The goat was persistent!!!!!
I often hear of goats and cows getting into a duel with humans, having had little or no provocation. And it has happened with me too, a few times. Especially the time, our cow had kicked me in the backside and I had sat scared on the parapet for an hour till mummy had come to rescue me. And then, I always did wonder why the cow did nothing to attack her or anyone else. Why was it always me.
Then there was this other time, when my sister had come teaching me how to cycle in the large ground. A monsoon afternoon with absolutely nobody in the vicinity encouraged me to take up cycling without fear of embarrassment. Little did I know that there was a greater danger, more than the cow that lurked?
There was a giant hanuman langur, I know the name now but in those days there was no differentiation between a langur and a macaque, they were all hanuman ji's avatars. So this fellow, was somewhere in the distance and didi was far away too. Then it happened, it charged and came running and to my eternal memory, I remember it coming straight at me and realising that what is happening ‘O god’. Didi by then, realised that something was wrong and she shouted too and some aunties also were sitting on a parapet who began shouting. But I was in the centre and everyone assumed that the monkey would bolt at the commotion but it came straight at me and hit me smack in the middle of my back, just below the neck on the spinal cord. Phew, I was flat in the ground and the money realising that I was down and out, just bolted. That was then, this is now. I was in 6000 feet above the sea, at the edge of the Nilgiris. There were very few people around for the men had gone for labour and the women in the village had gone to the forest for collection. There were two kids and some grandmas. I sauntered off to the edge of the village and found myself gaping at one of the wonders of nature, a sheer fall into Kerala, beautiful to say the least. mesmerized, I sat for almost two hours till it was time for the men to come back. It was also time for the cows and goats to come back and many of them were coming straight at me, from the forests below. There was mist all around and the animals were passing one by one. 15 minutes passed and I noticed a goat that was climbing about 50 metres from where I was, I noticed that it was looking at me and then it came towards me. Ohh, I remembered the monkey of my childhood and decided that I can handle this goat. And that is what happened. It came right next to me wile I was immobile and then all of a sudden, raising on its hind foot tried to dive bomb me with its horns. I evaded and laughed. The other goats stopped and watched. This one again came. I held it in mid-action, having caught its horns. It started agitating. It charged again and again, till unbelievingly my hands started aching with the solidness of the horns. Luckily, not once did it manage t hit me, but it went on and on. I grew tired, the goat too and it grew dark, when finally Bala came calling for me. I got up and walked away and saw the goat standing and watching. And then it charged again, but stopped in its tracks. Late night, we slept at Siva's house and the goat slept in the same room, for that is how they slept. I slept under its gaze and nothing much happened to me. Next morning, I left, saying bye more to the goat than to the tribals - they must have wondered what’s it in me with the goat than with them.
Then there was this other time, when my sister had come teaching me how to cycle in the large ground. A monsoon afternoon with absolutely nobody in the vicinity encouraged me to take up cycling without fear of embarrassment. Little did I know that there was a greater danger, more than the cow that lurked?
There was a giant hanuman langur, I know the name now but in those days there was no differentiation between a langur and a macaque, they were all hanuman ji's avatars. So this fellow, was somewhere in the distance and didi was far away too. Then it happened, it charged and came running and to my eternal memory, I remember it coming straight at me and realising that what is happening ‘O god’. Didi by then, realised that something was wrong and she shouted too and some aunties also were sitting on a parapet who began shouting. But I was in the centre and everyone assumed that the monkey would bolt at the commotion but it came straight at me and hit me smack in the middle of my back, just below the neck on the spinal cord. Phew, I was flat in the ground and the money realising that I was down and out, just bolted. That was then, this is now. I was in 6000 feet above the sea, at the edge of the Nilgiris. There were very few people around for the men had gone for labour and the women in the village had gone to the forest for collection. There were two kids and some grandmas. I sauntered off to the edge of the village and found myself gaping at one of the wonders of nature, a sheer fall into Kerala, beautiful to say the least. mesmerized, I sat for almost two hours till it was time for the men to come back. It was also time for the cows and goats to come back and many of them were coming straight at me, from the forests below. There was mist all around and the animals were passing one by one. 15 minutes passed and I noticed a goat that was climbing about 50 metres from where I was, I noticed that it was looking at me and then it came towards me. Ohh, I remembered the monkey of my childhood and decided that I can handle this goat. And that is what happened. It came right next to me wile I was immobile and then all of a sudden, raising on its hind foot tried to dive bomb me with its horns. I evaded and laughed. The other goats stopped and watched. This one again came. I held it in mid-action, having caught its horns. It started agitating. It charged again and again, till unbelievingly my hands started aching with the solidness of the horns. Luckily, not