old. We also walked looking for pugmarks toward the far end of Daspa Kachha mountain. Mohammed bin Saalim and his companions were already here. Now, we all walked together. The Tiger had crossed the road that goes to Shate Palli and then following the course of the Haldi (Turmeric) River it had entered the Chityal Forest.

We returned to Quazi Palli. The news of our arrival had spread to the villagers; several had gathered at the Chowri and were urging us to kill this Tiger so their livestock may be safer. The Daspa Kachha mountain did not have much water and the Tiger had to go a long way to drink water. Therefore, we decided to put water troughs at level with the ground, so the Tiger could drink from the troughs near the bait. We bought large terra cotta troughs from the local potters.

We had our lunch at the Chowri: then we loaded the Jhoola, the ropes, the earthen troughs, and a large Barrel full of fresh water, into the Jeep’s trailer and left for the mountain. Three Khulga were brought to the mountain; one Khulga was tied on the Bullock Cart Road near the mountain and one earthen trough was installed and filled with water at the ground level, thus making it look like a natural drinking hole. We hoped that after the kill the Tiger will drink from this trough and not wander off in search of water to far away places.

The second Khulga was tied to the base of a strong tree behind the Daspa Kacha mountain. The second trough was installed at ground level and filled with water. The third Khulga was tied on opposite side at the elevated portion of the Despa Kacha mountain; the third earthen trough was installed and filled with water at the ground level, thus making it look like a natural drinking hole. There was a large Moha tree, at the base of the mount and we installed the Jhoola on the the tree.. The three corners of the Jhoola were secured to mature branches of tree with strong ropes. The one corner of the Jhoola had no support; it was tied by a long rope to the tree trunk, thus making this corner firmly held in place.

We were confident that when the Hanka would begin, the Tiger will come running just in front of the Jhoola. So, we had created an artificial hedge row just behind the Jhoola. Bushes were cut and brought from elsewhere to within 20 meters of the Jhoola; it measured 25 meters long. The purpose of the hedge row would be to cause the running Tiger to stop, thus giving the hunters a chance to fire and kill the Tiger.

Having completed the above tasks, we collected several branches of trees and made them into a fan-shape broom; then we tied it to the trailer hook behind of Jeep: wherever the Jeep could go, we combed all the pathways around the Kharonjee Mountain. The narrow paths were also dragged by bushes or tree branches to obliterate all the old pugmarks, if any. Most importantly, in this way, after the Gara, we would find out weather the Tiger was still in the mountain area. If not; we would get to know the direction in which he had travelled. We did all these preparations a day in advance because we were dealing with a very cleaver Tiger. We also decided that the Hanka will commence at least from 1 Km way. It was sundown and we returned to Quazi Palli.

Quazipalli

In Quazi Palli, we were all together again. So, we collectively reviewed the plans. There was consensus that Ljngaya, Ayariga and Chandraya Patel will go with the beaters. They were instructed to surround the mountain quietly, the beaters should be equipped with good quantities of; Garlic shape firecrackers, empty tin cans, Dhupra Drums and be ready to start the Hanka only after the signature Whistle was blown. Jahangir Baig was assigned to tie the left covering pennant flags and Mohammed bin Saalim was assigned to the right covering (??) flags. They were to make sure that all men under their command would quietly but safely be sitting on the nearest trees. The whistle would be blown; both Jahangir and Mohammed were given a whistle.

The next day, at 8:00 A.M we left to look for the Gara. Cautiously, we went to check the three buffalos. They were alive, so we sent the three Khulgay back to Quazipet. We checked the trails and found pugmarks of a bear. The bear had crossed the Haldi Naddi (Turmeric River) and then gone into the Chatyal mountains. We had the Town-crier go around and ask the villagers to refrain from grazing their livestock in the Quazi Palli jungle.

My father had an expert knowledge of the Quazi Palli Jungle and the topography of the land. He knew the paths animals would use to go to grazing pastures and also knew their favorite drinking places. He had nicknamed it Darwaza (The Door) because the tigers and all other animals, including the livestock used to go south towards the Shutt Palli Road, cross the Haldi Naddi then go into the Chatyal mountains. From there, to Chatyal mountains, they would enter the Venkatapore forest and thereafter into the Alipore Palm Bunda: thence into Nursapur forest. They would then go into Darwaza Gundoo, cross the Hyderabad Road and enter the Natnaya Palli forest which had a small lake and it always had water in it.

The tiger would stay below this lake. It is located approximately 10 Km from Nursapur. The Babu Khan family run a Poultry Farm here. Beside the road, there is a rocky terrain and a bullock cart road. The tiger uses this road to go to Peerancharoo. Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar, had killed 32 tigers here. All those places I have mentioned, have water channels and have flowing water, all year round. The tiger passes through all of the above-mentioned places. If tiger would find an animal, he would kill it, consumes it and stay there for a day or so.

If the tiger goes north, he will cross Medak to Woodarum Road and then go around Medak into Rain Palli forest. There is a small lake with a Rest house; for travelers. The tiger has a big territory to explore and plenty of food to find. From Medak, he crosses the Kama Reddy Road and goes into the depression below the lake. He takes a path via Palli Guncha Gundarum and from here, he enters Yella Reddy forest. He then crosses the forest and enters the Banswada (Bamboo forest) of Bothan. The tiger’s territory is vast and provides all the food and water he needs. Around Quazi Palli the jungle narrows a little: hence my father called it the Darwaza (the door).

We returned to the Quazipet camp: rested a few hours and then at 3:00 P.M we returned to the Gharounjee mountain. We took the three Khulgay (Buffalo) we had procured for the bait. We tied the once again baits at the same place with very strong ropes and returned to the camp for the day.

The next day at 8:00 A.M we came back to Gharounjee mountain to check the baits. As soon as we approached the vicinity of the first bait: we knew that the Gara had taken place because; the crows were sitting on the trees and making quite a racket. They had smelled the buffalo flesh. We approached the Gara very carefully: the buffalo had been killed, but the tiger could not break the rope. So, the tiger proceeded to eat the buffalo and had devoured the hind portion. He drank the water from the trough we had placed nearby and then left in the direction of the Gharounjee mountain.

We checked the remaining two buffalo and they were unharmed and safe. We took them back to the Quazipet camp. Now, we had to inform Prince Muffaqam Jah by phone. In those days, we only had landlines and only a privileged few had the phone. We sent two people to Medak by Jeep: Mansoor and Ayariga. I was busy making various arrangements while Chandraya Patel was busy arranging the Hanka. He recruited one hundred and fifty beaters in short order.

The Prince arrived, Quazipet camp, at 11:00 A.M in his Austin Healy sports car. The Hanka gang were assembled far away from the Gharounjee mountain. They cautioned to remain very quiet and were told not to speak aloud. Lingaya, Ayaraga and Chandraya Patel were supplied with lots of garlic shaped firecrackers, and Dhupra Drums were also used Chandraya Patel and others were instructed that as soon as the signature Whistle would be blow, they were to fan out and surround the surround the mountain in a half-circular formation and make plenty of noise with Dhapra beatings ,firecracker detonations and empty tin can rattling.

Forty men were given to Mohammed Saalim and Jahangir Baig for manning the right and left covering pennant flags. Both these gentlemen and their men were instructed to climb up on the nearby trees, on whistle. and if the Tiger came in their direction: they were to clap their hands only and they must not make any vocal sounds.

I arrived with Prince Muffaqam Jah by Jeep and left it at quite a distance from the Jhoola. We walked the rest of the distance to the Jhoola which was placed 12 ft above the ground. We both climed the tree and seated ourselves in the Jhoola: The Prince sat down to my right. He had a 450/400 double barrel Holland and Holland rifle while I had a double barrel 500/465 bore rifle. We were now facing the Gharounjee mountain and Daspa Kuncha was on our right.

The pennant flags had been tied to our right and left and men had comfortably seated themselves on the nearby trees. The starting whistle had been blown. About 20 minutes later the Hanka started: firecrackers exploded, men screamed, and the Dhapra Drums were beaten like mad. Muffaqam Jah had expressed his pessimism several times, that the Tiger would dodge the Hanka and run away or will escape through the covering flags. His rifle was resting on the Jhoola; instead, being an enthusiastic photographer, he had his camera in his hands. The Hanka was into the first fifteen minutes and I saw the Tiger coming from my right. He came and stopped on Daspakuncha mount at about 300 yards, where the pennant flags had been installed. I was sure the Tiger will come from this direction. I whispered to the Prince that he should be ready with the rifle and pointed my hand towards the Tiger. As soon as he saw the Tiger, he started snapping pictures of the Tiger and said, “at least I should photograph the Tiger, he is very sneaky; and will escape through the flagged area.”. I heard the hand clapping of the right covering people, and suddenly, the Tiger had disappeared. I also thought the Tiger had escaped from the right-hand covering flags.

Soon, the Hanka noises reached a crescendo and, appeared to die but it suddenly intensified. The beaters yelled at the top of their lungs. Then, I saw an animal which looked like a Lungoor with his tale in the air, coming in our direction on gallop within 15 yards of the Jhoola; it was the tiger. I was ready with my rifle aimed on the Tiger’s front shoulders. The Prince was also ready, but he was a little late firing at the Tiger. I did not get a chance to fire my rifle. His bullet hit the ground and I thought the Tiger had escaped us. I turned around and saw the Tiger running on gallop behind us, then he collided with the artificial hedge row we had created earlier. Instead of running away from the hedges, he turned around and he was galloping in the direction of the Jhoola where we sat. The Prince fired his second bullet but again it hit the ground. I was aimed and ready to fire with my finger on the trigger, but my rifle collided with the rope holding the Jhoola.

Instead of running in the direction of the beaters, the Tiger ran around the Jhoola and now it was running behind my back. I quickly turned my rifle in that direction, took aim at the Tiger who was still on full gallop, his side was facing my rifle, I pulled the trigger. There was a loud explosion from the fire, the Tiger fell to the ground, but he was still sliding forward on the ground, but the momentum carried it forward for 10 more yards. The impact of bullet was like a punch: It was as if somebody picked up the Tiger and threw him in the forward motion. I kept my aim at the Tiger, but it was motionless and was already dead.There was no need to fire the second shot.

I moved out of my place a little, so that the Prince could have a better view of the Tiger. He was very happy to see it dead. Both I and Muffaqqam Jah had thought that his second bullet might have hit the Tiger. He climbed down from the Jhoola and walked to the sight where his first bullet had hit the ground. It had dug up a hole in the ground. Then he went to the hole made by his second bullet and thence to the dead Tiger but there was not a drop of blood to be found. I was now down from the Jhoola and joined him near the dead Tiger. He said “Nizam, my second bullet also missed the Tiger. This is your Tiger.” He congratulated me and shook my hand.

The Tiger, when I shot him, was facing me a little sideways. My bullet hit the Tiger in the thoracic area penetrated to the shoulder, then it stopped in the skin and never emerged. Jahanger Baig and Mohammed Saalim had gathered by the tiger and soon Chandraya Patel, Lingaya and Ayraga and the beaters had joind us. Mohammed Saalim’s account was that; as soon as the Hanka started, he saw the Tiger went to the Daspa Kuncha mount but when he saw the multicolored pennant flags, it stopped. Seeing the Tiger stopped, the Dhura beaters intensified their beat and detonated several firecrackers. The noise made him high tale down into the base of the Daspa Kuncha and thence towards the Jhoola.

Chandrayan Patel and the beaters were ecstatic because, from now on, their livestock were safer. Mohammed and Jahangir measure the Tiger 9 ft 4 inches. The beaters were asked to step away while photographs were taken. The Prince left for Hyderabad and we departed for the Quazipalli Camp with the Tiger in the trailer of the Jeep. The Tiger was skinned and salted for preservation near a stream in Quazipalli: the leggy bones were removed. It was 4:00 P.M in the afternoon. We thanked Chandraya Patel and everyone, packed our belongings in the Jeep and the Trailer and left for Hyderabad.
Malikni Sahiba

Nagarum Toug, Paluncha

It was March of 1969 and the beginning of the summer, and the Tiger hunting season had started. One of the wives of the Huzoor Nizam was Quadirunnis Begum (a.k.a Malikni): an enthusiastic tiger hunter. She had reserved one block, for tiger hunting, in Kuttaguram in the jurisdiction of Khamum Zila (District). The block is in a place called Paaluncha which is located on the Kuttaguram to Bhadrachillum road. To be more specific; to the south of Paaluncha, there was a small place called Nagarum Toug and this is the exact place where the tiger hunting block was reserved for Malikni Sahiba.

She had invited some guests to join her in the Tiger hunt. They were:

Ramchandar Reddy: a famous Hyderabadi tiger hunter
Bolarum Ayela Reddy Sahib
Chandar Shakher Reddy Sahib
Deshmukh of Taluqa Sarum in Gulburga

Singareni Collieries

My plan was to go there, a couple days ahead of the arrival of Malakni Sahiba, to facilitate accommodations and other creature comforts for the hunting party. Two days later, she would arrive Kutta Gudum by train.

So, I and my collogues drove there in two Jeeps. We met with the officials in-charge of the Singareni Collieries Company who assisted us in reserving the Dock Bunglow for the Malikni and her honored guests. With this mission accomplished, we proceeded to Paaluncha where we collected two men who had expert knowledge of the jungle and the Nagarum Toug.

It is a mountainous area surrounded by dense forest which has a confluence of three gorges. In the middle, there was a stream that flowed all year round and had dense growths of Jamun trees, Fern and Elephant Grass (Phragmites), and the Arvi plant which is an edible root vegetable. These freshwater Marshes, muddy swamps and the wetlands are called the Toug by the local people. It has an amazing biodiversity.

The Toug is an ideal place for the tiger to live; it is his watering place. I have hunted here before and have a very good knowledge of the jungle. Around the Toug there are Bullock cart roads, and sandy stream beds. We had these pathways dragged with cylindrical shaped bundles of thorny bushes and they were combed by Phantay to obliterate old pug marks.

Next morning, we checked the Toug area and found new pug marks. The Tiger was in the Toug; however, he had gone out of the Toug and then returned to it. We felt, there was no need to use a Khulga as bait. He was definitely going in and out of the Toug. The Malikni Sahiba would be arriving by train at Kuttagudum train station.

Let me, give you an orientation of Nagarum Toug as follows:

Paaluncha is towards the north. You go north across the Kuttagudam – Bhadrachilum Road, in the forest then, go across the Kannar Sani River.
After crossing the Kannar Sani River, you keep towards, Yalum Bayal, Poolguda Bungari Chalka, Pungun Chalka Bunjar to Diyala Lodi, Kachan Palli, Gundaal: here the path meets the Aytona Garum forest.
In the south the Pundal Hills join with the Kunkgiri Hills and the forest around them.
In the East is the mighty Godavari River and the Borgum Hills and Ishvar Raopet forest.
West of here lie Kuttagudam and the Singanini Collieries.
The Nagarum Toug lies in the heart of these landmarks I have just described.

Various paths lead to Nagarum Toug: it is the junction for the tigers. They come to tary or linger on for a while and then go about their business of hunting. They come and go to Nagarum Toug: if one tiger goes out another comes in to quench his thirst, rest in the cool shades of the dense forest. All around it, there is plentiful wildlife to feed on and of course, there is always livestock from the close-by villages, and they are the easiest pray for the tigers.

The Singarini Dock Bungalow is about 2 Km from here and there is a three-way junction here: the one on the left goes to Yalando, the one on the right goes via Paaluncha to the Borgum Hills and thence to Bhadrachillum.

The next morning, we sent Chandar Shakher Reddy to the Railway Station to greet and escort Malikni Sahiba and weleft for Paluncha. We found fresh pugmarks, the tiger was in there.The tiger had gone out the Nagarum Toug then returned to the Toug. Now, we had to bring the Hanka gang (the beaters). The Patel of Paaluncha was with us, so we told him to bring the Beaters and returned to the Dock Bunglow.

The Malikni Sahiba had arrived with her Aide de camp (ADC) Mr. Mansoor Ali; a retired Engineer. We informed Malikni Sahiba that the Beaters were ready, and she was very happy to hear the news. Malikni Sahiba was a gracious lady and very generous host. She loved wilderness outings and was a great sportsperson. We all had breakfast together and were ready to proceed for the hunt.

Malikni Sahiba, as I have said, had a great sportsmanship spirit. Though, the entire expedition was organized for her hunting pleasure; she was gracious enough to grant everyone permission to feel free to shoot the tiger without hesitation.

Opportunity lost

However, Chandar Shekhar Reddy Sahib, Deshmukh, approached me and said “Ramachandra Reddy kills all the tigers here; I have not yet killed a single tiger. In this expedition, let the tiger be killed by me.” I said, “fine. You will have to sit where I ask you to sit.” He readily agreed to it. So, I invited him to sit with me with me.

We had not built any Machan for this expedition. Instead, we had cut down some trees and had built three platforms on the ground: one platform was reserved for Malikni Sahiba and Ramchandar Reddy Sahib; the second platform was for Mansoor Ali Sahib, and the third was for Chandar Shekher Reddy Sahib and me.

Chandar Shekhar Reddy was to accompany Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali Sahib and they were reminded to arrive by 12:00 Noon. Our plan was to start the beat at 1:00 P.M sharp.

I, my friend Sabir and Dastagir left for Paluncha, in one of the Jeeps, so we could get there before our honored guests would arrive. We had met and instruct the Beaters ahead of their arrival. There were 75 Beaters this afternoon. We had used them in the past and these were well trained men who knew the jungle very well. I instructed them to be alert and listen to the signature sounds of the whistle. Only then they were to start the Hanks. We had supplied them with all the implements of Hanka, such as, ample quantities of galic-shaped firecrackers, Dhupras, empty tin cans etc.

Chandar Shekar Reddy arrived with Malikni Sahiba, on time, at the predetermined spot; about 300 yards away from the first platform. We left the two Jeeps 300 yards away and walked to the respective platforms. Malikni Sahiba had a double barrel .500 Cordite; a smokeless propellent rifle. Ramchandar Reddy had a Jeffries .475 number 2 double barrel rifle.

On the second platform (Maat), Mansoor Ali Sahib and my friend Sabir were seated. Mansoor Ali had 450 / 400 caliber German rifle. I decided that instead of sitting on the third platform, I would take Chandar Shekar Reddy with me and descend in the valley that lay ahead of us. This was contrary to our initial plans. There was a trail coming up from the bottom of the gorge up to the platforms (Maat); the tigers were using it to travel on this path. So, I was certain the tiger will take this path. Chander Shakher Reddy and my friend Dastagir Sahib, quickly prepared a (Maat) platform to be sit. He had a .333 bolt action rifle and I had a .404 bolt action rifle.

We were just about going to sit on this new Maat (Platform) which was quickly made under the shades of heavily foliaged trees when Chandar Shekhar asked me as to how far the tiger will pass from here? I said, it will pass on that trail, within 15 yards from us and you will fire at the tiger right from here. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He said to me, “look Nizam, I am pertified, fearful and nervous. I will not sit on this Maat. You sit here but I am going up to the top and sit on the other Maat.” Despite my numerous pleas and assurances to calm his fears down, he took my friend Dastiger with him and went up to the third Maat. I sat alone on the new Maat: I had three cartridges in my rifle; one in the barrel and two in the magazine.

I gave him a few minutes to settle down and then blew the whistle to commence the Hanka. The men started making noises, the garlic-shaped firecrackers were exploding, men were beating the Dhapra like crazy, then the loud yelling of men could be heard. Almost twenty minutes later, I could hear an animal coming my way; I removed the safety latch on my rifle and was looking in the direction of the sound. My eyes were now scanning the footpath that lay before me. There was a tiger on the footpath; he stopped and stood crosswise to me some 15 yards away. I aimed at the Tiger’s shoulder and gently pulled the trigger. There was a big explosion from my rifle and the Tiger just sat down on the spot. I quickly loaded a second shot and kept my aim at the Tiger; his tail was moving a little, but it was already dead. I did not have to fire the second shot. Chander Shaker Reddy will never again get an opportunity like this in his lifetime. Had he stayed with me; this tiger would have been his.

The Hanka folks came and stood by the dead tiger. They tied his four legs to a piece of lumber and carried it up the path and then on to the Jeep. Pictures were taken. Malikni Sahiba was very happy; she congratulated me. The tiger measured 9 ft, 2 inches. Arrangement were made to skin the tiger. We paid wages to the Hanka men and the two local hunter who accompanied them. Malikni Sahiba thanked everyone and gave a monitory reward to the Patel and the two local hunters with him. We all returned to the Kuttagudum Dock Bunglow.

The man-eater of Ghundaal

Luckshutypet is a Taluka in the District of Adilabad. The Godawari Raiver flows in the south of it and there is a canal in the north. Soon after this: the topology changes from flat land into a mountain range. The same mountain range joins in with the Mahboob Ghats. In these mountains, a tiger had turned into a man-eater.

We were continually getting news about this man-eater. According to the reports of the Forestry Department, this man eater had played havoc in places like Baylum Palli, Asifabad and Luckshutypet: he had eaten 13 people, and injured 10 more. Therefore, authorities had deemed this tiger a MAN-EATER and had appealed to hunters for help in killing this tiger. For two years various parties had tried to put him down but were not successful.

Mansoor Ali Sahib was a friend of mine; he had worked as the Chief Engineer of a Construction Company in Hyderabad. After his retirement, he had become Aide de Camp (ADC) to Quadirunnisa Begum (a.k.a Malikni Sahiba) who was one of the wives of Huzoor Nizam and and her daughter Shahzadi Pasha. He came to my house with the intention of firming up a program to hunt this tiger down. Malikni Sahiba was also an avid hunter and apparently, she had expressed the desire to participate in this hunting expedition. So, we resolved to go to Luckshutypet a week ahead to make all the necessary arrangements such as: procuring the bait, arrange for accommodations and other creature comforts. We would then inform the Malikni Sahiba to come and participate in the hunt.

We packed the Jeep and a trailer, on the agreed upon date and time and left for our destination. It was 2-May-1961, I, Mansoor Ali, my friend Sabir and a Cook we had hired left for Luckshuttypet with a Chauffer driving our Jeep. We had obtained a License from the Department of Forestry and then headed for Gundal.

In Lucksutypet we got the news that, two days ago, in the locality (Mouz’a) of Gandaal, the tiger had killed and eaten a woman. Luckshutypet has two Blocks: Block1 and Block2.Gaundaal is in number Block1. It is an extremely difficult and challenging journey to reach the locality (Mouz’a) of Gundaal. This locality is on a high altitude. This mountain range joins in with the Mahboob Ghat and on the other side it ends at Baylumpalli.

There are two ways of reaching the locality of Gundaal: the one route is via the Luckshutypet to Nirmal Road. There is a right hand turnoff at about 6 Km from Luckshytypet . It is a Bullock Cart track which takes you to the base of the mountain where there is a settlement (Tanda) called Payt Tanda, of a nomadic people called the Lambadi or Lumbaday. The Bullock Cart track climbs into the mountain range. This route takes 35 Km of travel to Gudndaal. However, if we take the Luckshutypet to Baylumpalli route: it is 90 Km to Gundaal. Anyway, we decided to take the shorter route. We left Luckshutypet at 4:00 P.M and 30 minutes later we arrived in the Lumbadi settlement (Tanda). The climb into the mountain range begins here.

We needed information about the road conditions ahead of us. So, we went to the Naik of this settlement. We told the Naik that our purpose of going to Gundaal was to shoot the man-eater tiger. He told us that the mountain road to Gundaal was very bad right now; in any case, it was a very difficult climb even for the Bullock Carts. Furthermore, he told us that the same tiger was recently spotted, in a stream, at the base of the Ghat (Mountain). People were grazing their livestock close to the stream and the animals saw the Tiger, they bolted back to the settlement.

I decided that we should spend the night in this settlement. The Naik arranged a hut for us: he was a very affluent and hospitable man. He owned agricultural lands and many heads of cattle and had milch cows as well as bullocks. Some other people from the Tanda also visited us that night and shared more information about the tiger. They said, one month ago, this very big Tiger was spotted by people who were collecting the Beedi leaves; they fled upon seeing the Tiger. I could not sleep at night but soon after the morning prayers (Fajr prayers) we took the Naik with us and went to check the stream. He was accompanied by two of his local hunters.

We walked along a stream which has its source high up in the mountains. On both sides of the stream, there were dense bamboo forest. There was a large pit in the vicinity, which was full of fresh, slow moving, clear, water coming down the mount. Next to the water pond we found substantial accumulation of sand. We examined the sand and found pug marks of a tigress; they were three to four days old. We proceeded along the stream for quite a while, but we did not find any more pug marks. After checking the stream, we all got back to the Tanda. The breakfast was ready for us to eat.

We now proceeded to check the road to Gundaal on foot. Our purpose was to determine if the Jeep could be taken there, I, Sabir and two local guides left at 11:00 A.M and found the road to be very bad. The rains had washed away the soil and the bullock carts had made two very deep furrows. In the middle, there were small rocks. We had to hop on these rocks to avoid the muddy furrows. Slowly, we kept walking and hopping in the middle on those rocks to avoid getting bogged down. We would also clear those rocks in the hope of somehow driving the Jeep to Gundaal. The climb was difficult and exhausting: at times, we were out of breath. We were just halfway through at this point. This Ghat (Mountain Range) has a total of 27 zig zag or hairpin bends with bamboo forest all around. We were tired and needed to catch our breaths, so, we paused to look down the valley from above. It was a spectacular scene; the green fields with low profile walls marked separation or property lines, the valley below provided a panoramic view. livestock looked like ants crawling, while the farmworkers appeared like pigmies going about their business.

We had reached the high plain and the way forward would be an easier travel. Gundaal was another 5 Km from here. We decided to turn back and return to the camp. One of the two local men who were with us was sent to Gundaal to make announcement about our arrival. We instructed him to find accommodation for us. If there was a choice to be made, he was to exercise his prerogative.

We came down the mountains and reached the camp around 3:00 P.M. Immediately, we loaded our belongings in the Jeep and hitched the trailer. Slowly, we drove up to the top in low gear. The drive was through forest before we reached Gundaal but shortly thereafter the land was flat and agricultural land was in our view, we could see the tops of the hutments. This was a very small community of indigenous Gond people: fifty in total.

We reached Gundaal at 5:00 P.M. As soon as they heard the Jeep, stark naked kids came running to the Jeep. They were followed by men and women dressed in Lungote (Jockstraps). These people were very happy to receive us. They were fearful of the tiger and they saw some hope of relief in our arrival. The man we had sent ahead of our arrival, had brought the Chief of this community with him.

Our Accommodation:

The Chief (Mukhya) took us to a hut which was constructed by the Forest Department. It had vanity fence made of bamboo and a round hut which was made from grass, mud combination adobe and lumber. The floor was paved with a mixture of red clay and cow dung. It was swept clean just before we arrived. It had three beds and earthen jars had been filled with drinking water and water for washing etc. This was enough for us.

Our servants were busy cooking a meal for us while I sat down with the Mukhya (Chief) and asked him for updates on the man eater Tiger. He said that the man eater had killed a man and a woman. Fifteen days ago, a Gond went out collecting firewood but never came back. Next day, a search party found his head, some bones and his jockstrap. Five or six days before our arrival, the man eater came and took a woman while she was collecting the Moha flowers and the Beedi leaves. Other women were with her who came back running and crying in utter despair and terror.

The Mukhya had informed the police and the Forest Department. He said, “They came here, took and details, wrote a report and then they had cremated the remains”. Gundaal is located on a high mountain. There are fifty huts in this settlement. It is mostly forest, but the forest has been cleared up to two Km to make way for agriculture. The soil is black and exceptionally fertile. There are taller hills around us and there are deep gorges and valleys. The valleys are full of Bamboo, Teak and other very dense wood bushes.

It was the month of May, but the heat was bearable up here. We washed and cleaned ourselves then rested a little. We got together with the Mukhya and asked him to arrange for three Khulkay (Buffalo) for bait. We persuaded him to send two experienced hunters who knew the jungle thoroughly. He agreed, but most reluctantly.

The evening was pleasant; we had the beds put out under the sky. After 8:00 P.M it felt a little cooler. We had our dinner and being tired, we hit the bed and were sound asleep in no time. I woke up at 5:00 A.M The air was filled with sounds of the Peacocks calling, the jungle fowl were cackling, and the roosters were crowing, and the Vesper Sparrow were singing their songs. the village dogs were barking. I woke up the servants and asked them to prepare the breakfast quickly, so we could go for the inspection of the forest. The Mukhya and his two hunters also joined us for the inspection. I extracted a lot of information from them: the pathways tigers traveled on, the places where tigers drank water, the tiger’s dens etc. I prepared a map of jungle from these conversations.

After a good breakfast, I took the Mukhya and his three men with me for a walk. We walked to the west of Gandhaal because the local hunters had reported the tiger had killed and devoured a woman in the valley below. I was checking the pug marks as we moved. As soon as we reached the spot where three paths came together, I saw some pug marks. These pug marks were of a very large male tiger; they were quite visible in the sandy loom he had walked on. His front paw had the mark of a line. He had gone in the valley below us, sometime last night. According to the local hunter, there was a flowing stream in the valley where he had most likely headed.

I had a single barrel .404 bore Jefferies bolt action rifle which had one cartridge in the barrel and two in the magazine. I loaded my rifle and put the safety latch on and instructed the men to go back to the village; 2 Km from here and fetch a Khulga for bait and then they were to wait for us at this spot. I was delighted to see the fresh pug marks of the Tiger. However, when the Mukhya and his men saw the fresh pug marks of the Tiger; they said, “Sir, these are the fresh pug marks of the man eater.” I placed a twig on the paw parks to measure the size. It measured the width of my nine fingers. The Tiger was between 10 ft 4 inches to 10 ft 6 inches.

As soon as I started my descend into the valley; the Mukhya and the local hunter stopped and said to me “Sir, we are not coming with you, the man eater is in the valley. It has eaten two of our people here and we feel very nervous and are fearful for our lives.” I assured them, counseled them that it was necessary to kill this Tiger otherwise more members of your community will become victims of this tiger. Besides, I assured them that I was carrying a powerful and reliable rifle and I had killed tigers with it” Reluctantly, they agreed to come with me.

There was a footpath leading us down. I was moving down slowly with the rifle in my hand. The Mukhya, Sabir Sahib and the two local Shikaris were following me. The valley was deep, and we had a long way to go to the water hole. It was 10: A.M and the sun was still behind the mountains. We descended halfway down, and we were already out of breath. We paused to catch our breath. I wanted the sun to be above us, so we could carefully examine the area but the Mukhya said that our descent to the watering hole will have seven stages of descent. We rested for an hour; the sun was above the hills and we continued our downward march. It was a beautiful place, a confluence of four valleys. From above, we could now see a small pit full of water. We were about 40 feet above the pit. I took a very careful look around the pit. Usually, in the heat of the summer, the tiger would be staying in the water most of the time to stay cool. This spot seemed quiet an ideal place for the Tiger to rest here. But the Tiger was not in the water. Perhaps, he had gone out hunting!

The local hunters were saying that further down there are several small pits full of water. I descended carefully into the small stream that issues from the pit and I found the pug marks of this Tiger. He had come up for a drink then he descended into the stream. I was walking on one side of the stream and found fresh pug marks; they continued for quite a while. After following them for a fare distance, I decided to return to the first water pit where the Tiger had come to take his drink. I was certain, the Tiger will return to this pit and most likely will go up the mountain where there is the confluence of four valleys.

I picked a large Moha tree which was distanced about 100 feet from the watering pit. We did not have jhoola with us, so, we decided to build a Machan on the Moha tree. The Mukhya and his men had axes with them. They cut down strong and straight bamboos for two hours. They constructed a Machan on the Moha tree using vines instead of ropes and strips of tree barks to tie the bamboos; thus, creating a strong and stable Machan. I climbed into the Machan and found it very strong indeed. I asked the Mukhya and his men to go up the mountain to fetch the Khulga but they refused to go up without me. Therefore, I had to accompany them to the point where we had earlier instructed other men to bring the Khulga to and wait for us.

These men had brought the Khulga and ropes with them and were waiting for us. Now, we had to select a suitable tree in the vicinity of the water pit and tie the Khulga to the roots of the tree. My plan was to go up the Machan after the Tiger had made the kill. We took the Khulga, which was 18 months old, close to the water pit and tied it by the front leg to the roots of the selected tree with the rope. We had double-twisted the rope for extra strength. I did not want the Tiger to be able to break the rope; I wanted the Tiger to come back to the kill for second helpings. My plan was to sit on the Machan for the Tiger to return on the second day and then hunt from the Machan. After completing these tasks, we went back to the junction of the three footpaths; earlier, we had seen the pug marks here. It was imperative to tie a Khulga at this spot too because; if the Tiger returns, it will have to pass through this path. Secondly, it was impossible to take Malikni down into the valley on foot. Therefore, I ordered a bed (Jhoola) from the village and had it tied up into a tree and the second Khulga was tied at 50 feet from the Jhoola. Most hunter will make a Machan after the Gara (kill) but in opinion this is not the correct way because the Tiger stays close to the kill. The Tiger runs away from the human voices and the sound of the axes. This is a sure way of losing the opportunity to kill the Tiger.

We completed all the tasks and returned to the camp. We had our dinner and retired for the night. It was a cool and pleasant evening and we had a restful night. We were refreshed by the morning. We huddled up and discussed the plans for the day. Sabir Sahib and Mukhya and the local Shikaris had also arrived. We had to send some men to clear the mountain pass; it was not in good condition for the Jeep to come up.The Mukhya told me that not Jeep or any other vehicle except the bullock cart had ever come up this mountain. Mansoor Ali Sahib and Malikni will be arriving Gandaal by Jeep and we had to use this path several times.

The Malikni will be leaving Hyderabad on the evening of May 6th and arriving Lukshutipet on the morning of May 7th. I had to send the Jeep to fetch her and her ADC. The breakfast was ready and after the breakfast we left to look for the Gara. We arrived at the first Gara (bait) near the three-way crossing of footpaths; the Khulga was standing up and looking at us. He was showing the fear and the horror he had felt for being left alone in the jungle. Now, we had to check the second Gara near the water, but the sun was still behind the mountains. So, we waited for the sun to come up be above our heads. In any case, it was not a good idea to check the Gara so early in the morning, because the Tiger stays near the Gara and would be busy eating it.

An hour later, I took one of the local hunters and slowly crept down the mountain. We could see the buffalo standing up from far away. It was very difficult to take this Khulga up the mountain and then bring him back in the evening. So, we went down and decided to remove the rope from his front leg and tie the same rope around his neck, so he could move about a little, graze on the fresh green grasses; he could even drink from the pit. We decided to come back in the evening and re-tie the front leg to the roots of the tree, like before, for Gara.

We returned to the camp. I had to send the Jeep to Lucksutypet to collect the Malikni Sahiba and I wanted the driver to stay the night in Luckshutypet,to receive the honored guest at the train station. When the time came for the driver to leave, he insisted that I accompany him, at least to half-way down the mountain. The driver felt insecure and afraid of the tiger. I had to assign the task of retying the Garas to Sabir Sahib, Mukhya and the two local hunters. I gave my .404 rifle to Sabir Sahib to take with him. I instructed them again to tie the strong rope to the buffalo’s front leg and the other end of the rope to the roots of same tree; like before. Everyone agreed that they understood their mission and off they went. They were expected back by 6:00 P.M

To the East of this settlement, there was another place for the tiger to stay. The locals had told me that they had seen the tiger travel that way. I wanted to see this place too. This place was called Indri Ka’ya Pukka: in English it would translate to a Crab Hole. I went there by Jeep, inspected and found the place to be ideal for tigers to dwell in there. There was a trickle fed stream: the source of the trickling water was a big rock with a small hole in it. Fresh water was oozing out of it and collecting into a pit down below and the excess was flowing out into the valley. I followed the water channel and I found pug marks of a tigress. I returned with the Jeep to the camp, had lunch then I went with the driver and with some local men to the half-way point in the valley.

Sabir Sahib was instructed again on how and where to tie the two baits by their front leg etc. The men who were sent in the morning to clear the road for the Jeep had just returned to camp. We left the camp by the Jeep; at half-way down the valley the driver stopped; I got out with the local men and cautioned the driver to take all care for safety and urged him to be alert while driving. I returned to the camp on foot. It was 6:00 P.M but Sabir Sahib, Mukhya and the two local hunters had not returned to the camp.

They arrived after 6:30 P.M. On my enquiring, Sabir Sahib said that they had securely and properly tied the two Khulgas to their respective places. I asked more details and Sabir Sahib briefly hesitated while giving me his account and those specific details I was pushing for. I turned to Mukhya and asked him the same question. The Mukhya said. “Sabir Sahib has tied the Khulga securely at the three-way junction but while descending into the valley, he stopped halfway down; he was overcome by fear, so he stopped. We were also afraid of the place and we did not go down to the second Khulga The Khulga would not tie by his front leg as had instructed. It was tied by its neck and would have some range to move about.”

This news was shock. It was most disturbing and worrisome to me. I was most certain, tonight the Tiger will come, kill the Khulga easily breaking the rope will drag it take it to some place and we would not know it would be. My plan of sitting in the Machan and shooting the Tiger will not materialize because the Tiger will likely drag it into the dense bush.

My life was in danger:

My sixth sense was warning me with some sort of foreboding that my life was in danger now. Had it been some other tiger, it would not have mattered as much but this was a man-eating tiger. Anyway, Sibir’s neglect had put us in danger. I was restless all night and could not sleep. The winds had picked up velocity in the evening; around 8:00 P.M there was a torrential downpour. For the next hour the heavy rain plus the thunder and lightning continued. I fell asleep but at 5:00 A.M I got up and performed my ablution for the Fajr prayers and made supplications to our Creator for everyone’s safety, wellbeing and protection. Then, I got busy with going over our program for the morning.

Today was May 7th and Malikni was due to arrive camp in Gandaal, according to my estimation, by 10:00 A.M. I finished my breakfast by 8:00 A.M and left with Sabir, Mukhya and the two local hunters, to check the Gara. I left instructions with the servants to tell Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Sahib to wait for me at the camp.

As soon as I arrived at the three-way junction, I could see the Khulga; he was alive and well. The Khulga was securely tied and we left him where he was. We continued walking down into the valley and soon we could hear the cawing of the crows. I was certain, Gara had taken place. However, sometimes, the crows will caw just looking at a living animal. We stopped for a while and waited for the sun to come up above the mountains because; as I have mentioned earlier, this was a very deep valley with seven stages of descent. When you are at the bottom of the valley, only a small part of the sky is visible. It feels as if you are inside a very deep well and looking up. Only when the sun is above the head, the valley gets the direct sunlight. By 2:30 P.M, the valley is in the shade and once again sun goes behind the mountains, on the other side. The locals call this valley Sokal Lodhi because one can see stars in the sky at midday. Sokal Lohdi is a Telegu word which literally translates the Valley of Stars.

As soon as the sun came up, I instructed my companions to stay where they were and, I tiptoed my way down to the spot from where I could see the second bait. I had loaded my .404 bore rifle and my sixth sense was warning me of a possible fatal encounter with the Tiger. The rainfall last night had caused the pit to overflow. The sound of overflowing waters and the sound of the rapids below and very thought that the Tiger might pounce on me any moment, was giving me an eerie, haunting feeling. Where the Khulga was tied by a long rope, I could see a piece of the rope still tied to the tree but the Khulga was not there. There were two possibilities:

either the Tiger had killed the Khulga, broken the rope and dragged it into the dense bush,
or the Khulga had broken the rope and disappeared from the scene.

I needed to eliminate one of the two possibilities. I continued my descent into the stream below. Shortly, I saw the stomping marks of the Khulga as if in a panic as well as faint paw marks of the Tiger and some drops of blood. The Tiger had killed the Khulga before the rainfall started. Because the rain had washed off drag marks, I was having difficulty determining the direction in which the Tiger had dragged the Khulga. However, in one place, I saw some fallen bamboo leaves and broken bamboos: The Tiger had dragged the Khulga to the West. I continued my march following the drag marks. Further down, on soft soil, I saw deep impression of the Tiger’s claws and the pug marks. This was the same man-eating tiger.

A note, before I continue with the story, I must add a note here. Some hunters say that a man-eating tiger does not kill other animals. This is wrong. I have seen many man-eating tigers kill other animals.

Returning to our main story, after seeing the drag marks, the claw impressions and the paw marks, I was feeling the excitement and the rush of adrenaline: my both ears were hot and burning, my body was hot and the blood circulation in my body had quickened. But my ambition to kill such a big man-eating tiger was overcoming my natural fears. I had killed tigers before, but this would be my first experience to kill a tiger face to face alone. I followed the drag marks: The Tiger had dragged the Khulga further into this stream. The stream was slightly going up and then it was turning to the right and falling further ahead. So, I started to climb on the bank. My shoe hit a fallen bamboo and made a small noise, immediately, I head an animal stepping on fallen leaves rushing and through the bamboo forest. I quickly climbed up the bank and peeped down into the stream below me. I saw the Khulga in the stream, 15 meters away from me. The Tiger had eaten the hind legs of the Khulga. Had I not made the noise, perhaps I could have killed the Tiger!

The golden opportunity was lost. I started looking for a suitable place to build a Machan, but none could be found. Both banks of the stream were too steep and had dense growth of bamboo. So, I made plans to build a platform with bamboos and decided to return to my colleagues who were waiting for me up on the mountain. When I got back up, they were all sitting in trees. They saw me coming back and climbed down from their respective perch in the trees.

I took them down in the valley, to the place where the half-eaten Khulga was lying. The stream was about 20-meters-wide at this point and the rain had drenched the land around the stream. The gradient was so precipitous that we had no other option but to build a platform (Maat) up on the incline. We chose to build the Maat (platform) inside the dense bamboo thicket which would render it safer on three sides. We staked dry bamboo in front to provide ourselves a cover, however an opening had been made so I could protrude my rifle and be able to maneuver it sideways as necessary, to take aim at the Tiger. With the ground level platform (Maat) finished, we returned to the base camp.

I briefed Mansoor Ali Sahib in detail, so that he would understand the whole plan. Now, we had to tie a Khulga at the three-way junction, seat Mansoor Ali Sahib and the Malikni Sahiba in the Machan which had already been constructed. That was completed around 2:00 P.M.

We took with us, a torch light, a water bottle, a blanket and the .404 rifle. I, Sabir and a local Gond Shikari went downhill, slowly and softly to our ground level Maat (platform). Because the Maat was on a steep incline, only two people could sit on it. If we slipped, we faced the prospect of falling on the dead Khulga which lay only 15 yards from us. So, we made quick improvisation: we made two furrows in the ground; one for sitting on and the other for resting our heels on it to stop us from slipping down.

We removed the rope from the neck of the Khulga and looped it four times for extra strength and then tied the rope to the dead Khulga’s front leg and the other end to the root of a nearby tree. Thus, making sure the Tiger will not be able to break the rope. As mentioned before, only two people could sit on the Maat: I then took the local Gond Shikari to a tree and made a makeshift Machan for him to sit on. I instructed him to sit on it and be very quiet.

I returned to the Maat which had been made with dry bamboos to not alarm the Tiger with fresh ones. We put a dry bamboo horizontally, in front of our camouflaged platform, so we could rest the rifle on it and take a precise aim at the Tiger before firing. As mentioned earlier, we had made two holes in the barrier in front of us: one for Sabir to shine the torch light from and the other for me to protrude the barrel of the rifle from.

Some Gidh (Vultures) had caught the scent of the Gara. They circled above and then landed on a nearby tall tree above the Gara. Their Char-Char sounds, and the flapping of the wings was echoing throughout the valley. The Gidh had spotted us and would not dare to descend on the Gara. Sabir was on righthand side of the Maat and I on his left. I pulled the bolt of the rifle and checked the three cartouches to be sure. I was certain the Tiger will come from my left, the way it had climbed up the embankment. I had a strong feeling the Tiger will come to the Gara in early evening hours because it a very quiet valley.

Around 4:30 P.M we heard the footsteps of animals and the rustling of leaves behind our Maat. The animal appeared to be coming downhill and going in the direction of the pit full of water. Hearing the sounds, Sabir’s composure was deteriorating. I counseled him that these were the sounds emanating from the feet of Peacocks or the jungle fowls and not from four-footed animals. Shortly, thereafter, a flock of jungle fowl passed by us; they went straight to the water. The winds had picked up a little and we could hear the bamboo rubbing against each other. This Maat was located on the bend of this stream and I could not see anything to my right: the first Maat was half a Km from here. That is why I had specially instructed Saibr Sahib to keep a lookout on the right and if he saw the Tiger coming our way, he was to be quiet and signal me by touch only.

It was 5:30 in the evening, Sabir looked to the right and he froze; he seemed to have been mesmerized or overcome by shock, awe and fear. I could hear him struggling to swallow his saliva as if to moisten his dry throat, his stomach was making gurgling sounds. Quietly and softly, I tried to tell him not to worry, I have a good rifle in my hands and our Maat is safe, but his condition did not improve. So, I turned to my right to look at Sabir, then I saw a huge Tiger, 30 yards or so away from us, coming in the direction of the Gara. I removed the safety latch and protruded the barrel of my rifle from the hole in front of us and waited for the Tiger to come in the range; I was ready to fire on him immediately. The Tiger was only 20 yards away from me. This bend in the stream had a thicket of bamboo in front of me. The Tiger suddenly stopped and sat behind the bamboo scrub. The Gidh (vultures) started to flap their wings and were making noises on seeing the Tiger. Sometimes, the Tiger was looking at the Gidh and other times at the Gara.

I could clearly see the tiger through the bamboo scrub in front of me. It was slapping the tail quite hard on the ground; his tongue was sticking out and he was panting. The flies were getting into his ears and he was shaking them off. He was opening his eyes and closing them from time to time. I was watching his every move from my vantage point. I could have aimed and fired at his head, but there was an inner talk going on in my head:

what if the bullet hits the bamboo first?
Will it deflect and loose the direction and miss the Tiger?
Such a big Tiger was sitting right in front of me; I did not want to take a harried action and loose him.
The daylight was still good, though the sun had gone behind the mountains. I thought, even if the Tiger tries to go back to where he came from, I would still be able to kill him.
It had now been fifteen minutes since I first took aim at the Tiger; I could not sit in this position for long and keep my aim at the tiger anymore.
I had another thought bothering me; would Sabir let out a scream out of fear and the tension?

So, I pushed Sabir’s body forward, then I gently placed my right arm on his back. Now, I could hear another animal approaching from my right; it was a big Tigress only 25 yards away and going straight to the Gara. She was growling. I turned my head back to the Tiger; he was quickly going to the Gara to get there before the tigress gets there. His head and shoulder had disappeared from the sight of my rifle. I quickly removed the barrel of my rifle from the hole I was protruding it from and placed it into another space to my left. His head had passed my sight, but the Tiger’s shoulder was in my sight. Without a moment’s delay, I pulled the trigger. There was a “Cut-Dhun” sound from my gun and instantly the Tiger let out a mighty growl and fell to the ground. Then suddenly, it got up and was circling around like a dog was chasing his tale, then it was trying to bite the entry point of the bullet.

I quickly loaded another cartouche into my rifle, took aim and fired another bullet but there was no fire from the rifle. By the time I loaded the third cartouche, the Tiger was trying to climb up the embankment in front of me. Quickly, I took aim at his ribcage and fired the bullet which hit the Tiger accurately at the aim. It dropped dead right there. In the meantime, I reloaded my rifle with three more cartouches, aimed my sight at the dead Tiger and stayed focused on him for a long time. The man-eating Tiger was dead. My joy of killing the man eater knew no bounds, it was beyond words and beyond description, it could only be experienced, not expressed.

The valley was still echoing with the sound of two rifle shots. We could also hear the echoes of the fleeing Tigress for quite some time. Our companions above had also heard the two gunshots. However, it was impossible to carry the Tiger up the hill. We decided to leave the dead Tiger where he was.

Sabir and I picked up our belongings and started our journey to the top. We headed to the Machan where the Gond hunter was sitting. He got down, picked up the things and joined us in our ascent to the top: the Gond was leading us, with myself following him and Sabir was behind me. Sabir got his foot caught in a fallen bamboo, he tripped and fell. He yelled at the top of lungs “Stop and wait for me.”. His voice echoed in the valley and immediately we heard the Tigress growling several times in anger, but the Tigress had already fled to the top and was far away from us. This made Sabir very nervous and fearful. He was continually calling us to open fire in the air. We advised him to be quite and follow us to the top.

We headed back to the three-way junction where Mansoor Ali Sahib and Malikni Sahiba were seated. I updated Mansoor Ali Sahib on the successful kill and left for the Jeep. I had told Mansoor Ali Sahib to stay on the Machan but to signal us with the flashlight, any time, they felt like returning to the camp. He singled us around 10:30 P.M and we went back to the three-way junction to help them come down to the ground.

The Malikni Sahiba was very happy with the news. She congratulated me for the kill.

Soon, the news of the kill had spread to the village. When we got back to our Rest House (The Hut) a crowd of happy people had gathered outside. They lit up a bonfire, formed a circle around it and soon they were singing and dancing with joy. When the show of appreciation and joy ended; the Mukhya was insistent that we go out and hunt a wild animal for his people had not had meat for a long time. The Gondi people love eating meat.

We had our evening meal and decided to do some night hunting to show our appreciation of Mukhya’s generous hospitality. We went out by Jeep: I am driving, and Mansoor Ali Sahib had the search light in his hands. Malikni and Sabir were also with us. We were moving along the nearby jungle and we saw four sets of big eyes reflecting the light. They were four Sambar (Deer), one male had big majestic antlers. We requested the Maikni Sahiba to do the honors. She took aim at the big one and fired with her double barrel .500 Cordite smokeless propellent rifle. She hit the shoulder of the big Sambar; it fell to the ground and was struggling so Sabir and a local man ran to it and slaughtered it with a big surgically sharp knife to end the suffering. The antlers measured 38 inches. We left it there and returned to the Camp and informed the Mukhya. He immediately left with his men in a bullock cart to collect the Sambar.

We were very tired and had a peaceful sleep. Early in the morning we organized a party of 20 men to come with us to bring the Tiger up from the valley. After breakfast we left, and took Malikni Sahiba, Mansoor Ali Sahib and Sabir to the three-way junction where we left them with the Jeep. I, Sabir and 20 men descended into the valley where the dead man-eater was lying. We tied the Tiger’s four legs to a strong piece of lumber and 18 men tried hard to haul it up the hill, but they could not. The Tiger was very heavy, so finally we gave up the idea of removing it. We examined the Tiger: the first bullet had hit close to the shoulder. The second one penetrated the ribcage and travelled to the back of the hide of the second shoulder but did not emerge on the other side. It was impossible for us to move the Tiger.

I sent some men to help bring the Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali Sahib to the valley. They came and we measured the Tiger 10 ft, 6 inches. Pictures were taken. It was decided to skin the Tiger where it was. I had a set of knives with me and I had also taken training, from Toker & Toker Taxidermists in Bangalore, on skinning the wild animals. Mansoor Ali Sahib wanted to measure the Tiger again, so he measured it using the round the curve method. It measured 10 feet, 6 inches.

The local Gond men help me immensely in skinning the Tiger. First the whiskers were removed and saved, the skin was removed, and the head was removed for mounting. The two leggy bones were removed and attached to the skin. The gallbladder and fat were removed, as some people wanted to use it for medicinal purposes. The flesh and the remains were handed over to the Gond people.

The whole operation took two hours. We were back at the camp by 2:00 P.M. The skin was preserved in salt so that it will not go bad until we reach Hyderabad, the remaining two Khulgas were given to the Mukhya and his people. Everyone who helped us was generously compensated for their efforts and help. The trailer was loaded with our belongings. At 4:00 P.M, we all left Gundaal for Hyderabad. We thanked Mukhya for all his help and made him a promise to return in future. The entire community came out to bid farewell to us and stood in line for quite a distance.

We reached Hyderabad and forwarded the skin to Toker & Toker Taxidermists in Bengalore for full mount. The Tigers face was quite fearsome; when it came back from the taxidermists, it was presented to Malikni Sahiba but she gave it to her son in law, Ali Pasha, to keep it in the Toli Cowki Place.
Spectators, not hunters

The injurd tiger Of Ghoragari

It was April 1970, the summer had started, and a tiger hunting blocks had been opened in Chanda. One block had been reserved for Quadrunnisa Begum, the wife of Hazoor Nizam. The exact location of the block was in Ghoragari which is about 80 Km to the north-east of Chanda. This hunting expedition had been organized under my auspices but, due to a minor car accident my both knees were injured, and I was not able to go on this expedition. Instead, Mansoor Ali Sahib who was the Aide de Camp to lady Quadirunnisa Begum took charge and went to Chanda with helpers; but they were all inexperienced hunters. My sixth sense was warning me that some accident would be in the making.

The expedition had been gone to Chanda for three days and I had received no news from them. It was about 8:00 A.M on the fourth day, I was busy reading the newspapers in my front veranda when an official car of the Surf e Khas (Special treasury Department) entered through my gate and stopped in front of me. It was lady Quadirunnisa (a.k.a Malkni Sahiba) and Shahzadi Sahiba (daughter of Huzoor Nizam) they were walking swiftly towards me. I realized that an accident might have taken place. I stood up to greet them. AS soon as they came closer to me, I asked if someone had been injured or an injured tiger might have escaped the scene? She asked me how I had come to know that? I said, I gathered that from your troubled looks.

She gave me a detailed picture of what had transpired in Ghoragari. Briefly, she said the following:

In Ghoragari, a local man told us that a tiger had entered a stream below the lake.
So, they built a Machan and organized a beat (Hanka).
The beat started and soon a big tiger passed below the Machan.
I (Malikni) fired a 500 caliber Cordite bullet at the tiger and, missed.
Mansoor Ali fired another bullet from his .404 caliber rifle and, missed.
Driver, Burhan fired a 12-bore shotgun injuring the tiger and, it disappeared into the bushes.
Two hunters went in with some locals looking for the injured tiger.
Following the blood trail, they went into the dense bush:

Suddenly, the tiger attacked one of the local men and dragged him into the bush.

The two hunters immediately fled the scene.
No one has the courage to go in and retrieve the man.
We had to inform the Forest Department authorities and the Police about the incident.
No one is willing to go in and look for the man.
Now, you must go to Chanda, take charge, retrieve the man and kill the injured tiger.

She said, Mansoor Ali is insisting, I should send you to Chanda, immediately.

Though, I had injuries to my knees, I was so alarmed by the news that I agreed to go to Chanda. I left the same day at 10:00 A.M in a King Kothi King’s Residence) car and passed through: Karim Nagar, Lucksutypet, Asifabad, Rajura and Bulhar Shah and arrived in Chanda at 7:00 P.M. Mansoor Ali was anxiously waiting for me. Together, we left Chanda for Ghorgari which was another 85 Km and arrived there at 8:00 P.M. The DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) and the Range Officer and their men were already in the camp; they knew about my arrival and were anxious to see me.

After the evening meal, I met with the staff Mansoor Ali had brought with him. They were the official hunter Lingaya, Burhan Baig, Malaya and Sabir who was the main facilitator of this expedition and all of them were employees of the Bellavista. I interviewed them all to get some basic facts. According to their information, it had been two days since the Tiger was injured and the man had been taken by him. No had looked for the dead man for two days and no one was now prepared to go in and look for him: they were all afraid of the Tiger. None of the hunters had even established as to whether or not the injured Tiger was still in the jungle or had fled to another place.

The next morning, it was the third day since the man had been killed. The priority was to get the body of this man out of the bush. After breakfast, at 8:00 A.M, I set out to retrieve the body of this man from the bushe. I knew this jungle like the back of my hand. I had with me, Mansoor Ali, Lingaya, Burhan Baig, Malaya, and two local men. The DSP and the Range Officer had both expressed the desire to join in this effort. So, I proceeded with them and four police constables joined their bosses.

We got to the spot where the man had been killed. There was a lake there and the discharge (Chaadar ) from the dam had made a 50 feet wide path for the water to form a steady stream. There was dense growth of vegetations on both sides of it. There were mud flats on both sides of the stream. Fern and the Jamun plants had grown and the mudflats had Arvi (Colocasia esculenta) also known as the Eddoes, an edible root-plant. In the heat of the summer, it was an ideal place for the tigers, Leopards and the Bears to hide in such a cool heavenly place. The stream flows for about 10 km to the East and then forms another small lake called the Chandi Talaab (lake). Another small stream comes down the surrounding mountains and joins the Chandi Talaab. Tthere too, is a dense jungle. We were shortly given the news that the Tiger had entered this jungle. So, I arranged for a group of men to start the Hanks (Beat). This is the same place where, as mentioned above, the Tiger was shot and injured, three day ago.

As we entered the jungle, I asked everyone to stay where they were and wait for further instructions. I took Malaya and Burhan Baig with me: I had my .404 rifle with me. We approached the place they thought the Tiger had entered the bush. I asked Burhan Baig and Malaya to climb up the trees with their guns and shoot the Tiger if they thought it was in their range. I loaded my rifle and tiptoed my way forward. I was certain that the tiger will be sitting close to the man’s body. I was bothered by small white mosquitos: they were into my eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Moving forward, I could smell the stench of dead flesh. I was wondering if the Tiger might have been eating it! I reached the place where Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali had fired their shots. On checking the ground and it was obvious they had both had missed the Tiger. However, the third shot taken by Driver, Burhan Baig, had hit the Tiger. I found dried up drops of blood. I believed that only Burhan Baig had hit the Tiger.

I continued tiptoeing my way forward through the muddy lands. It is a very risky business retrieving a dead body because the Tiger would be close by. These people have had two days to retrieve the poor man’s body, but none had the courage to enter this jungle. My only allies, under the circumstances were the experience and knowledge of how all tigers behave. I was afraid but only through rational thinking was I able to overcome my own fears. All tigers would growl at the slightest sign of danger. The Leopard on the other hand would growl after launching an attack on his victim. One is never completely alone in a jungle: birds and other animals become aware of the tiger’s presence and give out warning signals to their community members and others. I was listening to every sound.

I moved deeper into the muddy, I could see the dead body of the unfortunate man. The body was lying face down, his neck had been broken by the Tiger: it was twisted to one side and the rest of body seemed completely stiff. Contrery to my fears, the Tiger had not eaten any part of his body. Having located the body, I returned to the place where Burhan Baig and Lyngaya were perched on their respective trees. They came down after seeing me and I send them off to go and fetch Mansoor Ali and the Police DSP and the Police Constables. They returned and some relatives of the unfortunate man had also come with them.

We again proceeded to the place where the body was lying. The stench of the rotting flesh was so unbearable that people had to cover their noses with handkerchiefs. Four people came forward to pick up the dead body. It appeared that the man had been walking, inside this dense bush, in a half crouching posture when the Tiger grabbed him by the neck and broke it. The Tiger’s teeth marks were visible on his neck, his clothes were torn and there were deep claw lacerations on his back. We brought his body to a flat ground and let the police examine it. They did so and wrote a Punch Nama (a formal report) of his death and handed over the dead body to his beneficiaries. Mansoor Ali was responsible for giving a compensation to his widow. He made a promise to give his widow some land to cultivate it so she could make a living from it. In addition, an undisclosed amount would be paid to her. The whole operation had taken three hours.

Now, we had to look for the injured Tiger and kill it. The DSP Police and the Range Officers approached me requesting that I kill the Tiger as soon as possible. They had sent a Town Cryer out with a Dhupra to summon the villagers and inform the villagers about the injured tiger being on the loose. No one was to go out of their homes. People were making their living as Moha flowers and the Beedi leaves pickers.

At first, there was a lot of skepticism about my being able to retrieve the dead body from this muddy, insect infested bush but now it had turned into optimism that I would also be able to kill the Tiger.

There were three possible places where the tiger could be hiding in this jungle:

This stream was one where the man was killed
The second likely place was to the West of Ghoragari village; there were high mountains there and at the foot of those mountains there was a stream which had made a deep ravine where there was water all year round.
There was stream in the North which flowed into the Ghoragari Talaab. It had a cavern full of water all year round. It had a big shady tree nearby; it was ideal for tigers to stay.

My first choice was to search the stream where we had picked up the dead body thoroughly, but no one was willing to enter the stream and the bushes. I once again broached the subject with Mansoor Ali Sahib and gave him two choices:

he, the Police DSP and, his constables should sit in the trees, I will do the Hanka (Beat) and they can fire on the Tiger when it comes out.
If not, I will sit in a tree and they should do the Hanka; I will fire on the Tiger.

I decided to do the Hanka myself. I had employed 30 or 35 men for the Hanka but the Beaters too refused to come with me. With great difficulty and persuasion, they agreed to sit in the trees around the Nala (Stream). I instructed them to;

(a) quietly, signal to me as soon as they see the Tiger or see any movement in the bushes

(b) I had a good rifle so; I will fire at the Tiger.

So, I entered the stream, alone, to do the Hanka. Then, the Official Hunter Lingaya voluntarily joined me in the Hanka. Both I and Lingaya were cautiously walking on the muddy banks. As mentioned before, there were Jamun trees, Fern and Arvi plants. Further on, the stream was full of Tunga (Bullrushes) grass. We prayed to Allah Subhan wa Taala for our safety and entered the bushes. The bushes were full of white mosquito. They were invading our eyes, ears, nose and mouth. We could not see more than four feet away. My sixth sense was warning me of the danger ahead of us. If the Tiger had attacked now, I could have fired on it. Lingaya had two pieces of sticks in his hand and was making impressive loud noises with the two sticks. We found an opening ahead of us and decided to take a short breather. I gave a signal by hand to the people in the trees which was meant to ask if they had seen the Tiger or any movement? Instead, they climbed down from the tree and came to us. This was our first stage of the Beat so, I told them to go further head and find themselves suitable trees to sit on

Mansoor Ali, the Police DSP, Constables and Sabir were another 2 Km from here. The first part of the Hanka was completed and after a short breather, we were all set to commence the second part of the Hanka. Sabir and Mansoor Ali were sitting on the same tree with Sibir sitting on the topmost branches of the tree. As we got closer, I found Sabir and Mansoor Ali standing on the ground. Apparently, Sabir had told Mansoor Ali that Nizam and others are standing in the glade ahead of them and talking to each other, so, Sabir thought, the Hanka had ended. However, we were in the bushes and well into the second part of the Hanks. I had no knowledge of what had transpired between Sabir and Mansoor Ali.
Spectators, not hunters:

I looked to the men sitting on the trees to my side, they signaled to me from their perches that an animal was running in the direction of Munoor Ali’s tree. I signaled to those men to raise the roof with big noises and they did. Hearing the noises, Munssor Ali and Sabir, tried to climb back up on the trees in a hurry. Mansoor Ali was a heavy-set man and could not climb back up on the tree, his rifle was still on the ground. The Police DSP and his Constables too could not make it back up the trees. The men on the trees were yelling to them that the Tiger was heading their way. The poor Tiger was running for his life; it ran past Mansoor Ali’s tree and disappeared into the other parts of the bushes. No body fired on the Tiger; instead they all became spectators, not hunters.
The blame game:

We ended the Hanka and walked up to the tree where Mansoor Ali and company were seated. They all came back down from the trees. As soon as Sabir got down from the tree, the blame game began: Mansoor Ali unloaded his frustrations and anger on Sabir saying, “We all came down because of his misinformation … etc.”. I was also livid about the irresponsible conduct of these people. I had risked my own life to drive the injured Tiger out of the bushes, but these people had lost a golden opportunity to kill the Tiger.

It was 2:00 P.M and we had already lost best part of the day. I was certain that the Tiger would go to the place called Naas. It is the same place where I had a stone patio constructed to Prince Muffaqqum Jah for his wildlife photography. There was already a Machan at Naas. This was in a valley surrounded by lofty mountains. There was a deep hole that looked more like a round deep well and it was surrounded by a jungle with dense growths. Considering the direction this Tiger ran, I now had a good idea that the Tiger was not badly injured. Naas was about 4 Km from here. I asked everyone except Lingaya and Burhan Baig to stay where they were and the three of us left for Naas. There was a footpath created by the frequent coming and going of animals. They wouldgo up a mountain and then descend into the deep round-well I had mentioned earlier. We were on this footpath and I found fresh pug marks of the Tiger on it.

About 4-Furlong before the well, I asked Lingaya and Burhan to stop and wait at the top of the mountain and I proceeded down on tiptoe. Close to this watering hole, the wood bush has a clearing forming a glade. I paused and, look at my wristwatch, it was 3:45 P.M. As I proceeded a little further, I suddenly saw a black Nilgai (Asian Antelope) running away from there. It had heard me coming and was on the run. This made me think, there couldn’t possibly be a Tiger here. The two could not be drinking from the same place!
The shock of seeing the Tiger:

I had my .404 bore rifle with me, it was loaded. It had one shell in the barrel and two in the magazine. Slowly and carefully, I continued my descent toward the watering hole. I had to get to within 15 meters of the hole to be able to see the water below. I was still very certain that after seeing the Nilgai, the Tiger could not be anywhere near the water, but a bird, commonly known as ‘T T Ram’ was constantly making noises and summersaults in the air but I paid no attention to it. I knew, from the pug marks seen earlier, the Tiger had come this way, but I needed to establish it, for sure, whether the tiger had come here.? I removed the safety latch and stole a quick look into the water. The Tiger was lying in the water with all his body except the head was submerged in the water. His back was facing me, and his head was resting on one of his front legs. The flies were getting into his ears and it was moving them to keep the flies out. He did not hear me coming. It was fast asleep.

The moment I saw the tiger, I froze and became entranced and mesmerized. I stood there with my rifle focused on it, but my hands were trembling, and my mouth and throat were dry. I could not keep my aim fixed on his head or the shoulders. I was breathing fast and hard and, I was struggling to keep it under control. Suddenly, I thought it was not appropriate to fire at the Tiger in this condition. I was unnerved. I looked back and saw a small plant behind me and I started to step back towards it to rest my body against the plant while holding the rifle to my shoulder. From here, I could only see the Tiger’s one leg with his head resting on it. Despite resting my body against the plant, I was unable to keep the sight of my rifle on the Tiger. I was struggling to draw slow and deep breaths into my lungs to regain control of my nerves for fifteen minutes.

Now, I could keep the sight of my rifle focused on the tiger’s head. I drew four more slow and deep breaths into my lungs. Finally, I was able to pull the trigger while keeping my sight on the tiger’s head. The moment I fired the rifle, the tiger jumped out of the water. I loaded the second cartridge and fired it on his second jump on his shoulder. The Tiger suddenly went into the area where I had a patio built for photography. The Tiger was 20 yards away when I had fired at him.

However, the patio, over time, had been covered by the growth of vines and I could only see his tail. The body was hidden by the creepers. Burhan and Lingaya came over as soon as they heard the shots. I pointed to the patio with my finger. Burhan Baig saw the tail and was overjoyed. He said to me,” Bhai Jan (dear brother), I will go and drag him out by the tail.” I told him to be quiet and asked him to cast a stone at the Tiger. As the stone hit the patio, we heard the growling of the Tiger; he continued to growl for a long time. We were to the South-side of the watering pit while the North-side across the patio was elevated. Since the sunset was going to happen soon, we decided to go to the north side of the watering place and investigate the thicket to see if we could locate the Tiger! We could not see much because the space was totally covered with creepers.
Decision to knock down the wall:

I handed my .40/40 rifle to Burhan Baig and took the 6.5 telescopic rifle from him. I could not see because of a small retaining wall built near the patio. It was built with stone, so I decided to knock it down, stone by stone with the 6.5 rifle. I aimed it on the top stone and fired; it came down and I heard the Tiger growling. I knocked down more stones until I could see the head of the Tiger. I aimed at its head and fired the third bullet. Immediately, it felt like an earthquake had struck in the thicket. The Tiger growled and went down the embankment and disappeared from our sight. Our celebration had turned into deep disappointment.

Having lost the Tiger, I thought of climbing into the Machan by the patio and waiting for the tiger to return to the pool of water in the night and try to kill it from there. But Lingaya and Burhan were relentlessly advising me against it. Their insistence caused me to change my mind and reluctantly we returned to the Camp. Mansoor Ali and others were anxious to see us back. They had heard the firings and wondering what dad gone on. I could not eat the dinner and spent a restless night. I had the dead man on my mind and the disappointments of the day kept me awake.

I was up at 5:00 A M; after a good wash, I eat four slices of bread and drank some hot tea and went back to the spot where I had fired shots at the Tiger; near the patio. I took Lingaya, Mansoor Ali and Burhan Baig with me to the same mountain. We sat there waiting for the sunrise and soon it lit up the valley and we could see everything clearly. I took Lingaya with me and we went to the patio. I had my .404 rifle and Lingaya had the 6.5 rifle in his hand. We went to the water and we did not see any animals there. But when we got close to the water, it was all red with blood. This was where I had fired the first bullet on the Tiger. The second bullet was fired after the Tiger had jumped out of the water and had made his second jump; there was no blood there. So, how could the water get so bloody?
The tiger had returned to the water.

I was convinced that the Tiger had returned to the water during the night and had stayed in it for quite some time. He had possibly heard us coming and had just gone out somewhere. We had also found drops of fresh blood in the vicinity. We also found evidence of splashing on the vegetation around. The Tiger must have shaken the water off his body; it was mixed with fresh blood.

We examined the area where the tiger was lying after I had fired the second bullet at him. He had gone into the vines and had gotten stuck in the web of vines. There was a very large pool of blood in the vines. We thought that the second bullet had done enough damage to cause such a massive hemorrhage, but I became worried about his return to the water in the night. It was indeed worrisome; how could the Tiger survive after suffering so much loss of blood and not die from it?

Lingaya and I followed the trail of blood that lead us to the stream going the other way, but then there were no more pug marks or drops of blood to follow. Dejected and disappointed we were ambling on the footpath to Ghoragari Village. Mansoor Ali and others met us on this footpath, and we were all together. This steam would lead to the other Talaab (lake) which I have mentioned before. I was convinced that the Tiger had gone there because there was no water anywhere else in the jungle. It was about 2 Km from this point.

While we were all together, I started to feel very hungry. I could not bear the hunger pangs anymore. So, I asked Lingaya to go to the Ghoragari Villege and fetch some Mangos and Milk for me. He returned with the Mangos and Milk there was a stranger with him. This man reported that he was taking his animals to the base of the Lake for grazing and he was a Tiger with its mouth open and was coming toward his livestock. His livestock bolted back to the village. I could not believe for a minute that a severely wounded Tiger could go that far and try to hunt!

After eating Mangos and drinking the milk, I was refreshed and energized. So, we proceeded to check this stream which was flowing to the north of Ghoragari Village. It took us an hour to cover this distance. This was a seasonal stream that fed the Talaab (Lake). There was a deep depression in the ground where a large pool of rainwater had collected and remained there all year-round. A large tree had covered the deep pit with its branches. There were several other trees all around the stream. I had previously seen pug marks in this stream. Therefore, I asked Lingaya to climb up a tall tree; to get above the 10-foot wall to investigate the pit at the water’s edge. He climbed part way then stopped; and was keenly looking into the pit. Seconds later, Lingaya was climbing down rather quickly. I knew, at that point, he had seen the Tiger.
Was it the same tiger?

Now, I had to determine if this was the same Tiger or some other. I went to the opposite side of the pit to get closer to the Tiger. Instead of using the rifle, my preference was to use the 12-bore shotgun. I loaded both barrels with roll ball Cartouches made by the Game King Company for reliability. I crept my way up an embankment behind the wall to get closer to see if I could investigate the pit. I was crouching while advancing softly up the embankment. When I got to the top, I could now peek over the wall and into the pit. The Tiger had heard me coming; as I raised my head, its back was facing me, but the head was turned towards me. He was directly looking at me while trying to stand up. It was the same Tiger. I aimed and fired between his neck and head. My bullet hit the target and the Tiger fell facedown into the water. I fired the second shot which hit him at the base of the neck. I reloaded my gun and jumped on to a sandy patch and went closer. His tail was sticking out of the water which I tugged while keeping the shotgun at his neck. The Tiger was motionless and dead. I was momentarily joyful. Mansoor Ali, Lingaya and Burhan Baig came running to me. Then, sadness and remorse came over me; because the Tiger had suffered so much over the last few days.
The tiger had suffered so much:

I examined the Tiger thoroughly. Burhan Baig, the driver’s three pellets had hit the Tiger: one pellet had gone through the front paw, second pellet passed through the stomach area, the third pellet hit the hind leg, in the soft tissue and passed through it. My first shot which I had fired from close range while the Tiger was asleep, hit the top of the head behind the ear, tore the skin and passed through. My second bullet had hit the rib case, broke a rib and stopped in the hide behind the shoulder. The Tiger should have died right there but I was surprised he had survived. My third bullet was fired from the 6.5 rifle. It broke his jaw and passed through. His jaw was hanging by the skin. My first 12-bore bullet hit the base of the head and neck and the second hit the back; between the front legs.

Mansoor Ali Sahib pulled the measuring tape from his bag and measured the Tiger 9 ft, 6 inches. Hearing the gunshots, the Ghoragari villagers gathered around. They tied the four legs of the Tiger to a piece of lumber and brought it to the Ghoragari dock bungalow for the DSP Police and the Range Officers to inspect it and do their reporting.

The hide was removed, the underside of the hide was sprinkled with salt for preserving the skin for mounting. Malikni Sahiba was informed by phone about the kill. The next day we packed everything and left for Hyderabad.
Malikni’s urgent visit

The Tigress of Mole Block

It was the summer of 1972 and the tiger hunting season had started. Mansoor Ali, the Aide De Camp (ADC) to Malikni Sahiba (Quadirunnisa Begum) came to my house with a message from her. She wanted me to organize a hunting expedition for her, in a place called Chanda which was under the administration of the Maharashtra State. The hunting licenses were only granted to those hunters who owned bug bore rifles; .375 bore or greater caliber rifles would qualify for the license. In those days, the Conservator of Forests in Puna, Maharashtra had the sole authority for issuing hunting licenses.

Malikni Sahiba, I and Mansoor Ali were licensed holders of the required caliber guns: Malikni Sahiba had the license for a .500 Cordite double barrel rifle, I held a license for .450 Black powder hammerless double barrel Holland and Holland rifle and Mansoor Ali had license for a 400 / 450 a double barrel German made rifle. We sent our three licenses to Puna: requesting tiger hunting licenses.

We were each granted licenses to shoot:

1- Tigrer
1-Leopard
1- Bear
1- Nealgai

On, 3 March 1972, Mansoor Ali and I, left by Jeep, for Chanda via Asifabad and Bulhar Shah. We wanted to meet with the Department of Forests (DFO) to reserve three blocks for hunting. We had been assigned the Tadoba Game Sanctuary for hunting. The first block was Moherlee, the second was Kolsa and the third was Mohull. In Chanda, we discovered that the Officer in charge was in a camp in Kolsa with a Japanese hunting party. So, we drive to Kolsa to meet with the DFO: his name was Surander Kumar Bali. We were just-in-time to catchup with him because the Japanese party had wound up the camp and Mr. Bali was about to return to Chanda. We submitted our applications to him, and he was very courteous with us. We discovered that he too was very fond of hunting. He introduced us to his Range Officer who was a Sardarjee[11] by the name of Gurwichan Singh. He was also a very courteous and a polite gentleman. They both promised to help us in any manner possible during our stay.

The DFO told us, they would stay in the camp with us for the duration of the hunting expedition. We were a total of six people: I, Mansoor Ali, Sabir who was my school friend, Jahangir Baig, the famous hunter working for the Prince of Berar and my younger brothers, Azhar and Azam. The sixth person was our Cook; Hameed. The DFO welcomed us all and then asked as to where the rest of the crew were? I replied that we are five people in the hunting party and the sixth person is our Cook; there were no other people.

The DFO was taken by surprise; he told us; the Japanese party had 50 to 60 people in it and thirty Khulgay (Buffalo) were used as bait but they were not able to bag a single tiger. However, in the end, one person was able to shoot a Leopard. He then mused, rather mockingly; with so much manpower they were not able to bag a single tiger, so what chance do you think you have with so little! He then enquired about the number of Khulgay (Buffalo) we would need for this expedition? I said, we would need five. He appeared shocked with my response. Nonetheless, he decided to stay with us in the camp.

Since, one Leopard had been killed, our permit was modified to one tiger, one Bear and one Nealgai each. The DFO Officer suggested that we should accept the Kaylchur block instead of Kolsa since there had been a lot of movement caused by the Japanese party in that block. We readily accepted it because I was very familiar with the whole area.

Our plan was to get everything ready before Malikni arrives Chanda, in four days by train. There were several tasks to be completed in the next four days such as:

I had to survey all blocks to establish where the tiger would be drinking water
The paths tiger will be taking to get to the water
Find suitable places to tie the Garas (Baits)
Places to install the Jhoolas (Platforms)
Hire the beaters
Have the paths swept and combed, and checked for the pug marks
Check all the streams and water sources.

Usually, the tiger follows the animal footpaths, or the Bullock cart trails and the sandy dry beds of the streams. I was very familiar with those paths in this block. The tiger stays close to the water and likes dense bushes or shady trees to stay cool in the heat of the day. Around 5:00 P.M I tied barrel shaped bundles of thorny bushes followed by Phantay (Coconut Palm leaves) to the trailer hitch of the Jeep and as far as we could go, we erased the footprints and pug marks. Where the Jeep could not go, the same was done by men on footpaths and dry stream beds.

The same was done in the Moul and Kelchur Blocks then we returned to the Puchpalli Dock bungalow which is located halfway between the two Blocks. The next morning, at 6:00 A .M, we set off to Moul Block. Kumar Bali also came with us, to check the footpaths, Bullock cart trails and the stream beds where we found fresh pug marks of a Tigress. She had entered the stream bed then followed a footpath and descended from a small hill into a muddy area which was surrounded by Jamun Trees, Ferns and Arvi plants. This area had dense growth and was all together a cool place. The pug marks were measured by laying a twig across the impression of feet. According to my calculations[12] the tigress was 9 ft 4 inches to 9 ft, 6 inches. Some of my companions thought it was a male, but I could see the heart shape paw impression which is typical of the female.

I decided to hire eight (8) men for the Hanka. A suitable tree was found for the Machan and the it was built on the chosen tree. A ladder was also made on site to climb into the Machan. There was a footpath that crossed the Bullock Cart tracks; there the Tigress had left her pug marks before she went into the stream. So, around that junction a suitable tree was selected, and decision was made to tie a Khulka at that place. There are two methods of tying the bait (Khulga):

The front leg of the bait is tied to the base of the tree with a very strong rope. The objective is to prevent the tiger from taking the kill into the bush and hide it. This is done if the Machan is close by and objective is to make the tiger stay by the kill (Gara). It is preferred to let the tiger eat his fill before shining the light and killing it. After eating a substantial amount, the tiger would not run away and even if the light shined, it would give the hunter enough time to aim and shoot. But if the light is shined immediately after the kill, the tiger will run away.
The second method is to tie the Khulga (Bait) by a weak rope and le the tiger take the kill into the bush and hide it. In that case the tiger will keep coming back to the kill and eat. A Hanka would be necessary to drive the tiger out into the open and pass by the Machan. The hunter can then fire at the tiger.

So, it was decided to tie the Khulga by a very weak rope to let the tiger take his kill into the bushes and hide it. We returned to the Dock Bungalow. The next morning Malikni Sahiba was arriving Chanda by train. On 7 March 1972, at 6:00 A.M. the Malikni was met by her ADC Mansoor Ali. I left with my colleagues for Moule to check the Gara. We were still away from the place where the Khulga was tied but I could see a flock of crows had gathered on the nearby trees and they were calling others in their community to come and join in the feast. We got closer to where the Khulga was tied and confirmed that the Gara (Kill) had taken place. The Tigress had broken the rope and dragged the Khulga into the stream. We were delighted with the results.

Now, we had to arrange for the beaters to come out and do their bidding. We went back to Moule; Mr. Bali, the DFO and the Range Officer Mr. Gruwachan Singh were with us. We contacted the Patel and the Chowkidar (night watchman) of the village. They took responsibility to summon the beaters. We all went back to the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow. Malikni Sahiba had arrived and was waiting for us. She was delighted to hear the news of the Gara (Kill). Around 11:00 A.M we went to Moule; with Malikni Sahiba with us. There were fifty[13] Beaters waiting for us. I handed over the Beaters to Jahangir Baig, Guruwachan Singh and two Forest Guards. They were to go to the predefined place of Hanka. They had all been briefed with the detailed Hanka plans and the dos and don’ts of the Hanka. Jahangir Baig was their leader and a professional hunter. We took fifteen (15) people for the Covering duties with us and left for the Machan.

There were two Machans, fifty meters apart: one was for Mr. Bali, the DFO and my two brothers Azhar and Azam; they were all spectators. The second Machan was on the footpath on which the Tigress was expected to travel. Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali were seated on this Machan: they were hunters with guns. I left with the pennant flags and tied the flags on the left Covering but there were no trees to tie the flags on the right Covering. Therefore, I used dry bamboos to accomplish the task. Then, I stood underneath the Machan where Malikni Sahiba was seated. At this point it may be appropriate to explain the function of the Covering flags. Jahangir Biag was instructed to blow the whistle after the left and right Covering people had been seated.
The Covering Flags:

The Covering flags are made of square shape cloth of Green, Red and Yellow colors. They are stitched onto 100-meters-long thin ropes and the colored flag are spaced apart quite a bit. The ropes are tied to the right and the left of the Machan approximately twenty-five meters apart. The Covering ropes are tied about 1.5 meters above the ground.

Several men called the Covering Assistants are seated on trees along the Covering Ropes. Their soul function is to sit tight and be silent. They are instructed to never utter a word during the hunt. However, when the Tiger comes, stops and looks at the colored Covering flags, they would clap their hands gently and only once to make the tiger look up; but they must never utter a single word from their mouth nor make any other noises. The net affect of it is that the Tiger is driven back on to the track it is supposed to follow and passes by the Machan. The Tiger does not dare to turn back because of the ruckus and commotion created by the Beaters.

So, returning to the main story, my plan was to stay underneath the Machan where the Malikni Sahiba was seated. I had constructed a platform for my self to stand on. But Malikni Sahiba called out and commanded me to come to the Machan where she and Mansoor Ali were seated but there was no place for me. She insisted that I should not stand below because the grass was quite tall, and I could not possibly see the Tiger coming. She was concerned about my safety.

Therefore, I climbed up the ladder and stood on one of the top rungs of the ladder. I cast my eyes to the left and right of the Covering flags and noticed that the bamboos supporting the right Covering flags had fallen. The whistle had been blown by Jahangir Baig and the Hanks had commenced in earnest. I slipped down the ladder in a hurry to prop up the flags and quickly climbed back up on the upper rungs of the ladder. As soon as I got back up the ladder, I could see the Tigress heading our way. Malikni Sahiba had a .500 double barrel rifle, Mansoor Ali, her ADC had .404 Jeffries bolt action single barrel rifle while I had Mansoor Ali’s other rifle; a .400 / 450 double barrel rifle. The Tigress climbed up the embankment and was panting with her tongue hanging out; she stopped right where the Covering flag rope had fallen on the right-hand side. Neither the Malikni nor Mansoor Ali fired on the Tigress. They should have fired while the tigress was directly in front of them. Now, she had moved to the right and they could not fire at her because they could not turn the rifle to the right. I was also in the same situation and could not aim from my shoulder to the right.

I heard the reproach voice of Malikni saying to me, “Kid, the Tigress will escape fire on her.” I put the barrel of my rifle on the top rung of the ladder, but the butt was pointing to my chest. I took aim at the shoulder of the Tigress and fired. There was a blast and the Tigress sat down immediately. The recoiling rifle pushed the ladder to the left; I was about to fall from the top but Mansoor Ali caught hold of the barrel of the rifle and stopped me from falling. I put the safety latch on, because it was still loaded, and let go of the rifle to Mansoor Ali. My chest was hurting badly because of the impact of the recoiling force. The tail of the tigress was still moving but the pain in my chest was unbearable. So, I quickly descended to the ground rubbing my chest for some relief.

In the meantime, Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali were helped down from the Machan. The Tigress was dead by now. Mansoor Ali measured it 9 ft, 2 inches round the curve and between the pegs. Pictures were taken and the Tigress was brought to the Camp where it was skinned[14], and the hide was sprinkled with salt for preservation. Whiskers were removed as it would be prepared for head mounting.

The lunch was ready. After the lunch we decided to rest the whole afternoon. We had tea at 5:00 P.M and discussed the Kalchur Block program, so everyone would be on the same page. It was decided that after the evening meal, we would go on a night hint and then go to bed because Malikni Sahiba would be going back to Hyderabad with her staff and return to Chanda after three days. It will give us time for Garabundi (setting up the bait and Machan). We finished our evening meal at 8:30 P.M and left for night hunting by Jeep. I was driving with my .404 rifle, Malikni Sahiba was sitting next to me, with her .500 double barrel rifle, while my brother Azam had the search light, Mr. Surendar Kumar Bali and Mansoor Ali sat on the side benches. We saw herds of Spotted Deer (Cheetal) and a Bear. Little later, behind the dense woods, we saw two big eyes reflecting the search light. The two eyes were moving up and down because this animal was moving his head up and down and at times, we were seeing a black object. We were trying to figure it out but Azam thought it was a male Nealgai. Malikni Sahiba raise her rife to take a shot at it but she said, she could not see it properly. Then, she said to me if you can see it, you take a shot at it. I placed my rifle on the steering of the left-hand drive Ford Jeep, but I could not see it properly either. So, I kept looking at the eyes which were moving up and down for quite a while and decided shoot in the direction of the eyes. When the eyes went down and came up, I shot right in the middle, thinking it would be the animal’s chest; and it was. The animal fell immediately and was kicking its legs. Azam and I ran with a torch light up to it and slaughtered it with a very sharp knife to end his agony, it was a male Sambar Deer. The stags measured 40 to 45 inches.

We left the Sambar in the woods and returned to the Camp. Here we drop Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali. We hitched the trailer to the Jeep and took six able bodied men with us to collect the Sambar. DFO Bali was with us too. While I was driving the Jeep with speed to go back to the Sambar, we spotted a Leopard in the woods. Seeing the Jeep speeding in his direction, he ran back into the woods. I stopped the Jeep with its lights pointing in the direction he had run; he was looking at the Jeep with his body in front of me. I aimed at his shoulder and fired; he collapsed right there. The men picked up the Leopard and put it in the trailer and we proceeded to collect the Sambar. With great difficulty we also put the Sambar in the trailer and returned to the Camp and unloaded the trailer in the rear section of the Forest Bungalow. The Leopard measured 7 ft 6 inches. We assigned the task of skinning the animals to men and retired for the night.

We were up the next morning before dawn, after my Fajr[15] prayers, we had Breakfast and left for Kaylchur. We put two Khulgay in the trailer behind the Jeep and two hunters: Jahangir Baig and my brother Azam came to help with us. We checked the footpaths, Bullock cart trails and the streams in the jungle and selected the Garabundi[16] places. We had to return quickly because Malikni Sahiba will be leaving for Hyderabad by train.

The Leopard and the Sambar Deer were skinned; the hides preserved for mounting. We kept some of meat for our use and the rest of the Sambar meat was distributed to the villagers. Mr. Surander Kumar Bali, DFO and the Range Officer Mr. Singh were also camped with us. They had a keen interest in observing the arrangements I was making and the execution of the whole plan. They were somewhat fascinated with my approach to planning a successful hunt. They were very helpful and courteous gentlemen. They also did their office work while they were in the camp

The Malikni Sahiba, thanked both Officials for their helpfulness and promised to return to Chanda after three days. She and her staff were driven to the station by Mansoor Ali, her ADC who returned to the camp after her departure.
Juchpalli Dock Bungalow

The Tiger of Kaylchur

From the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow, Kaylchur is twenty-five Kilometers. It is on the railway line and has a station. There is dense forest all around and there is a very large water hole; all around it the land is muddy and wet. There are dense growths of bamboo, Jamun trees and tall emerald green Elephant grass. This is an ideal place for the tiger to live in the summer.

I, Azam, Jahangir, Mr. Bali and two local men went to Kaylchur. There are bullock cart trails and footpaths all around the stream. Wherever we could take the Jeep, so, the paths were dragged with bundles of thorny bushes and Phantay (Coconut Palm branches) and likewise, wherever the Jeep could not go, we had men comb the footpaths. Mr. Bali, the DFO, expressed the desire to shoot a Leopard because this was the last chance to hunt in Chanda; the Blocks will be closed soon after this. So, I made a promise to Kumar Bali that if we sight a Leopard, I will let him shoot it.

The next morning, we left for Kaylchur at 8:00 A.M to check out the trails and footpaths but we did not find any tiger paws. Next, we had to tie some Jhoolas (Machans); we selected suitable venues and trees for this purpose. We followed the flowing stream for about 500 meters where it was joined by another stream to form a bigger torrent and selected a suitable tree to tie the Jhoola which in this case was a bed woven with strips of yarn. The bed was turned upside down and tied to supporting branches with strong ropes. A horizontal bar was placed across the front legs of the bed (the Jhoola) so we could place the barrel of the rifle on it for shooting.

The next morning, we arrived in Kaylchur to check the pug marks around the stream and the torrent we had mentioned above, but we did not find any. We needed to have the footpaths dragged with bundles of thorny bushes and Phantay[17] ; but we decided to do it after lunch. Mr. Bali (DFO) and Gruwech Singh (Range Officer) got busy with their respective office work, however, they were done by 3:00 P.M.

Together, we left for Kaylchur with two Khulgas (Buffalo) in the Trailer hitched behind our Jeep. One of the Khulga was tied at the path used by the Tiger by the front leg to a tree by a strong rope. The second Khulga was tied on a path we thought was most likely path to be travelled by the Tiger. We used the same method of tying by the front leg to a tree with a strong rope. This method to tying the bait is called Garabundi[18]
The Leopard:

The following day, after breakfast, I, Mr. Bali, Jahangir Baig, Azam and Gruwech Singh went to Kaylchur to check the Gara (baits) while Mansoor Ali remained at the Camp. We left the Jeep quite far from the first Buffalo, as we approached it on soft footsteps, the Buffalo stood up and was looking at us. We proceeded to check the second buffalo and he too heard our footsteps and stood up. Both buffalos were untied and left in the care of two local people. They took them to the water hole and then for grazing the whole day. In the evening, the Buffalo were once again tied to their respective places. We got back to the Jeep and while we were returning to the village, we saw a man waving at us and signaling us to stop for him. We drove in his direction and stopped to speak with him. He informed us that a Leopard had killed his young calf and he had left it in the same place for us to see it.

The calf was lying inside a small patch of bushes. The Leopard had killed the calf in the early morning hours, ripped it open and had eaten some flesh and then left. I believe, the calf had become separated from the herd which was returning home in late evening. The Leopard found it in the morning, killed it, ate some flesh and left. Kumar Bali was very happy because it was his best opportunity to kill the Leopard. However, the place was more like a grassy meadow and there were no deciduous trees in sight. It was also not a suitable place to build a platform above ground because the ground was sloping down. As I looked, in a distance, I could see bundles of grass piled up rather high. So, we decided to investigate it. However, before we left, we had decided to cover the Gara (kill) with branches of tree and grass clippings to prevent the eagles, the vultures and the crows from helping themselves to it. The pile of grass bundles, I mentioned, were about one Furlong (250 meters) away. When we got nearer, it turned out to be piles of paddy[19] which had been harvested and left in the open before the Thrashing would commence. In order to prevent the animals from eating it, the farmers had corralled it with walls made from dry bamboo which were stacked in the ground. The bamboo leaves (Phantay) were laced all around the stacked bamboo walls to hide the harvest in the hope of dissuading animals from eating the harvest. It was an ideal cover for us, and we decided to take advantage of it. We made three small openings in the covering: one for Mr. Bali on the right, another to his left for Azam to shine the search light and the third hole on Azams left for me to poke my rifle through it for shooting. We returned to the Camp. Mansoor Ali was elated with the news

After some rest at the Camp, I, Azam, Jangir Sahib, and Mr. Bali left for Kaylchur. The two local men were waiting for us with the two Khulgay. We tied them back at the respective locations for baiting the tiger. All the paths were combed with Phantay. This place was ten Kilometers (10 Km) from where the dead calf was lying. We collected the two men and drove to collect the dead calf. The two men were assigned the task of dragging the dead calf to the corralled area. They dragged the dead calf (Phara) to a tree which stood 30 meters away from the pile of harvested paddy and tied the front legs to the base of the tree using a very strong rope.

The reason for dragging the dead calf all the way here was to leave the scent of the flesh and blood for the Leopard to follow. However, Bali Sahib disagreed and said, it was too far away, and thought the Leopard will not come here. My experience was telling me that it will follow the scent and will come here very soon after dark. So, we proceeded with my plan. Bali Sahib was not happy, but he relented.

I had my 6.5 caliber rifle and gave my 12-bore shot gun which was loaded with two Alfa 6 cartridges plus, to Mr. Bali and put two extra ones in his pocket. Azam had the Search Light. We left the Jeep at quite a distance away but took the battery out of the Jeep and a cable with us to the piles of wet paddy. We connected the Search Light with the cable to the terminals of the battery and made sure it was working. With everything working, we took cover behind the bamboo shelter (MAAT). I had instructed Mr. Bali to wait for my signa,l which would be by touch, before firing. He was to rest the heel and the toe of the butt on his shoulder, remove the safe, aim at the Leopard and fire. This would be his first hunting experience of killing a big cat. I instructed Azam to wait for my signal which would be a firm squeeze to his left shoulder, until then he was NOT to turn the search light on. Jahangir Baig Sahib and the two local men were sent to the Jeep which was parked far away behind some bushes.

It was 6:30 P.M and I was sure the Leopard will return to the Gara. I once again reminded Azam that he was Not to turn the light on before I squeeze his shoulder. I had also reminded both Mr. Bali and Azam that they were to let the Leopard eat his fill for quite some time, wait for my signals in complete silence, and in darkness.
Leopard crashes into Bamboo wall

The Leopard returns:

we waited in complete silence. About 8:00 P.M, it was dark, and soon we heard the footsteps of an animal walking through the cluster of bushes. I removed the latch from my rifle and got ready to shoot. I signaled Mr. Bali to be ready to shoot. The Leopard was heading straight for the Gara (the dead calf). It stopped and tried to drag the Gara but it was impossible for him to drag it. So, the Leopard sat there and proceeded to eat[20]. We could hear him tear the flesh and chew on it. We let him eat in complete solitude for twenty (20) minutes. I squeezed Azam’s left shoulder to turn the light on; he did, and the Leopard raised his head and started looking at the light. I was aimed on his shoulder and ready to shoot. I signaled Mr. Bali to fire at the Leopard but he did not fire. We waited for 10 minutes with the light focused on the Leopard, but Mr. Bali still did not fire. Now, after ten minutes, the Leopard stood up and was staring straight at us. By now, he had heard our movements and was about to flee. Once again, I signaled Mr. Bali to fire but he did not fire. I was certain that the Leopard will flee from us, so I took aim at his chest and fired. Insanely, the Leopard came charging at us and crashed into the wall of bamboos. When Azam saw him charging, he turned the search light off, threw it behind his back and then moved away from his seat. I was groping in the dark for the search light in total despair and luckily, I caught the wires with my right hand. I picked up the light and turned it on; the Leopard was lying four feet away from us. The Leopard was having hiccups when I looked at him. I pointed the barrel at him and keep a watch on the Leopard. He died shortly thereafter.

I looked at Mr. Bali and he looked stunned or mesmerized. He was looking at me and soon Azam came and joined in our conversation. Mr. Bali said:

“Nizam, am glad you shot the Leopard (Bore-Baccha) because, when I saw it, I was stunned by the sight of it. I could not think of anything, the proximity took my mind away. I was completely awed by it.” I said to him. “Bali Sahib, what a golden opportunity you missed because after this kill the hunting blocks will be closed.”

In the meantime, Jahangir Baig Sahib joined us. He was my father’s contemporary and a highly experienced hunter working for the Prince of Berar. He was my mentor and a teacher. He tore a strip off Azam and scolded him for abandoning the search light and running away from the scene.

We reinstalled the battery in the Jeep, put the Leopard in the trailer and returned to the camp. Mansoor Ali was very happy. We had dinner together, then Mansoor Ali measured it 7 feet, 14 inches round the curve. The Leopard was skinned for head mount and the hide was preserved by salt for sending it to Danygun and Toker Company in Bangalore. Mr. Toker had moved to Hyderabad was doing his business from there.

The next morning Malikni was arriving at 4:00 A.M by train. We sent Mansoor Ali to Chanda Rail Station to collect her by Jeep. The station was 30 Km from the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow. I had a busy day ahead of me because Malikni could only stay for two days. She was coming hear without the knowledge of Hazoor Nizam therefore she was keen to return.

We had two options for tiger hunting:

Use the Gara technique of tying a bait
Research the jungle and find the places where the tiger stays, then use the Beaters to drive the tiger to the Machan and then shoot it.

As mentioned before, two Khulkay hd been tied to trees at separate locations and we needed to check them out. The Malikni Sahiba arrived at the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow at 7:30 A.M. We had breakfast and talked about the Leopard hunt last night. Then, I, Mr. Bali, Jahangir Baig, Azam and Gruwech Singh and two local people left by Jeep to Kaylchur. We went to check the first bait, treading softly and quietly. We did not see the first Khulga because the Gara had taken place. The pug marks showed that a big tigress had killed it, broken the rope and dragged it into the muddy wetland which had dense foliage all around the water hole. We then checked all the Bullock Cart trails, footpaths and streams to establish if the tigress was still inside the forest! She had not gone out. She was still there.

This was the month of March and the days were getting to be very hot. Now, we had to gather the Beaters together, so we went to the village of Kaylchur. Mr. Bali and Gruwech Singh had already sent their Chowkidars (Night watchman) ahead of us to get in-touch with the Patels to recruit a gang of beaters. We stopped and waited in the shade of a large tree for the Patels and the Beater to meet us. The Patels and the Beater came and met with us. They were eighty (80) men. I talked to them and gave them clear instructions to follow. I will elaborate on them later. The local Chowkidars will usher the Beaters to the venues where the Beat will start at 12:00 noon sharp. Having finished the instructions, we left for the Dock Bungalow.

Mr. Bali was very impressed with the organization and said, “Brother Nizam, the whole thing seems like a dream to me.” We told the Malikni Sahiba that the Gara had taken place and she was suitably pleased with it. Malikni had a .500 bore double barrel rifle, Mansoor Ali had .400 and .400 / 450 rifle and the 12-bore guns were checked out by her staff and were ready for the hunt. We got into the Jeep and put the pennant flags, garlic shaped firecrackers, empty tin cans, water bottles and Thermoses in the trailer and reached Kaylchur at 12:00 noon.

As you might recall, the Jhoolas had already been installed previously and a ladder had been made on site to climb into, the Jhoolas. Before the Beat would start, I decided to re-check the paths in and out of the Toug (Muddy land) to make sure the tigress had not left the area. Jahangir Baig Sahib, Mr. Bali and two other people were sent out to double check the Bullock Cart Trails. In the meantime, Malikni and Mansoor Ali were asked to wait under the shade of a large tree. It was quite far from the Toug (Muddy). We went on foot to check the footpaths on which the tigress had previously traveled. The tigers like to travel on soft and sandy paths to protect the cushions of their paws.
The tigress leaves:

We found the pug marks of a very big Tiger: he had entered the same Toug (Muddy) where the tigress was. We were delighted that not one, but two tigers were in the Toug (Muddy); this was to be short lived. As we arrived on the other side to check the Bullock Cart Trails, we found the pug marks of the tigress going out of the Toug (Muddy). The tigress was probably scared of the tiger and left the Toug. Only the male was in the Toug now. We walked over to the tree where Malikni Sahiba, Mansoor Ali and the Beaters were assembled. Jahangir Baig, Azam and the Chowkidars distributed the garlic shaped firecrackers, empty tin cans to the Hanks folks who had brought their own Dhupra drums (Town Crier Drums).
Instructions to the beaters:

Instructions were given to wait for the signal, a long whistle, to start the Hanka. We told them, if the tiger gets injured and starts running towards them, we will blow long whistles repeatedly; thus, signaling them to climb up the nearest tree to get out of harms way. However, if the tiger had been shot and killed, we will blow one long whistle to inform them that the tiger was dead. The Toug was half a Km away from the Jhoola.

We went by Jeep on the Bullock Cart Trail to the Jhoola which was close to where the two streams merge. Underneath the Jhoola, a platform had been built with tree branches for me to sit on. We helped Malkini Sahiba and Mansoor Ali climb up the ladder and into the Jhoola. She had her .500 double barrel rifle and Mansoor Ali had his 400 / 450 rifle, but he had left the Cartouches at the Dock Bungalow. So, I handed over my single barrel bolt action 404 rifle to him and kept the double barrel 12-bore shotgun for myself. I loaded both chambers with Roller Ball Cartouches made by the Game King Company and had the whole boxful with me.

Gruwech Singh was assigned ten men and he was to have the left Covering installed at 5 ft above ground and then have his men climb up their respective tree and sit their quietly. They were told to never make any vocal sounds but if the tiger stopped to look at the pennant flag, they were to lightly clap their hands. I oversaw the right Covering with ten men. Having completed the task, I climbed on to the five feet high platform underneath the Jhoola. Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali were told to refrain from shooting the tiger from far. They were to fire at the tiger only when it got close to the Jhoola they were sitting on. I was now seated on the Maat (platform) and blew one long whistle.

Immediately, the Beaters made a host of noises; firecrackers exploded, the Dhupra were beaten like crazy and men yelled, the tin cans were beaten with sticks. As mentioned before, the Jhoola was close to the confluence of the two streams; one to the right of the Jhoola and another to the left. We were twenty minutes into the Beat when I spotted the tiger coming from the right stream. He was still 70 meters away from the Jhoola, but he was on a slow canter and coming in the direction of the Jhoola. It would stop and look back in the direction of the Beaters, walk a little, stop and look back again and move on. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth, he was panting from the heat of the day and steadily coming in our direction.
The last tiger:

The tiger was about fifty meters from the Jhoola and Malikni Sahiba fired her rifle, then Mansoor Ali fired his rifle and both had missed. As soon as the two explosions occurred, the tiger was running on a gallop. He came in front of me and I took aim at his shoulder and fired; he turned around and fell to the ground. I fired the second shot on him and then I immediately reloaded my shotgun and stood with my aim at it. The tiger was 6 feet away from us. It was quite a scene to watch Bali Sahib: he had his mouth covered with one hand and was pointing at the tiger with his other hand while drawing my attention to look at the dead tiger. My first shot had hit the tiger on the shoulder and the second had hit the tiger at the back of his head. Mr. Bali was ecstatic; he was slapping back with gusto.

Both Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali had fired the bullets from too far a distance and had missed. This was contrary to my instruction. I was fortunate that the tiger was directly in front of me; had he gone to the right and climbed up the small embankment; it would have been impossible to take a shot at the tiger. I blew a long whistle and the Beater immediately came to us. Jahangir Baig and Gruwechan Singh also came and Azam joined us too. We helped the Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali down from the Jhoola. This was my thirteenth and the last tiger.

The dead tiger was put in the trailer of the Jeep, pictures were taken. The Beaters sat down on the ground in a line and their wages were paid. The local Chowkidars (night warchmen) and the two local men were paid their wages as well as some gifts. The remaining Khulga (Buffalo) was given to the two local men as reward. At the dock bungalow, the tiger was measured 9ft 16 inches.

Kumar Bali asked me to autograph the two spent cartridges and kept them as souvenirs. That evening, Malikni Sahiba ordered a sumptuous banquet for Kumar Bali and Gruwech Singh. She thanked them for their care and hospitality. The next morning, she left by train for Hyderabad. We also packed our belongings in the Jeep and the Trailer, thanked Messers Kumar Bali and Gruwech Singh, made promised to visit them again and left for Hyderabad.
The Bore Baccha
The Leopard

Bore Baccha

Bore Baccha (Leopard) is found in most Indian jungles. It prefers to live in dense forest in muddy, wetland areas. It makes it’s den in mountainous areas and is a nocturnal hunter who returns to the den in the morning-hours to rest during the day. His favorite food is the wild pig, mountain goat, spotted deer. He likes raiding the livestock, in villages. The Bore Baccha often takes, goats, lamb, and dogs. The leopard takes his victims by the neck and asphyxiates it. Unlike the tiger which eats his kill from the hind legs, the Leopard likes to rip open the belly and eats from inside. There used to be a lot of Leopards in the surrounding areas of Hyderabad City. Leopards were seen in places like: Banjara Hills, Tolli Chowki, Nursapur Road, Medchal Road, Kaisara Hills, Saroor Nagar, Nulgunda Road, Malka Pulli Hills, Ibrahim Putnum Road, Pahadi Shareef Road, Mianpura and the Maqta Hills. They were hunted in those areas. I mention these areas because most of these localities are now developed and the Leopard’s natural habitats have been pushed further inland. Bore Baccha is a beautiful big cat:
Description:

The Bore Baccha comes out of its den just before sunset and sits on big rocks looking for food. He has a sharp eyesight and is considered a dangerous predator because, in contrast to a tiger which would warn an approaching human being by his roars and growls, the Leopard would stay silent until the last moment and attack: growling only during the attack. Whereas, if you leave the tiger alone, it will not attack human beings.

The best way to hunt a Leopard is to find out:

where he lives, the location of his Gawee (den)
the dense forest with water
the paths he travels on
follow the pug marks and build a Machan / platform close by.

Usually, fifty meters away from the Machan or Platform a goat or a pig is tied as a bait. The Leopard has good hearing and will often come to the bait.

It is easier to hunt the Bore Baccha during the day, but after dark a search light will be necessary. However, if one had a Jeep or an all-terrain vehicle; you can spot them in the morning or in the evening near the watering places. The Leopard’s fur is marked with rosettes. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but has a smaller, lighter physique, and its rosettes are generally smaller, more densely packed and without central spots. In the winter, the Leopard’s coat becomes deep yellow and looks very beautiful. During the mating season, his tail remains high while he sprays the bushes and trees with its urine to let the female know about his presence. He travels far in search of his mate. It also makes a gher, gher,gher sound to call his mate. In the Indian terminology, a smaller Leopard is called Bore Baccha while the male is called Tayndwa. Some Tayndwa (Male Leopard) get very fat with abundance of food and water. We measured one at 8 ft, 2 inches round the curve.

If a Leopard becomes injured or weak, it becomes a man eater and once they have tasted human flesh, they hunt human beings. In fact, a man eater Leopard becomes far more dangerous than a man-eating tiger; because a. tiger does not enter human habitats nor does a tiger like flat lands. But a Leopard will enter farmlands and there he can easily hunt children, women and men at will. They would hide in streams, bushes and are experts in camouflaging themselves against the natural backgrounds. He is swift in attacking and killing its prey by biting into the neck and asphyxiating it. Often, a Leopard will drag its prey into a hiding place such as dense bushes. If the prey is small, it will carry it into a tree and eat it there.
Nawab Zaman Khan

Baloor’s livestock eating Leopard

It was the month of April and the heat of the summer was becoming oppressive in Hyderabad. I have had a car accident which put me in the hospital for a fractured hip treatment. After a short stay, I was discharged for convalescence at home. I was not able to walk on my own and needed crutches for mobility and relief from pain. However, one fine morning, I was sitting in my veranda and reading the newspapers, a good friend of mine, Jahangir showed up at the house. I was pleased to see him. He had travelled all the way from a place called Baloor in Maharashtra State. After exchanging pleasantries, Jahangir proceeded to tell me about the purpose of his visit. Baloor where Jahangir was living, was a Jagir belonging to his brother in law who was the Nawab[21] also he was simply known as Zaman Khan Sahib. The people living in Baloor were once under the administration of his ancestors. The local language of this area is Marathi

They were beset by the constant attacks by Bore Bucchas (Leopards) on their livestock and they had threatened their livelihoods. The Leopards would come into the settlements with impunity and nab their cats, dogs, hens, ducks and goats. The Nawab knew about me and had sent his brother-in-law. to persuade me to come to Baloo to shoot the Leopards. I still had pain in my hip but reluctantly, I agreed to go to Baloo as soon as I felt a little better and could walk on my own, unassisted.

Baloor is in the Zilah (District) of Purbhani and there is no train station there. However, there are two train stations close to Baloor. They are: Poorna and Manoot Road. In either case one must cross the Wardhana Naddi (Wardhana River) and then travel 12 km inland to reach Baloor. I promised my friend Jahanger to come there as soon as possible and help him hunt the Leopard down.

The time came and I informed Jahangir of my arrival at the Manoot Road train station on a certain date. The Nawab Sahib was waiting for me at the train station. The Nawab had come to the station by his Bullock Cart. The floor of the Bullock Cart was padded with thick layers of dry grass and a mattress had been placed on top of the grass. The sides of the Bullock Cart had comfortable cushions to lean on. In short, the Bullock Cart was made very comfortable for our onward journey inland. I had with me, my 8 mm rifle which had been damaged in the car accident, I had mentioned above. The butt of the rifle was broken and I had recently been repaired by an armorer . I was not sure if the repair work affected the sight in any adverse way. After travelling for a while, the Bulls came to stop at a small trickle-fed stream of fresh water which was located on the Bullock Cart Road; they were thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

So, I decided to avail myself this opportunity to test the rifle. I found a target, 80 meters away, near a large Banyan Tree and fired a shot from my 8 mm rifle. It hit the target dead on bull’s eye, and I was satisfied with the repairs. The bulls were refreshed, and we left for Baloor. On the way to Baloo, I surveyed the surroundings there were big wide-open fields and some grassy meadows. We reached Baloor around 1:30 P.M and outside the village the Nawab’s friends had gathered to welcome us to Baloor. The Nawab had a huge house that looked like a grandfather clock. It was surrounded by high walls made of mud bricks. The house had big halls and several rooms. We were given accommodation in a big hall with amenities and the Nawab was a very hospitable man. He had informed the indigenous people of the surrounding Tanday (hutments) about my arrival. They were mostly Dhungar people who were herders and field workers. They would take their animals for grazing in the morning and return in the evening. They came to the Nawab’s house in the evening and gave me a lot of information about the sightings and activities of the Bore Bucchas.

There were two large Tanday (Hutments) settlements of the Banjara[22] people around there and the Naiks (Chiefs) of the communities also came to see me. They were very affluent people: they were dressed in traditional white Dhoti (loin cloth) and long white Kurtas, waist coats, turbans and decorative embroidered shoes. They were each carrying a spear and had their hound dogs with them. They hunted with spears and the hounds were used to hunt down wild pigs and rabbits. They gave me a lot of information about the Bore Buccha activities and sightings.

The indigenous groups left and promised to come back next morning with fresh news of Bore Buccha activities and sightings. After a while a big landowner by the name of Bapu Lala came to see me. He was a close friend of the Nawab and had a Saindhi or Tadi (Palm Wine) business in the area. Baloor was surrounded with flat lands that sloped in places. The depressions had pools of water and small streams feeding them. Dense jungles of the Palm trees (Tadi trees) grew all around the pools of water like an oasis. This is where Bapu Lala had his Palm Wine business. He told me that when his men go up the palm trees to collect the sap, they see the Bore Bacchas[23] in the area. Bapu Lala was also fond of hunting and had a 12-bore shotgun for hunting spotted deer and rabbits. Since he was a good friend of the Nawab, he joined us for the dinner. When he left, I retired for the night as the journey was a bit tiring.

Next day, I was up at 5;00 A.M for the Fajr prayers. We prayed together at Fajr and had our morning tea together. Little later we had our breakfast on Nihari[24] and homemade Jawar (millets) bread. We had just finished our breakfast and were relaxing with cups of tea being served when a Dhangar came and broke the news of an attack on his goat herd. A Bore bacha had attacked and taken one of his goats. The attack took place 8 Km north of Baloor. We got ready and left for this place. I had my 8 mm rifle made by the Indian Ordinance Company and Bapu Lala had his double barrel 12-bore shotgun with him and the Nawab Sahib had point-twenty-two (.22) rifles with him. We travelled in two bullock carts since my hip was still recovering and the pain was still lingering on. The bullock carts were very comfortable, indeed. We were now in the Palm tree jungle and, on the way, we saw large herds of deer. The chiefs of the Banjara communities and ten Banjara men came along with us. The Banjara men had long spears with them and had five or six hounds with them.

The Bore Baccha had killed the goat in this area and taken it into the jungle which was about 600 meters from here. There was a large farm nearby where they cultivated Onions on a large scale. We found a big shady Mango tree and took shelter from the sun underneath its canopy. I was wondering about the best way to kill this Bore Baccha and, there were two methods:

Tie a bait of his favorite[25] foods, like a young goat etc.
Arrange a Beat and drive him out of the Palm Tree jungle.

So, I decided to inspect the area where the Bore Baccha had just killed a goat. The fields had recently been plowed and the soil was very soft and powdery. I found recent pug marks of the Bore Baccha. I asked the two Shikari who were in our group to go and carefully check the area where the Bore Baccha had gone in with the goat. There were vast farmlands on both side of the Naala (stream). They were also instructed to climb up the embankments and look for the pug marks. They returned and reported that the Bore Baccha was still in the stream area on our side, he had not crossed the stream. Now, we were reasonably certain that if we start the beat, the Bore Baccha would try to go downhill and across the stream. It was dry season and the depth of the water was about 4 feet deep. The lower land had dense jungle of Palm Trees on both sides and multitudes of wild pigs lived in there.

I suggested to my companions that I will sit in the open space below, by myself, and they should come in my direction with the beaters. But Bapu Lala said “you have pain in your hip, you cannot climb up the tree nor run away; this is not a good situation for you.” Therefore, it was decided that I will sit in the Bullock Cart and it will be taken as close to the stream as possible and tied to a Palm tree.So, that is what was done. The Bullock Cart was covered with Phantay (Palm tree branches) and bulls were taken away to another place. I was certain, the Leopard will come on the footpath travelled by the sap collectors and, it will try to cross the stream. The beaters were instructed to beat the one empty tin can we had found on our way to this point. They were instructed to strike two pieces of dry sticks together and to lightly clap their hands.

Jahangir and I sat in the parked bullock cart but Bapu Lala had instructed his son and son-in-law to remain guard at the bullock cart. The two young men stood-by guarding with their spears in the hand. He had told them that if the Bore Baccha would try to attack me and Jahangir, they were to slay it with their spears. I pleaded with them a million times to leave us alone, but they would not budge. Finally, I persuaded them to stand a little away from the bullock cart and to camouflage themselves and, they agreed. The beat commenced and I removed the safety latch from my rifle. First, we heard some animal noises then we saw five or six peacocks coming our direction and they quickly passed by us.

Then a large Bore Baccha was coming but it stopped 20 meters away by the edge of the water. Whenever, an animal wants to cross a stream, it always stops and looks around before entering the water. That is what the Leopard was doing. As the Leopard stepped forward to enter the water, I took aim at the back of his head and fired my 8 mm rifle. A loud explosion took place and the Leopard fell headlong into the water. I reloaded the rifle quickly and stood with my rifle aimed at it, thinking that if he tried to get up, I will fire the second shot. But he never moved and was already dead. A little later we heard the beaters and then the noise of a large animal coming our way: it was a very large pig going toward the water. I aimed and fired on it and he dropped dead close to the dead Leopard. Jahangir was ecstatic and was patting my back with gusto. The others also came to the bullock cart we were sitting in. They were happier seeing the wild pig than the Leopard. The Dongar and Banjara were set to have a feast on the wild pig.

The dead Leopard and the Wild pig were carried in the second bullock cart. The Leopard was skinned, and the hide was preserved by salt and sent to a tannery in Hyderabad for mounting. I returned to Hyderabad leaving behind happy and grateful people.
2nd visit to Baloor

Baloor’s Leopardess

A couple of years had passed since my last trip to Baloor and, little did I know that it was not to be my last trip to Baloor.

It was the beginning of the summer, my friend Jahangir had come to see me, all the way from Baloor which is in Maharashtra State and they speak Marahti language there. He had come to deliver a personal letter from the Jagirdar or the feudal Landlord of Baloor. His name was Zaman Khan who was the brother-in-law of my friend Jahangir. You might remember his name from the previous story.

Apparently, Zaman Khan’s close friend Bapu Lala who was a big landowner and a businessman of the area had a serious problem with Leopards threatening the lives of his sugar plantation workers. Bapu Lala was cultivating sugarcane on a 25-acre plantation but a Leopard had decided to take up residence in the sugarcane bushes. Sugarcane is a cash crop and the yields are very dependent on moisture, fertilizer and other requirements being met. Papu Lala was desperate that without proper irrigation his cash crop will die and cost him big financial losses. His farmworkers tried going in with cow bells in their hands and tolling them; thinking that the Leopard might be fooled into thinking they were just farm animals and ignore them. But no such luck. Instead, the Leopard was snarling and threatening to attack them.

Bapu Lala and the Naiks[26] of the area had tried, twice and failed, to drive the Leopard out by using beaters with firecrackers, Dhupra drums and blank Musket fire. It would leave for a while and then come back to the same spot. They knew me from previous experience of shooting a Leopard in this area, so, they prevailed upon Nawab Zaman Khan to write to me for help.

As mentioned, in my previous article, Baloor is a village in the district of Purbhani on the Hyderabad to Aurangabad railway line. One can approach it from two station on this line, however, Jahangir suggested we get off at Sayloo Station because Baloor was only 8 Km away from this station. We arrived at Sayloo station in the afternoon and found Jagirdar Zaman Khan was waiting for us. We were taken to Baloor in a very comfortable bullock cart. By the time we reached there, it was already late evening. The surrounding areas of Baloor had the Banjara settlements (Tanday). The soil around there was fertile black loam soil and the Banjara farmers were quite affluent.

I knew the Naiks of these communities from my previous hunting experience with a troublesome Leopard, so they had started calling me Baray Bhai (elder Brother) because that is what Jahangir and the Nawab were calling me. The Naiks were well dressed impressive people. Their attire was white Dhoti (loin cloth), long white Kurta, black waist coat and red silk turban (Shamla) and embroidered red footwear called Joota. They carried a long spear and were accompanied by two Hound dogs. They had assembled at the house of the Nawab and they gave us a warm welcome when we arrived. They hugged me and showed great respect and affection. The Nawab was a very hospitable man and he had given us an impressive banquette that evening.

The next morning, after the breakfast, we went, by three bullock carts, to inspect Bapu Lala’s sugar plantation which was located 8 Km from the Nawab’s mansion which looked like a grandfather clock. Bapu Lala had several businesses here; among other things he was a major irrigation contractor. We arrived at the plantation and found him waiting to greet us at the gate of the plantation. On the right of the road leading to the plantation, there was a very large Bowli (A Well) which had a large Diesel water pump installed for irrigating the plantation and to the left there were two Servant Quarters. A few meters away from the Bawli there was a large and shady Mango tree. A Shortrangee (a cotton spread) had been laid on the ground for us to sit on and we all settled down to listen to the details of the Leopard from Bapu Lala and the Naiks.

According to Bapu Lala, the offending Leopard was a pregnant Leopardess and he thought it may be delivering soon. His men had not been able to enter the sugar cane area to irrigate the plants; the water had to be directed into the furrows by his men. His main concern was that once the Leopardess had her cubs, she will attack and kill his men. When I heard that the Leopardess was pregnant, I did not want to kill her. Instead I suggested that he should drive her out by organizing the beaters repeatedly. Bapu Lala the Naiks and the Jagirdar had a long discussion in their language (Marhati) which I did not speak or understand. Collectively, they pleaded with me to kill her before she delivers her cubs. Unhappily and with a heavy heart, I agreed to do it and went with two Naiks to collect more information about the Leopardess. The rest of the men stayed under the Mango tree.

The plantation was surrounded by tall and dense hedges and there were two large Mango trees growing in the hedges. With the hedge being so tall and dense, I needed to establish how the Leopardess enters and exits the plantation? I did not find a single break or a hole in the hedge rows. However, as I turned around, I noticed soft powdery soil had the pug marks of Leopardess. This was a 50-acre farm and I followed the pug marks, but after a while, they suddenly disappeared. So, I went back to the last set of pugmarks. Here I noticed the claw marks and skid marks. I looked up; there was a tree growing inside the hedge row and six feet above the ground, one of the branches was drooping down towards the ground on the other side of the hedges. I then noticed claw marks on the same branch of this Mango tree. The Leopardess was jumping up from the spot where we had seen the last set of pugmarks cum skid marks and landing on the branch above us. From there she was going out and coming back into the plantation using the Mango tree branch. This was a very old tree with strong, thick branched. Two people could comfortably sit on these branches. So, the plan was to shoot the Leopardess from this tree. The Niaks had brought a suitable bait[27] to attract the Leopardess. It would be tied to a stake that would be driven in the ground, 30-meters away from the Mango tree.

It was 1:00 P.M and the Jagirdar had brought lunch with him. We all had lunch and then got back to the idea of two people sitting in the Mango tree. However, two people volunteered to sit with me on the tree: Jahangir and Khawaja Mian. They decided to toss up a coin and Jahangir won the toss and got busy preparing himself for the task of handling the torch light. I decided that we should be seated on the tree by 3:00 P.M. The Niaks tied the bait to the stake in the ground and left for the gate, as instructed. I was sure the Leopardess will come out of sugarcane bush on hearing the distressful cries of the bait.

I had the Czech made 6.5 rifle with me and Bapu Lala had his 12-bore shotgun. I had brought a box of Alpha Max L.G cartridges for him. He loaded one in the chamber and engaged the safety latch. Jahangir was sitting near me on another branch. The bait started making distressful noises and within 20 minutes a big Leopardess came out of the sugarcane bushes and sat down with a paw on the bait. I took aim between the head and the chest of the Leopardess but as soon as Jahangir turned to look at it his flashlight collided with the trunk of the tree and made a noise. The Leopardess got startled with the noise of the collision and quickly moved. I fired at her and instantly she roared and made a few summersaults and then disappeared into the sugarcane bush. I reloaded the rifle, but it was too late. Instead of the chest the bullet hit her between the chest and the front leg. Jahangir’s mistake had now become a danger for me.
Jahangir’s mistake becomes a danger to me:

Now, I had to search for the injured Leopardess inside the sugarcane bushes; a dangerous proposition. Hearing the shot, the Niaks and Khawja Mian came running and we also came down from our perch in the Mango tree. The Nawab, Gousse and Bapu Lala had also joined us. I could see a trail of blood from the animal. However, the bait was unharmed and was taken back by the Niak who had tied it to the peg in the ground. It was my intention to follow the trail and try to kill the Leopardess. The Naiks caught hold of me from behind and would not let me go in the Sugarcane bush. They were repeatedly telling me that they will not let me go in.
The Niaks had a private meeting:

The four Naiks had a private meeting in their won language. After the meeting was over, they said that their hounds had been well trained, to kill big, strong wild pigs. So, they will set the Hounds on track to follow the scent of her blood and they will kill her for sure. So, they took their dogs to the trail of blood and then they removed the leather straps from their necks, commanding them to go in and kill the injured Leopardess. The four hounds had their nose to the ground and went into the Sugarcane bush. I was looking at the top of the sugarcane bushes to spot their movements. The hounds went in for about 20 meters when I heard the dogs barking and the roaring of the Leopardess. Simultaneously, there was the sound of a hound crying out in pain. Moments later the four dogs were coming back running; one of them was badly injured and profusely bleeding from the ribcage area. The Leopardess had damaged him very badly. The four Niaks were now looking very worried and confused.

The movements of the tops of the sugarcanes gave me a good idea of where the Leopardess was. She was just 20 meters away and, inline with the same furrow where we were standing. I took the 12-bore shotgun from Bapu Lala and told everyone to go back to the bullock cart trail. I was creeping-in my way into the sugarcane bushes. My brother-in-law Gousse was following me while urging me not to go in. One of the Naiks also followed me with a spear in his hand. I signaled them to go back and kept advancing while pushing aside the serrated sugarcane leaves for visibility. As I got closer, I was almost crouching on to the ground and advancing cautiously. About fifteen meters away, I could hear the” Khar, Khar” sound of her labored breathing. By now my face and both arms were scratched by the serrated leaves of the sugarcanes.

About 8 meters away, I looked in and there I saw her head and the two eyes looking at me. Maybe she thought that the hounds were coming at her again, but we will never know. She had lost a lot of blood and had become very weak, otherwise, she would have attacked me. I took aim at the back of her neck and fired my shotgun. I could not see her head anymore, and the “Khar, Khar” sound stopped. I reloaded the gun quickly and stood their quietly. Hearing the gunshot, the Niaks and Jahangir were calling ‘Baray Bhai, Baray Bhai’. I sat in the furrow for fifteen minutes and then slowly moved forward. The Leopardess was lying dead in between the two furrows. I called the Naiks to come over to me. When they saw the dead Leopardess, they hoisted me above their heads, and started dancing with joy. Bapu Lala was the happiest man for his fifty-acre farm would not die of thirst.

Jagirdar Zaman Khan arranged a big banquette that night and Bapu Lala sent two goats for the Banquette meal. Everyone was invited, pictures were taken by the Nawab. The Leopardess measured 7 ft 2 inches. The hide was removed and preserved in salt. Had the first bullet hit her 2 inches closer to the chest, the Leopardess would not have suffered so much.
The Leopard of
Taluqa Sayrum Madna Munkunpalli

Chandar Shakkhar Reddy Sahib is a big Deshmukh in the Gulbarga district which was a part of Nizam’s Hyderabad State until 1948. He lived in the Taluka Sayrum where there were 36 Moza (subdivisions) under his administration. He is the owner of 3500 Acres of land which includes a small jungle on his properties. It is teaming with wild pig population. For the curious souls I have provided appropriate links for more information. Our friendships, at the time of this writing, go back seventy years. He had built a large Palace in Moza Medna known as Medna Key Giri (Palace of Medna). He is a very hospitable man.

One day I was visiting him in Medna. We were engaged in small conversations and catching up on events since we had last met. A man arrived from Munkunpalli to tell him about the sighting of a Leopard in the Palm Groves where some villagers were standing guard while men were collecting sap from the Palm trees to make Palm wines; locally known as the Sayndhi.

So, Chandar Shekhar Reddy, I and Girya Chari, his estate manager, hopped in the Jeep and drove to Munkunpalli which was about 5 Km from Medna. We had Chandar Shekhar’s 12-bore shotgun made by Wesley Holland and a box of LG Max cartridges with us. Just before we got to Munkumpalli, there was a big mountain on which there was a large Mundir, close to it there was a very large Banyan tree. To the east of the Banyan tree there was a rainwater channel (Naala). Down below this rainwater channel there was a dense grove of Palm Trees.

In the early morning hours, a Kalal (aSayndhi broker) had gone into the groves to collect the sap from the Palm trees when he sighted the Leopard entering the Palm grove. The broker retreated and went back to the village to inform the villagers about the Leopard being in the grove. A dozen or more people decided to stand guard at the Palm grove while they sent a man to inform us at Chandar Shekher’s Medna Palace. The news spread like a wildfire and soon a lot of curious spectators gathered on the big mountain. Because this mountain being so close to the village, we decided to stop to the north of the mountain.

I took the 12-bore shotgun in my hand and walked up to the dozen or so people who had corralled the Palm tree grove while the Deshmukh Sahib and Girya Chari stayed in the Jeep. I sent away most of the men except four, three of whom were leaders of Munkunpalli and the fourth man was the Naik of Chakunpalli Tanda (Hutments). He was a grazer of goats from his Tanda, The Naik was a short-stocky man with impressive handlebar mustachios. He had wrapped his torso with a blanket while carrying a staff with a machete tied to one end of the staff. His Tanda was 2 Km from to the West of here. This Naik had previously hunted with me.

I was certain when the Leopard comes out of the Palm grove, it will run for the mountain. So, I sent a man to ask the spectators to move away from the mountain, but they did not budge from their vantage point. Being unable to dissuade the spectators, I decided to enter the Palm Grove with these four men. I had instructed them to walk with me, two of them to my right and other two to my left shoulder-to-shoulder in locked steps.
The pandemonium broke:

I had told them, whoever sights the Leopard, was to fall back one step and, touch me from behind to get my attention, but he was not to make any sounds. We entered the grove and one of the men on my right saw the Leopard. Instead of touching me, as instructed, he picked up a stone and hit the Leopard with the stone. The Leopard let out a powerful growl and ran out in the open field. One of the men to my right started running towards the mountain which was about 200 meters from the Palm Grove and the Leopard was now in pursuit of this man. I also got out of the grove and started running in the direction of the man. I could not fire at the Leopard because they would both be in the line of my fire. Soon the man fell headlong on the ground and, the Leopard clawed his back and ran away. It was now out of my range and it was climbing up the mountain.

Seeing the Leopard, a pandemonium broke out amongst the spectators; some were running to the left while others running to the right. A young boy was running behind everyone else and, the Leopard was now going for the young boy. As the Leopard got nearer, the young boy suddenly sat down, and the Leopard jumped over him and, was running for the mountain. I was certain the Leopard will climb up a tree or run to the west of the mountain where the terrain was strewn with big rocks. I was still on the run. I ran around the Deshmukh’s Jeep and circumnavigated the mountain towards a group of tall trees. Close to the group of trees, there was a big sloping rock. As I got on the rock, I saw the Leopard snarling and coming towards me. I stopped, turned around, aimed the shotgun on his chest and, pulled the trigger. The Leopard stumbled a few times and then fell to the ground.

The Jakunpalli Naik was also running behind me and, had now caught up with me. I reloaded the shotgun and stood there taking aim at the fallen Leopard but did not fire. The Leopard was dead.
The injured man:

The Leopard had dug four claws into the back of this man, but his wounds were shallow. We folded the wind shield of the Jeep and placed the Leopard on the bonnet of the Jeep and returned to Madna. The Deshmukh sent the injured man in his Jeep to Mudhool where there was a doctor to give him treatment. A large crowed had gathered at the Madna Palace to see the dead Leopard. The villagers insisted that the Deshmukh should parade the dead Leopard through out the village and Hutments. So, a procession of Dhupra drummers (town crier’s drum) beaters lead the Jeep, with the Leopard on it, through the Villages and Hutments.

No matter how happy our lives may have been, we look back and find periods in our lives when the unexpected things happen like the mayhem I have just described. It was totally unexpected. One moment I was enjoying the relaxed conversation with a dear friend, the next moment, I was called upon to kill this marauding Leopard. In stressful situations, men behave in the strangest ways possible, like the man who, instead of touching me to get my attention, just picked up a stone and hit the Leopard to start this entire chain of events. I guess, we live and learn from our mistakes.
The Wild Pig Hunt

This is a curious hunting event which had been going on for the past sixty (60) years or more. The real reason for this hunt was to help the farmers in the village of Madna in Taluka Sayrum which was in the district of Gulburga. We had responded to the requests from the local farmers to come and help them get rid of the menace of wild pigs.

The farmers plight is real and pathetic indeed. These farmers are poor and hardworking people. Though, farm machinery is available, but they still can not afford to buy it. A typical farmer, in Madna, puts in countless hours of hard labor through all kinds of weather conditions: winter, monsoons and hot dry summers, often from dawn to dusk for merger returns. Their main complaint of these poor souls is the destruction of their crops, by wild pigs. The farmers cultivate their fields and seed the lands in the hope of growing a good crop, but the wild pigs dig up their farms to feed on the seeds they have just sowed.

I have been visiting my friend Chandar Shekhar Reddy Sahib for the past 70 years, since we became friends. Chandar Shakkhar Reddy Sahib is a big Deshmukh in the Gulbarga district which was a part of Nizam’s Hyderabad State until 1948. He lives in the Taluka Sayrum where there were 36 Moza (subdivisions) under his administration. He is the owner of 3500 Acres of land which includes a small jungle on his properties. It is teaming with wild pig population. As I have said, whenever I visit him, scores of farmers come to see me and my friend, literally begging us to get rid of the pests. So far, each year, we have killed an average of 3500 adult pigs. But each year their numbers keep growing. A typical a sow delivers ten to fifteen piglets and at birth they each weigh 1.5 Kg. Therefore, the mother must find lots and lots of food in the vicinity. Cultivated farms have readily available food they so badly need.

To alleviate the problem of invasive wild pigs, the farmers have planted an imported variety of Acacia . Bush but it has exacerbated the problem: it has become a safe haven for the wild pigs. Human beings cannot pass through these bushes either; they are thorny. The acacia bush has no natural predators or herbivores to attract, so it spreads everywhere taking up valuable agricultural lands. The Acacia bush is spreading to Talaab (Ponds), rainwater channels and even on what used to be barren lands. To make the problem even worst, some foreign advisers have given us the Parthenium seeds. Our experts have not realized that it is spreading fast and all over the land. The wild pigs are thriving in these bushes. The Forestry department needs to pay attention to this problem and do something before it will be too late.

The farmers plant edible legumes and pluses in their farms, specially the Toor Dal or Pigeon Pea. After harvesting the Toor Dal, they pile up the green waste for disposal in the fields. One day, Chandra Shekhar Reddy organized a beat to cull these pigs and herds of wild pigs passed right under my nose and I could not see them because of the tall grasses. So, I decided to climb on a stack of Toor Dal waist vegetation piles, but I felt movement under my feet. It was a big fat male pig. I took aim on his shoulder and shot him dead. The wild pigs appreciate the green waste because during the day they stay inside the Toor Dal waste products. They like muddy wetlands and, Paddy Fields with plenty of water and they feed on it, causing damage and financial losses to the farmers.
Toor Kay Kuppay ka Shikar:

Since we discovered their favorite hideout in Toor Dal waste piles, it was helpful in organizing the Hanka. The hunters stand on both sides of the stacks of Toor Dal waste, while men walk over the piles and at times poking pointed sticks through the piles. The wild pigs come out and head for cover elsewhere and the hunters have a chance of shooting them. This method is our discovery and we call it Toor Kay Kuppay ka Shikar (The Toor Dal stacks Shikar). This hunting season begins at the end of February or beginning of March.
My plea to the governments:

I usually invite my hunting friends to the Toor Kay Kuppay ka Shikar to help the farmers out. This coincides with the Holi Festival holidays. This article is my plea to the governments and the Forest Department to please take some action and help the poor farmer whose hard labor and incomes are being destroyed by the Wild pigs. Some States, in India have implemented licensing. They send a Forest Department employee to supervise and provide a Jeep for the hunter to go and cull the wild pigs.

[1] Hazoor = Your Majesty or His Highness

[2] for the curious readers, I have provided a link to the fabulous story of Hyderabad Deccan.

[3] Tamarind Tree is also known as Imlee Tree

[4] 1332 Fasli would be 1922 A.D

[5] Nawab of Chattari was a one-time Prime Minister of the Nizam of Hyderabad

[6] Sir Akbar Haidri became Prime Minster after Nawab of Chattari

[7] Khulgay is plural of Khulga which means a young Buffalo

[8] Langot covers a man’s private parts.

[9]

[10] Machan is a temporary tree house built for Shikar

[11] Sardarjee refers to a Sikh

[12] My calculations are mostly correct, however; if the tiger I too fat and has a fat tail, this may not be a very accurate measurement.

[13] My original plan was to have eight (8) but there was no shortage of manpower here.

[14] The head was removed, boiled and flesh removed for taxidermy

[15] Muslim morning prayer

[16] Place for tying the bait

[17] Phantay=Palm leaves or Bamboo leaves

[18] Garabundi is the method of tying a bait by the front leg to a tree

[19] Paddy is wet rice

[20] The Leopard always eats his kill from the belly of the Gara whereas the Tiger always eats his kill from the hind legs.

[21] Nawab: for more information see the link to Wikipedia

[22] Banjara are nomadic people

[23] Leopards

[24] Nihari is a slow cooked meat dish with fragrant spices.

[25] Bore Baccha’s favorite foods are goats, pigs and dogs, or cats

[26] Naiks are chiefs

[27] A small dog

Shikar Aur Shikari

By: Mohammed Nizamuddin

This book is dedicated to the memory of my late father Mohammed Salahuddin Sahib, because of whom I have reached this station in my life.
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

My first gun fire:
M

[i]y story began in the State of Hyderabad Deccan before the independence of India from the British Rule. There were two Princes, Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar and his brother Moazzam Jah. They were the sons of Hazoor[1] Nizam, the King of Hyderabad Deccan[2]. They had their own Shikar Gah (Game Reserve) in Saroor Nagar which was located 16 Km from the City of Hyderabad. Now a days, 16 Km is an easy commute but, in those days, it was a trip to the countryside.

My father, Mr. Mohammed Salahuddin was a Police Inspector based in Amberpet, Hyderabad. Sometimes, he was assigned to facilitating the hunting expeditions for the two princes, Azam Jah and Moazzam Jah. The Director of the Police Department was Khawja Nasiruddin, and he had the overall responsibility for the Saroor Nagar Shikar Gah which had abundance of Black Deer, Spotted Deer (Cheetal), Wild Boar as well as Leopards. The Jungle (a.k.a Tatti Khana and Jurwan Masjid Jungle) started from Nagole and continued to Bundlaguda to Kamdan Maqta. It followed the course of the Musi River. There was a dam on the Musi River called Narayan Reddy Dam (a.k.a Narayan Reddy Katta) where there were three large Tamarind trees[3]. At this Dam (Katta) awnings (Shamiyana) had been setup for the comfort and convenience of the Royal Princes.

I will share a vivid description of how the Prince of Berar had arrived in a two-horse-drawn carriage, with all the pomp and trappings deserving of a Crown Prince. He had travelled from Hyderabad City on a country road along the Musi River and it was the most enchanting thoroughfare; rugged and randomly strewn with large and small boulders of different shapes. Sometimes, one might see a large boulder sitting firmly on a small boulder. Lush green mesmerizing carpets of paddy fields creating natural vistas worthy of intriguing the artist to come and paint them on canvases. Sparsely growing Imlee (Tamarind) and the Neem trees by the roadside provided a brief but necessary shelter from the scorching sunshine of the summertime.
O

n arrival, the Prince was greeted, by his staff and ushered into the awning. He sat down to relaxed for a few minutes under the shade of the three Tamarind trees expressing his appreciations for the amenities that had been setup for him. Customary tea and refreshments followed. After the brief sojourn the Prince went out with the hunting party looking for the big game. Despite the abundance of the wildlife, not even a single deer or a Cheetal was found. My father was not involved in making these arrangements at this time. Back at the police department, there was discussion of the disappointing outcome of the hunting expedition. My father listened to the details and identified the many missteps that were taken by the organizers of the expedition and remarked, “had this expedition been assigned to me, the Prince would have had a very successful outcome.” Soon his words got to the Prince, and the Prince decreed that all future hunting expeditions shall be organized under the auspices of Inspector Mohammed Salahuddin.
T

he year was 1332 Fasli[4] (1922 A.D) and a new date was fixed for a hunting expedition in the Kuttagudum Jungle. Meticulous arrangements had been made by my father for this expedition. The Prince arrived on time, as expected, and it was the most successful hunt, resulting in eight (8) Spotted deer with big antlers plus six (6) black deer. The Prince was thrilled, he had a wonderful time. From here on, all future expeditions were assigned to my father. Henceforth, the Director of the Shikar Gah, Khawja Nasiruddin, became a titular Director, in name only.

The director’s position was offered to my father, but he refused to accept it because the Shikar Gah properties were once part of the inheritance of Khawja Nasiruddin which my father did not wish to accept and deny him his rightful place. So, a new position of a Director of the Shikar Gah was created. The Prince of Berar paid him a salary from the Bellavista budget (Prince’s own budget). In addition to it, he also received his salary from the Police Department.

In 1932, this was the first major hunting expeditions organized by my father. It took place in the forest of Kutta Guram. The total count was as follows:

Tigers= 32
Black Bears=25
Leopards=13
Several Asian Antilope or Nilgai
Several Sambar, a large deer native to Indian subcontinent.
Several Cheetal (Spotted deer)

After this successful expedition, my father was permanently taking care of all of Prince of Berar’s future hunting expeditions. Over time, the total number of Tigers killed by the Prince numbered 300. He also organized several other Royal expedition events.

Some other notable personalities, to mention a few, were: Sir Arthur Lothian, the British Resident of Hyderabad, the Nawab of Chattari[5], Sir Akbar Haidri[6], Sir Mackenzie, Major Graham. This was prior to the Police Action by India or Hyderabad becoming part of the Indian Union.

After the Police Action he organized hunting expeditions for several of the notable personalities who were the guest of the Prince. To mention a few: Major General J.N Chaudhuri , his successor, Vilodi and several other military officers.

The Prince of Berar greatly appreciated my father’s services. Even after he retired from the Police a total of seven extensions were granted to him. This may be a record. The Prince had nicknamed him “Salloo”. The Prince used to call him the Murshid of the Jungle to make the point that the animals in the jungle obeyed his command as if he was their Murshid or the ‘spiritual guide’. In the days when there were no GPS or terrain maps or back country maps available, his photographic memory of the terrain was his biggest asset. Organizing a successful Shikar expedition was his pride, passion and pleasure.

Salloo had expert knowledge of the jungles and he knew the habits and the instincts of the animals. He had intimate knowledge about the indigenous people who lived in the jungles and had a good rapport with their leaders. He was an expert tracker and a marksman. He would look at the pawmarks (Pugmarks) and would instantly know how old the marks were, how old the animal was and weather it was a male or a female. He had developed a system or measuring the pawmarks to determine the length and possibly the weight of the tigers and the leopards. I shall explain it as the hunting expedition stories unfold.
My accidental gunfire:
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y father would go to the jungle to organize the hunting expeditions. Occasionally, he would take me with him to the jungle. I was probably 10 or 11 years old when he first took me on one such trip. His staff and hunters would carry me on their shoulders into the depth of the forest. This is how I became familiar with the forest and the surrounding environment. Occasionally, he would take me on an actual Tiger hunt. I would be sitting on the Machan with an expert hunter watching the entire hunt. I will say more about it later.

My first gun fire was accidental, and it frightened the day lights out of me. Sir Arthur Lothian wanted to do some duck shooting. My father decided to take me there. After the duck hunting was over and the Resident had departed for Hyderabad, we lay down on a Shutrunji (a Cotton Spread) for a little rest. My father was resting but my curiosity had the better of me, all the 12-bore guns and the ammunitions were neatly arranged on the spread. The guns had been properly unloaded and safety latch engaged. I was looking at the guns, amongst them I saw my Dad’s favorite 12 -bore. Unbeknown to my father, I had loaded a cartridge into the gun and had forgotten about it. A tittle while later, I asked my Dad if I could aim it in the direction of the lake and pull the trigger. He knew it was unloaded, so he said, yes, go ahead. I aimed at the lake and pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang; I fell, and the gun went flying out of my hands. I had a sharp pain in my shoulder and soon I was in tears. My father was petrified, he came over and surprisingly, he did not scold me. Instead, he gently rubbed my aching shoulder and comforted me. Thank goodness I had not broken a bone. This was my first gunfire.

A few days later another duck hunting expedition was organized for Sir Arthur. This time it was on Ibrahimpatnam Road on the Masab Tank
Duck Hunting Episode:
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t 8:00 A.M sharp we left the Hyderabad City in the Royal fleet of cars. On the way to Ibrahimpatnam, there was a huge mountain which is called Gurram Guda Mountain (Gurram Guda ka Pahad). Right beside it there was a small hill known as the Nawab Hill (Nawab Takeri). A road passes between the two mountains and you could see hundreds of deer grazing on them. This was a game reserve which was called Gurram Guda Circle II (Gurram Guda Halqa Duwam).

A few kilometers down this road, there was a Checkpoint and the game reserve was guarded by the checkpoint sentries. We arrived at the Checkpoint and the sentries were expecting us. We could see deer grazing all around the Bungalow where we were staying for this duck shooting expedition.

We ushered to the Masab Tank (Masab Talab). by the game wardens. The lake had a long finger shape shallow section where a wooden platform had been placed on legs or stilts. The platform had been installed such that it would be surrounded by the branches of tall trees that stood nearby and provide cover and camouflage for the hunters. The ducks have a keen eyesight. At the slightest of hunters, the ducks simply fly higher and vanish beyond the range of gunshots.

Next day, Sir Authur arrived at noon and a boat delivered him to the wooden platform. The same boat was sent to the middle of the lake to make sure that the ducks will fly up in the direction of the hunters. From time to time, garlic-shape firecrackers (Lahsun Patakha) were detonated to disturb the ducks.

Game Reserve Rangers were standing on the wooden platform and had been assigned the task of loading and unloading the guns for Sir Arthur and other hunters. As soon as one gun was fired the empty gun would be handed over to a Ranger while the other Ranger would offer a freshly loaded gun to the shooters. The ducks would land at the long finger lake, then fly way and land in the main lake; more garlic-shaped firecrackers would be detonated and send them flying our way and more ducks would be shot down. It was an amazing scene for me to watch those ducks suddenly coming down making summersaults on their way down. The water, as I have mentioned before, was knee-deep. So, I would go out and pick up the dead ducks and collect them in a pile near me.

After a while the bugle was blown; it was tea-time. Tea was brought to the wooden platform. As soon as the tea was finished, the Bugle was once again sounded, signaling the recommencement of the Shikar. The ducks would sometimes go to another lake nearby, but rangers were posted there too. They were given the Muskets and Garlic shape firecrackers to deflect the ducks back to the main lake. At 6:30 p.m. sharp, the bugle was sounded thus, signaling the end of the Shikar. The boat was brought to the wooden platform and the Resident Sahib got in the boat and went ashore. I was holding the ducks in both hands. I went close to the Resident and first my father introduced me to him, and I offered the ducks to him.

A few days later, my father received a letter of thanks and a large box of chocolates. The Resident Sahib wrote “Salahuddin Sahib, I beg your pardon for not being able to offer tea to your son at the Shikar. Please give this box of chocolates to your son on my behalf.” I still have this letter in my possession. New Residents came, one after another, to Hyderabad and they were all found of hunting. My father organized Shikar for all of them and each one of them gave certificates of recognition to my father. I also have all of them in my safekeeping.

Besides the British Residents, my father organized Shikar, for several nobles of Hyderabad. A few notables would be worth mentioning: Sir Akbar Haidri , his son Ali Haidar, Nawab Ahmed Said Chattari , Moinuddoulah , the Amir of Paigah , Nawab Himayat Nawazjung,, Nawab Muneeruddin Khan, Zahir Yarjung, Nawab Mazharuddin Khan, Nawab Iqbaluddin Khan, Colonel Hamidullah, Mukarrum Jah Bahadur, Mufaqqam Jah Bahadur.

After the Police Action by India, the notable ones would be; Major General J.N Chaudhary, his wife Aruna Chaudhuri, Colonel Bedhi Singh, Brigadier Verma and Colonel Sanjay Singh. They all enjoyed the Shikar.

After the schools closed for the summer; whenever my father went on an inspection of the Jungles, he would take me with him. Since I was under aged, I would sit on the shoulders of a Shikari and see various parts of the jungle.
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he Hanka (Beat) would be the actual start of the Shikar. Usually, I would be seated on a triangular shape seat, tied with a rope to the tree trunk at about 5 meters above the ground. I would watch the Tiger hunt from my vantage point, safe and sound from my perch. At times a tigress with cubs would pass directly beneath my seat, panting with her tongue sticking out of her mouth because of the heat. The tigress or her cubs would be given a safe passage and no harm will be done to them. Thus, I developed a passion for tiger hunting. The mere knowledge of my father leaving on a Shikar in the morning, would keep me awake all night; with the very excitement of it.

When I was older, my father started training me in the tactics and strategies of the Shikar. He would teach me such things as:

Reading the Pug marks
How to determine the sex of the tiger from the pugmarks
Determine the size of the animal from the pugmarks
The habitats of the tiger
The paths they take to the watering places
How the Garah (Bait) is tied
How to organize a Hanka (Beat)
How to tie the Covering flags (Colored pennant flags)
How to tie the Covering
How to tie the Jhoola on a tree
How to select a tree for the Jhoola
The proper height of the Jhoola
On selecting type of growth for the Jhoola
How to ensure there are no honeybees nesting on the tree
How the tiger comes out of the dense forest growths
How the tiger comes out of the scrub
How the tiger passes through the glades
The stop and go movements of tiger out of thick growths
Tiger’s habit of galloping in open fields

I

received extensive training in animal psychology and behavior through observations on these trips to the Jungle; later these observations became very useful in actual Shikar. For instance, all animals exercise caution when approaching a small stream or a watering place. When they are descending towards the stream from a higher ground, they would first stop and look all around before proceeding any further. Similarly, when ascending from the watering place to a higher ground, they will scale the elevation, stop, take a good look around and then proceed with caution. Watering venues provide an ideal place for installing a Jhoola or a Machan for shooting.

In their dietary preferences, every tiger a somewhat different. Some tigers like eat a cow or an Ox, others prefer a buffalo. Some tigers like to eat wild pigs. Sometimes, a tiger will make multiple kills. Old tigers start killing goats, perhaps because they may be easy prey.

Generally, most Garah (bait kills or kills) happen in the rainy season because it is the time farmers sow the fields. The farm animals are let lose, out of necessity, to graze and roam around the farm. These animals become an easy kill for the tiger.

Very old or injured tigers may start preying on humans. Once they develop a taste for human flesh the tigers become man-eaters. None could be an easier prey then human being. However, the tiger is known for its nobility too. The tiger is very scared of humans than the other way around. There are reasons why a tiger, regardless of its age, might become a man-eater:

The tiger might have been asleep while someone accidentally intrudes in his vicinity for collecting firewood or just cutting grass for animal feed. The tiger will surely attack in self-defense.
If a tigress is with her cubs and gets surprised by a human being, she may attack in defense of her cubs. If the cubs have eaten human flesh, they too will become man-eaters.
If humans accidentally intrude their mating place, the tigress is known to attack and kill; making her a man-eater.
The tiger may have been injured by porcupine (Sarsal) quills during the hunt.

A successful tiger hunt requires good preparation as well as the knowledge of the jungle where the hunt will take place. My father, over his entire career, had conducted several experiments to learn about the habits as well as the habitats of the tiger. He would first familiarize himself with the jungle and the outlying villages. An extensive examination of the tiger’s habitats would be conducted and then he would determine the paths, the tiger will take to and from the watering places.

As part of the preparation, he would have his men, loosen the soil of those potential paths and have the paths dragged with bundles of thorny bushes and palm leaves. Some bushes would be cut to size and men would roll the thorny bushes into cylindrical shapes. These cylindrical bundles would be tied, behind the Jeep if it could go there or his men would, drag those bundles, by a rope, to make the soil a bit sandy and softer and conducive to taking impression of the tiger’s paws. Behind these bundles of thorny bushes would be wide branches of palm trees to erase all previous pugmarks. This would usually be done late, in the afternoon, after the herdsmen had gone home from the pastures.

Fresh pug marks, if any, would be examined early in the morning, before the grazers would be going out to pastures. Dragging the paths was an essential exercise for determining where the tiger might have sojourned; hilltops, gorges and thickets would be the potential places. The tiger’s hideout is called a Gavi (the den). Potentially it spends more time in a Gavi. The tiger usually sleeps in his Gavi during the day, usually a cool place; such as in caves and a secure spot inside brushwoods. It is crucial to determine his entry and exit paths because they are a creature of habits. They will always follow the same paths. His preference is to walk on soft and sandy paths to protect the pads on his paws.

If the plan is to use the beaters (Hanka gangs) to dive the tiger to the hunters; before the beat starts, a small to medium size male buffalo (Khulga)is tied by its front leg with a rope a tiger can easily break after the kill. The tiger would then take his kill to a secure place, cover it with grass clippings, twigs or branches; he would then drink water and rest before dining on it. If the buffalo is too big the tiger may take a long time to kill it, on the other hand, if it is too young a Leopard, instead of a tiger, could sneak in and kill it easily.

The tiger may go to a faraway place, if the water is far from the kill. This is undesirable. We would install water troughs at the ground level, fill them with fresh water, thus making sure the tiger would not have to go too far after the kill. Suitable trees would select beforehand for installing a Jhoola or to build a Machan (Treehouse). Strong ropes would be used to anchor the Jhoola. A horizontal bar would also be installed across the Jhoola to rest the barrel of the rifle, thus, providing a stable platform for hunters to taking aim at the tiger.

Once the bait had been tied, a careful survey would be made of the probable pathways the tiger would travel on. We would pre-determine the nearby streams it might go to. The next step would be to start the Hanka (beat) which would consist of several people making raucous and noises to drive the tiger to the hunters. In those days, we paid anywhere from half a Rupee to one Rupee per person. A typical number of beaters would be anywhere from 12 to 200 people. Each beater was given a voucher which they cashed to collect their fees, after the Shikar was over.

The beat would start after 12:00 noon when the sun would be very hot. The tiger usually sleeps when the day is very hot. The beaters would be divided in two groups: the right and left covering. Each group would be led by an experienced hunter who knew the jungle very well. Some of the beaters would come out with a percussion instruments like the town Crier’s frame drum called the Dhapra, while others would repeatedly strike two dry pieces of sticks, or empty tin cans, or detonate firecrackers, and or release blank shots in the air making big noises to jolt the tiger out of slumber and run for his life.

The Stoppers would be spaced randomly and be seated on the trees around the Jhoola. They would be divided into two groups, to the right and left of the Jhoola. Each group of Stoppers would get an experienced Shikari (hunters) for protection. Their sole function is to keep still and maintain the silence and wait for their leader’s command. As the tiger passes by the Jhoola, their leader would signal them to clap their hands which would make the tiger look up in the direction of the Jhoola.

Before the beat starts, multicolor; green, yellow and red color Pennant Banner Flags would be tied to the left and right of the Jhoola, approximately 6 feet high. So, when all is set, a long whistle would be blown; signaling the beater to start the beat. The beaters would make the noise; some would rattle their empty tin cans, others would detonate the garlic shape firecrackers, still some other would strike two pieces of sticks and the Muskets would be fired with blank shots. The cacophony of sounds would scare the living day lights out of the sleeping tiger. These discordant noises would drive the tiger towards the Jhoola where the hunters would be scanning the anticipated paths out of the woods and streams.

When the stoppers would see the tiger, they would gently clap their hands. This makes the tiger stop and look. When the tiger sees the multicolor pennants, it turns around but with the beater in pursuit it goes in the direction of the Jhoola. In a successful kill, the tiger falls to the ground with a single bullet immediately. A long whistle would be blown, signaling a kill. However, if the tiger was injured and heads back in the direction of the beaters, the whistle would be blown continuously to warn the beaters to quickly climb up the nearest tree for safety.

There are two methods of measuring a dead tiger: (1) from the nose, over the head to the tip of his tail. The is called round the curve method. (2) the other method is to put the tiger on its back, with all four legs in the air, the measurement is taken from its chin, between the four legs to the tip of the tail. This method is called between-the-pugs measurement. If the tiger is to be trophy-mounted, the whiskers are removed and preserved for later use. The tiger has two bone called the leggy bones on the inner side of the front legs. Supposedly, it helps the tiger in making jumps. These bones are also removed and preserved for later use in taxidermy process.

Sometimes, a Shikari would not be successful in killing a tiger with one shot. This would be a grave situation inflecting suffering on the animal and endangering villagers as well as possibly turning the tiger into a man eater. In that case, an experienced Shikari would accompany the search party. They would follow the pugmarks and follow the blood trail to find the injured tiger and end his misery. As the search party would close in on the tiger’s hideout, the tiger usually reveals his hideout by growling or roaring; the searchers then close in carefully to kill it.

The other method is to use Khulgay[7] (a buffalo). A herd of buffalo is driven to the probable hideout of the injured tiger with experienced marksmen behind the herd. As the herd approaches the tiger, they sense his presence; they snarl and puff lowering their heads with the horns pointing in the direction of the tiger. This is how they stand their ground. Herds of cows or bulls would be never used as they would turn around and flee at the first sign of the tiger. This would be a dangerous situation resulting in a stampede endangering the hunter and searchers.

There is yet another method of baiting the tiger. A Khulga (a young male buffalo) is tied, on the tiger’s path by its front leg to the base of a strong tree. The rope needs to be strong enough to not break when the tiger pulls it. A Machan (Tree house) is set up, approximately 15 meters away, on a suitable tree and the hunters (Shikari) sit in it and wait for the tiger to kill the Khulga. The buffalo should be reasonably large so the tiger would not finish it in one meal.

After the Gara (the kill) has taken place, the remains of the Khulga are covered with branches of tree so the Eagles, the Vultures and the crows would not find it and more importantly, start eating it. These branches are then removed around 5:00 P.M. The Shikari would be seated on the Machan with their rifles. An experience Shikari would be ready with a searchlight. The tiger would return after dark to eat the remaining Gara. He usually comes growling and puffing to warn the scavengers. The tiger is first allowed to engage himself in eating to his satisfaction.
The rush of adrenaline:
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hen the tiger would be coming back to the Gara, his footsteps could be heard easily: the dry leaves and the twigs he steps on give away his whereabouts. This is a moment of great nervousness and foreboding for the Shikar party, particularly for the novice. The rush of adrenaline does amazing things: you can hear other people’s nervous breathing in short gasps. Some people start breath fast and shallow with their mouths open. At times, you can hear the nervous Shikaris gulping down their saliva to moisten their dry throats, the ears become warm, you can hear their stomachs growling with fear and panic may set in.

The people on the Machan must keep motionless and silent. The swarm of mosquito may descend and bite but the people on the Machan must keep very still. The tiger can hear the minutest noises with his keen sense of hearing and would flee instantly. Sometimes, the person handling the torch light, cannot wait and turns it on too early, perhaps in a fit of nervousness and anxiety, causing the tiger to flee. The tiger must be allowed to eat his fill before shooting but the sight of the tiger is so unnerving that it mesmerizes people; the flight or fight instinct comes over them. This is the moment of truth for most people.

The tiger kills his prey by asphyxiation. He sinks the four long teeth into the neck of his prey choking the victim until it dies. Sometimes, his powerful jaws even break the neck of a strong Khulga (Buffalo). His tail continues to wiggle if he thinks his prey is still alive. He will only let go of his victim after it is dead. The tiger then drags it to a suitable hideout such as a wood-bush or a thicket to hide it from the ever-present scavengers. If the tiger is too tired to drag his kill to a safer place, he proceeds to eat his kill right away; otherwise, he eats it inside the bush. The tiger always eats his kill from the posterior legs first, to the belly. When he reaches the internal parts, he removes the intestines and the stomach and puts the entrails aside. He does not eat innards.

There is common myth that the tiger drinks the blood of his victims. This is false; because when the four large teeth are embedded into the neck of his victim, there is no bleeding from the sight and the teeth have no holes through which the tiger could suck up the blood and drink it. The tiger does not suck the water like other animals; he scoops the water into to his mouth with his tongue. There is no possibility of tiger drinking the blood of his prey. He is not a vampire; he is a powerful and majestic hunter. He can tear big chunks of flesh with one motion of his neck while the powerful paws keep it in a vise grip.

I have witnessed several Garas (kills): sometimes the tiger would bite off the tail of the Gara, but other times he would not. No two tiger behave the same; they essentially have their own individual personality and idiosyncrasies. If a tiger only eats wild pigs or wild boars, we will bait that tiger with his choice of food. Other tiger would only kill goats and we have baited him with his choice of food. A tiger had the habit of sleeping soon after his hunt; without eating it. Vultures would descend in the meantime and feast on his kill. This tiger would get angry and kill the vultures in turn. We have found dead vultures all around the Gara. My father had come upon a tiger who liked to kill donkeys. He nick-named it Gadha Maru Sher (donkey killing tiger).

My father was completely devoted to the tiger hunting hobby of Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar. The village informers or the forest department sources would inform him of a tiger kill. My father will make all the arrangements and then, the Prince would be informed of preparation having been completed. He would then arrive in the jungle, according to his convenience. We would then proceed with the Hanka and the Prince would kill the tiger.

If the Prince could not come immediately, my father would make sure the tiger stayed near the Gara. To keep the tiger from running away, a mixture of Ganja and Chloroform would be pasted on the hindquarters of the Gara. Similarly, the same mixture would be put in the water troughs, causing the tiger to relax and sleep by the kill.

If the Gara was completely eaten before the Prince arrived; the remaining bones would be cleared and, a new Khulga would be tied nearby, thus making sure the tiger remained at the site. Once a tiger was kept close by the Gara for two weeks; awaiting the arrival of the Prince.

The sex and size of the tiger are determined by the pugmarks: only four claws are visible in the impression on the ground. The male tends to have somewhat roundish shape of toes and his pad appears to be moon shaped; like the figure five in Urdu language: or an inverted heart shape.

To determine the size of the tiger; we would place a dry twig between the base of the pad and the tip of the topmost toe and then break it to size. If the twig measured the width of eight human fingers then, the tiger would measure between 9’ 4” (285 cm) to 9’ 6” (289 cm) long. If the twig measured the width of nine fingers (9), then the tiger would measure 10’ 4” (315 cm) to 10’ 6” (320 cm). The pugmarks should not be taken from the soil which is either too hard or too soft; the margin of error would be too great. Sometimes, we have found the tiger to be too short, thus making the measurement inaccurate.

This is how we were trained to come up with our best estimates in a jungle where we had no measuring tapes. It is very easy to hunt a tiger compared to what it takes to organizing a successful tiger hunting expedition. Now a days, hunting is very easy: you simply attach a search light to your Jeep, go out in the jungle at night; you can see the animal’s eyes reflecting the light, you pick up your rifle, take aim through the telescope and fire. When I think of the olden days, hunting was vastly more challenging. The animal had a better chance of escaping but now it is easier in every respect. There were no roads in the jungle in those days; just tracks. Now, we have clearly marked trails and, in some places; roads, bigger and wider tracks or even paved roads.
After the Fall of Hyderabad:
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y father had organized a hunting expedition for Major General J. N Chaudhary and his wife Aruna Chaudhary. He was the first military Governor appointed after the Police Action by the Indian Union which took place in September 1948. They were both avid hunters. My father took them to the Royal Shikar Gah (Royal Hunting Reserve) at Saroor Nagar.

There were a lot of Spotted deer, deer, and pigs. The Hanka was arranged and I was one of Shikaris in this expedition. Aruna Chaudhary was seated up in a tree in a Jhoola; I was posted right underneath the tree where she sat. She was using a double barrel 240 Express rifle while I stood there with my rifle: a 275 calibre Holland. The beaters would drive the animals in the direction of the Jhoola: the fire would come from the top and I would fire from the ground level.

After Major General J.N Chaudhry left Hyderabad he was replaced by Mr. Velodi; he too was very fond of Shikar and my father organized it, this time in the forest of Nursapore. I was included: I used my Dad’s Jeffries rifle and killed a tiger in this expedition. Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar also joined us.

The tiger has a very poor sense of smell, but other animals can smell human beings from a distance and often run away quickly. However, the tiger has a keen hearing and a sharp eyesight. He can hear and see a Baitd Khulga from far away.

The Khulga is tied with the front leg to a tree; alone in the solitude of the Jungle he panics, in trying to get away he falls to the ground, picks itself up and makes bellowing noises. The tiger can hear the distressful noises from far and slowly approaches the Khulga for a kill. The tiger digs one set of his claws into the back of the victim and then chokes the Khulga by the throat. He sinks his four long teeth into his neck and pulls the animal to the ground and waits for it to die.

The tiger, as mentioned before, prefers to drag his kill into a safe wooded area where he proceeded to dine on his kill from the hind legs.

In the mating season, the tiger issues his mating call with a deep throated noise of ‘haon haon’ whereas a Leopard makes a “ghar, ghar, ghar, ghar’ sound. The male and female call each other and while doing so, they spray the bushes and the trees with their urine to reveal their presence and whereabouts.
Pakhal’s Livestock-eating tigers
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akhal is a Taluka (Division) in the Warangal district. It is the Royal Game Reserve of Prince Azam Jah, the oldest son of Mir Osman Ali Kan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. In the outlying areas of Pakhal there is a large indigenous population of the Gond or Gondi people.

There is a man-made lake called the Pakhal ka Talaab which has a large Chabutra (Patio) in the middle of the lake. This lake has a very large dam to and control the flow of water.

Mehboob Ali Pasha, the father of Mir Osman Ali Khan and the grandfather of the Prince used to relax, and pic nick hear. The view of the surrounding woods used to delight him.

We were continually getting news of tigers killing domesticated animals of the Gondi people. The Gond people live in the middle of the dense forest around here. Their dwellings are round-shape-thatched-hutments and for security, they stake wooden poles into the ground and install horizontal barriers, of bamboo, to keep the predatory animals out. At night, they light up dried up logs to deter the big cats as they don’t like fire or embers.

At night, the Gond people tie their domesticated animals in a barn. The barn has similar arrangements, wooden poles staked in the ground and bamboos tied all around as a fence and as barrier to intruders. To further mitigate any possible attacks, they place Phantay (coconut palm branches) on the bamboo poles, all along the fence, to obstruct the view from prying eyes of predators, leaving just a narrow-gated passage for the animals to come in and go out. When darkness comes, dry tree stumps or logs would be lit up to scare the predators. Furthermore, inside the barn and the compound, they have built a Machan and would post a security-guard for night watch on their animals. It is their wealth and they do what they can with the resources they have to protect it. The Gond people do not wear much: they are almost naked, as they have come out of their mother’s wombs, except of the Lungot (Kaupina or a loincloth). They cover themselves with a blanket at night to stay warm, in cold weather. When their animals go out in the jungle for grazing, the tigers attack and kill them.

The Gond had informed Prince Azam Jah that the tigers were playing mayhem with their livestocks and their lives. The Prince immediately ordered my father Mohammed Salahuddin and Colonel Hamidullah, his Aide De Camp (ADC), to go to Pakhal and kill those marauding tigers.
Our Trip to Warangal and Pakhal:
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t was the month of May, and the weather had turned quite hot. One fine morning, at about 8:00 A.M. my father, Colonel Hamidullah, Jahangir Baig Sahib and Mohammed bin Saalim who was one of Prince’s official hunters; along with his Cook Zafar left for Warangal and Pakhal, in a CTC army van. My school had already closed, so my father granted me permission to come on this expedition.

We drove through the city of Warangal to Nursampet. The local authorities had already been informed of our arrival. We were received by the Talukdar (Governor) and the Revenue Collector (Tahsildar) Mr. Zafar Ali Khan and briefed on the situation. Arrangements had been made for us to stay in the Royal Residential Quarters (Aywan e Shahi). It was built on a very large piece of land for hosting Kings, emperors and royal guests; it was surrounded by high walls for privacy and security. The Royal Quarters consisted of huge rooms. The servant quarters and the Kitchen were built to the side of the main building.

In the evening we met the local administrator and, his men responsible for the operations of the Shahi Shikar Gah (the Royal Game Reserve). Mr. Zafarullah Khan, the Revenue Collector and Mr. Mahboob Reddy, who was a big landlord and, one of my father’s friends, also joined us for a meeting. They were very fond of hunting; whenever my father would come to Pakhal for hunting, he would always take these people with him on the hunting expeditions. We all discussed the plans for the hunt in detail. Six Khulgay (male buffalo) had been procured and were ready to be deployed.

The next morning, soon after a hearty breakfast, we left from Nursimpet to Pakhal. On the way to Pakhal, there were two places where the tigers were known to live. The first Margoo (Muddy land) was just below a lake that trickle fed the Margoo (muddy land). We immediately sent some local Shikari to work on the paths traversed by the tigers. Their mission was to comb the tracks with the Phantay (Palm tree branches) to obliterate old pug marks, speak to locals, and report on recent activities by tigers.

Further down, there was another place called Alumboori which was situated in the lower regions of the Pakhal Lake; this was an excellent place for tigers to live. We sent three local Shikaris with the same mission: comb the tracks with the Phantay (Palm tree branches) to obliterate old pug marks, speak to locals, and report on recent activities by tigers.They were to do reconnaissance and including the paths along the small rivulet and water channels that trickle out from the Pakhal Lake.

We finally arrived at the Shahi Chabootra (the Royal Patio or Platform) which gives a spectacular view of the entire vista around the lake. The lake is surrounded by tall rolling hills. The dense forest graces the hills all around, making it difficult to see through the woods. We also spotted several crocodiles in the lake. It put a damper on any thoughts of entering the waters for a swim.

On the east of the lake there was a bullock cart trail which went in the direction of Yeland and Kutta Guda. Further down this track there was a Guest House and this place is called Kutta Guda Guest House. A short distance from here, you could see the dome shaped hutments (Jhonpriyan) of the Gondi people.

Our van approached the huts and immediately, fearful stark-naked women and children ran straight into their huts. They were staring through the huts and looking at us. Our Administrator and his men got out of the van and went to the huts to speak with them. They called for the Mukhya (The Headman) to come for a meeting. He came to our van followed by the curious but frightened kids. They started to relax when seeing their elder speaking to us. The Mukhya was dressed in Langot[8] (Kaupinam) only. We explained the purpose of our visit. Then, the Administrator instructed him to let us know if a fresh kill was made. His people were to leave the remains of the kill for us to examine etc. He was told to immediately inform the guard at the guest house, with details of any such kill.

We now returned to Nursimpet Road. On the way back, we stopped to collect the two parties of Shakari we had dropped off earlier. With their missions accomplished, they were wait for us, where we had dropped them off, at Alumboori and Madna Borgoo . We picked them up and soon we were all back at the Aiywan e Shahi (Royal) Guest House.

Next morning, at 8:00 A.M, after the breakfast, we arrived at a small Talaab (lake) at Madna Borgoo. Just below the dam there was a small rivulet which was fed from the lake. There was a dense growth of fern, the Jamun (Java Plum) trees and the Elephant Grass (Phragmites). It was mostly wetland full of Dal Dal (Sticky Mud). The thick growth of vegetation made the place cooler and ideal for the tiger to seek shelter.

We inspected the Nala (rivulet or creek) and the soil around the water thoroughly. There were fresh pugmarks of a big tiger on the trail which had been combed earlier. The tiger had gone into the Dal Dal (wetland), sticky mud in which your feet will sink down to ankles deep. My father and his companions. Mr. Hamidullah, Mr. Jahangir and Mr. Mohammed bin Saalim made the decision to have a Jhoola (Machan) built on a large Mohua (Telagu Ippa, Madhuca longifolia var latifolia is the Botanical name) tree. We had a good supply of ropes in our van, so the Machan was built very quickly and with attention paid to safety of users. Three people could comfortably sit on the Machan. A suitable tree was selected to tie a Khulga at about 15 meters away on the same trail. Our plan was to tie the Khulga in the evening and shoot the tiger from the Machan we had just built.

Having completed it, we returned to the Royal Guest House to rest and refresh ourselves. Around 4:00 P.M in the evening, we took the Khulga in the trailer hitched behind our van. For creature comfort, we had two Thermos; one full of fresh tea and the other full of drinking water. We also brought a five-cell torch light with us.

Colonel Hamidullah, Mr. Mohammed bin Saalim and I sat in the Jhoola in the tree. Colonel Hamidullah had a .350 double barrel rifle, Mohammed bin Saalim sat to his right and had the torch light in his hand. His job was to turn the light on after the Tiger makes the kill. I sat, on the Jhoola, to his right to watch the whole drama unfold before my eyes. My father and Mr. Jahingir Baig tied the Khulga (a young buffalo) to the tree trunk, close to the base of the selected tree. They double-looped the braided cotton rope and tied the other end to the front leg of the Khulga. My father and Mr. Jahangir Baig returned to the van and waited for the action to begin. The van was parked quite a distance away from the Jhoola.

As the sun went down, the Peacocks, the Pheasants and the jungle fowls and the Sparrows started hurrying back to their nests. As darkness fell: the Khulga started to fret in darkness and the silence of the jungle caused him to panic. He was barking and making a Bhus, Bhus sound while blowing air through the nostrils. Mr. Saalim commented to Colonel Hamidullah that the tiger will be listening to the sounds Khulga was making. “The tiger’s den is close by; I expect the tiger will come soon. Please be ready.” Around 8:00 P.M, we heard an animal approaching from the small water channel to the right of us. There was a faint moonlight and I could see another water channel beyond the place where the Khulga was tied: it was nearer to the tiger’s den. A short while late, a tiger appeared from the water channel, it lowered its belly to the ground and started looking at the Khulga. He had possibly two hundred yards to go and though he was built for stalking, he covered the distance as smoothly as a snake and as silently as a shadow. In the faint moonlight the tiger looked almost like a black dot. The Khulga could sense and smell the tiger’s presence. Soon the bellowing noises by the Khulga intensified; it was trying to run away but his front leg had been tied, he would fall to the ground then rise and fall back to the ground repeatedly. It could not break the strong rope, no matter how much he tried.

It was very hot that night and Colonel Hamidullah was bothered by the swarm of mosquito, and he was perspiring profusely. He proceeded to wipe his face with handkerchief, soon he was swatting the mosquitos with it. The tiger sat there for a while and then descended back into the water channel he had come from and later went behind us.

Mr. Saalim whispered to Colonel Hamidullah, “the tiger has seen your movements; therefore, it has left and gone behind us, but it has seen the Khulga too; it will come back, soon; be ready to shoot it.” Half an hour later, the tiger came back on gallop from behind us, passing the tree where we were sitting. The tiger caught hold of the neck of the buffalo and pulled it so hard that the rope snapped with a cracking sound. The buffalo flew in the air and fell back to the ground; in the blink of an eye, the tiger disappeared with the young buffalo. To me, it was as if an eagle had swooped on a tiny chick and disappeared into the sky. It is not easy to break a strong rope which had been doubled for strength. I used to hear stories of the tiger’s strength but now I had witnessed it with my own eyes. I was quite young at the time, but the entire scene is imprinted in my memory; even now, I can see it in my mind’s eye.

We were all stunned by the speed and the strength of tiger; we sat in complete shock and silence. Then, Mr. Saalim shone the torch light in the direction of the van, signaling others to come to the Jhoola. We got down to the ground and walked to the van with my father and Mr. Baig. All of us then returned to the Aiywan e Shahi Guest House. Later that night, Mr. Saalim gave a detailed report to my father and said, “in spite of my cautions to keep still, Colonel Hamidullah’s movements alerted the tiger to our presence and we lost a golden opportunity.” At the camp, we made the program to have the jungle checked out and then arrange a beat (Hanka) to hunt down this tiger. The Tahsildar, the Patel and the Patwaris were instructed to arrange for 80 beaters.

The following morning, we finished our breakfast, at 10:00 A.M, then went down to inspect the spot where the tiger had attacked and taken the buffalo last night. The tiger had thrown the buffalo 70 feet away from where it was tied. The tiger had then proceeded to drag the buffalo all the way into the muddy water channel. The two horns of the buffalo made furrows into the wetland as if a plow had cut them in the soil. We checked the animal pathways and footpaths, and the trails for pugmarks. We established that the tiger had not left this water channel.

About a kilometer or so down this spot, we installed two Jhoolys: Colonel Hamidullah sat in one, my father and I sat in the other. My father had his Jeffries single barrel bolt action .404 rifle: it had one cartridge in the chamber and two in the magazine. The men tied multicolored pennant on rope to the right and left of each Jhoola. The stoppers were posted on the side of each Jhoola. The whistle was blown and the Hanka began in earnest. Firecrackers were detonated, the Dhupras (the town Crier’s drum) were beaten, tin cans were rattled, and men made as much noise they possibly could.

Little while later, we saw the tiger approaching our Machan; my father readied himself for the shot: he had now removed the safety latch from his rifle, the tiger was walking with its tongue hanging out of his mouth and panting a little. The tiger came to about 50 feet away from us; he stopped then turned a little and was now looking in the direction of the beaters. My father took an aim from his shoulder and fired; simultaneously with the loud bang, the tiger fell to the ground. For a while his tail was moving a little, and my father quickly loaded another cartridge in his rifle and took aim at the tiger. He did not have to fire another round: the tiger had died from the single bullet.

In a little while, we all gathered around the dead tiger. My father received complements for the shot from everyone, including the beaters who had now joined us; group pictures were taken. This was a very big tiger: it measured 10 feet 6 inches in length. We tied the tiger’s four legs to a strong piece of lumber and then put it in the van and took it to the Aiywan e Shahi Guest House, in Nursimpet, where it was skinned, his hide was preserved by application of common salt. The skinner’s name was Kaloo jee.

In all, our camp lasted for fifteen day, during this time, we killed eight (8) tigers: Colonel Hamidullah killed 7 and my father one (1). We returned to Hyderabad at the end of these memorable fifteen days.
Method of tranquilizing or hunting a man-eating tiger:

How to safely search and for the tiger and familiarize oneself with the jungle

Identifying tiger’s drinking places.
Identifying the frequently travelled paths
Using a big bore rifle, you are comfortable with
Rifle should neither has scope of sling to prevent entanglement in woods
Back of head should be covered with paper Makhota (Mask with human face) to prevent attack from behind. The tiger never attacks from the front.
Must have company of a marksman on the hunting expedition
When hunting a man-eater, search the jungle when the sun is at its above your head; because the tiger would be asleep at that time.
Wherever a man-eater kills and feeds on human flesh, it will stay there for two to three days. On second day of the kill, the body should be removed. The man-eater, for sure, will return to this place.

One should study the features of the paw marks, thoroughly so that you can readily recognize them. The tigers have the habit of traveling, to and from on the same path. The hunter should select a suitable tree to build a Machan on the path used by the tiger. The Jhoola should be made with a strong rectangular wooden frame woven with strapping yarn. A large piece of foam mattress would be good for creature comfort as one may be waiting long hours for the tiger to come there.

The Machan should be covered with a camouflaging Mosquito net. A round shaped Mosquito net would be ideal for tying the dome with a rope. The mosquito net should be tucked under the matters. One can find these nets with a zipper at the front. This net can provide some measure of protection against the painful bites of the red ants, as well as against the highly poisonous Chirgue (Leaping or flying snake) snakes.

The Shikari should dress in comfortable and soft clothing.
The rifle cartridges should be of soft nose type.
To attract a man eater, prepare a realistic human effigy using suitable textile material and dress it in normal clothing. When relatives or colleagues realize that their loved one is missing; they usually start the search in the morning. They collect and remove the remains from the kill site. Instructions should be given to the Police, the Forest Authorities and the villagers to save the blood-stained clothing of the victim. Soak the clothing in water and dress the effigy with it.
Tie the dressed effigy, with a strong rope and suspend it with a tree at 30 meters from the Machan.
The Shikari should take a battery-operated (6 Volt usually) CD player with him. The CD should be recorded with the cries of a man or a woman.
Place the human remains and the CD speaker inside the effigy. Connect the CD Speaker with a long audio quality wire (cable). Test and make sure it is working.
Play the crying sounds from the Machan from time to time. The man-eating tiger will come to the human effigy to investigate. You will have a good opportunity to kill the man-eating tiger. This is a much safer way of killing a man-eater.
Aim your shots at the head, the neck, the shoulder or in the proximity of the shoulder; this will ensure the tiger will drop dead on the spot.
An injured man-eating tiger who escapes will be a big danger for the Shikari and the villagers.

If, on the other hand, you would tie a bait where a human being had been killed, the Man-eater will kill the bait but you would not know if it was the man-eater that killed the bait or some other tiger that killed! The best method is to use the human effigy with a concealed loudspeaker as discussed earlier. Any other tiger will not respond to the human cries and is unlikely to attack an effigy.

The other method of hunting a man-eater is by night driving in a Jeep. You need to ensure the following before embarking on a night hunt:

The hunter must become completely familiar with the jungle and the different trails such as those trails traversed by the villagers, trails used by the herders, the pathways used by the bullock carts etc.
The hunter must remember the sources of water where the animals drink: water channels, stagnant or rainwater holes, marsh lands, wetlands.
One must look for sandy or soft soil pathways and note down the pug marks, if any.
Where the pathways and trails cross, tie a buffalo (Khulga) on each end. Make sure that the rope used to tie the Bait is strong and the tiger will not be able to break it.
Make a Machan close to the buffalo bait.
The pathways must be combed with thorny branches after the grazers have taken their animals home. This exercise is essential for identifying new pug marks. This will tell you the whereabouts of the tiger.
Make a map of the topology and the pathways.
Having done the above, search these trails and pathways at night.
You will find the tiger eating the bait at night.
However, you must have an expert driver who can drive the Jeep for this mission.
You will also need an expert search light handler who will make sure that the beam of the search light does not interfere with the sight of the rifle or the scope.
You must also have a local guide with you who knows the jungle and help you in your search for the man-eater.
The ideal time for searching a tiger at night is from 7:00 P.M to midnight.

If the tiger kills the bait in one place, make sure the other baits are removed because the tiger will also kill the other and will not return to the kill near the Machan where you would be sitting.

So, who are the likely victims of a man-eater? They are most likely:

The pickers of the Mohua flowers
The herders who take their animals into the jungle for grazing
Firewood collectors who go in the jungle to cut dead branches of trees.
Farmworkers whose farms are in the vicinity of the jungle.
Villagers who travel from one village to another in bullock carts.
Beginning of the monsoon: this is when the fields are seeded. Animals are let out of the barns to roam and graze in the jungle. This is an opportune time for the tiger to kill domesticated animals. Owners then go out looking for the missing animals and themselves become hunted by the man-eating tigers.
If the tiger kills the bait, he starts eating the kill from the hind legs first. He often leaves part of the buffalo for later. The left over Gara (Buffalo) should be covered with branches of tree so that the vultures and crows do not start feeding on the leftover parts.
Before you sit on the Machan, remove the branches and other covering completely and through it far away from the remains of the kill.
You can also install the modern video cameras on the pathways to see the movements of the tiger. A good location will be the water holes and water channels to monitor the tiger.
If you are planning to capture a tiger; use the rifle with tranquilizing darts. The best approach would be to tie a buffalo as Bait and sit on a Machan[9] near the Bait. As soon as the tiger comes to the Bait, shoot the tiger with the tranquilizing dart. Bait
Have your staff ready with the proper cage to capture the tranquilized tiger. This should be completed with haste as the effect may ware off.
The staff should be trained and ready to administer an antidote, if necessary, to revive the unconscious tiger.
However, if the tiger or the Leopard was a man-eater, it must be killed. Otherwise, a man-eater can kill large number of people.

Now days, the Forestry departments and the governments have more sympathy with the animals than with those human beings that get mauled by the tigers. There is none to shed a tear for the victims.

Tranquilizing a tiger after darting it with a rifle at night is a very difficult proposition:

a) It takes up to 15- 20 minutes to render it unconscious.
b) In the meantime, he goes for shelter in the thick of the forest
c) As forest are being cut down to make way for agricultural lands, the tiger’s natural habitat is shrinking.
d) This is the primary reason why the tiger is entering villages and praying on domesticated animals and the easiest pray of all are humans. Thus, causing the tiger to become a man-eating animal.

T

he Forestry departments and governments have imposed so many restrictions on hunting that those who lose their animals and loved one’s are resorting to poisoning the leftover flesh to kill the tiger in a more grotesque fashion. They either sell the hide or dispose it off by burying in the ground. Even when the Forestry officials come to know about these practices, they keep silence to save their jobs. The net result is; dwindling tiger population.

When the game sanctuary was being created, the authorities had invited my father to attend the foundation laying ceremony. His proposal was to the fence the sanctuaries with barbed wire and to simultaneously ensure that the villages will not encroaching into the sanctuaries. Each sanctuary shall have its own tiger breeding farms and allow the cubs to grow up unharmed in the confines of the sanctuaries. Once the cubs were old enough to fend for themselves, they should be released into the wild to procreate in a more natural habitat. They paid lip service to his proposal and did not followed it. As of this writing, these sanctuaries are full of new villages. Should this continue much longer, the tiger is in danger of extinction. The Forestry authorities and governments will have to pay special attention to encroachment by humans and poisoning of tigers.

Finally, as of this writing, the wild pigs are being killed by high voltage fences in their paths. Some of the pathways have been set up as snares made from the scooter brake or clutch wires. They are then hung out on trees to die a painful death. Some tigers and Leopards are being killed by these wire-snares. A more humane method of culling the wild pigs is necessary.
My first tiger Kill

At Pulli Guppa kundaram, Medak, Telangana.
T

he summer had arrived in Hyderabad, it was the month of March and two blocks had been opened for hunting. Nawab Mazharuddin Khan (a.k.a Shah Sahib Mian) who was the son of Nawab Moinud Dawlah, the Amir of Paigah Asman Jahi had reserved two blocks in Zilah (District) Medak for tiger hunting.

One of the blocks was in Quazi Pulli which is located about 7 Km from Medak. The other block was loated in Pulli Guppa which is in the basin of the Pocharum Talaab (Lake) and nearer to the settlement of Gundharum.

The hunting expedition arrangements were made under the auspices of my late father Mr. Mohammed Salhauddin Sahib. We were joined by six well known and expert Shikari (Hunters) from Bellavista, the official residence of the Prince of Berar. They had been subordinated to my father’s command. Their names were:

1) Mohammed bin Saalim

2) Mohammed Jahangir Baig

3) Ahmed bin Rehman

4) Quasem

5) Lingayya

6) Ayrega

My father had assigned specific tasks to the team of these Shikaris, such as:

a) Survey the pathways, animal footpaths in the jungle for pugmarks.
b) Identify the water sources and the drinking places of the tigers.
c) tying Khulga (buffalo) baits to appropriate places
d) Selecting suitable places for installing Machans
e) Tying the pennants at the right and left covering of the Machan[10] (Jhoola)
f) Organizing and initiating the beat
g) Searching for the injured Tiger or the Leopard: this being the most important task, was assigned to me, Jahangir Baig, Quasem and Lingayya.

We were setting up Gara in two places: (1) Palli Guppa and (2) Quazi Palli.: Mohammed, myself and other Shikari were assigned to this Gara. The Nawab Sahib’s Chauffer, Karim, would drive us to the spots, which were located 20 Km from the Pocharum Dock Bungalow, in his Jeep. We would, usually, set off at 7:00 A.M.

The Nawab and his wife, the Rani Sahiba, of Samatsan Nayarranpore, his two brothers; Iqbal Nawab and Maqbool Nawab were camped in the Pocharum Dock Bungalow at the Lake. All of us were also camped in the same Dock Bungalow.

The next day, early in the morning, we went looking for signs of Gara, at Palli Guppa. We had Parked the Jeep at quite a distance from the bait. All of us got out and walked very slowly in the direction of the Gara. This was the pathway most frequented by the Tiger. My father, who was very familiar with the jungle, had selected the place for tying the baits.

Slowly and softly, we climbed up to the brow of a small hill. We could easily see the Gara. However, even before we reached the top, we had a pretty good idea that the tiger had killed the Khulga (buffalo) because there were crows sitting on the close by tres.. They crow were making quite a racket and looking down. They had the smell of the flesh but had not yet descended to the ground. This was a strong indication that the Tiger was still sitting near the kill.

We took cover behind the trunk of a large tree. I looked at my wristwatch and it was 8:15 A.M. We stayed still for about 30 minutes then, we stealthily went down the hill back to wherefrom we had seen the Gara. From this vantage point, we could see the buffalo lying on the ground. The tiger had ripped open the buffalo; the entrails were already on the ground.

Our task was to give my father news of Gara because the he had to organize the beat and make several other arrangements. We got back to the Pocharum Dock Bungalow and we briefed him about the Gara. He sent for the local Patels: they were to gather up some beaters for a 1:00 P.M Hanka (beat). The Patels gathered 200 beaters for the beat.

We all got to the Gara place and decided not to install Jhoolas. Instead, decision was made to build Maat (platform on the ground); right on the most likely pathway; the Shikari call such pathways the Saal.
A

t 12:15 P.M sharp, Nawab Mazharuddin Khan, Iqbal Nawab, Maqbool Nawab and Colonel Hamidullah (ADC to the Prince of Berar) arrived. Iqbal Nawab did not like the Maat and said to the Nawab (Mazharuddin Khan), “Bhai (Brother), the Tiger will not come anywhere close to this Maat; it will come from in between the two hills “A prolonged discussing followed between my father and Iqbal Nawab. Reasoning with him, my father said, “look, hunting and planning a successful hunt are two different things. Granted, you might have hunted several times, but I am familiar with this jungle and am certain about the trails Tiger will follow.” The back and forth arguments went on for a long time and Iqbal Nawab would not budge. In the end, reluctantly, my father relented.
T

he two brothers had separate Maats built; and they sat down on their respective Maat. My father had to alter his plans for the Hanka (beat) at the last minute. Still he kept telling them that the beaters cannot drive the Tiger between these two hills, but it was to no avail.

They seated Colonel Hamidullah on one side and Maqbool Nawab on the other. My father sat where he thought the Tiger might appear. He had the double pennants or flags tied around this place. I was ordered to go sit on a nearby higher Knoll. There was a small rock and I decided to sit up on it; watching the Hanka (beat) unfold.

As mentioned, my father was sitting by the double covering because he was certain the Tiger will come there. I was also certain that if the Tiger passes through the pennants, it will come straight to where I was seated. I was sitting on a slightly elevated ground or a mound and I could see the beaters coming from the distant mountain. The beat started with a dummy gunfire in the air, it was followed by loud firecrackers and incessant Dhupra beatings, more dummy gun firings followed.

Suddenly, I saw the Tiger in the valley just below the position where the gang of beaters were. The Tiger was heading in the direction my father had predicted. As the Tiger approached the covering flags the stoppers who were perch0.

ed on trees, began to get ready. As soon as the Tiger saw the flags; instead of going in the direction of the Nawab Sahib’s Maat, it turned around and headed back in the direction of the beaters. Now, the beaters, made a tremendous noise: throaty noises were raised, the Lahsan patakhas exploded in quick succession and the Dhupra were beaten in a hurry. Once again, the Tiger did not go in the direction of the Maat where the Nawab was sitting. Instead, it returned to where the flags were installed. Despite the clapping by the stoppers, the Tiger was annoyed and roared at the flags. It attacked the pennant ropes with its front paws and started running.

As the Tiger emerged from underneath the flags, Maqbool Nawab fired at the tiger from far away. It was out of his range and the bullet did not hit the tiger. Soon the Tiger was heading in my direction: I removed the safety latch on the .404 bolt action, single barrel rifle. First, I took cover behind the rock where I sat a little while later, the tiger reappeared 15 meters to my side, he was on full gallop. I took aim at the top part of his shoulder and gently pulled the trigger.

There was a tremendous explosion and simultaneously, I saw the tiger make eight (8) or ten (10) summersaults in the air: it looked as if a wheel had freed itself from the vehicle in motion and was rolling down the hill . Seconds later, the tiger fell into a lifeless heap of flesh. I quickly reloaded my rifle and took aim at the tiger, but the Tiger had already died. Next, I heard the whistle which was in my father’s possession; he was walking fast in my direction. I signaled to him that the tiger was lying in front of me.

He saw the tiger and it made him very happy. He patted my back and said to me “that is what happens when someone does not listen to an experienced hunter. Had the Nawab Sahib followed my advice, he would have bagged this tiger.”

Everyone was now gathered around the dead Tiger. The look on the faces of the Nawab Sahib and his brothers was one of self-inflicted embarrassment, The Nawab came to me and said, “Nizam, this is your Tiger and you keep the hide too.” I saluted the Nawab and thanked him. My father’s joy knew no bounds, he measured the Tiger; it was 9 ft, 6 inches; a very big tiger. This was my first tiger kill.
The injured tiger of Natnaya Palli
livestock eating tiger:
I

t was the month of March and the heat of the summer was noticeable. My father, Mohammed Salahuddin Sahib was busy making plans for a hunting expedition for Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar. He had with him; Shikaris, Mohammed Saalim, and Jahangir Baig. They were joined by the local Shikaris Lingaya, and Ayriga who were employees of the Royal Shikargah Bellavesta.

They headed for place called Narsapur in an International Van which had the Bellavista markings (Royal Markings) on it. Narsapur lies 30 miles north of Hyderabad in the District of Meduk. Approximately 10 miles south of the District of Medak is a village called Natnaya Palli; surrounding it are forests and hills. There is a lake in the middle of this forest, which is called Peeran Charu. Below the lake, a stream flows all year round and it has a muddy wetland. There is dense foliage consisting of Jamun Berry Trees, the Fern and Elephant Grass. This is an ideal place for the Tiger to rest during the hot summer days.

My father arrived in Natnaya Palli around 10:00 A.M. He was accompanied by Mohammed Saalim, Jahangir Baig and the local Shikari Lingaya and Ayriga: I was also with them. A camp had already been set up in the shadow of a large Mango tree. We organized our belongings in the camp, then Lingaya and Ayriga set off to buy two buffalo for bait. These two Shikaris were also responsible for this Royal Game Reserve. Their daily routine was to pass through the various pathways, trails and tracks and to be watchful of the pug marks. The various pathways were combed with thorny branches and Phantay to obliterate the old pug marks.

The next morning, we inspected these accesses for new pug marks. If we found new pug marks of Tiger, we would inform my father, who would personally inspect them and then the bait (Gara) would be set up at suitable locations. After finishing our lunch at the camp, we set off to the locations my father had selected. The buffalo, the ropes and the Jhoola (mattresses) and other necessary materials were brought to the site.

The Prince had ordered my father to choose a location where he could bring his automobile: a luxurious Bentley. The tree chosen for the Jhoola was a Moha tree. Before tying the Jhoola, we made sure there were no honeybees or the wasp nesting in this tree which was beside a Bullock Cart road: wide enough for the Prince’s Bentley to be brought here. The road had been widened and groomed prior to his arrival.

Three Jhoola were installed: one on the Moha tree and the other two behind the Moha tree. This Bullock cart road was used by the Tiger, so we instructed Lingaya and Ayriga to tie the baits in two preselected location, comb the road with thorny bushes and the Phantasy (palm leaves) before returning to the camp. We had now returned to the camp.

The following morning, at 8:30 A.M we returned to inspect the jungle. We arrived at the first site of the bait. As soon as the buffalo heard our footsteps, he stood up and was looking at us. We proceeded to inspect the second bait; from a distance we could hear the noises of the flock of crows in the nearby trees. We were certain that the Tiger had taken the bait. However, when we arrived at the place where the second buffalo was tied; we could not see the kill.

The Tiger had grabbed the buffalo by the neck; broken the rope tied to the front leg of the bait, then dragged it below the Lake, into the dense growth around the stream. We checked the soil and the paths around the stream; the Tiger had not left the area. We quickly returned to the camp. It had rained a few days before we camped here. This was a Kodsa forest. One could see the tall Teak trees stretched as far as the eye could see.

Now, we had to inform the Prince that the Tiger had taken the bait. We sent a messenger with our driver to Nursapur to inform the Prince by phone. The local Patels were going to organize the gang of beaters. We got the word back that the Prince will be arriving around noon.

Soon, the beaters were dispatched to the jungle with their two leaders: Lingaya and Ayriga. They were provided with supplies of garlic shape firecrackers, Dhupras, empty tin cans, etc. We instructed the two to make sure the Hanka (beat) shall begin after the Prince had been seated in the Jhoola. They were to listen to our signature long whistle indicating we were seated and ready for the Hanks to commence. Jahangir Baig and Mohammed bin Saalim were posted to the right and left covering pennant flags with there respective team of stoppers. My father and I went to the spot where the Prince were expected to arrive.
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the Prince arrived, at 12:00 noon sharp, with his guest and his ADC. They had travelled in a Royal motorcade of Bentley, Jaguar and a Daimler; all of them with the Bellavista markings. The guests were Colonel Hamidullah, ADC; his son Karamatullah, Mehmud Ali Baig, Nawab Mazharuddin Khan and three young ladies. We ushered them all to the Jhoolas, which had been set up earlier. They all climbed up using the ladders; Prince Azam Jah was in the first Jhoola, he had the company of the three young ladies. Behind him sat Colonel Hamidullah and his son Karamat and Nawab Mazharuddin Khan. In the third Jhoola, which was behind the second one, sat Colonel Mehmud Ali Baig and a Doctor and someone else.

My father and Mohammed Saalim Sahib went with the folks on right covering. Jahangir Baig Sahib had the pennants flags: his men tied the pennants to the surrounding bushes, then they all climbed up on different trees. Jahangir Baig Sahib and I stood on the ground, taking cover behind a tree: he had a .12 bore shotgun and I had my father’s .404 single barrel-bolt-action rifle. In the distance, Lingaya and Ayriga were waiting ready with their beaters and anticipating our signal to start the beat. My father blew the signature whistle and the beat started in earnest.

As usual, the beat started with the detonation of garlic-shaped firecrackers, the beating of the Dhupra (town crier’s drums), yelling of men, clapping of hands. Minutes passed and the cacophony of jarring and discordant sounds increased in intensity. Twenty minutes into the beat, I heard the big bang of the .500 / .465 double barrel Holland rifle go off. It was followed by a second shot and simultaneously, I head the growling of a tiger.

Jahangir Baig Sahib and I crept closer to the Jhoola where the Prince and his guest were seated and asked the Prince, using a sign language, as to what had happened? The Prince said, “the Tiger was coming fast on the bullock cart road, my first fire missed him, I fired the second shot, but the Tiger just growled and disappeared into the dense jungle.”

The Tiger had been injured. The signature whistle indicating an injured tiger was repeatedly sounded. The beaters had been instructed to stop the beat and immediately climb up the nearest tree for safety. The Prince said, “Jahangir, so long as the injured Tiger has not been killed, I will not dismount the Jhoola.”

By now, my father and Mohammed bin Saalim had arrived at the Prince’s Jhoola. Our collective opinion was that the Tiger, most likely, had been hit somewhere in the abdomen. Now, we had to search for the injured Tiger. Neither the two Colonels nor the Nawab got down their respective Jhoola to join the search party.
Searching for the injured tiger:
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his task fell to Jahangir Baig Sahib, Mohammed bin Saalim Sahib and me. The three of us formed a line and went to the spot where the Prince had fired the second shot.There was considerable amount of blood found at this spot. Jahangir Baig Sahib was in the middle, Mohammed bin Saalim Sahib to his right and I was to his left. Jahangir Sahib was looking for the trail of blood and slowly moving forward while were keeping a watch. It had recently rained; the foliage of the Teak forest was very dense; we could not see far into the woods.

The tiger first sends a warning signal to anyone encroaching upon his territory. If he sees or senses human presence from a distance, he will make a gentle growl. Mohammed bin Saalim and Jahangir Baig Sahib were both trained by my father: they thought that the hind legs of the Tiger had been rendered paralyzed by the second shot and, the Tiger was dragging the rest of his body forward with his powerful front legs. As we moved forward, we could see the drag marks of his body and the trail of blood. Approximately 30 yards further in, we heard another growl and saw the movement of a plant in the woods. As we moved forward, the Tiger issued a terrifying growl and was charging at us. It was now, 15 yards away from me: it was dragging the collapsed hind portion of body with his front legs. The chest portion of the tiger was pointing upwards on his front legs; I immediately took aim at his chest and pulled the trigger of my rifle. The Tiger collapsed into a heap right on the spot and I immediately reloaded my rifle with the bolt action lever. Messer Jahangir Baig and Mohammed Saalim rushed to my side and aimed their loaded guns at the Tiger. It was already dead. They both patted my back. These two gentlemen were my mentors. They had taught me the art and science of hunting, so to speak. They said to me, “the one who injures the tiger does not bag it, the who kills an injured Tiger bags it.”

The Prince had been informed that I had shot the tiger. He came to me and put his hand on my shoulder and congratulated me. My father was also very pleased with my kill. The Tiger was brought to the bullock cart road and laid flat. Everyone gathered in a row and photos were taken by the world-renowned photographer Raja Deen Dayal. The Tiger measured 9 ft, 6 inches.

The Prince of Berar had hunted 37 tigers in this jungle.
Nursapur
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he Prince of Berar, Azam Jah (The Prince) was also the Crown Prince of the Hyderabad State. After the fall of Hyderabad, the Indian Union had appointed a Military Governor when his term finished, Mr. Velodi succeeded him as the second Military Governor.

The Prince had invited the Mr. Velodi for tiger hunting on his Game Reserve at Narsapur. Mr. Velodi, like his predecessor, Major General J.N Chaudhary, was an avid hunter. My father who was the Managing Director of the Royal Game Reserves was asked to organize this tiger hunting expedition.

He decided to take them to Nursapur, which lies between Hyderabad City and the District of Medak, at a distance of 30 miles north of Hyderabad. Approximately 10 miles south of the District of Medak is a village called Natnaya Palli; surrounding it are beautiful forests and hills. There is a lake in the middle of this forest, which is called Peeran Charu, Below the lake there a stream which flows all year round and it has a muddy wetland. There is dense foliage consisting of Jamun Berry Trees, and Fern. This is an ideal place for the Tiger to rest during the heat of the day.

There was a diversity of wildlife in this Jungle: to mention a few:

Tigers
Leopards
Bear
Sambhar
Neal Gai
Cheetal (spotted deer)
Mountain Goat
Wild pigs
Peacocks and Peahens

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here is a lake (Talaab) called Piran Caharo and the village, in this Jungle, is called Natnaya Palli. Right below the lake there is stream that flows year-round and, the wetland is muddy. Animals come here for drink and the tiger likes to sleep or rest in the cool dense growth around the stream. Some local hunters; Lingaya, Ayriga, Mallaya and Saayloo look after the whole jungle. They are employees of the Bellavista, official residence of the Prince. These men were all trained by my father. Every morning, these men would go out and inspect the jungle and brief my father on their unusual observations, if any.

One day, they reported, to father, about a big bull had been been killed by a tiger. The tiger had dragged the bull into valley known as the Adagoo valley. My father and his staff went to Natnaya Palli and investigated the reported kill. The Tiger was still in the Adagoo valley. The pathways and trails were searched for pug marks; thus, it was established that the Tiger was on a mountain near the valley. A Hanka was organized at this venue.

The Prince was informed, and he decided to arrive at this site with Mr. Velodi, the new Military Governor, by 3:00 P.M that afternoon. There was a streamlet to the north of Adagoo valley; it fllowed down from its source on the mountain. A large Moha tree had grown to maturity. A Jhoola (Machan) was set up on this tree. As mentioned before, Mohammed and Jahangir Baig were the Prince’s official Shikari. They were experience shooters. Mohammed was assigned the task of installing Covering pennant flags to the right and left of the Machan while Jahangir Baig, Lingaya, Ayriga, Malaya and Saayloo were given the responsibility for the Hanka (Beat). All tasks had been completed before the Prince arrived with his honored guest.

The Prince and Mr. Velodi arrived, in a Bentley, at exactly 3:00 P.M. They climbed up into the Machan (Jhooka) using a step ladder. Soon, the right and left conering (??) pennant flags were tied to the selected branches of nearby trees.

I took my position, behind a rock and a large tree with my father who stood behind me, his hand was resting on my shoulder. My father blew the signature whistle to commence the beat. First, I heard the firecrackers exploding, next came blank Musket firings in the air, then the repetitive sound of the Dhapra drums mixed with the human uproar with hand clippings. We were on the right covering (????) which was about one furlong away. I had my father’s .404 rifle which had three shells: one in the chamber and two in the magazine. I put it on safe. The entire forest was echoing with the sounds of the Hanka (Beat).

I heard a large animal running: shortly thereafter, a beautiful Neal stood just 50 yards away from us. As soon he saw the pennant flags, it ran towards the Machan and disappeared. The Hanks gang came up the brow of the hill and again I heard the rustling sound of dried up leaves. Soon at the same spot where the Neal had stood, minutes ago, a large animal, a Tiger briefly stopped and then slowly walked towards the Machan (Jhoola). I then heard two rifle firings in rapid succession. It was the sound of .500 / 465 Holland and Holland rifles I and II. Bothe the Prince and Mr. Velodi had the similar rifles. After the two firings, the Tiger again came back to the same spot where it had stopped previously. I had removed the safety latch and stood ready. Then I aimed the sight on the Tiger’S shoulder and pulled the trigger. The Tiger fell on the spot. I stepped forward a few steps and saw the Tiger still breathing and wagging his tail, so I put the second bullet into the back, just between the shoulder blades because his back was facing me.

My father had explained the rule to everyone before the hunting began: if the Prince had fired but missed, then everyone was free to take shots at the Tiger. Both bullets were fired by Mr. Velodi but had missed the Tiger completely. Mr. Velodi and the Prince got off the Machan and came to where the dead Tiger was lying. Mr. Veldi was told that both bullets hitting the Tiger came from his gun. He was super happy to hear it.

The Prince took me aside, he patted my back and then complemented me for being brave to stand on the ground and shooting the Tiger. My father too was very happy for this was my second (???? I think it was the third) Tiger kill at such a young age.

The Tiger measured 9 ft, 4 inches and it was a very fat Tiger. Individual and group photos were taken by the famous Hyderabadi as well as now world-renowned photographer Deen Dayal. The late afternoon tea was served by the roadside. The Tiger was brought to this spot and more pictures were taken. The Prince came to my father and thanked him for the excellent arrangements he had made for this Shikar. They were soon on their way back to Hyderabad City.
Zila Medak and Quazi Palli’s Livestock-eating Tiger
– The cattle loafer Tiger
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round the district of Medak, a tiger had played havoc with the livestock, causing multiple killings. The tiger had become a habitual killer. The forestry department had received numerous complaints from citizens, about loss of their livelihood caused by tiger. In one such attack on an Island in the Manjira River, the Tiger had killed 13 livestocks. Therefore, the Forestry Authorities had declared it “The Cattle Loafer Tiger”. They wanted this tiger killed, as soon as possible.

The Tiger was hiding in an Island in the River Manjira. The river flows through the Medak District. There is a dam built on it: to the left of it is the Ghanpore Dock Bungalow and to the right of it is the large Temple of Aur payal. Here the river divides into two branches: creating an Island which has a small forest in it. Six km downstream is their confluence.

Prince Muffaqam Jah who is the grandson of the Huzur Nizam had obtained a permit from the Forest Department to kill this Tiger. Other hunters too had obtained permits to shoot the Tiger, and several attempts had been made to kill it. They had used baits and Hanka technique; some hunters had chances to kill it but despite firing several times at the Tiger, he had managed to escape unharmed. The Tiger had become quite cunning and alert: he would run on the slightest hint or suspicion of danger.

Prince Muffaqam Jah, I, Mohammed bin Saalim and Jahangir Baig pursued the Tiger for two years, but this Tiger had become an expert in sensing and dodging any would be hunters. On sensing the slightest movement of his enemies, he would run for the safety of the Forest. We had organized Hanka twice: each time, the Tiger would come out of its den, then run in the opposite direction to where the beaters wanted him to go. Thus, escaping from his enemies successfully on each occasion. Two years had passed, and this Tiger had killed numerous livestock

Prince Muffaqam Jah was insistent that we must make our plans anew and get rid of this Tiger to provide some relief to those people who were affected by the mayhem it had created. It was the month of May and the summer heat was quite oppressive. It was decided that we would try to shoot the Tiger in the forest of Quazi Pulli which is located approximately 15 Km from Medak. In the past, my father had successfully arranged thirteen hunting expeditions for Prince Azam Jah in this forest. We were quite familiar with this forest. Therefore, it was decided that I should collect some Shikaris and go with them to Quazi Palli to make the necessary arrangements such as: purchasing buffalos for bait and selecting the places for Gara etc.

One fine morning, at 6:00 A.M, I, Mohammed bin Saalim, Jahingir Baiga and Mansoor Ali, who is the chauffer to Prince Muffaqam jah, drove us to Medak in a Jeep. Just before Narsapur, there is a village called Natnaye Palli: we picked up two more experienced hunters there: Lingaya and Ayraga. Both were employed by Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar. We drove to Quazi Palli and arrived there by 10:00 A.M.

We went to the house of Chandraya Patel; the Patel for Quazi Palli. He was a friend of my fathers and had previously participated in planning for the Prince of Berar’s hunting expeditions. We briefed him about Prince Muffaqum Jah’s plan to shoot the rouge Tiger. There was a terra-cotta roofed Chowri (Guest Hall), close to his home.It was mostly used for accommodating out of town government officials. He kindly arranged our accommodations in the Chowri.

We requested Chandraya Patel to provide us with two men and have four Khulga purchased for bait. We then left for the Chowri. We had a trailer hitched to our Jeep. It carried our belongings: a Jhoola, ropes, the covering pennant flags, our provisions, the cookware and our beddings. We unloaded our belongings and left with Chandraya Patel to inspect the jungle. Our plan was to set up the bait: if the bait was taken then we would phone Prince Muffaqqum Jah to come to the jungle.

We left the Jeep on the outskirts of the jungle and walked on the bullock cart road around the Gharonjee Hill. I, Chandraya Patel, Jahangir Baig, Lingaya and a local guide went out looking for pug marks of the Tiger. This mountain has a glut of rocks; big rocks stand upon smaller rocks making it a natural wonder and an ideal place for the tigers to make their dens. There were several dens already made among these majestic rocks. On hot summer days, the tigers stay in these cool dark dens.
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ext to this mountain is a bigger mountain called Daspa Kaccha. We send Mohammed bin Saalim, Ayariga and the local man to look for pugmarks on the Bullock cart road. They found pugmarks that were two to three days old. We also walked looking for pugmarks toward the far end of Daspa Kachha mountain. Mohammed bin Saalim and his companions were already here. Now, we all walked together. The Tiger had crossed the road that goes to Shate Palli and then following the course of the Haldi (Turmeric) River it had entered the Chityal Forest.

We returned to Quazi Palli. The news of our arrival had spread to the villagers; several had gathered at the Chowri and were urging us to kill this Tiger so their livestock may be safer. The Daspa Kachha mountain did not have much water and the Tiger had to go a long way to drink water. Therefore, we decided to put water troughs at level with the ground, so the Tiger could drink from the troughs near the bait. We bought large terra cotta troughs from the local potters.

We had our lunch at the Chowri: then we loaded the Jhoola, the ropes, the earthen troughs, and a large Barrel full of fresh water, into the Jeep’s trailer and left for the mountain. Three Khulga were brought to the mountain; one Khulga was tied on the Bullock Cart Road near the mountain and one earthen trough was installed and filled with water at the ground level, thus making it look like a natural drinking hole. We hoped that after the kill the Tiger will drink from this trough and not wander off in search of water to far away places.

The second Khulga was tied to the base of a strong tree behind the Daspa Kacha mountain. The second trough was installed at ground level and filled with water. The third Khulga was tied on opposite side at the elevated portion of the Despa Kacha mountain; the third earthen trough was installed and filled with water at the ground level, thus making it look like a natural drinking hole. There was a large Moha tree, at the base of the mount and we installed the Jhoola on the the tree.. The three corners of the Jhoola were secured to mature branches of tree with strong ropes. The one corner of the Jhoola had no support; it was tied by a long rope to the tree trunk, thus making this corner firmly held in place.

We were confident that when the Hanka would begin, the Tiger will come running just in front of the Jhoola. So, we had created an artificial hedge row just behind the Jhoola. Bushes were cut and brought from elsewhere to within 20 meters of the Jhoola; it measured 25 meters long. The purpose of the hedge row would be to cause the running Tiger to stop, thus giving the hunters a chance to fire and kill the Tiger.

Having completed the above tasks, we collected several branches of trees and made them into a fan-shape broom; then we tied it to the trailer hook behind of Jeep: wherever the Jeep could go, we combed all the pathways around the Kharonjee Mountain. The narrow paths were also dragged by bushes or tree branches to obliterate all the old pugmarks, if any. Most importantly, in this way, after the Gara, we would find out weather the Tiger was still in the mountain area. If not; we would get to know the direction in which he had travelled. We did all these preparations a day in advance because we were dealing with a very cleaver Tiger. We also decided that the Hanka will commence at least from 1 Km way. It was sundown and we returned to Quazi Palli.
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n Quazi Palli, we were all together again. So, we collectively reviewed the plans. There was consensus that Ljngaya, Ayariga and Chandraya Patel will go with the beaters. They were instructed to surround the mountain quietly, the beaters should be equipped with good quantities of; Garlic shape firecrackers, empty tin cans, Dhupra Drums and be ready to start the Hanka only after the signature Whistle was blown. Jahangir Baig was assigned to tie the left covering (????) pennant flags and Mohammed bin Saalim was assigned to the right covering (??) flags. They were to make sure that all men under their command would quietly but safely be sitting on the nearest trees. The whistle would be blown; both Jahangir and Mohammed were given a whistle.

The next day, at 8:00 A.M we left to look for the Gara. Cautiously, we went to check the three buffalos. They were alive, so we sent the three Khulgay back to Quazipet. We checked the trails and found pugmarks of a bear. The bear had crossed the Haldi Naddi (Turmeric River) and then gone into the Chatyal mountains. We had the Town-crier go around and ask the villagers to refrain from grazing their livestock in the Quazi Palli jungle.

My father had an expert knowledge of the Quazi Palli Jungle and the topography of the land. He knew the paths animals would use to go to grazing pastures and also knew their favorite drinking places. He had nicknamed it Darwaza (The Door) because the tigers and all other animals, including the livestock used to go south towards the Shutt Palli Road, cross the Haldi Naddi then go into the Chatyal mountains. From there, to Chatyal mountains, they would enter the Venkatapore forest and thereafter into the Alipore Palm Bunda: thence into Nursapur forest. They would then go into Darwaza Gundoo, cross the Hyderabad Road and enter the Natnaya Palli forest which had a small lake and it always had water in it.

The tiger would stay below this lake. It is located approximately 10 Km from Nursapur. The Babu Khan family run a Poultry Farm here. Beside the road, there is a rocky terrain and a bullock cart road. The tiger uses this road to go to Peerancharoo. Prince Azam Jah, the Prince of Berar, had killed 32 tigers here. All those places I have mentioned, have water channels and have flowing water, all year round. The tiger passes through all of the above-mentioned places. If tiger would find an animal, he would kill it, consumes it and stay there for a day or so.

If the tiger goes north, he will cross Medak to Woodarum Road and then go around Medak into Rain Palli forest. There is a small lake with a Rest house; for travelers. The tiger has a big territory to explore and plenty of food to find. From Medak, he crosses the Kama Reddy Road and goes into the depression below the lake. He takes a path via Palli Guncha Gundarum and from here, he enters Yella Reddy forest. He then crosses the forest and enters the Banswada (Bamboo forest) of Bothan. The tiger’s territory is vast and provides all the food and water he needs. Around Quazi Palli the jungle narrows a little: hence my father called it the Darwaza (the door).

We returned to the Quazipet camp: rested a few hours and then at 3:00 P.M we returned to the Gharounjee mountain. We took the three Khulgay (Buffalo) we had procured for the bait. We tied the once again baits at the same place with very strong ropes and returned to the camp for the day.

The next day at 8:00 A.M we came back to Gharounjee mountain to check the baits. As soon as we approached the vicinity of the first bait: we knew that the Gara had taken place because; the crows were sitting on the trees and making quite a racket. They had smelled the buffalo flesh. We approached the Gara very carefully: the buffalo had been killed, but the tiger could not break the rope. So, the tiger proceeded to eat the buffalo and had devoured the hind portion. He drank the water from the trough we had placed nearby and then left in the direction of the Gharounjee mountain.

We checked the remaining two buffalo and they were unharmed and safe. We took them back to the Quazipet camp. Now, we had to inform Prince Muffaqam Jah by phone. In those days, we only had landlines and only a privileged few had the phone. We sent two people to Medak by Jeep: Mansoor and Ayariga. I was busy making various arrangements while Chandraya Patel was busy arranging the Hanka. He recruited one hundred and fifty beaters in short order.

The Prince arrived, Quazipet camp, at 11:00 A.M in his Austin Healy sports car. The Hanka gang were assembled far away from the Gharounjee mountain. They cautioned to remain very quiet and were told not to speak aloud. Lingaya, Ayaraga and Chandraya Patel were supplied with lots of garlic shaped firecrackers, and Dhupra Drums were also used Chandraya Patel and others were instructed that as soon as the signature Whistle would be blow, they were to fan out and surround the surround the mountain in a half-circular formation and make plenty of noise with Dhapra beatings ,firecracker detonations and empty tin can rattling.

Forty men were given to Mohammed Saalim and Jahangir Baig for manning the right and left covering (???) pennant flags. Both these gentlemen and their men were instructed to climb up on the nearby trees, on whistle. and if the Tiger came in their direction: they were to clap their hands only and they must not make any vocal sounds.

I arrived with Prince Muffaqam Jah by Jeep and left it at quite a distance from the Jhoola. We walked the rest of the distance to the Jhoola which was placed 12 ft above the ground. We both climed the tree and seated ourselves in the Jhoola: The Prince sat down to my right. He had a 450/400 double barrel Holland and Holland rifle while I had a double barrel 500/465 bore rifle. We were now facing the Gharounjee mountain and Daspa Kuncha was on our right.

The pennant flags had been tied to our right and left and men had comfortably seated themselves on the nearby trees. The starting whistle had been blown. About 20 minutes later the Hanka started: firecrackers exploded, men screamed, and the Dhapra Drums were beaten like mad. Muffaqam Jah had expressed his pessimism several times, that the Tiger would dodge the Hanka and run away or will escape through the covering flags. His rifle was resting on the Jhoola; instead, being an enthusiastic photographer, he had his camera in his hands. The Hanka was into the first fifteen minutes and I saw the Tiger coming from my right. He came and stopped on Daspakuncha mount at about 300 yards, where the pennant flags had been installed. I was sure the Tiger will come from this direction. I whispered to the Prince that he should be ready with the rifle and pointed my hand towards the Tiger. As soon as he saw the Tiger, he started snapping pictures of the Tiger and said, “at least I should photograph the Tiger, he is very sneaky; and will escape through the flagged area.”. I heard the hand clapping of the right covering people, and suddenly, the Tiger had disappeared. I also thought the Tiger had escaped from the right-hand covering flags.

Soon, the Hanka noises reached a crescendo and, appeared to die but it suddenly intensified. The beaters yelled at the top of their lungs. Then, I saw an animal which looked like a Lungoor with his tale in the air, coming in our direction on gallop within 15 yards of the Jhoola; it was the tiger. I was ready with my rifle aimed on the Tiger’s front shoulders. The Prince was also ready, but he was a little late firing at the Tiger. I did not get a chance to fire my rifle. His bullet hit the ground and I thought the Tiger had escaped us. I turned around and saw the Tiger running on gallop behind us, then he collided with the artificial hedge row we had created earlier. Instead of running away from the hedges, he turned around and he was galloping in the direction of the Jhoola where we sat. The Prince fired his second bullet but again it hit the ground. I was aimed and ready to fire with my finger on the trigger, but my rifle collided with the rope holding the Jhoola.

Instead of running in the direction of the beaters, the Tiger ran around the Jhoola and now it was running behind my back. I quickly turned my rifle in that direction, took aim at the Tiger who was still on full gallop, his side was facing my rifle, I pulled the trigger. There was a loud explosion from the fire, the Tiger fell to the ground, but he was still sliding forward on the ground, but the momentum carried it forward for 10 more yards. The impact of bullet was like a punch: It was as if somebody picked up the Tiger and threw him in the forward motion. I kept my aim at the Tiger, but it was motionless and was already dead.There was no need to fire the second shot.

I moved out of my place a little, so that the Prince could have a better view of the Tiger. He was very happy to see it dead. Both I and Muffaqqam Jah had thought that his second bullet might have hit the Tiger. He climbed down from the Jhoola and walked to the sight where his first bullet had hit the ground. It had dug up a hole in the ground. Then he went to the hole made by his second bullet and thence to the dead Tiger but there was not a drop of blood to be found. I was now down from the Jhoola and joined him near the dead Tiger. He said “Nizam, my second bullet also missed the Tiger. This is your Tiger.” He congratulated me and shook my hand.

The Tiger, when I shot him, was facing me a little sideways. My bullet hit the Tiger in the thoracic area penetrated to the shoulder, then it stopped in the skin and never emerged. Jahanger Baig and Mohammed Saalim had gathered by the tiger and soon Chandraya Patel, Lingaya and Ayraga and the beaters had joind us. Mohammed Saalim’s account was that; as soon as the Hanka started, he saw the Tiger went to the Daspa Kuncha mount but when he saw the multicolored pennant flags, it stopped. Seeing the Tiger stopped, the Dhura beaters intensified their beat and detonated several firecrackers. The noise made him high tale down into the base of the Daspa Kuncha and thence towards the Jhoola.

Chandrayan Patel and the beaters were ecstatic because, from now on, their livestock were safer. Mohammed and Jahangir measure the Tiger 9 ft 4 inches. The beaters were asked to step away while photographs were taken. The Prince left for Hyderabad and we departed for the Quazipalli Camp with the Tiger in the trailer of the Jeep. The Tiger was skinned and salted for preservation near a stream in Quazipalli: the leggy bones were removed. It was 4:00 P.M in the afternoon. We thanked Chandraya Patel and everyone, packed our belongings in the Jeep and the Trailer and left for Hyderabad.
Tiger hunt of Kutta guram and Nagarum Toug, Paaluncha
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t was March of 1969 and the beginning of the summer, and the Tiger hunting season had started. One of the wives of the Huzoor Nizam was Quadirunnis Begum (a.k.a Malikni): an enthusiastic tiger hunter. She had reserved one block, for tiger hunting, in Kuttaguram in the jurisdiction of Khamum Zila (District). The block is in a place called Paaluncha which is located on the Kuttaguram to Bhadrachillum road. To be more specific; to the south of Paaluncha, there was a small place called Nagarum Toug and this is the exact place where the tiger hunting block was reserved for Malikni Sahiba.

She had invited some guests to join her in the Tiger hunt. They were:

Ramchandar Reddy: a famous Hyderabadi tiger hunter
Bolarum Ayela Reddy Sahib
Chandar Shakher Reddy Sahib
Deshmukh of Taluqa Sarum in Gulburga

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y plan was to go there, a couple days ahead of the arrival of Malakni Sahiba, to facilitate accommodations and other creature comforts for the hunting party. Two days later, she would arrive Kutta Gudum by train.

So, I and my collogues drove there in two Jeeps. We met with the officials in-charge of the Singareni Collieries Company who assisted us in reserving the Dock Bunglow for the Malikni and her honored guests. With this mission accomplished, we proceeded to Paaluncha where we collected two men who had expert knowledge of the jungle and the Nagarum Toug.

It is a mountainous area surrounded by dense forest which has a confluence of three gorges. In the middle, there was a stream that flowed all year round and had dense growths of Jamun trees, Fern and Elephant Grass (Phragmites), and the Arvi plant which is an edible root vegetable. These freshwater Marshes, muddy swamps and the wetlands are called the Toug by the local people. It has an amazing biodiversity.

The Toug is an ideal place for the tiger to live; it is his watering place. I have hunted here before and have a very good knowledge of the jungle. Around the Toug there are Bullock cart roads, and sandy stream beds. We had these pathways dragged with cylindrical shaped bundles of thorny bushes and they were combed by Phantay to obliterate old pug marks.

Next morning, we checked the Toug area and found new pug marks. The Tiger was in the Toug; however, he had gone out of the Toug and then returned to it. We felt, there was no need to use a Khulga as bait. He was definitely going in and out of the Toug. The Malikni Sahiba would be arriving by train at Kuttagudum train station.

Let me, give you an orientation of Nagarum Toug as follows:

Paaluncha is towards the north. You go north across the Kuttagudam – Bhadrachilum Road, in the forest then, go across the Kannar Sani River.
After crossing the Kannar Sani River, you keep towards, Yalum Bayal, Poolguda Bungari Chalka, Pungun Chalka Bunjar to Diyala Lodi, Kachan Palli, Gundaal: here the path meets the Aytona Garum forest.
In the south the Pundal Hills join with the Kunkgiri Hills and the forest around them.
In the East is the mighty Godavari River and the Borgum Hills and Ishvar Raopet forest.
West of here lie Kuttagudam and the Singanini Collieries.
The Nagarum Toug lies in the heart of these landmarks I have just described.

Various paths lead to Nagarum Toug: it is the junction for the tigers. They come to tary or linger on for a while and then go about their business of hunting. They come and go to Nagarum Toug: if one tiger goes out another comes in to quench his thirst, rest in the cool shades of the dense forest. All around it, there is plentiful wildlife to feed on and of course, there is always livestock from the close-by villages, and they are the easiest pray for the tigers.

The Singarini Dock Bungalow is about 2 Km from here and there is a three-way junction here: the one on the left goes to Yalando, the one on the right goes via Paaluncha to the Borgum Hills and thence to Bhadrachillum.

The next morning, we sent Chandar Shakher Reddy to the Railway Station to greet and escort Malikni Sahiba and weleft for Paluncha. We found fresh pugmarks, the tiger was in there.The tiger had gone out the Nagarum Toug then returned to the Toug. Now, we had to bring the Hanka gang (the beaters). The Patel of Paaluncha was with us, so we told him to bring the Beaters and returned to the Dock Bunglow.

The Malikni Sahiba had arrived with her Aide de camp (ADC) Mr. Mansoor Ali; a retired Engineer. We informed Malikni Sahiba that the Beaters were ready, and she was very happy to hear the news. Malikni Sahiba was a gracious lady and very generous host. She loved wilderness outings and was a great sportsperson. We all had breakfast together and were ready to proceed for the hunt.

Malikni Sahiba, as I have said, had a great sportsmanship spirit. Though, the entire expedition was organized for her hunting pleasure; she was gracious enough to grant everyone permission to feel free to shoot the tiger without hesitation.
H

owever, Chandar Shekhar Reddy Sahib, Deshmukh, approached me and said “Ramachandra Reddy kills all the tigers here; I have not yet killed a single tiger. In this expedition, let the tiger be killed by me.” I said, “fine. You will have to sit where I ask you to sit.” He readily agreed to it. So, I invited him to sit with me with me.

We had not built any Machan for this expedition. Instead, we had cut down some trees and had built three platforms on the ground: one platform was reserved for Malikni Sahiba and Ramchandar Reddy Sahib; the second platform was for Mansoor Ali Sahib, and the third was for Chandar Shekher Reddy Sahib and me.

Chandar Shekhar Reddy was to accompany Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali Sahib and they were reminded to arrive by 12:00 Noon. Our plan was to start the beat at 1:00 P.M sharp.

I, my friend Sabir and Dastagir left for Paluncha, in one of the Jeeps, so we could get there before our honored guests would arrive. We had met and instruct the Beaters ahead of their arrival. There were 75 Beaters this afternoon. We had used them in the past and these were well trained men who knew the jungle very well. I instructed them to be alert and listen to the signature sounds of the whistle. Only then they were to start the Hanks. We had supplied them with all the implements of Hanka, such as, ample quantities of galic-shaped firecrackers, Dhupras, empty tin cans etc.

Chandar Shekar Reddy arrived with Malikni Sahiba, on time, at the predetermined spot; about 300 yards away from the first platform. We left the two Jeeps 300 yards away and walked to the respective platforms. Malikni Sahiba had a double barrel .500 Cordite; a smokeless propellent rifle. Ramchandar Reddy had a Jeffries .475 number 2 double barrel rifle.

On the second platform (Maat), Mansoor Ali Sahib and my friend Sabir were seated. Mansoor Ali had 450 / 400 caliber German rifle. I decided that instead of sitting on the third platform, I would take Chandar Shekar Reddy with me and descend in the valley that lay ahead of us. This was contrary to our initial plans. There was a trail coming up from the bottom of the gorge up to the platforms (Maat); the tigers were using it to travel on this path. So, I was certain the tiger will take this path. Chander Shakher Reddy and my friend Dastagir Sahib, quickly prepared a (Maat) platform to be sit. He had a .333 bolt action rifle and I had a .404 bolt action rifle.

We were just about going to sit on this new Maat (Platform) which was quickly made under the shades of heavily foliaged trees when Chandar Shekhar asked me as to how far the tiger will pass from here? I said, it will pass on that trail, within 15 yards from us and you will fire at the tiger right from here. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He said to me, “look Nizam, I am pertified, fearful and nervous. I will not sit on this Maat. You sit here but I am going up to the top and sit on the other Maat.” Despite my numerous pleas and assurances to calm his fears down, he took my friend Dastiger with him and went up to the third Maat. I sat alone on the new Maat: I had three cartridges in my rifle; one in the barrel and two in the magazine.

I gave him a few minutes to settle down and then blew the whistle to commence the Hanka. The men started making noises, the garlic-shaped firecrackers were exploding, men were beating the Dhapra like crazy, then the loud yelling of men could be heard. Almost twenty minutes later, I could hear an animal coming my way; I removed the safety latch on my rifle and was looking in the direction of the sound. My eyes were now scanning the footpath that lay before me. There was a tiger on the footpath; he stopped and stood crosswise to me some 15 yards away. I aimed at the Tiger’s shoulder and gently pulled the trigger. There was a big explosion from my rifle and the Tiger just sat down on the spot. I quickly loaded a second shot and kept my aim at the Tiger; his tail was moving a little, but it was already dead. I did not have to fire the second shot. Chander Shaker Reddy will never again get an opportunity like this in his lifetime. Had he stayed with me; this tiger would have been his.

The Hanka folks came and stood by the dead tiger. They tied his four legs to a piece of lumber and carried it up the path and then on to the Jeep. Pictures were taken. Malikni Sahiba was very happy; she congratulated me. The tiger measured 9 ft, 2 inches. Arrangement were made to skin the tiger. We paid wages to the Hanka men and the two local hunter who accompanied them. Malikni Sahiba thanked everyone and gave a monitory reward to the Patel and the two local hunters with him. We all returned to the Kuttagudum Dock Bunglow.
[ii]The Man-eater of Gundaal
L

uckshutypet is a Taluka in the District of Adilabad. The Godawari Raiver flows in the south of it and there is a canal in the north. Soon after this: the topology changes from flat land into a mountain range. The same mountain range joins in with the Mahboob Ghats. In these mountains, a tiger had turned into a man-eater.

We were continually getting news about this man-eater. According to the reports of the Forestry Department, this man eater had played havoc in places like Baylum Palli, Asifabad and Luckshutypet: he had eaten 13 people, and injured 10 more. Therefore, authorities had deemed this tiger a MAN-EATER and had appealed to hunters for help in killing this tiger. For two years various parties had tried to put him down but were not successful.

Mansoor Ali Sahib was a friend of mine; he had worked as the Chief Engineer of a Construction Company in Hyderabad. After his retirement, he had become Aide de Camp (ADC) to Quadirunnisa Begum (a.k.a Malikni Sahiba) who was one of the wives of Huzoor Nizam and and her daughter Shahzadi Pasha. He came to my house with the intention of firming up a program to hunt this tiger down. Malikni Sahiba was also an avid hunter and apparently, she had expressed the desire to participate in this hunting expedition. So, we resolved to go to Luckshutypet a week ahead to make all the necessary arrangements such as: procuring the bait, arrange for accommodations and other creature comforts. We would then inform the Malikni Sahiba to come and participate in the hunt.

We packed the Jeep and a trailer, on the agreed upon date and time and left for our destination. It was 2-May-1961, I, Mansoor Ali, my friend Sabir and a Cook we had hired left for Luckshuttypet with a Chauffer driving our Jeep. We had obtained a License from the Department of Forestry and then headed for Gundal.

In Lucksutypet we got the news that, two days ago, in the locality (Mouz’a) of Gandaal, the tiger had killed and eaten a woman. Luckshutypet has two Blocks: Block1 and Block2.Gaundaal is in number Block1. It is an extremely difficult and challenging journey to reach the locality (Mouz’a) of Gundaal. This locality is on a high altitude. This mountain range joins in with the Mahboob Ghat and on the other side it ends at Baylumpalli.

There are two ways of reaching the locality of Gundaal: the one route is via the Luckshutypet to Nirmal Road. There is a right hand turnoff at about 6 Km from Luckshytypet . It is a Bullock Cart track which takes you to the base of the mountain where there is a settlement (Tanda) called Payt Tanda, of a nomadic people called the Lambadi or Lumbaday. The Bullock Cart track climbs into the mountain range. This route takes 35 Km of travel to Gudndaal. However, if we take the Luckshutypet to Baylumpalli route: it is 90 Km to Gundaal. Anyway, we decided to take the shorter route. We left Luckshutypet at 4:00 P.M and 30 minutes later we arrived in the Lumbadi settlement (Tanda). The climb into the mountain range begins here.

We needed information about the road conditions ahead of us. So, we went to the Naik of this settlement. We told the Naik that our purpose of going to Gundaal was to shoot the man-eater tiger. He told us that the mountain road to Gundaal was very bad right now; in any case, it was a very difficult climb even for the Bullock Carts. Furthermore, he told us that the same tiger was recently spotted, in a stream, at the base of the Ghat (Mountain). People were grazing their livestock close to the stream and the animals saw the Tiger, they bolted back to the settlement.

I decided that we should spend the night in this settlement. The Naik arranged a hut for us: he was a very affluent and hospitable man. He owned agricultural lands and many heads of cattle and had milch cows as well as bullocks. Some other people from the Tanda also visited us that night and shared more information about the tiger. They said, one month ago, this very big Tiger was spotted by people who were collecting the Beedi leaves; they fled upon seeing the Tiger. I could not sleep at night but soon after the morning prayers (Fajr prayers) we took the Naik with us and went to check the stream. He was accompanied by two of his local hunters.

We walked along a stream which has its source high up in the mountains. On both sides of the stream, there were dense bamboo forest. There was a large pit in the vicinity, which was full of fresh, slow moving, clear, water coming down the mount. Next to the water pond we found substantial accumulation of sand. We examined the sand and found pug marks of a tigress; they were three to four days old. We proceeded along the stream for quite a while, but we did not find any more pug marks. After checking the stream, we all got back to the Tanda. The breakfast was ready for us to eat.

We now proceeded to check the road to Gundaal on foot. Our purpose was to determine if the Jeep could be taken there, I, Sabir and two local guides left at 11:00 A.M and found the road to be very bad. The rains had washed away the soil and the bullock carts had made two very deep furrows. In the middle, there were small rocks. We had to hop on these rocks to avoid the muddy furrows. Slowly, we kept walking and hopping in the middle on those rocks to avoid getting bogged down. We would also clear those rocks in the hope of somehow driving the Jeep to Gundaal. The climb was difficult and exhausting: at times, we were out of breath. We were just halfway through at this point. This Ghat (Mountain Range) has a total of 27 zig zag or hairpin bends with bamboo forest all around. We were tired and needed to catch our breaths, so, we paused to look down the valley from above. It was a spectacular scene; the green fields with low profile walls marked separation or property lines, the valley below provided a panoramic view. livestock looked like ants crawling, while the farmworkers appeared like pigmies going about their business.

We had reached the high plain and the way forward would be an easier travel. Gundaal was another 5 Km from here. We decided to turn back and return to the camp. One of the two local men who were with us was sent to Gundaal to make announcement about our arrival. We instructed him to find accommodation for us. If there was a choice to be made, he was to exercise his prerogative.

We came down the mountains and reached the camp around 3:00 P.M. Immediately, we loaded our belongings in the Jeep and hitched the trailer. Slowly, we drove up to the top in low gear. The drive was through forest before we reached Gundaal but shortly thereafter the land was flat and agricultural land was in our view, we could see the tops of the hutments. This was a very small community of indigenous Gond people: fifty in total.

We reached Gundaal at 5:00 P.M. As soon as they heard the Jeep, stark naked kids came running to the Jeep. They were followed by men and women dressed in Lungote (Jockstraps). These people were very happy to receive us. They were fearful of the tiger and they saw some hope of relief in our arrival. The man we had sent ahead of our arrival, had brought the Chief of this community with him.

Our Accommodation:

The Chief (Mukhya) took us to a hut which was constructed by the Forest Department. It had vanity fence made of bamboo and a round hut which was made from grass, mud combination adobe and lumber. The floor was paved with a mixture of red clay and cow dung. It was swept clean just before we arrived. It had three beds and earthen jars had been filled with drinking water and water for washing etc. This was enough for us.

Our servants were busy cooking a meal for us while I sat down with the Mukhya (Chief) and asked him for updates on the man eater Tiger. He said that the man eater had killed a man and a woman. Fifteen days ago, a Gond went out collecting firewood but never came back. Next day, a search party found his head, some bones and his jockstrap. Five or six days before our arrival, the man eater came and took a woman while she was collecting the Moha flowers and the Beedi leaves. Other women were with her who came back running and crying in utter despair and terror.

The Mukhya had informed the police and the Forest Department. He said, “They came here, took and details, wrote a report and then they had cremated the remains”. Gundaal is located on a high mountain. There are fifty huts in this settlement. It is mostly forest, but the forest has been cleared up to two Km to make way for agriculture. The soil is black and exceptionally fertile. There are taller hills around us and there are deep gorges and valleys. The valleys are full of Bamboo, Teak and other very dense wood bushes.

It was the month of May, but the heat was bearable up here. We washed and cleaned ourselves then rested a little. We got together with the Mukhya and asked him to arrange for three Khulkay (Buffalo) for bait. We persuaded him to send two experienced hunters who knew the jungle thoroughly. He agreed, but most reluctantly.

The evening was pleasant; we had the beds put out under the sky. After 8:00 P.M it felt a little cooler. We had our dinner and being tired, we hit the bed and were sound asleep in no time. I woke up at 5:00 A.M The air was filled with sounds of the Peacocks calling, the jungle fowl were cackling, and the roosters were crowing, and the Vesper Sparrow were singing their songs. the village dogs were barking. I woke up the servants and asked them to prepare the breakfast quickly, so we could go for the inspection of the forest. The Mukhya and his two hunters also joined us for the inspection. I extracted a lot of information from them: the pathways tigers traveled on, the places where tigers drank water, the tiger’s dens etc. I prepared a map of jungle from these conversations.

After a good breakfast, I took the Mukhya and his three men with me for a walk. We walked to the west of Gandhaal because the local hunters had reported the tiger had killed and devoured a woman in the valley below. I was checking the pug marks as we moved. As soon as we reached the spot where three paths came together, I saw some pug marks. These pug marks were of a very large male tiger; they were quite visible in the sandy loom he had walked on. His front paw had the mark of a line. He had gone in the valley below us, sometime last night. According to the local hunter, there was a flowing stream in the valley where he had most likely headed.

I had a single barrel .404 bore Jefferies bolt action rifle which had one cartridge in the barrel and two in the magazine. I loaded my rifle and put the safety latch on and instructed the men to go back to the village; 2 Km from here and fetch a Khulga for bait and then they were to wait for us at this spot. I was delighted to see the fresh pug marks of the Tiger. However, when the Mukhya and his men saw the fresh pug marks of the Tiger; they said, “Sir, these are the fresh pug marks of the man eater.” I placed a twig on the paw parks to measure the size. It measured the width of my nine fingers. The Tiger was between 10 ft 4 inches to 10 ft 6 inches.

As soon as I started my descend into the valley; the Mukhya and the local hunter stopped and said to me “Sir, we are not coming with you, the man eater is in the valley. It has eaten two of our people here and we feel very nervous and are fearful for our lives.” I assured them, counseled them that it was necessary to kill this Tiger otherwise more members of your community will become victims of this tiger. Besides, I assured them that I was carrying a powerful and reliable rifle and I had killed tigers with it” Reluctantly, they agreed to come with me.

There was a footpath leading us down. I was moving down slowly with the rifle in my hand. The Mukhya, Sabir Sahib and the two local Shikaris were following me. The valley was deep, and we had a long way to go to the water hole. It was 10: A.M and the sun was still behind the mountains. We descended halfway down, and we were already out of breath. We paused to catch our breath. I wanted the sun to be above us, so we could carefully examine the area but the Mukhya said that our descent to the watering hole will have seven stages of descent. We rested for an hour; the sun was above the hills and we continued our downward march. It was a beautiful place, a confluence of four valleys. From above, we could now see a small pit full of water. We were about 40 feet above the pit. I took a very careful look around the pit. Usually, in the heat of the summer, the tiger would be staying in the water most of the time to stay cool. This spot seemed quiet an ideal place for the Tiger to rest here. But the Tiger was not in the water. Perhaps, he had gone out hunting!

The local hunters were saying that further down there are several small pits full of water. I descended carefully into the small stream that issues from the pit and I found the pug marks of this Tiger. He had come up for a drink then he descended into the stream. I was walking on one side of the stream and found fresh pug marks; they continued for quite a while. After following them for a fare distance, I decided to return to the first water pit where the Tiger had come to take his drink. I was certain, the Tiger will return to this pit and most likely will go up the mountain where there is the confluence of four valleys.

I picked a large Moha tree which was distanced about 100 feet from the watering pit. We did not have jhoola with us, so, we decided to build a Machan on the Moha tree. The Mukhya and his men had axes with them. They cut down strong and straight bamboos for two hours. They constructed a Machan on the Moha tree using vines instead of ropes and strips of tree barks to tie the bamboos; thus, creating a strong and stable Machan. I climbed into the Machan and found it very strong indeed. I asked the Mukhya and his men to go up the mountain to fetch the Khulga but they refused to go up without me. Therefore, I had to accompany them to the point where we had earlier instructed other men to bring the Khulga to and wait for us.

These men had brought the Khulga and ropes with them and were waiting for us. Now, we had to select a suitable tree in the vicinity of the water pit and tie the Khulga to the roots of the tree. My plan was to go up the Machan after the Tiger had made the kill. We took the Khulga, which was 18 months old, close to the water pit and tied it by the front leg to the roots of the selected tree with the rope. We had double-twisted the rope for extra strength. I did not want the Tiger to be able to break the rope; I wanted the Tiger to come back to the kill for second helpings. My plan was to sit on the Machan for the Tiger to return on the second day and then hunt from the Machan. After completing these tasks, we went back to the junction of the three footpaths; earlier, we had seen the pug marks here. It was imperative to tie a Khulga at this spot too because; if the Tiger returns, it will have to pass through this path. Secondly, it was impossible to take Malikni down into the valley on foot. Therefore, I ordered a bed (Jhoola) from the village and had it tied up into a tree and the second Khulga was tied at 50 feet from the Jhoola. Most hunter will make a Machan after the Gara (kill) but in opinion this is not the correct way because the Tiger stays close to the kill. The Tiger runs away from the human voices and the sound of the axes. This is a sure way of losing the opportunity to kill the Tiger.

We completed all the tasks and returned to the camp. We had our dinner and retired for the night. It was a cool and pleasant evening and we had a restful night. We were refreshed by the morning. We huddled up and discussed the plans for the day. Sabir Sahib and Mukhya and the local Shikaris had also arrived. We had to send some men to clear the mountain pass; it was not in good condition for the Jeep to come up.The Mukhya told me that not Jeep or any other vehicle except the bullock cart had ever come up this mountain. Mansoor Ali Sahib and Malikni will be arriving Gandaal by Jeep and we had to use this path several times.

The Malikni will be leaving Hyderabad on the evening of May 6th and arriving Lukshutipet on the morning of May 7th. I had to send the Jeep to fetch her and her ADC. The breakfast was ready and after the breakfast we left to look for the Gara. We arrived at the first Gara (bait) near the three-way crossing of footpaths; the Khulga was standing up and looking at us. He was showing the fear and the horror he had felt for being left alone in the jungle. Now, we had to check the second Gara near the water, but the sun was still behind the mountains. So, we waited for the sun to come up be above our heads. In any case, it was not a good idea to check the Gara so early in the morning, because the Tiger stays near the Gara and would be busy eating it.

An hour later, I took one of the local hunters and slowly crept down the mountain. We could see the buffalo standing up from far away. It was very difficult to take this Khulga up the mountain and then bring him back in the evening. So, we went down and decided to remove the rope from his front leg and tie the same rope around his neck, so he could move about a little, graze on the fresh green grasses; he could even drink from the pit. We decided to come back in the evening and re-tie the front leg to the roots of the tree, like before, for Gara.

We returned to the camp. I had to send the Jeep to Lucksutypet to collect the Malikni Sahiba and I wanted the driver to stay the night in Luckshutypet,to receive the honored guest at the train station. When the time came for the driver to leave, he insisted that I accompany him, at least to half-way down the mountain. The driver felt insecure and afraid of the tiger. I had to assign the task of retying the Garas to Sabir Sahib, Mukhya and the two local hunters. I gave my .404 rifle to Sabir Sahib to take with him. I instructed them again to tie the strong rope to the buffalo’s front leg and the other end of the rope to the roots of same tree; like before. Everyone agreed that they understood their mission and off they went. They were expected back by 6:00 P.M

To the East of this settlement, there was another place for the tiger to stay. The locals had told me that they had seen the tiger travel that way. I wanted to see this place too. This place was called Indri Ka’ya Pukka: in English it would translate to a Crab Hole. I went there by Jeep, inspected and found the place to be ideal for tigers to dwell in there. There was a trickle fed stream: the source of the trickling water was a big rock with a small hole in it. Fresh water was oozing out of it and collecting into a pit down below and the excess was flowing out into the valley. I followed the water channel and I found pug marks of a tigress. I returned with the Jeep to the camp, had lunch then I went with the driver and with some local men to the half-way point in the valley.

Sabir Sahib was instructed again on how and where to tie the two baits by their front leg etc. The men who were sent in the morning to clear the road for the Jeep had just returned to camp. We left the camp by the Jeep; at half-way down the valley the driver stopped; I got out with the local men and cautioned the driver to take all care for safety and urged him to be alert while driving. I returned to the camp on foot. It was 6:00 P.M but Sabir Sahib, Mukhya and the two local hunters had not returned to the camp.

They arrived after 6:30 P.M. On my enquiring, Sabir Sahib said that they had securely and properly tied the two Khulgas to their respective places. I asked more details and Sabir Sahib briefly hesitated while giving me his account and those specific details I was pushing for. I turned to Mukhya and asked him the same question. The Mukhya said. “Sabir Sahib has tied the Khulga securely at the three-way junction but while descending into the valley, he stopped halfway down; he was overcome by fear, so he stopped. We were also afraid of the place and we did not go down to the second Khulga The Khulga would not tie by his front leg as had instructed. It was tied by its neck and would have some range to move about.”

This news was shock. It was most disturbing and worrisome to me. I was most certain, tonight the Tiger will come, kill the Khulga easily breaking the rope will drag it take it to some place and we would not know it would be. My plan of sitting in the Machan and shooting the Tiger will not materialize because the Tiger will likely drag it into the dense bush.
My life was in danger:
M

y sixth sense was warning me with some sort of foreboding that my life was in danger now. Had it been some other tiger, it would not have mattered as much but this was a man-eating tiger. Anyway, Sibir’s neglect had put us in danger. I was restless all night and could not sleep. The winds had picked up velocity in the evening; around 8:00 P.M there was a torrential downpour. For the next hour the heavy rain plus the thunder and lightning continued. I fell asleep but at 5:00 A.M I got up and performed my ablution for the Fajr prayers and made supplications to our Creator for everyone’s safety, wellbeing and protection. Then, I got busy with going over our program for the morning.

Today was May 7th and Malikni was due to arrive camp in Gandaal, according to my estimation, by 10:00 A.M. I finished my breakfast by 8:00 A.M and left with Sabir, Mukhya and the two local hunters, to check the Gara. I left instructions with the servants to tell Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Sahib to wait for me at the camp.

As soon as I arrived at the three-way junction, I could see the Khulga; he was alive and well. The Khulga was securely tied and we left him where he was. We continued walking down into the valley and soon we could hear the cawing of the crows. I was certain, Gara had taken place. However, sometimes, the crows will caw just looking at a living animal. We stopped for a while and waited for the sun to come up above the mountains because; as I have mentioned earlier, this was a very deep valley with seven stages of descent. When you are at the bottom of the valley, only a small part of the sky is visible. It feels as if you are inside a very deep well and looking up. Only when the sun is above the head, the valley gets the direct sunlight. By 2:30 P.M, the valley is in the shade and once again sun goes behind the mountains, on the other side. The locals call this valley Sokal Lodhi because one can see stars in the sky at midday. Sokal Lohdi is a Telegu word which literally translates the Valley of Stars.

As soon as the sun came up, I instructed my companions to stay where they were and, I tiptoed my way down to the spot from where I could see the second bait. I had loaded my .404 bore rifle and my sixth sense was warning me of a possible fatal encounter with the Tiger. The rainfall last night had caused the pit to overflow. The sound of overflowing waters and the sound of the rapids below and very thought that the Tiger might pounce on me any moment, was giving me an eerie, haunting feeling. Where the Khulga was tied by a long rope, I could see a piece of the rope still tied to the tree but the Khulga was not there. There were two possibilities:

either the Tiger had killed the Khulga, broken the rope and dragged it into the dense bush,
or the Khulga had broken the rope and disappeared from the scene.

I needed to eliminate one of the two possibilities. I continued my descent into the stream below. Shortly, I saw the stomping marks of the Khulga as if in a panic as well as faint paw marks of the Tiger and some drops of blood. The Tiger had killed the Khulga before the rainfall started. Because the rain had washed off drag marks, I was having difficulty determining the direction in which the Tiger had dragged the Khulga. However, in one place, I saw some fallen bamboo leaves and broken bamboos: The Tiger had dragged the Khulga to the West. I continued my march following the drag marks. Further down, on soft soil, I saw deep impression of the Tiger’s claws and the pug marks. This was the same man-eating tiger.

A note, before I continue with the story, I must add a note here. Some hunters say that a man-eating tiger does not kill other animals. This is wrong. I have seen many man-eating tigers kill other animals.

Returning to our main story, after seeing the drag marks, the claw impressions and the paw marks, I was feeling the excitement and the rush of adrenaline: my both ears were hot and burning, my body was hot and the blood circulation in my body had quickened. But my ambition to kill such a big man-eating tiger was overcoming my natural fears. I had killed tigers before, but this would be my first experience to kill a tiger face to face alone. I followed the drag marks: The Tiger had dragged the Khulga further into this stream. The stream was slightly going up and then it was turning to the right and falling further ahead. So, I started to climb on the bank. My shoe hit a fallen bamboo and made a small noise, immediately, I head an animal stepping on fallen leaves rushing and through the bamboo forest. I quickly climbed up the bank and peeped down into the stream below me. I saw the Khulga in the stream, 15 meters away from me. The Tiger had eaten the hind legs of the Khulga. Had I not made the noise, perhaps I could have killed the Tiger!

The golden opportunity was lost. I started looking for a suitable place to build a Machan, but none could be found. Both banks of the stream were too steep and had dense growth of bamboo. So, I made plans to build a platform with bamboos and decided to return to my colleagues who were waiting for me up on the mountain. When I got back up, they were all sitting in trees. They saw me coming back and climbed down from their respective perch in the trees.

I took them down in the valley, to the place where the half-eaten Khulga was lying. The stream was about 20-meters-wide at this point and the rain had drenched the land around the stream. The gradient was so precipitous that we had no other option but to build a platform (Maat) up on the incline. We chose to build the Maat (platform) inside the dense bamboo thicket which would render it safer on three sides. We staked dry bamboo in front to provide ourselves a cover, however an opening had been made so I could protrude my rifle and be able to maneuver it sideways as necessary, to take aim at the Tiger. With the ground level platform (Maat) finished, we returned to the base camp.

I briefed Mansoor Ali Sahib in detail, so that he would understand the whole plan. Now, we had to tie a Khulga at the three-way junction, seat Mansoor Ali Sahib and the Malikni Sahiba in the Machan which had already been constructed. That was completed around 2:00 P.M.

We took with us, a torch light, a water bottle, a blanket and the .404 rifle. I, Sabir and a local Gond Shikari went downhill, slowly and softly to our ground level Maat (platform). Because the Maat was on a steep incline, only two people could sit on it. If we slipped, we faced the prospect of falling on the dead Khulga which lay only 15 yards from us. So, we made quick improvisation: we made two furrows in the ground; one for sitting on and the other for resting our heels on it to stop us from slipping down.

We removed the rope from the neck of the Khulga and looped it four times for extra strength and then tied the rope to the dead Khulga’s front leg and the other end to the root of a nearby tree. Thus, making sure the Tiger will not be able to break the rope. As mentioned before, only two people could sit on the Maat: I then took the local Gond Shikari to a tree and made a makeshift Machan for him to sit on. I instructed him to sit on it and be very quiet.

I returned to the Maat which had been made with dry bamboos to not alarm the Tiger with fresh ones. We put a dry bamboo horizontally, in front of our camouflaged platform, so we could rest the rifle on it and take a precise aim at the Tiger before firing. As mentioned earlier, we had made two holes in the barrier in front of us: one for Sabir to shine the torch light from and the other for me to protrude the barrel of the rifle from.

Some Gidh (Vultures) had caught the scent of the Gara. They circled above and then landed on a nearby tall tree above the Gara. Their Char-Char sounds, and the flapping of the wings was echoing throughout the valley. The Gidh had spotted us and would not dare to descend on the Gara. Sabir was on righthand side of the Maat and I on his left. I pulled the bolt of the rifle and checked the three cartouches to be sure. I was certain the Tiger will come from my left, the way it had climbed up the embankment. I had a strong feeling the Tiger will come to the Gara in early evening hours because it a very quiet valley.

Around 4:30 P.M we heard the footsteps of animals and the rustling of leaves behind our Maat. The animal appeared to be coming downhill and going in the direction of the pit full of water. Hearing the sounds, Sabir’s composure was deteriorating. I counseled him that these were the sounds emanating from the feet of Peacocks or the jungle fowls and not from four-footed animals. Shortly, thereafter, a flock of jungle fowl passed by us; they went straight to the water. The winds had picked up a little and we could hear the bamboo rubbing against each other. This Maat was located on the bend of this stream and I could not see anything to my right: the first Maat was half a Km from here. That is why I had specially instructed Saibr Sahib to keep a lookout on the right and if he saw the Tiger coming our way, he was to be quiet and signal me by touch only.

It was 5:30 in the evening, Sabir looked to the right and he froze; he seemed to have been mesmerized or overcome by shock, awe and fear. I could hear him struggling to swallow his saliva as if to moisten his dry throat, his stomach was making gurgling sounds. Quietly and softly, I tried to tell him not to worry, I have a good rifle in my hands and our Maat is safe, but his condition did not improve. So, I turned to my right to look at Sabir, then I saw a huge Tiger, 30 yards or so away from us, coming in the direction of the Gara. I removed the safety latch and protruded the barrel of my rifle from the hole in front of us and waited for the Tiger to come in the range; I was ready to fire on him immediately. The Tiger was only 20 yards away from me. This bend in the stream had a thicket of bamboo in front of me. The Tiger suddenly stopped and sat behind the bamboo scrub. The Gidh (vultures) started to flap their wings and were making noises on seeing the Tiger. Sometimes, the Tiger was looking at the Gidh and other times at the Gara.

I could clearly see the tiger through the bamboo scrub in front of me. It was slapping the tail quite hard on the ground; his tongue was sticking out and he was panting. The flies were getting into his ears and he was shaking them off. He was opening his eyes and closing them from time to time. I was watching his every move from my vantage point. I could have aimed and fired at his head, but there was an inner talk going on in my head:

what if the bullet hits the bamboo first?
Will it deflect and loose the direction and miss the Tiger?
Such a big Tiger was sitting right in front of me; I did not want to take a harried action and loose him.
The daylight was still good, though the sun had gone behind the mountains. I thought, even if the Tiger tries to go back to where he came from, I would still be able to kill him.
It had now been fifteen minutes since I first took aim at the Tiger; I could not sit in this position for long and keep my aim at the tiger anymore.
I had another thought bothering me; would Sabir let out a scream out of fear and the tension?

So, I pushed Sabir’s body forward, then I gently placed my right arm on his back. Now, I could hear another animal approaching from my right; it was a big Tigress only 25 yards away and going straight to the Gara. She was growling. I turned my head back to the Tiger; he was quickly going to the Gara to get there before the tigress gets there. His head and shoulder had disappeared from the sight of my rifle. I quickly removed the barrel of my rifle from the hole I was protruding it from and placed it into another space to my left. His head had passed my sight, but the Tiger’s shoulder was in my sight. Without a moment’s delay, I pulled the trigger. There was a “Cut-Dhun” sound from my gun and instantly the Tiger let out a mighty growl and fell to the ground. Then suddenly, it got up and was circling around like a dog was chasing his tale, then it was trying to bite the entry point of the bullet.

I quickly loaded another cartouche into my rifle, took aim and fired another bullet but there was no fire from the rifle. By the time I loaded the third cartouche, the Tiger was trying to climb up the embankment in front of me. Quickly, I took aim at his ribcage and fired the bullet which hit the Tiger accurately at the aim. It dropped dead right there. In the meantime, I reloaded my rifle with three more cartouches, aimed my sight at the dead Tiger and stayed focused on him for a long time. The man-eating Tiger was dead. My joy of killing the man eater knew no bounds, it was beyond words and beyond description, it could only be experienced, not expressed.

The valley was still echoing with the sound of two rifle shots. We could also hear the echoes of the fleeing Tigress for quite some time. Our companions above had also heard the two gunshots. However, it was impossible to carry the Tiger up the hill. We decided to leave the dead Tiger where he was.

Sabir and I picked up our belongings and started our journey to the top. We headed to the Machan where the Gond hunter was sitting. He got down, picked up the things and joined us in our ascent to the top: the Gond was leading us, with myself following him and Sabir was behind me. Sabir got his foot caught in a fallen bamboo, he tripped and fell. He yelled at the top of lungs “Stop and wait for me.”. His voice echoed in the valley and immediately we heard the Tigress growling several times in anger, but the Tigress had already fled to the top and was far away from us. This made Sabir very nervous and fearful. He was continually calling us to open fire in the air. We advised him to be quite and follow us to the top.

We headed back to the three-way junction where Mansoor Ali Sahib and Malikni Sahiba were seated. I updated Mansoor Ali Sahib on the successful kill and left for the Jeep. I had told Mansoor Ali Sahib to stay on the Machan but to signal us with the flashlight, any time, they felt like returning to the camp. He singled us around 10:30 P.M and we went back to the three-way junction to help them come down to the ground.

The Malikni Sahiba was very happy with the news. She congratulated me for the kill.

Soon, the news of the kill had spread to the village. When we got back to our Rest House (The Hut) a crowd of happy people had gathered outside. They lit up a bonfire, formed a circle around it and soon they were singing and dancing with joy. When the show of appreciation and joy ended; the Mukhya was insistent that we go out and hunt a wild animal for his people had not had meat for a long time. The Gondi people love eating meat.

We had our evening meal and decided to do some night hunting to show our appreciation of Mukhya’s generous hospitality. We went out by Jeep: I am driving, and Mansoor Ali Sahib had the search light in his hands. Malikni and Sabir were also with us. We were moving along the nearby jungle and we saw four sets of big eyes reflecting the light. They were four Sambar (Deer), one male had big majestic antlers. We requested the Maikni Sahiba to do the honors. She took aim at the big one and fired with her double barrel .500 Cordite smokeless propellent rifle. She hit the shoulder of the big Sambar; it fell to the ground and was struggling so Sabir and a local man ran to it and slaughtered it with a big surgically sharp knife to end the suffering. The antlers measured 38 inches. We left it there and returned to the Camp and informed the Mukhya. He immediately left with his men in a bullock cart to collect the Sambar.

We were very tired and had a peaceful sleep. Early in the morning we organized a party of 20 men to come with us to bring the Tiger up from the valley. After breakfast we left, and took Malikni Sahiba, Mansoor Ali Sahib and Sabir to the three-way junction where we left them with the Jeep. I, Sabir and 20 men descended into the valley where the dead man-eater was lying. We tied the Tiger’s four legs to a strong piece of lumber and 18 men tried hard to haul it up the hill, but they could not. The Tiger was very heavy, so finally we gave up the idea of removing it. We examined the Tiger: the first bullet had hit close to the shoulder. The second one penetrated the ribcage and travelled to the back of the hide of the second shoulder but did not emerge on the other side. It was impossible for us to move the Tiger.

I sent some men to help bring the Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali Sahib to the valley. They came and we measured the Tiger 10 ft, 6 inches. Pictures were taken. It was decided to skin the Tiger where it was. I had a set of knives with me and I had also taken training, from Toker & Toker Taxidermists in Bangalore, on skinning the wild animals. Mansoor Ali Sahib wanted to measure the Tiger again, so he measured it using the round the curve method. It measured 10 feet, 6 inches.

The local Gond men help me immensely in skinning the Tiger. First the whiskers were removed and saved, the skin was removed, and the head was removed for mounting. The two leggy bones were removed and attached to the skin. The gallbladder and fat were removed, as some people wanted to use it for medicinal purposes. The flesh and the remains were handed over to the Gond people.

The whole operation took two hours. We were back at the camp by 2:00 P.M. The skin was preserved in salt so that it will not go bad until we reach Hyderabad, the remaining two Khulgas were given to the Mukhya and his people. Everyone who helped us was generously compensated for their efforts and help. The trailer was loaded with our belongings. At 4:00 P.M, we all left Gundaal for Hyderabad. We thanked Mukhya for all his help and made him a promise to return in future. The entire community came out to bid farewell to us and stood in line for quite a distance.

We reached Hyderabad and forwarded the skin to Toker & Toker Taxidermists in Bengalore for full mount. The Tigers face was quite fearsome; when it came back from the taxidermists, it was presented to Malikni Sahiba but she gave it to her son in law, Ali Pasha, to keep it in the Toli Cowki Place.
The injurd tiger Of Ghoragari
I

t was April 1970, the summer had started, and a tiger hunting blocks had been opened in Chanda. One block had been reserved for Quadrunnisa Begum, the wife of Hazoor Nizam. The exact location of the block was in Ghoragari which is about 80 Km to the north-east of Chanda. This hunting expedition had been organized under my auspices but, due to a minor car accident my both knees were injured, and I was not able to go on this expedition. Instead, Mansoor Ali Sahib who was the Aide de Camp to lady Quadirunnisa Begum took charge and went to Chanda with helpers; but they were all inexperienced hunters. My sixth sense was warning me that some accident would be in the making.

The expedition had been gone to Chanda for three days and I had received no news from them. It was about 8:00 A.M on the fourth day, I was busy reading the newspapers in my front veranda when an official car of the Surf e Khas (Special treasury Department) entered through my gate and stopped in front of me. It was lady Quadirunnisa (a.k.a Malkni Sahiba) and Shahzadi Sahiba (daughter of Huzoor Nizam) they were walking swiftly towards me. I realized that an accident might have taken place. I stood up to greet them. AS soon as they came closer to me, I asked if someone had been injured or an injured tiger might have escaped the scene? She asked me how I had come to know that? I said, I gathered that from your troubled looks.

She gave me a detailed picture of what had transpired in Ghoragari. Briefly, she said the following:

In Ghoragari, a local man told us that a tiger had entered a stream below the lake.
So, they built a Machan and organized a beat (Hanka).
The beat started and soon a big tiger passed below the Machan.
I (Malikni) fired a 500 caliber Cordite bullet at the tiger and, missed.
Mansoor Ali fired another bullet from his .404 caliber rifle and, missed.
Driver, Burhan fired a 12-bore shotgun injuring the tiger and, it disappeared into the bushes.
Two hunters went in with some locals looking for the injured tiger.
Following the blood trail, they went into the dense bush:

Suddenly, the tiger attacked one of the local men and dragged him into the bush.

The two hunters immediately fled the scene.
No one has the courage to go in and retrieve the man.
We had to inform the Forest Department authorities and the Police about the incident.
No one is willing to go in and look for the man.
Now, you must go to Chanda, take charge, retrieve the man and kill the injured tiger.

She said, Mansoor Ali is insisting, I should send you to Chanda, immediately.

Though, I had injuries to my knees, I was so alarmed by the news that I agreed to go to Chanda. I left the same day at 10:00 A.M in a King Kothi King’s Residence) car and passed through: Karim Nagar, Lucksutypet, Asifabad, Rajura and Bulhar Shah and arrived in Chanda at 7:00 P.M. Mansoor Ali was anxiously waiting for me. Together, we left Chanda for Ghorgari which was another 85 Km and arrived there at 8:00 P.M. The DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) and the Range Officer and their men were already in the camp; they knew about my arrival and were anxious to see me.

After the evening meal, I met with the staff Mansoor Ali had brought with him. They were the official hunter Lingaya, Burhan Baig, Malaya and Sabir who was the main facilitator of this expedition and all of them were employees of the Bellavista. I interviewed them all to get some basic facts. According to their information, it had been two days since the Tiger was injured and the man had been taken by him. No had looked for the dead man for two days and no one was now prepared to go in and look for him: they were all afraid of the Tiger. None of the hunters had even established as to whether or not the injured Tiger was still in the jungle or had fled to another place.

The next morning, it was the third day since the man had been killed. The priority was to get the body of this man out of the bush. After breakfast, at 8:00 A.M, I set out to retrieve the body of this man from the bushe. I knew this jungle like the back of my hand. I had with me, Mansoor Ali, Lingaya, Burhan Baig, Malaya, and two local men. The DSP and the Range Officer had both expressed the desire to join in this effort. So, I proceeded with them and four police constables joined their bosses.

We got to the spot where the man had been killed. There was a lake there and the discharge (Chaadar ) from the dam had made a 50 feet wide path for the water to form a steady stream. There was dense growth of vegetations on both sides of it. There were mud flats on both sides of the stream. Fern and the Jamun plants had grown and the mudflats had Arvi (Colocasia esculenta) also known as the Eddoes, an edible root-plant. In the heat of the summer, it was an ideal place for the tigers, Leopards and the Bears to hide in such a cool heavenly place. The stream flows for about 10 km to the East and then forms another small lake called the Chandi Talaab (lake). Another small stream comes down the surrounding mountains and joins the Chandi Talaab. Tthere too, is a dense jungle. We were shortly given the news that the Tiger had entered this jungle. So, I arranged for a group of men to start the Hanks (Beat). This is the same place where, as mentioned above, the Tiger was shot and injured, three day ago.

As we entered the jungle, I asked everyone to stay where they were and wait for further instructions. I took Malaya and Burhan Baig with me: I had my .404 rifle with me. We approached the place they thought the Tiger had entered the bush. I asked Burhan Baig and Malaya to climb up the trees with their guns and shoot the Tiger if they thought it was in their range. I loaded my rifle and tiptoed my way forward. I was certain that the tiger will be sitting close to the man’s body. I was bothered by small white mosquitos: they were into my eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Moving forward, I could smell the stench of dead flesh. I was wondering if the Tiger might have been eating it! I reached the place where Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali had fired their shots. On checking the ground and it was obvious they had both had missed the Tiger. However, the third shot taken by Driver, Burhan Baig, had hit the Tiger. I found dried up drops of blood. I believed that only Burhan Baig had hit the Tiger.

I continued tiptoeing my way forward through the muddy lands. It is a very risky business retrieving a dead body because the Tiger would be close by. These people have had two days to retrieve the poor man’s body, but none had the courage to enter this jungle. My only allies, under the circumstances were the experience and knowledge of how all tigers behave. I was afraid but only through rational thinking was I able to overcome my own fears. All tigers would growl at the slightest sign of danger. The Leopard on the other hand would growl after launching an attack on his victim. One is never completely alone in a jungle: birds and other animals become aware of the tiger’s presence and give out warning signals to their community members and others. I was listening to every sound.

I moved deeper into the muddy, I could see the dead body of the unfortunate man. The body was lying face down, his neck had been broken by the Tiger: it was twisted to one side and the rest of body seemed completely stiff. Contrery to my fears, the Tiger had not eaten any part of his body. Having located the body, I returned to the place where Burhan Baig and Lyngaya were perched on their respective trees. They came down after seeing me and I send them off to go and fetch Mansoor Ali and the Police DSP and the Police Constables. They returned and some relatives of the unfortunate man had also come with them.

We again proceeded to the place where the body was lying. The stench of the rotting flesh was so unbearable that people had to cover their noses with handkerchiefs. Four people came forward to pick up the dead body. It appeared that the man had been walking, inside this dense bush, in a half crouching posture when the Tiger grabbed him by the neck and broke it. The Tiger’s teeth marks were visible on his neck, his clothes were torn and there were deep claw lacerations on his back. We brought his body to a flat ground and let the police examine it. They did so and wrote a Punch Nama (a formal report) of his death and handed over the dead body to his beneficiaries. Mansoor Ali was responsible for giving a compensation to his widow. He made a promise to give his widow some land to cultivate it so she could make a living from it. In addition, an undisclosed amount would be paid to her. The whole operation had taken three hours.

Now, we had to look for the injured Tiger and kill it. The DSP Police and the Range Officers approached me requesting that I kill the Tiger as soon as possible. They had sent a Town Cryer out with a Dhupra to summon the villagers and inform the villagers about the injured tiger being on the loose. No one was to go out of their homes. People were making their living as Moha flowers and the Beedi leaves pickers.

At first, there was a lot of skepticism about my being able to retrieve the dead body from this muddy, insect infested bush but now it had turned into optimism that I would also be able to kill the Tiger.

There were three possible places where the tiger could be hiding in this jungle:

This stream was one where the man was killed
The second likely place was to the West of Ghoragari village; there were high mountains there and at the foot of those mountains there was a stream which had made a deep ravine where there was water all year round.
There was stream in the North which flowed into the Ghoragari Talaab. It had a cavern full of water all year round. It had a big shady tree nearby; it was ideal for tigers to stay.

My first choice was to search the stream where we had picked up the dead body thoroughly, but no one was willing to enter the stream and the bushes. I once again broached the subject with Mansoor Ali Sahib and gave him two choices:

he, the Police DSP and, his constables should sit in the trees, I will do the Hanka (Beat) and they can fire on the Tiger when it comes out.
If not, I will sit in a tree and they should do the Hanka; I will fire on the Tiger.

I decided to do the Hanka myself. I had employed 30 or 35 men for the Hanka but the Beaters too refused to come with me. With great difficulty and persuasion, they agreed to sit in the trees around the Nala (Stream). I instructed them to;

(a) quietly, signal to me as soon as they see the Tiger or see any movement in the bushes

(b) I had a good rifle so; I will fire at the Tiger.

So, I entered the stream, alone, to do the Hanka. Then, the Official Hunter Lingaya voluntarily joined me in the Hanka. Both I and Lingaya were cautiously walking on the muddy banks. As mentioned before, there were Jamun trees, Fern and Arvi plants. Further on, the stream was full of Tunga (Bullrushes) grass. We prayed to Allah Subhan wa Taala for our safety and entered the bushes. The bushes were full of white mosquito. They were invading our eyes, ears, nose and mouth. We could not see more than four feet away. My sixth sense was warning me of the danger ahead of us. If the Tiger had attacked now, I could have fired on it. Lingaya had two pieces of sticks in his hand and was making impressive loud noises with the two sticks. We found an opening ahead of us and decided to take a short breather. I gave a signal by hand to the people in the trees which was meant to ask if they had seen the Tiger or any movement? Instead, they climbed down from the tree and came to us. This was our first stage of the Beat so, I told them to go further head and find themselves suitable trees to sit on

Mansoor Ali, the Police DSP, Constables and Sabir were another 2 Km from here. The first part of the Hanka was completed and after a short breather, we were all set to commence the second part of the Hanka. Sabir and Mansoor Ali were sitting on the same tree with Sibir sitting on the topmost branches of the tree. As we got closer, I found Sabir and Mansoor Ali standing on the ground. Apparently, Sabir had told Mansoor Ali that Nizam and others are standing in the glade ahead of them and talking to each other, so, Sabir thought, the Hanka had ended. However, we were in the bushes and well into the second part of the Hanks. I had no knowledge of what had transpired between Sabir and Mansoor Ali.
Spectators, not hunters:

I looked to the men sitting on the trees to my side, they signaled to me from their perches that an animal was running in the direction of Munoor Ali’s tree. I signaled to those men to raise the roof with big noises and they did. Hearing the noises, Munssor Ali and Sabir, tried to climb back up on the trees in a hurry. Mansoor Ali was a heavy-set man and could not climb back up on the tree, his rifle was still on the ground. The Police DSP and his Constables too could not make it back up the trees. The men on the trees were yelling to them that the Tiger was heading their way. The poor Tiger was running for his life; it ran past Mansoor Ali’s tree and disappeared into the other parts of the bushes. No body fired on the Tiger; instead they all became spectators, not hunters.
The blame game:

We ended the Hanka and walked up to the tree where Mansoor Ali and company were seated. They all came back down from the trees. As soon as Sabir got down from the tree, the blame game began: Mansoor Ali unloaded his frustrations and anger on Sabir saying, “We all came down because of his misinformation … etc.”. I was also livid about the irresponsible conduct of these people. I had risked my own life to drive the injured Tiger out of the bushes, but these people had lost a golden opportunity to kill the Tiger.

It was 2:00 P.M and we had already lost best part of the day. I was certain that the Tiger would go to the place called Naas. It is the same place where I had a stone patio constructed to Prince Muffaqqum Jah for his wildlife photography. There was already a Machan at Naas. This was in a valley surrounded by lofty mountains. There was a deep hole that looked more like a round deep well and it was surrounded by a jungle with dense growths. Considering the direction this Tiger ran, I now had a good idea that the Tiger was not badly injured. Naas was about 4 Km from here. I asked everyone except Lingaya and Burhan Baig to stay where they were and the three of us left for Naas. There was a footpath created by the frequent coming and going of animals. They wouldgo up a mountain and then descend into the deep round-well I had mentioned earlier. We were on this footpath and I found fresh pug marks of the Tiger on it.

About 4-Furlong before the well, I asked Lingaya and Burhan to stop and wait at the top of the mountain and I proceeded down on tiptoe. Close to this watering hole, the wood bush has a clearing forming a glade. I paused and, look at my wristwatch, it was 3:45 P.M. As I proceeded a little further, I suddenly saw a black Nilgai (Asian Antelope) running away from there. It had heard me coming and was on the run. This made me think, there couldn’t possibly be a Tiger here. The two could not be drinking from the same place!
The shock of seeing the Tiger:

I had my .404 bore rifle with me, it was loaded. It had one shell in the barrel and two in the magazine. Slowly and carefully, I continued my descent toward the watering hole. I had to get to within 15 meters of the hole to be able to see the water below. I was still very certain that after seeing the Nilgai, the Tiger could not be anywhere near the water, but a bird, commonly known as ‘T T Ram’ was constantly making noises and summersaults in the air but I paid no attention to it. I knew, from the pug marks seen earlier, the Tiger had come this way, but I needed to establish it, for sure, whether the tiger had come here.? I removed the safety latch and stole a quick look into the water. The Tiger was lying in the water with all his body except the head was submerged in the water. His back was facing me, and his head was resting on one of his front legs. The flies were getting into his ears and it was moving them to keep the flies out. He did not hear me coming. It was fast asleep.

The moment I saw the tiger, I froze and became entranced and mesmerized. I stood there with my rifle focused on it, but my hands were trembling, and my mouth and throat were dry. I could not keep my aim fixed on his head or the shoulders. I was breathing fast and hard and, I was struggling to keep it under control. Suddenly, I thought it was not appropriate to fire at the Tiger in this condition. I was unnerved. I looked back and saw a small plant behind me and I started to step back towards it to rest my body against the plant while holding the rifle to my shoulder. From here, I could only see the Tiger’s one leg with his head resting on it. Despite resting my body against the plant, I was unable to keep the sight of my rifle on the Tiger. I was struggling to draw slow and deep breaths into my lungs to regain control of my nerves for fifteen minutes.

Now, I could keep the sight of my rifle focused on the tiger’s head. I drew four more slow and deep breaths into my lungs. Finally, I was able to pull the trigger while keeping my sight on the tiger’s head. The moment I fired the rifle, the tiger jumped out of the water. I loaded the second cartridge and fired it on his second jump on his shoulder. The Tiger suddenly went into the area where I had a patio built for photography. The Tiger was 20 yards away when I had fired at him.

However, the patio, over time, had been covered by the growth of vines and I could only see his tail. The body was hidden by the creepers. Burhan and Lingaya came over as soon as they heard the shots. I pointed to the patio with my finger. Burhan Baig saw the tail and was overjoyed. He said to me,” Bhai Jan (dear brother), I will go and drag him out by the tail.” I told him to be quiet and asked him to cast a stone at the Tiger. As the stone hit the patio, we heard the growling of the Tiger; he continued to growl for a long time. We were to the South-side of the watering pit while the North-side across the patio was elevated. Since the sunset was going to happen soon, we decided to go to the north side of the watering place and investigate the thicket to see if we could locate the Tiger! We could not see much because the space was totally covered with creepers.
Decision to knock down the wall:

I handed my .40/40 rifle to Burhan Baig and took the 6.5 telescopic rifle from him. I could not see because of a small retaining wall built near the patio. It was built with stone, so I decided to knock it down, stone by stone with the 6.5 rifle. I aimed it on the top stone and fired; it came down and I heard the Tiger growling. I knocked down more stones until I could see the head of the Tiger. I aimed at its head and fired the third bullet. Immediately, it felt like an earthquake had struck in the thicket. The Tiger growled and went down the embankment and disappeared from our sight. Our celebration had turned into deep disappointment.

Having lost the Tiger, I thought of climbing into the Machan by the patio and waiting for the tiger to return to the pool of water in the night and try to kill it from there. But Lingaya and Burhan were relentlessly advising me against it. Their insistence caused me to change my mind and reluctantly we returned to the Camp. Mansoor Ali and others were anxious to see us back. They had heard the firings and wondering what dad gone on. I could not eat the dinner and spent a restless night. I had the dead man on my mind and the disappointments of the day kept me awake.

I was up at 5:00 A M; after a good wash, I eat four slices of bread and drank some hot tea and went back to the spot where I had fired shots at the Tiger; near the patio. I took Lingaya, Mansoor Ali and Burhan Baig with me to the same mountain. We sat there waiting for the sunrise and soon it lit up the valley and we could see everything clearly. I took Lingaya with me and we went to the patio. I had my .404 rifle and Lingaya had the 6.5 rifle in his hand. We went to the water and we did not see any animals there. But when we got close to the water, it was all red with blood. This was where I had fired the first bullet on the Tiger. The second bullet was fired after the Tiger had jumped out of the water and had made his second jump; there was no blood there. So, how could the water get so bloody?
The tiger had returned to the water.

I was convinced that the Tiger had returned to the water during the night and had stayed in it for quite some time. He had possibly heard us coming and had just gone out somewhere. We had also found drops of fresh blood in the vicinity. We also found evidence of splashing on the vegetation around. The Tiger must have shaken the water off his body; it was mixed with fresh blood.

We examined the area where the tiger was lying after I had fired the second bullet at him. He had gone into the vines and had gotten stuck in the web of vines. There was a very large pool of blood in the vines. We thought that the second bullet had done enough damage to cause such a massive hemorrhage, but I became worried about his return to the water in the night. It was indeed worrisome; how could the Tiger survive after suffering so much loss of blood and not die from it?

Lingaya and I followed the trail of blood that lead us to the stream going the other way, but then there were no more pug marks or drops of blood to follow. Dejected and disappointed we were ambling on the footpath to Ghoragari Village. Mansoor Ali and others met us on this footpath, and we were all together. This steam would lead to the other Talaab (lake) which I have mentioned before. I was convinced that the Tiger had gone there because there was no water anywhere else in the jungle. It was about 2 Km from this point.

While we were all together, I started to feel very hungry. I could not bear the hunger pangs anymore. So, I asked Lingaya to go to the Ghoragari Villege and fetch some Mangos and Milk for me. He returned with the Mangos and Milk there was a stranger with him. This man reported that he was taking his animals to the base of the Lake for grazing and he was a Tiger with its mouth open and was coming toward his livestock. His livestock bolted back to the village. I could not believe for a minute that a severely wounded Tiger could go that far and try to hunt!

After eating Mangos and drinking the milk, I was refreshed and energized. So, we proceeded to check this stream which was flowing to the north of Ghoragari Village. It took us an hour to cover this distance. This was a seasonal stream that fed the Talaab (Lake). There was a deep depression in the ground where a large pool of rainwater had collected and remained there all year-round. A large tree had covered the deep pit with its branches. There were several other trees all around the stream. I had previously seen pug marks in this stream. Therefore, I asked Lingaya to climb up a tall tree; to get above the 10-foot wall to investigate the pit at the water’s edge. He climbed part way then stopped; and was keenly looking into the pit. Seconds later, Lingaya was climbing down rather quickly. I knew, at that point, he had seen the Tiger.
Was it the same tiger?

Now, I had to determine if this was the same Tiger or some other. I went to the opposite side of the pit to get closer to the Tiger. Instead of using the rifle, my preference was to use the 12-bore shotgun. I loaded both barrels with roll ball Cartouches made by the Game King Company for reliability. I crept my way up an embankment behind the wall to get closer to see if I could investigate the pit. I was crouching while advancing softly up the embankment. When I got to the top, I could now peek over the wall and into the pit. The Tiger had heard me coming; as I raised my head, its back was facing me, but the head was turned towards me. He was directly looking at me while trying to stand up. It was the same Tiger. I aimed and fired between his neck and head. My bullet hit the target and the Tiger fell facedown into the water. I fired the second shot which hit him at the base of the neck. I reloaded my gun and jumped on to a sandy patch and went closer. His tail was sticking out of the water which I tugged while keeping the shotgun at his neck. The Tiger was motionless and dead. I was momentarily joyful. Mansoor Ali, Lingaya and Burhan Baig came running to me. Then, sadness and remorse came over me; because the Tiger had suffered so much over the last few days.
The tiger had suffered so much:

I examined the Tiger thoroughly. Burhan Baig, the driver’s three pellets had hit the Tiger: one pellet had gone through the front paw, second pellet passed through the stomach area, the third pellet hit the hind leg, in the soft tissue and passed through it. My first shot which I had fired from close range while the Tiger was asleep, hit the top of the head behind the ear, tore the skin and passed through. My second bullet had hit the rib case, broke a rib and stopped in the hide behind the shoulder. The Tiger should have died right there but I was surprised he had survived. My third bullet was fired from the 6.5 rifle. It broke his jaw and passed through. His jaw was hanging by the skin. My first 12-bore bullet hit the base of the head and neck and the second hit the back; between the front legs.

Mansoor Ali Sahib pulled the measuring tape from his bag and measured the Tiger 9 ft, 6 inches. Hearing the gunshots, the Ghoragari villagers gathered around. They tied the four legs of the Tiger to a piece of lumber and brought it to the Ghoragari dock bungalow for the DSP Police and the Range Officers to inspect it and do their reporting.

The hide was removed, the underside of the hide was sprinkled with salt for preserving the skin for mounting. Malikni Sahiba was informed by phone about the kill. The next day we packed everything and left for Hyderabad.
The Tigress of Mole Block
I

t was the summer of 1972 and the tiger hunting season had started. Mansoor Ali, the Aide De Camp (ADC) to Malikni Sahiba (Quadirunnisa Begum) came to my house with a message from her. She wanted me to organize a hunting expedition for her, in a place called Chanda which was under the administration of the Maharashtra State. The hunting licenses were only granted to those hunters who owned bug bore rifles; .375 bore or greater caliber rifles would qualify for the license. In those days, the Conservator of Forests in Puna, Maharashtra had the sole authority for issuing hunting licenses.

Malikni Sahiba, I and Mansoor Ali were licensed holders of the required caliber guns: Malikni Sahiba had the license for a .500 Cordite double barrel rifle, I held a license for .450 Black powder hammerless double barrel Holland and Holland rifle and Mansoor Ali had license for a 400 / 450 a double barrel German made rifle. We sent our three licenses to Puna: requesting tiger hunting licenses.

We were each granted licenses to shoot:

1- Tigrer
1-Leopard
1- Bear
1- Nealgai

On, 3 March 1972, Mansoor Ali and I, left by Jeep, for Chanda via Asifabad and Bulhar Shah. We wanted to meet with the Department of Forests (DFO) to reserve three blocks for hunting. We had been assigned the Tadoba Game Sanctuary for hunting. The first block was Moherlee, the second was Kolsa and the third was Mohull. In Chanda, we discovered that the Officer in charge was in a camp in Kolsa with a Japanese hunting party. So, we drive to Kolsa to meet with the DFO: his name was Surander Kumar Bali. We were just-in-time to catchup with him because the Japanese party had wound up the camp and Mr. Bali was about to return to Chanda. We submitted our applications to him, and he was very courteous with us. We discovered that he too was very fond of hunting. He introduced us to his Range Officer who was a Sardarjee[11] by the name of Gurwichan Singh. He was also a very courteous and a polite gentleman. They both promised to help us in any manner possible during our stay.

The DFO told us, they would stay in the camp with us for the duration of the hunting expedition. We were a total of six people: I, Mansoor Ali, Sabir who was my school friend, Jahangir Baig, the famous hunter working for the Prince of Berar and my younger brothers, Azhar and Azam. The sixth person was our Cook; Hameed. The DFO welcomed us all and then asked as to where the rest of the crew were? I replied that we are five people in the hunting party and the sixth person is our Cook; there were no other people.

The DFO was taken by surprise; he told us; the Japanese party had 50 to 60 people in it and thirty Khulgay (Buffalo) were used as bait but they were not able to bag a single tiger. However, in the end, one person was able to shoot a Leopard. He then mused, rather mockingly; with so much manpower they were not able to bag a single tiger, so what chance do you think you have with so little! He then enquired about the number of Khulgay (Buffalo) we would need for this expedition? I said, we would need five. He appeared shocked with my response. Nonetheless, he decided to stay with us in the camp.

Since, one Leopard had been killed, our permit was modified to one tiger, one Bear and one Nealgai each. The DFO Officer suggested that we should accept the Kaylchur block instead of Kolsa since there had been a lot of movement caused by the Japanese party in that block. We readily accepted it because I was very familiar with the whole area.

Our plan was to get everything ready before Malikni arrives Chanda, in four days by train. There were several tasks to be completed in the next four days such as:

I had to survey all blocks to establish where the tiger would be drinking water
The paths tiger will be taking to get to the water
Find suitable places to tie the Garas (Baits)
Places to install the Jhoolas (Platforms)
Hire the beaters
Have the paths swept and combed, and checked for the pug marks
Check all the streams and water sources.

Usually, the tiger follows the animal footpaths, or the Bullock cart trails and the sandy dry beds of the streams. I was very familiar with those paths in this block. The tiger stays close to the water and likes dense bushes or shady trees to stay cool in the heat of the day. Around 5:00 P.M I tied barrel shaped bundles of thorny bushes followed by Phantay (Coconut Palm leaves) to the trailer hitch of the Jeep and as far as we could go, we erased the footprints and pug marks. Where the Jeep could not go, the same was done by men on footpaths and dry stream beds.

The same was done in the Moul and Kelchur Blocks then we returned to the Puchpalli Dock bungalow which is located halfway between the two Blocks. The next morning, at 6:00 A .M, we set off to Moul Block. Kumar Bali also came with us, to check the footpaths, Bullock cart trails and the stream beds where we found fresh pug marks of a Tigress. She had entered the stream bed then followed a footpath and descended from a small hill into a muddy area which was surrounded by Jamun Trees, Ferns and Arvi plants. This area had dense growth and was all together a cool place. The pug marks were measured by laying a twig across the impression of feet. According to my calculations[12] the tigress was 9 ft 4 inches to 9 ft, 6 inches. Some of my companions thought it was a male, but I could see the heart shape paw impression which is typical of the female.

I decided to hire eight (8) men for the Hanka. A suitable tree was found for the Machan and the it was built on the chosen tree. A ladder was also made on site to climb into the Machan. There was a footpath that crossed the Bullock Cart tracks; there the Tigress had left her pug marks before she went into the stream. So, around that junction a suitable tree was selected, and decision was made to tie a Khulka at that place. There are two methods of tying the bait (Khulga):

The front leg of the bait is tied to the base of the tree with a very strong rope. The objective is to prevent the tiger from taking the kill into the bush and hide it. This is done if the Machan is close by and objective is to make the tiger stay by the kill (Gara). It is preferred to let the tiger eat his fill before shining the light and killing it. After eating a substantial amount, the tiger would not run away and even if the light shined, it would give the hunter enough time to aim and shoot. But if the light is shined immediately after the kill, the tiger will run away.
The second method is to tie the Khulga (Bait) by a weak rope and le the tiger take the kill into the bush and hide it. In that case the tiger will keep coming back to the kill and eat. A Hanka would be necessary to drive the tiger out into the open and pass by the Machan. The hunter can then fire at the tiger.

So, it was decided to tie the Khulga by a very weak rope to let the tiger take his kill into the bushes and hide it. We returned to the Dock Bungalow. The next morning Malikni Sahiba was arriving Chanda by train. On 7 March 1972, at 6:00 A.M. the Malikni was met by her ADC Mansoor Ali. I left with my colleagues for Moule to check the Gara. We were still away from the place where the Khulga was tied but I could see a flock of crows had gathered on the nearby trees and they were calling others in their community to come and join in the feast. We got closer to where the Khulga was tied and confirmed that the Gara (Kill) had taken place. The Tigress had broken the rope and dragged the Khulga into the stream. We were delighted with the results.

Now, we had to arrange for the beaters to come out and do their bidding. We went back to Moule; Mr. Bali, the DFO and the Range Officer Mr. Gruwachan Singh were with us. We contacted the Patel and the Chowkidar (night watchman) of the village. They took responsibility to summon the beaters. We all went back to the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow. Malikni Sahiba had arrived and was waiting for us. She was delighted to hear the news of the Gara (Kill). Around 11:00 A.M we went to Moule; with Malikni Sahiba with us. There were fifty[13] Beaters waiting for us. I handed over the Beaters to Jahangir Baig, Guruwachan Singh and two Forest Guards. They were to go to the predefined place of Hanka. They had all been briefed with the detailed Hanka plans and the dos and don’ts of the Hanka. Jahangir Baig was their leader and a professional hunter. We took fifteen (15) people for the Covering duties with us and left for the Machan.

There were two Machans, fifty meters apart: one was for Mr. Bali, the DFO and my two brothers Azhar and Azam; they were all spectators. The second Machan was on the footpath on which the Tigress was expected to travel. Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali were seated on this Machan: they were hunters with guns. I left with the pennant flags and tied the flags on the left Covering but there were no trees to tie the flags on the right Covering. Therefore, I used dry bamboos to accomplish the task. Then, I stood underneath the Machan where Malikni Sahiba was seated. At this point it may be appropriate to explain the function of the Covering flags. Jahangir Biag was instructed to blow the whistle after the left and right Covering people had been seated.
The Covering Flags:

The Covering flags are made of square shape cloth of Green, Red and Yellow colors. They are stitched onto 100-meters-long thin ropes and the colored flag are spaced apart quite a bit. The ropes are tied to the right and the left of the Machan approximately twenty-five meters apart. The Covering ropes are tied about 1.5 meters above the ground.

Several men called the Covering Assistants are seated on trees along the Covering Ropes. Their soul function is to sit tight and be silent. They are instructed to never utter a word during the hunt. However, when the Tiger comes, stops and looks at the colored Covering flags, they would clap their hands gently and only once to make the tiger look up; but they must never utter a single word from their mouth nor make any other noises. The net affect of it is that the Tiger is driven back on to the track it is supposed to follow and passes by the Machan. The Tiger does not dare to turn back because of the ruckus and commotion created by the Beaters.

So, returning to the main story, my plan was to stay underneath the Machan where the Malikni Sahiba was seated. I had constructed a platform for my self to stand on. But Malikni Sahiba called out and commanded me to come to the Machan where she and Mansoor Ali were seated but there was no place for me. She insisted that I should not stand below because the grass was quite tall, and I could not possibly see the Tiger coming. She was concerned about my safety.

Therefore, I climbed up the ladder and stood on one of the top rungs of the ladder. I cast my eyes to the left and right of the Covering flags and noticed that the bamboos supporting the right Covering flags had fallen. The whistle had been blown by Jahangir Baig and the Hanks had commenced in earnest. I slipped down the ladder in a hurry to prop up the flags and quickly climbed back up on the upper rungs of the ladder. As soon as I got back up the ladder, I could see the Tigress heading our way. Malikni Sahiba had a .500 double barrel rifle, Mansoor Ali, her ADC had .404 Jeffries bolt action single barrel rifle while I had Mansoor Ali’s other rifle; a .400 / 450 double barrel rifle. The Tigress climbed up the embankment and was panting with her tongue hanging out; she stopped right where the Covering flag rope had fallen on the right-hand side. Neither the Malikni nor Mansoor Ali fired on the Tigress. They should have fired while the tigress was directly in front of them. Now, she had moved to the right and they could not fire at her because they could not turn the rifle to the right. I was also in the same situation and could not aim from my shoulder to the right.

I heard the reproach voice of Malikni saying to me, “Kid, the Tigress will escape fire on her.” I put the barrel of my rifle on the top rung of the ladder, but the butt was pointing to my chest. I took aim at the shoulder of the Tigress and fired. There was a blast and the Tigress sat down immediately. The recoiling rifle pushed the ladder to the left; I was about to fall from the top but Mansoor Ali caught hold of the barrel of the rifle and stopped me from falling. I put the safety latch on, because it was still loaded, and let go of the rifle to Mansoor Ali. My chest was hurting badly because of the impact of the recoiling force. The tail of the tigress was still moving but the pain in my chest was unbearable. So, I quickly descended to the ground rubbing my chest for some relief.

In the meantime, Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali were helped down from the Machan. The Tigress was dead by now. Mansoor Ali measured it 9 ft, 2 inches round the curve and between the pegs. Pictures were taken and the Tigress was brought to the Camp where it was skinned[14], and the hide was sprinkled with salt for preservation. Whiskers were removed as it would be prepared for head mounting.

The lunch was ready. After the lunch we decided to rest the whole afternoon. We had tea at 5:00 P.M and discussed the Kalchur Block program, so everyone would be on the same page. It was decided that after the evening meal, we would go on a night hint and then go to bed because Malikni Sahiba would be going back to Hyderabad with her staff and return to Chanda after three days. It will give us time for Garabundi (setting up the bait and Machan). We finished our evening meal at 8:30 P.M and left for night hunting by Jeep. I was driving with my .404 rifle, Malikni Sahiba was sitting next to me, with her .500 double barrel rifle, while my brother Azam had the search light, Mr. Surendar Kumar Bali and Mansoor Ali sat on the side benches. We saw herds of Spotted Deer (Cheetal) and a Bear. Little later, behind the dense woods, we saw two big eyes reflecting the search light. The two eyes were moving up and down because this animal was moving his head up and down and at times, we were seeing a black object. We were trying to figure it out but Azam thought it was a male Nealgai. Malikni Sahiba raise her rife to take a shot at it but she said, she could not see it properly. Then, she said to me if you can see it, you take a shot at it. I placed my rifle on the steering of the left-hand drive Ford Jeep, but I could not see it properly either. So, I kept looking at the eyes which were moving up and down for quite a while and decided shoot in the direction of the eyes. When the eyes went down and came up, I shot right in the middle, thinking it would be the animal’s chest; and it was. The animal fell immediately and was kicking its legs. Azam and I ran with a torch light up to it and slaughtered it with a very sharp knife to end his agony, it was a male Sambar Deer. The stags measured 40 to 45 inches.

We left the Sambar in the woods and returned to the Camp. Here we drop Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali. We hitched the trailer to the Jeep and took six able bodied men with us to collect the Sambar. DFO Bali was with us too. While I was driving the Jeep with speed to go back to the Sambar, we spotted a Leopard in the woods. Seeing the Jeep speeding in his direction, he ran back into the woods. I stopped the Jeep with its lights pointing in the direction he had run; he was looking at the Jeep with his body in front of me. I aimed at his shoulder and fired; he collapsed right there. The men picked up the Leopard and put it in the trailer and we proceeded to collect the Sambar. With great difficulty we also put the Sambar in the trailer and returned to the Camp and unloaded the trailer in the rear section of the Forest Bungalow. The Leopard measured 7 ft 6 inches. We assigned the task of skinning the animals to men and retired for the night.

We were up the next morning before dawn, after my Fajr[15] prayers, we had Breakfast and left for Kaylchur. We put two Khulgay in the trailer behind the Jeep and two hunters: Jahangir Baig and my brother Azam came to help with us. We checked the footpaths, Bullock cart trails and the streams in the jungle and selected the Garabundi[16] places. We had to return quickly because Malikni Sahiba will be leaving for Hyderabad by train.

The Leopard and the Sambar Deer were skinned; the hides preserved for mounting. We kept some of meat for our use and the rest of the Sambar meat was distributed to the villagers. Mr. Surander Kumar Bali, DFO and the Range Officer Mr. Singh were also camped with us. They had a keen interest in observing the arrangements I was making and the execution of the whole plan. They were somewhat fascinated with my approach to planning a successful hunt. They were very helpful and courteous gentlemen. They also did their office work while they were in the camp

The Malikni Sahiba, thanked both Officials for their helpfulness and promised to return to Chanda after three days. She and her staff were driven to the station by Mansoor Ali, her ADC who returned to the camp after her departure.
The Tiger of Kaylchur
F

rom the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow, Kaylchur is twenty-five Kilometers. It is on the railway line and has a station. There is dense forest all around and there is a very large water hole; all around it the land is muddy and wet. There are dense growths of bamboo, Jamun trees and tall emerald green Elephant grass. This is an ideal place for the tiger to live in the summer.

I, Azam, Jahangir, Mr. Bali and two local men went to Kaylchur. There are bullock cart trails and footpaths all around the stream. Wherever we could take the Jeep, so, the paths were dragged with bundles of thorny bushes and Phantay (Coconut Palm branches) and likewise, wherever the Jeep could not go, we had men comb the footpaths. Mr. Bali, the DFO, expressed the desire to shoot a Leopard because this was the last chance to hunt in Chanda; the Blocks will be closed soon after this. So, I made a promise to Kumar Bali that if we sight a Leopard, I will let him shoot it.

The next morning, we left for Kaylchur at 8:00 A.M to check out the trails and footpaths but we did not find any tiger paws. Next, we had to tie some Jhoolas (Machans); we selected suitable venues and trees for this purpose. We followed the flowing stream for about 500 meters where it was joined by another stream to form a bigger torrent and selected a suitable tree to tie the Jhoola which in this case was a bed woven with strips of yarn. The bed was turned upside down and tied to supporting branches with strong ropes. A horizontal bar was placed across the front legs of the bed (the Jhoola) so we could place the barrel of the rifle on it for shooting.

The next morning, we arrived in Kaylchur to check the pug marks around the stream and the torrent we had mentioned above, but we did not find any. We needed to have the footpaths dragged with bundles of thorny bushes and Phantay[17] ; but we decided to do it after lunch. Mr. Bali (DFO) and Gruwech Singh (Range Officer) got busy with their respective office work, however, they were done by 3:00 P.M.

Together, we left for Kaylchur with two Khulgas (Buffalo) in the Trailer hitched behind our Jeep. One of the Khulga was tied at the path used by the Tiger by the front leg to a tree by a strong rope. The second Khulga was tied on a path we thought was most likely path to be travelled by the Tiger. We used the same method of tying by the front leg to a tree with a strong rope. This method to tying the bait is called Garabundi[18]
The Leopard:

The following day, after breakfast, I, Mr. Bali, Jahangir Baig, Azam and Gruwech Singh went to Kaylchur to check the Gara (baits) while Mansoor Ali remained at the Camp. We left the Jeep quite far from the first Buffalo, as we approached it on soft footsteps, the Buffalo stood up and was looking at us. We proceeded to check the second buffalo and he too heard our footsteps and stood up. Both buffalos were untied and left in the care of two local people. They took them to the water hole and then for grazing the whole day. In the evening, the Buffalo were once again tied to their respective places. We got back to the Jeep and while we were returning to the village, we saw a man waving at us and signaling us to stop for him. We drove in his direction and stopped to speak with him. He informed us that a Leopard had killed his young calf and he had left it in the same place for us to see it.

The calf was lying inside a small patch of bushes. The Leopard had killed the calf in the early morning hours, ripped it open and had eaten some flesh and then left. I believe, the calf had become separated from the herd which was returning home in late evening. The Leopard found it in the morning, killed it, ate some flesh and left. Kumar Bali was very happy because it was his best opportunity to kill the Leopard. However, the place was more like a grassy meadow and there were no deciduous trees in sight. It was also not a suitable place to build a platform above ground because the ground was sloping down. As I looked, in a distance, I could see bundles of grass piled up rather high. So, we decided to investigate it. However, before we left, we had decided to cover the Gara (kill) with branches of tree and grass clippings to prevent the eagles, the vultures and the crows from helping themselves to it. The pile of grass bundles, I mentioned, were about one Furlong (250 meters) away. When we got nearer, it turned out to be piles of paddy[19] which had been harvested and left in the open before the Thrashing would commence. In order to prevent the animals from eating it, the farmers had corralled it with walls made from dry bamboo which were stacked in the ground. The bamboo leaves (Phantay) were laced all around the stacked bamboo walls to hide the harvest in the hope of dissuading animals from eating the harvest. It was an ideal cover for us, and we decided to take advantage of it. We made three small openings in the covering: one for Mr. Bali on the right, another to his left for Azam to shine the search light and the third hole on Azams left for me to poke my rifle through it for shooting. We returned to the Camp. Mansoor Ali was elated with the news

After some rest at the Camp, I, Azam, Jangir Sahib, and Mr. Bali left for Kaylchur. The two local men were waiting for us with the two Khulgay. We tied them back at the respective locations for baiting the tiger. All the paths were combed with Phantay. This place was ten Kilometers (10 Km) from where the dead calf was lying. We collected the two men and drove to collect the dead calf. The two men were assigned the task of dragging the dead calf to the corralled area. They dragged the dead calf (Phara) to a tree which stood 30 meters away from the pile of harvested paddy and tied the front legs to the base of the tree using a very strong rope.

The reason for dragging the dead calf all the way here was to leave the scent of the flesh and blood for the Leopard to follow. However, Bali Sahib disagreed and said, it was too far away, and thought the Leopard will not come here. My experience was telling me that it will follow the scent and will come here very soon after dark. So, we proceeded with my plan. Bali Sahib was not happy, but he relented.

I had my 6.5 caliber rifle and gave my 12-bore shot gun which was loaded with two Alfa 6 cartridges plus, to Mr. Bali and put two extra ones in his pocket. Azam had the Search Light. We left the Jeep at quite a distance away but took the battery out of the Jeep and a cable with us to the piles of wet paddy. We connected the Search Light with the cable to the terminals of the battery and made sure it was working. With everything working, we took cover behind the bamboo shelter (MAAT). I had instructed Mr. Bali to wait for my signa,l which would be by touch, before firing. He was to rest the heel and the toe of the butt on his shoulder, remove the safe, aim at the Leopard and fire. This would be his first hunting experience of killing a big cat. I instructed Azam to wait for my signal which would be a firm squeeze to his left shoulder, until then he was NOT to turn the search light on. Jahangir Baig Sahib and the two local men were sent to the Jeep which was parked far away behind some bushes.

It was 6:30 P.M and I was sure the Leopard will return to the Gara. I once again reminded Azam that he was Not to turn the light on before I squeeze his shoulder. I had also reminded both Mr. Bali and Azam that they were to let the Leopard eat his fill for quite some time, wait for my signals in complete silence, and in darkness.
The Leopard returns:
W

e waited in complete silence. About 8:00 P.M, it was dark, and soon we heard the footsteps of an animal walking through the cluster of bushes. I removed the latch from my rifle and got ready to shoot. I signaled Mr. Bali to be ready to shoot. The Leopard was heading straight for the Gara (the dead calf). It stopped and tried to drag the Gara but it was impossible for him to drag it. So, the Leopard sat there and proceeded to eat[20]. We could hear him tear the flesh and chew on it. We let him eat in complete solitude for twenty (20) minutes. I squeezed Azam’s left shoulder to turn the light on; he did, and the Leopard raised his head and started looking at the light. I was aimed on his shoulder and ready to shoot. I signaled Mr. Bali to fire at the Leopard but he did not fire. We waited for 10 minutes with the light focused on the Leopard, but Mr. Bali still did not fire. Now, after ten minutes, the Leopard stood up and was staring straight at us. By now, he had heard our movements and was about to flee. Once again, I signaled Mr. Bali to fire but he did not fire. I was certain that the Leopard will flee from us, so I took aim at his chest and fired. Insanely, the Leopard came charging at us and crashed into the wall of bamboos. When Azam saw him charging, he turned the search light off, threw it behind his back and then moved away from his seat. I was groping in the dark for the search light in total despair and luckily, I caught the wires with my right hand. I picked up the light and turned it on; the Leopard was lying four feet away from us. The Leopard was having hiccups when I looked at him. I pointed the barrel at him and keep a watch on the Leopard. He died shortly thereafter.

I looked at Mr. Bali and he looked stunned or mesmerized. He was looking at me and soon Azam came and joined in our conversation. Mr. Bali said, “Nizam, am glad you shot the Leopard (Bore-Baccha) because, when I saw it, I was stunned by the sight of it. I could not think of anything, the proximity took my mind away. I was completely awed by it.” I said to him. “Bali Sahib, what a golden opportunity you missed because after this kill the hunting blocks will be closed.”

In the meantime, Jahangir Baig Sahib joined us. He was my father’s contemporary and a highly experienced hunter working for the Prince of Berar. He was my mentor and a teacher. He tore a strip off Azam and scolded him for abandoning the search light and running away from the scene.

We reinstalled the battery in the Jeep, put the Leopard in the trailer and returned to the camp. Mansoor Ali was very happy. We had dinner together, then Mansoor Ali measured it 7 feet, 14 inches round the curve. The Leopard was skinned for head mount and the hide was preserved by salt for sending it to Danygun and Toker Company in Bangalore. Mr. Toker had moved to Hyderabad was doing his business from there.

The next morning Malikni was arriving at 4:00 A.M by train. We sent Mansoor Ali to Chanda Rail Station to collect her by Jeep. The station was 30 Km from the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow. I had a busy day ahead of me because Malikni could only stay for two days. She was coming hear without the knowledge of Hazoor Nizam therefore she was keen to return.

We had two options for tiger hunting:

Use the Gara technique of tying a bait
Research the jungle and find the places where the tiger stays, then use the Beaters to drive the tiger to the Machan and then shoot it.

As mentioned before, two Khulkay hd been tied to trees at separate locations and we needed to check them out. The Malikni Sahiba arrived at the Juchpalli Dock Bungalow at 7:30 A.M. We had breakfast and talked about the Leopard hunt last night. Then, I, Mr. Bali, Jahangir Baig, Azam and Gruwech Singh and two local people left by Jeep to Kaylchur. We went to check the first bait, treading softly and quietly. We did not see the first Khulga because the Gara had taken place. The pug marks showed that a big tigress had killed it, broken the rope and dragged it into the muddy wetland which had dense foliage all around the water hole. We then checked all the Bullock Cart trails, footpaths and streams to establish if the tigress was still inside the forest! She had not gone out. She was still there.

This was the month of March and the days were getting to be very hot. Now, we had to gather the Beaters together, so we went to the village of Kaylchur. Mr. Bali and Gruwech Singh had already sent their Chowkidars (Night watchman) ahead of us to get in-touch with the Patels to recruit a gang of beaters. We stopped and waited in the shade of a large tree for the Patels and the Beater to meet us. The Patels and the Beater came and met with us. They were eighty (80) men. I talked to them and gave them clear instructions to follow. I will elaborate on them later. The local Chowkidars will usher the Beaters to the venues where the Beat will start at 12:00 noon sharp. Having finished the instructions, we left for the Dock Bungalow.

Mr. Bali was very impressed with the organization and said, “Brother Nizam, the whole thing seems like a dream to me.” We told the Malikni Sahiba that the Gara had taken place and she was suitably pleased with it. Malikni had a .500 bore double barrel rifle, Mansoor Ali had .400 and .400 / 450 rifle and the 12-bore guns were checked out by her staff and were ready for the hunt. We got into the Jeep and put the pennant flags, garlic shaped firecrackers, empty tin cans, water bottles and Thermoses in the trailer and reached Kaylchur at 12:00 noon.

As you might recall, the Jhoolas had already been installed previously and a ladder had been made on site to climb into, the Jhoolas. Before the Beat would start, I decided to re-check the paths in and out of the Toug (Muddy land) to make sure the tigress had not left the area. Jahangir Baig Sahib, Mr. Bali and two other people were sent out to double check the Bullock Cart Trails. In the meantime, Malikni and Mansoor Ali were asked to wait under the shade of a large tree. It was quite far from the Toug (Muddy). We went on foot to check the footpaths on which the tigress had previously traveled. The tigers like to travel on soft and sandy paths to protect the cushions of their paws.
The tigress leaves:

We found the pug marks of a very big Tiger: he had entered the same Toug (Muddy) where the tigress was. We were delighted that not one, but two tigers were in the Toug (Muddy); this was to be short lived. As we arrived on the other side to check the Bullock Cart Trails, we found the pug marks of the tigress going out of the Toug (Muddy). The tigress was probably scared of the tiger and left the Toug. Only the male was in the Toug now. We walked over to the tree where Malikni Sahiba, Mansoor Ali and the Beaters were assembled. Jahangir Baig, Azam and the Chowkidars distributed the garlic shaped firecrackers, empty tin cans to the Hanks folks who had brought their own Dhupra drums (Town Crier Drums).
Instructions to the beaters:

Instructions were given to wait for the signal, a long whistle, to start the Hanka. We told them, if the tiger gets injured and starts running towards them, we will blow long whistles repeatedly; thus, signaling them to climb up the nearest tree to get out of harms way. However, if the tiger had been shot and killed, we will blow one long whistle to inform them that the tiger was dead. The Toug was half a Km away from the Jhoola.

We went by Jeep on the Bullock Cart Trail to the Jhoola which was close to where the two streams merge. Underneath the Jhoola, a platform had been built with tree branches for me to sit on. We helped Malkini Sahiba and Mansoor Ali climb up the ladder and into the Jhoola. She had her .500 double barrel rifle and Mansoor Ali had his 400 / 450 rifle, but he had left the Cartouches at the Dock Bungalow. So, I handed over my single barrel bolt action 404 rifle to him and kept the double barrel 12-bore shotgun for myself. I loaded both chambers with Roller Ball Cartouches made by the Game King Company and had the whole boxful with me.

Gruwech Singh was assigned ten men and he was to have the left Covering installed at 5 ft above ground and then have his men climb up their respective tree and sit their quietly. They were told to never make any vocal sounds but if the tiger stopped to look at the pennant flag, they were to lightly clap their hands. I oversaw the right Covering with ten men. Having completed the task, I climbed on to the five feet high platform underneath the Jhoola. Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali were told to refrain from shooting the tiger from far. They were to fire at the tiger only when it got close to the Jhoola they were sitting on. I was now seated on the Maat (platform) and blew one long whistle.

Immediately, the Beaters made a host of noises; firecrackers exploded, the Dhupra were beaten like crazy and men yelled, the tin cans were beaten with sticks. As mentioned before, the Jhoola was close to the confluence of the two streams; one to the right of the Jhoola and another to the left. We were twenty minutes into the Beat when I spotted the tiger coming from the right stream. He was still 70 meters away from the Jhoola, but he was on a slow canter and coming in the direction of the Jhoola. It would stop and look back in the direction of the Beaters, walk a little, stop and look back again and move on. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth, he was panting from the heat of the day and steadily coming in our direction.
The last tiger:

The tiger was about fifty meters from the Jhoola and Malikni Sahiba fired her rifle, then Mansoor Ali fired his rifle and both had missed. As soon as the two explosions occurred, the tiger was running on a gallop. He came in front of me and I took aim at his shoulder and fired; he turned around and fell to the ground. I fired the second shot on him and then I immediately reloaded my shotgun and stood with my aim at it. The tiger was 6 feet away from us. It was quite a scene to watch Bali Sahib: he had his mouth covered with one hand and was pointing at the tiger with his other hand while drawing my attention to look at the dead tiger. My first shot had hit the tiger on the shoulder and the second had hit the tiger at the back of his head. Mr. Bali was ecstatic; he was slapping back with gusto.

Both Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali had fired the bullets from too far a distance and had missed. This was contrary to my instruction. I was fortunate that the tiger was directly in front of me; had he gone to the right and climbed up the small embankment; it would have been impossible to take a shot at the tiger. I blew a long whistle and the Beater immediately came to us. Jahangir Baig and Gruwechan Singh also came and Azam joined us too. We helped the Malikni Sahiba and Mansoor Ali down from the Jhoola. This was my thirteenth and the last tiger.

The dead tiger was put in the trailer of the Jeep, pictures were taken. The Beaters sat down on the ground in a line and their wages were paid. The local Chowkidars (night warchmen) and the two local men were paid their wages as well as some gifts. The remaining Khulga (Buffalo) was given to the two local men as reward. At the dock bungalow, the tiger was measured 9ft 16 inches.

Kumar Bali asked me to autograph the two spent cartridges and kept them as souvenirs. That evening, Malikni Sahiba ordered a sumptuous banquet for Kumar Bali and Gruwech Singh. She thanked them for their care and hospitality. The next morning, she left by train for Hyderabad. We also packed our belongings in the Jeep and the Trailer, thanked Messers Kumar Bali and Gruwech Singh, made promised to visit them again and left for Hyderabad.
Bore Baccha
The Leopard
B

ore Baccha (Leopard) is found in most Indian jungles. It prefers to live in dense forest in muddy, wetland areas. It makes it’s den in mountainous areas and is a nocturnal hunter who returns to the den in the morning-hours to rest during the day. His favorite food is the wild pig, mountain goat, spotted deer. He likes raiding the livestock, in villages. The Bore Baccha often takes, goats, lamb, and dogs. The leopard takes his victims by the neck and asphyxiates it. Unlike the tiger which eats his kill from the hind legs, the Leopard likes to rip open the belly and eats from inside. There used to be a lot of Leopards in the surrounding areas of Hyderabad City. Leopards were seen in places like: Banjara Hills, Tolli Chowki, Nursapur Road, Medchal Road, Kaisara Hills, Saroor Nagar, Nulgunda Road, Malka Pulli Hills, Ibrahim Putnum Road, Pahadi Shareef Road, Mianpura and the Maqta Hills. They were hunted in those areas. I mention these areas because most of these localities are now developed and the Leopard’s natural habitats have been pushed further inland. Bore Baccha is a beautiful big cat:
Description:

The Bore Baccha comes out of its den just before sunset and sits on big rocks looking for food. He has a sharp eyesight and is considered a dangerous predator because, in contrast to a tiger which would warn an approaching human being by his roars and growls, the Leopard would stay silent until the last moment and attack: growling only during the attack. Whereas, if you leave the tiger alone, it will not attack human beings.

The best way to hunt a Leopard is to find out:

where he lives, the location of his Gawee (den)
the dense forest with water
the paths he travels on
follow the pug marks and build a Machan / platform close by.

Usually, fifty meters away from the Machan or Platform a goat or a pig is tied as a bait. The Leopard has good hearing and will often come to the bait.

It is easier to hunt the Bore Baccha during the day, but after dark a search light will be necessary. However, if one had a Jeep or an all-terrain vehicle; you can spot them in the morning or in the evening near the watering places. The Leopard’s fur is marked with rosettes. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but has a smaller, lighter physique, and its rosettes are generally smaller, more densely packed and without central spots. In the winter, the Leopard’s coat becomes deep yellow and looks very beautiful. During the mating season, his tail remains high while he sprays the bushes and trees with its urine to let the female know about his presence. He travels far in search of his mate. It also makes a gher, gher,gher sound to call his mate. In the Indian terminology, a smaller Leopard is called Bore Baccha while the male is called Tayndwa. Some Tayndwa (Male Leopard) get very fat with abundance of food and water. We measured one at 8 ft, 2 inches round the curve.

If a Leopard becomes injured or weak, it becomes a man eater and once they have tasted human flesh, they hunt human beings. In fact, a man eater Leopard becomes far more dangerous than a man-eating tiger; because a. tiger does not enter human habitats nor does a tiger like flat lands. But a Leopard will enter farmlands and there he can easily hunt children, women and men at will. They would hide in streams, bushes and are experts in camouflaging themselves against the natural backgrounds. He is swift in attacking and killing its prey by biting into the neck and asphyxiating it. Often, a Leopard will drag its prey into a hiding place such as dense bushes. If the prey is small, it will carry it into a tree and eat it there.
Baloor’s livestock eating Leopard
I

t was the month of April and the heat of the summer was becoming oppressive in Hyderabad. I have had a car accident which put me in the hospital for a fractured hip treatment. After a short stay, I was discharged for convalescence at home. I was not able to walk on my own and needed crutches for mobility and relief from pain. However, one fine morning, I was sitting in my veranda and reading the newspapers, a good friend of mine, Jahangir showed up at the house. I was pleased to see him. He had travelled all the way from a place called Baloor in Maharashtra State. After exchanging pleasantries, Jahangir proceeded to tell me about the purpose of his visit. Baloor where Jahangir was living, was a Jagir belonging to his brother in law who was the Nawab[21] also he was simply known as Zaman Khan Sahib. The people living in Baloor were once under the administration of his ancestors. The local language of this area is Marathi

They were beset by the constant attacks by Bore Bucchas (Leopards) on their livestock and they had threatened their livelihoods. The Leopards would come into the settlements with impunity and nab their cats, dogs, hens, ducks and goats. The Nawab knew about me and had sent his brother-in-law. to persuade me to come to Baloo to shoot the Leopards. I still had pain in my hip but reluctantly, I agreed to go to Baloo as soon as I felt a little better and could walk on my own, unassisted.

Baloor is in the Zilah (District) of Purbhani and there is no train station there. However, there are two train stations close to Baloor. They are: Poorna and Manoot Road. In either case one must cross the Wardhana Naddi (Wardhana River) and then travel 12 km inland to reach Baloor. I promised my friend Jahanger to come there as soon as possible and help him hunt the Leopard down.

The time came and I informed Jahangir of my arrival at the Manoot Road train station on a certain date. The Nawab Sahib was waiting for me at the train station. The Nawab had come to the station by his Bullock Cart. The floor of the Bullock Cart was padded with thick layers of dry grass and a mattress had been placed on top of the grass. The sides of the Bullock Cart had comfortable cushions to lean on. In short, the Bullock Cart was made very comfortable for our onward journey inland. I had with me, my 8 mm rifle which had been damaged in the car accident, I had mentioned above. The butt of the rifle was broken and I had recently been repaired by an armorer . I was not sure if the repair work affected the sight in any adverse way. After travelling for a while, the Bulls came to stop at a small trickle-fed stream of fresh water which was located on the Bullock Cart Road; they were thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

So, I decided to avail myself this opportunity to test the rifle. I found a target, 80 meters away, near a large Banyan Tree and fired a shot from my 8 mm rifle. It hit the target dead on bull’s eye, and I was satisfied with the repairs. The bulls were refreshed, and we left for Baloor. On the way to Baloo, I surveyed the surroundings there were big wide-open fields and some grassy meadows. We reached Baloor around 1:30 P.M and outside the village the Nawab’s friends had gathered to welcome us to Baloor. The Nawab had a huge house that looked like a grandfather clock. It was surrounded by high walls made of mud bricks. The house had big halls and several rooms. We were given accommodation in a big hall with amenities and the Nawab was a very hospitable man. He had informed the indigenous people of the surrounding Tanday (hutments) about my arrival. They were mostly Dhungar people who were herders and field workers. They would take their animals for grazing in the morning and return in the evening. They came to the Nawab’s house in the evening and gave me a lot of information about the sightings and activities of the Bore Bucchas.

There were two large Tanday (Hutments) settlements of the Banjara[22] people around there and the Naiks (Chiefs) of the communities also came to see me. They were very affluent people: they were dressed in traditional white Dhoti (loin cloth) and long white Kurtas, waist coats, turbans and decorative embroidered shoes. They were each carrying a spear and had their hound dogs with them. They hunted with spears and the hounds were used to hunt down wild pigs and rabbits. They gave me a lot of information about the Bore Buccha activities and sightings.

The indigenous groups left and promised to come back next morning with fresh news of Bore Buccha activities and sightings. After a while a big landowner by the name of Bapu Lala came to see me. He was a close friend of the Nawab and had a Saindhi or Tadi (Palm Wine) business in the area. Baloor was surrounded with flat lands that sloped in places. The depressions had pools of water and small streams feeding them. Dense jungles of the Palm trees (Tadi trees) grew all around the pools of water like an oasis. This is where Bapu Lala had his Palm Wine business. He told me that when his men go up the palm trees to collect the sap, they see the Bore Bacchas[23] in the area. Bapu Lala was also fond of hunting and had a 12-bore shotgun for hunting spotted deer and rabbits. Since he was a good friend of the Nawab, he joined us for the dinner. When he left, I retired for the night as the journey was a bit tiring.

Next day, I was up at 5;00 A.M for the Fajr prayers. We prayed together at Fajr and had our morning tea together. Little later we had our breakfast on Nihari[24] and homemade Jawar (millets) bread. We had just finished our breakfast and were relaxing with cups of tea being served when a Dhangar came and broke the news of an attack on his goat herd. A Bore bacha had attacked and taken one of his goats. The attack took place 8 Km north of Baloor. We got ready and left for this place. I had my 8 mm rifle made by the Indian Ordinance Company and Bapu Lala had his double barrel 12-bore shotgun with him and the Nawab Sahib had point-twenty-two (.22) rifles with him. We travelled in two bullock carts since my hip was still recovering and the pain was still lingering on. The bullock carts were very comfortable, indeed. We were now in the Palm tree jungle and, on the way, we saw large herds of deer. The chiefs of the Banjara communities and ten Banjara men came along with us. The Banjara men had long spears with them and had five or six hounds with them.

The Bore Baccha had killed the goat in this area and taken it into the jungle which was about 600 meters from here. There was a large farm nearby where they cultivated Onions on a large scale. We found a big shady Mango tree and took shelter from the sun underneath its canopy. I was wondering about the best way to kill this Bore Baccha and, there were two methods:

Tie a bait of his favorite[25] foods, like a young goat etc.
Arrange a Beat and drive him out of the Palm Tree jungle.

So, I decided to inspect the area where the Bore Baccha had just killed a goat. The fields had recently been plowed and the soil was very soft and powdery. I found recent pug marks of the Bore Baccha. I asked the two Shikari who were in our group to go and carefully check the area where the Bore Baccha had gone in with the goat. There were vast farmlands on both side of the Naala (stream). They were also instructed to climb up the embankments and look for the pug marks. They returned and reported that the Bore Baccha was still in the stream area on our side, he had not crossed the stream. Now, we were reasonably certain that if we start the beat, the Bore Baccha would try to go downhill and across the stream. It was dry season and the depth of the water was about 4 feet deep. The lower land had dense jungle of Palm Trees on both sides and multitudes of wild pigs lived in there.

I suggested to my companions that I will sit in the open space below, by myself, and they should come in my direction with the beaters. But Bapu Lala said “you have pain in your hip, you cannot climb up the tree nor run away; this is not a good situation for you.” Therefore, it was decided that I will sit in the Bullock Cart and it will be taken as close to the stream as possible and tied to a Palm tree.So, that is what was done. The Bullock Cart was covered with Phantay (Palm tree branches) and bulls were taken away to another place. I was certain, the Leopard will come on the footpath travelled by the sap collectors and, it will try to cross the stream. The beaters were instructed to beat the one empty tin can we had found on our way to this point. They were instructed to strike two pieces of dry sticks together and to lightly clap their hands.

Jahangir and I sat in the parked bullock cart but Bapu Lala had instructed his son and son-in-law to remain guard at the bullock cart. The two young men stood-by guarding with their spears in the hand. He had told them that if the Bore Baccha would try to attack me and Jahangir, they were to slay it with their spears. I pleaded with them a million times to leave us alone, but they would not budge. Finally, I persuaded them to stand a little away from the bullock cart and to camouflage themselves and, they agreed. The beat commenced and I removed the safety latch from my rifle. First, we heard some animal noises then we saw five or six peacocks coming our direction and they quickly passed by us.

Then a large Bore Baccha was coming but it stopped 20 meters away by the edge of the water. Whenever, an animal wants to cross a stream, it always stops and looks around before entering the water. That is what the Leopard was doing. As the Leopard stepped forward to enter the water, I took aim at the back of his head and fired my 8 mm rifle. A loud explosion took place and the Leopard fell headlong into the water. I reloaded the rifle quickly and stood with my rifle aimed at it, thinking that if he tried to get up, I will fire the second shot. But he never moved and was already dead. A little later we heard the beaters and then the noise of a large animal coming our way: it was a very large pig going toward the water. I aimed and fired on it and he dropped dead close to the dead Leopard. Jahangir was ecstatic and was patting my back with gusto. The others also came to the bullock cart we were sitting in. They were happier seeing the wild pig than the Leopard. The Dongar and Banjara were set to have a feast on the wild pig.

The dead Leopard and the Wild pig were carried in the second bullock cart. The Leopard was skinned, and the hide was preserved by salt and sent to a tannery in Hyderabad for mounting. I returned to Hyderabad leaving behind happy and grateful people.
Baloor’s Leopardess
A

couple of years had passed since my last trip to Baloor and, little did I know that it was not to be my last trip to Baloor.

It was the beginning of the summer, my friend Jahangir had come to see me, all the way from Baloor which is in Maharashtra State and they speak Marahti language there. He had come to deliver a personal letter from the Jagirdar or the feudal Landlord of Baloor. His name was Zaman Khan who was the brother-in-law of my friend Jahangir. You might remember his name from the previous story.

Apparently, Zaman Khan’s close friend Bapu Lala who was a big landowner and a businessman of the area had a serious problem with Leopards threatening the lives of his sugar plantation workers. Bapu Lala was cultivating sugarcane on a 25-acre plantation but a Leopard had decided to take up residence in the sugarcane bushes. Sugarcane is a cash crop and the yields are very dependent on moisture, fertilizer and other requirements being met. Papu Lala was desperate that without proper irrigation his cash crop will die and cost him big financial losses. His farmworkers tried going in with cow bells in their hands and tolling them; thinking that the Leopard might be fooled into thinking they were just farm animals and ignore them. But no such luck. Instead, the Leopard was snarling and threatening to attack them.

Bapu Lala and the Naiks[26] of the area had tried, twice and failed, to drive the Leopard out by using beaters with firecrackers, Dhupra drums and blank Musket fire. It would leave for a while and then come back to the same spot. They knew me from previous experience of shooting a Leopard in this area, so, they prevailed upon Nawab Zaman Khan to write to me for help.

As mentioned, in my previous article, Baloor is a village in the district of Purbhani on the Hyderabad to Aurangabad railway line. One can approach it from two station on this line, however, Jahangir suggested we get off at Sayloo Station because Baloor was only 8 Km away from this station. We arrived at Sayloo station in the afternoon and found Jagirdar Zaman Khan was waiting for us. We were taken to Baloor in a very comfortable bullock cart. By the time we reached there, it was already late evening. The surrounding areas of Baloor had the Banjara settlements (Tanday). The soil around there was fertile black loam soil and the Banjara farmers were quite affluent.

I knew the Naiks of these communities from my previous hunting experience with a troublesome Leopard, so they had started calling me Baray Bhai (elder Brother) because that is what Jahangir and the Nawab were calling me. The Naiks were well dressed impressive people. Their attire was white Dhoti (loin cloth), long white Kurta, black waist coat and red silk turban (Shamla) and embroidered red footwear called Joota. They carried a long spear and were accompanied by two Hound dogs. They had assembled at the house of the Nawab and they gave us a warm welcome when we arrived. They hugged me and showed great respect and affection. The Nawab was a very hospitable man and he had given us an impressive banquette that evening.

The next morning, after the breakfast, we went, by three bullock carts, to inspect Bapu Lala’s sugar plantation which was located 8 Km from the Nawab’s mansion which looked like a grandfather clock. Bapu Lala had several businesses here; among other things he was a major irrigation contractor. We arrived at the plantation and found him waiting to greet us at the gate of the plantation. On the right of the road leading to the plantation, there was a very large Bowli (A Well) which had a large Diesel water pump installed for irrigating the plantation and to the left there were two Servant Quarters. A few meters away from the Bawli there was a large and shady Mango tree. A Shortrangee (a cotton spread) had been laid on the ground for us to sit on and we all settled down to listen to the details of the Leopard from Bapu Lala and the Naiks.

According to Bapu Lala, the offending Leopard was a pregnant Leopardess and he thought it may be delivering soon. His men had not been able to enter the sugar cane area to irrigate the plants; the water had to be directed into the furrows by his men. His main concern was that once the Leopardess had her cubs, she will attack and kill his men. When I heard that the Leopardess was pregnant, I did not want to kill her. Instead I suggested that he should drive her out by organizing the beaters repeatedly. Bapu Lala the Naiks and the Jagirdar had a long discussion in their language (Marhati) which I did not speak or understand. Collectively, they pleaded with me to kill her before she delivers her cubs. Unhappily and with a heavy heart, I agreed to do it and went with two Naiks to collect more information about the Leopardess. The rest of the men stayed under the Mango tree.

The plantation was surrounded by tall and dense hedges and there were two large Mango trees growing in the hedges. With the hedge being so tall and dense, I needed to establish how the Leopardess enters and exits the plantation? I did not find a single break or a hole in the hedge rows. However, as I turned around, I noticed soft powdery soil had the pug marks of Leopardess. This was a 50-acre farm and I followed the pug marks, but after a while, they suddenly disappeared. So, I went back to the last set of pugmarks. Here I noticed the claw marks and skid marks. I looked up; there was a tree growing inside the hedge row and six feet above the ground, one of the branches was drooping down towards the ground on the other side of the hedges. I then noticed claw marks on the same branch of this Mango tree. The Leopardess was jumping up from the spot where we had seen the last set of pugmarks cum skid marks and landing on the branch above us. From there she was going out and coming back into the plantation using the Mango tree branch. This was a very old tree with strong, thick branched. Two people could comfortably sit on these branches. So, the plan was to shoot the Leopardess from this tree. The Niaks had brought a suitable bait[27] to attract the Leopardess. It would be tied to a stake that would be driven in the ground, 30-meters away from the Mango tree.

It was 1:00 P.M and the Jagirdar had brought lunch with him. We all had lunch and then got back to the idea of two people sitting in the Mango tree. However, two people volunteered to sit with me on the tree: Jahangir and Khawaja Mian. They decided to toss up a coin and Jahangir won the toss and got busy preparing himself for the task of handling the torch light. I decided that we should be seated on the tree by 3:00 P.M. The Niaks tied the bait to the stake in the ground and left for the gate, as instructed. I was sure the Leopardess will come out of sugarcane bush on hearing the distressful cries of the bait.

I had the Czech made 6.5 rifle with me and Bapu Lala had his 12-bore shotgun. I had brought a box of Alpha Max L.G cartridges for him. He loaded one in the chamber and engaged the safety latch. Jahangir was sitting near me on another branch. The bait started making distressful noises and within 20 minutes a big Leopardess came out of the sugarcane bushes and sat down with a paw on the bait. I took aim between the head and the chest of the Leopardess but as soon as Jahangir turned to look at it his flashlight collided with the trunk of the tree and made a noise. The Leopardess got startled with the noise of the collision and quickly moved. I fired at her and instantly she roared and made a few summersaults and then disappeared into the sugarcane bush. I reloaded the rifle, but it was too late. Instead of the chest the bullet hit her between the chest and the front leg. Jahangir’s mistake had now become a danger for me.
Jahangir’s mistake becomes a danger to me:

Now, I had to search for the injured Leopardess inside the sugarcane bushes; a dangerous proposition. Hearing the shot, the Niaks and Khawja Mian came running and we also came down from our perch in the Mango tree. The Nawab, Gousse and Bapu Lala had also joined us. I could see a trail of blood from the animal. However, the bait was unharmed and was taken back by the Niak who had tied it to the peg in the ground. It was my intention to follow the trail and try to kill the Leopardess. The Naiks caught hold of me from behind and would not let me go in the Sugarcane bush. They were repeatedly telling me that they will not let me go in.
The Niaks had a private meeting:

The four Naiks had a private meeting in their won language. After the meeting was over, they said that their hounds had been well trained, to kill big, strong wild pigs. So, they will set the Hounds on track to follow the scent of her blood and they will kill her for sure. So, they took their dogs to the trail of blood and then they removed the leather straps from their necks, commanding them to go in and kill the injured Leopardess. The four hounds had their nose to the ground and went into the Sugarcane bush. I was looking at the top of the sugarcane bushes to spot their movements. The hounds went in for about 20 meters when I heard the dogs barking and the roaring of the Leopardess. Simultaneously, there was the sound of a hound crying out in pain. Moments later the four dogs were coming back running; one of them was badly injured and profusely bleeding from the ribcage area. The Leopardess had damaged him very badly. The four Niaks were now looking very worried and confused.

The movements of the tops of the sugarcanes gave me a good idea of where the Leopardess was. She was just 20 meters away and, inline with the same furrow where we were standing. I took the 12-bore shotgun from Bapu Lala and told everyone to go back to the bullock cart trail. I was creeping-in my way into the sugarcane bushes. My brother-in-law Gousse was following me while urging me not to go in. One of the Naiks also followed me with a spear in his hand. I signaled them to go back and kept advancing while pushing aside the serrated sugarcane leaves for visibility. As I got closer, I was almost crouching on to the ground and advancing cautiously. About fifteen meters away, I could hear the” Khar, Khar” sound of her labored breathing. By now my face and both arms were scratched by the serrated leaves of the sugarcanes.

About 8 meters away, I looked in and there I saw her head and the two eyes looking at me. Maybe she thought that the hounds were coming at her again, but we will never know. She had lost a lot of blood and had become very weak, otherwise, she would have attacked me. I took aim at the back of her neck and fired my shotgun. I could not see her head anymore, and the “Khar, Khar” sound stopped. I reloaded the gun quickly and stood their quietly. Hearing the gunshot, the Niaks and Jahangir were calling ‘Baray Bhai, Baray Bhai’. I sat in the furrow for fifteen minutes and then slowly moved forward. The Leopardess was lying dead in between the two furrows. I called the Naiks to come over to me. When they saw the dead Leopardess, they hoisted me above their heads, and started dancing with joy. Bapu Lala was the happiest man for his fifty-acre farm would not die of thirst.

Jagirdar Zaman Khan arranged a big banquette that night and Bapu Lala sent two goats for the Banquette meal. Everyone was invited, pictures were taken by the Nawab. The Leopardess measured 7 ft 2 inches. The hide was removed and preserved in salt. Had the first bullet hit her 2 inches closer to the chest, the Leopardess would not have suffered so much.
The Leopard of
Taluqa Sayrum Madna Munkunpalli

Chandar Shakkhar Reddy Sahib is a big Deshmukh in the Gulbarga district which was a part of Nizam’s Hyderabad State until 1948. He lived in the Taluka Sayrum where there were 36 Moza (subdivisions) under his administration. He is the owner of 3500 Acres of land which includes a small jungle on his properties. It is teaming with wild pig population. For the curious souls I have provided appropriate links for more information. Our friendships, at the time of this writing, go back seventy years. He had built a large Palace in Moza Medna known as Medna Key Giri (Palace of Medna). He is a very hospitable man.

One day I was visiting him in Medna. We were engaged in small conversations and catching up on events since we had last met. A man arrived from Munkunpalli to tell him about the sighting of a Leopard in the Palm Groves where some villagers were standing guard while men were collecting sap from the Palm trees to make Palm wines; locally known as the Sayndhi.

So, Chandar Shekhar Reddy, I and Girya Chari, his estate manager, hopped in the Jeep and drove to Munkunpalli which was about 5 Km from Medna. We had Chandar Shekhar’s 12-bore shotgun made by Wesley Holland and a box of LG Max cartridges with us. Just before we got to Munkumpalli, there was a big mountain on which there was a large Mundir, close to it there was a very large Banyan tree. To the east of the Banyan tree there was a rainwater channel (Naala). Down below this rainwater channel there was a dense grove of Palm Trees.

In the early morning hours, a Kalal (aSayndhi broker) had gone into the groves to collect the sap from the Palm trees when he sighted the Leopard entering the Palm grove. The broker retreated and went back to the village to inform the villagers about the Leopard being in the grove. A dozen or more people decided to stand guard at the Palm grove while they sent a man to inform us at Chandar Shekher’s Medna Palace. The news spread like a wildfire and soon a lot of curious spectators gathered on the big mountain. Because this mountain being so close to the village, we decided to stop to the north of the mountain.

I took the 12-bore shotgun in my hand and walked up to the dozen or so people who had corralled the Palm tree grove while the Deshmukh Sahib and Girya Chari stayed in the Jeep. I sent away most of the men except four, three of whom were leaders of Munkunpalli and the fourth man was the Naik of Chakunpalli Tanda (Hutments). He was a grazer of goats from his Tanda, The Naik was a short-stocky man with impressive handlebar mustachios. He had wrapped his torso with a blanket while carrying a staff with a machete tied to one end of the staff. His Tanda was 2 Km from to the West of here. This Naik had previously hunted with me.

I was certain when the Leopard comes out of the Palm grove, it will run for the mountain. So, I sent a man to ask the spectators to move away from the mountain, but they did not budge from their vantage point. Being unable to dissuade the spectators, I decided to enter the Palm Grove with these four men. I had instructed them to walk with me, two of them to my right and other two to my left shoulder-to-shoulder in locked steps.
The pandemonium broke:

I had told them, whoever sights the Leopard, was to fall back one step and, touch me from behind to get my attention, but he was not to make any sounds. We entered the grove and one of the men on my right saw the Leopard. Instead of touching me, as instructed, he picked up a stone and hit the Leopard with the stone. The Leopard let out a powerful growl and ran out in the open field. One of the men to my right started running towards the mountain which was about 200 meters from the Palm Grove and the Leopard was now in pursuit of this man. I also got out of the grove and started running in the direction of the man. I could not fire at the Leopard because they would both be in the line of my fire. Soon the man fell headlong on the ground and, the Leopard clawed his back and ran away. It was now out of my range and it was climbing up the mountain.

Seeing the Leopard, a pandemonium broke out amongst the spectators; some were running to the left while others running to the right. A young boy was running behind everyone else and, the Leopard was now going for the young boy. As the Leopard got nearer, the young boy suddenly sat down, and the Leopard jumped over him and, was running for the mountain. I was certain the Leopard will climb up a tree or run to the west of the mountain where the terrain was strewn with big rocks. I was still on the run. I ran around the Deshmukh’s Jeep and circumnavigated the mountain towards a group of tall trees. Close to the group of trees, there was a big sloping rock. As I got on the rock, I saw the Leopard snarling and coming towards me. I stopped, turned around, aimed the shotgun on his chest and, pulled the trigger. The Leopard stumbled a few times and then fell to the ground.

The Jakunpalli Naik was also running behind me and, had now caught up with me. I reloaded the shotgun and stood there taking aim at the fallen Leopard but did not fire. The Leopard was dead.
The injured man:

The Leopard had dug four claws into the back of this man, but his wounds were shallow. We folded the wind shield of the Jeep and placed the Leopard on the bonnet of the Jeep and returned to Madna. The Deshmukh sent the injured man in his Jeep to Mudhool where there was a doctor to give him treatment. A large crowed had gathered at the Madna Palace to see the dead Leopard. The villagers insisted that the Deshmukh should parade the dead Leopard through out the village and Hutments. So, a procession of Dhupra drummers (town crier’s drum) beaters lead the Jeep, with the Leopard on it, through the Villages and Hutments.

No matter how happy our lives may have been, we look back and find periods in our lives when the unexpected things happen like the mayhem I have just described. It was totally unexpected. One moment I was enjoying the relaxed conversation with a dear friend, the next moment, I was called upon to kill this marauding Leopard. In stressful situations, men behave in the strangest ways possible, like the man who, instead of touching me to get my attention, just picked up a stone and hit the Leopard to start this entire chain of events. I guess, we live and learn from our mistakes.
The Wild Pig Hunt

This is a curious hunting event which had been going on for the past sixty (60) years or more. The real reason for this hunt was to help the farmers in the village of Madna in Taluka Sayrum which was in the district of Gulburga. We had responded to the requests from the local farmers to come and help them get rid of the menace of wild pigs.

The farmers plight is real and pathetic indeed. These farmers are poor and hardworking people. Though, farm machinery is available, but they still can not afford to buy it. A typical farmer, in Madna, puts in countless hours of hard labor through all kinds of weather conditions: winter, monsoons and hot dry summers, often from dawn to dusk for merger returns. Their main complaint of these poor souls is the destruction of their crops, by wild pigs. The farmers cultivate their fields and seed the lands in the hope of growing a good crop, but the wild pigs dig up their farms to feed on the seeds they have just sowed.

I have been visiting my friend Chandar Shekhar Reddy Sahib for the past 70 years, since we became friends. Chandar Shakkhar Reddy Sahib is a big Deshmukh in the Gulbarga district which was a part of Nizam’s Hyderabad State until 1948. He lives in the Taluka Sayrum where there were 36 Moza (subdivisions) under his administration. He is the owner of 3500 Acres of land which includes a small jungle on his properties. It is teaming with wild pig population. As I have said, whenever I visit him, scores of farmers come to see me and my friend, literally begging us to get rid of the pests. So far, each year, we have killed an average of 3500 adult pigs. But each year their numbers keep growing. A typical a sow delivers ten to fifteen piglets and at birth they each weigh 1.5 Kg. Therefore, the mother must find lots and lots of food in the vicinity. Cultivated farms have readily available food they so badly need.

To alleviate the problem of invasive wild pigs, the farmers have planted an imported variety of Acacia . Bush but it has exacerbated the problem: it has become a safe haven for the wild pigs. Human beings cannot pass through these bushes either; they are thorny. The acacia bush has no natural predators or herbivores to attract, so it spreads everywhere taking up valuable agricultural lands. The Acacia bush is spreading to Talaab (Ponds), rainwater channels and even on what used to be barren lands. To make the problem even worst, some foreign advisers have given us the Parthenium seeds. Our experts have not realized that it is spreading fast and all over the land. The wild pigs are thriving in these bushes. The Forestry department needs to pay attention to this problem and do something before it will be too late.

The farmers plant edible legumes and pluses in their farms, specially the Toor Dal or Pigeon Pea. After harvesting the Toor Dal, they pile up the green waste for disposal in the fields. One day, Chandra Shekhar Reddy organized a beat to cull these pigs and herds of wild pigs passed right under my nose and I could not see them because of the tall grasses. So, I decided to climb on a stack of Toor Dal waist vegetation piles, but I felt movement under my feet. It was a big fat male pig. I took aim on his shoulder and shot him dead. The wild pigs appreciate the green waste because during the day they stay inside the Toor Dal waste products. They like muddy wetlands and, Paddy Fields with plenty of water and they feed on it, causing damage and financial losses to the farmers.
Toor Kay Kuppay ka Shikar:

Since we discovered their favorite hideout in Toor Dal waste piles, it was helpful in organizing the Hanka. The hunters stand on both sides of the stacks of Toor Dal waste, while men walk over the piles and at times poking pointed sticks through the piles. The wild pigs come out and head for cover elsewhere and the hunters have a chance of shooting them. This method is our discovery and we call it Toor Kay Kuppay ka Shikar (The Toor Dal stacks Shikar). This hunting season begins at the end of February or beginning of March.
My plea to the governments:

I usually invite my hunting friends to the Toor Kay Kuppay ka Shikar to help the farmers out. This coincides with the Holi Festival holidays. This article is my plea to the governments and the Forest Department to please take some action and help the poor farmer whose hard labor and incomes are being destroyed by the Wild pigs. Some States, in India have implemented licensing. They send a Forest Department employee to supervise and provide a Jeep for the hunter to go and cull the wild pigs.

[1] Hazoor = Your Majesty or His Highness

[2] for the curious readers, I have provided a link to the fabulous story of Hyderabad Deccan.

[3] Tamarind Tree is also known as Imlee Tree

[4] 1332 Fasli would be 1922 A.D

[5] Nawab of Chattari was a one-time Prime Minister of the Nizam of Hyderabad

[6] Sir Akbar Haidri became Prime Minster after Nawab of Chattari

[7] Khulgay is plural of Khulga which means a young Buffalo

[8] Langot covers a man’s private parts.

[9]

[10] Machan is a temporary tree house built for Shikar

[11] Sardarjee refers to a Sikh

[12] My calculations are mostly correct, however; if the tiger I too fat and has a fat tail, this may not be a very accurate measurement.

[13] My original plan was to have eight (8) but there was no shortage of manpower here.

[14] The head was removed, boiled and flesh removed for taxidermy

[15] Muslim morning prayer

[16] Place for tying the bait

[17] Phantay=Palm leaves or Bamboo leaves

[18] Garabundi is the method of tying a bait by the front leg to a tree

[19] Paddy is wet rice

[20] The Leopard always eats his kill from the belly of the Gara whereas the Tiger always eats his kill from the hind legs.

[21] Nawab: for more information see the link to Wikipedia

[22] Banjara are nomadic people

[23] Leopards

[24] Nihari is a slow cooked meat dish with fragrant spices.

[25] Bore Baccha’s favorite foods are goats, pigs and dogs, or cats

[26] Naiks are chiefs

[27] A small dog

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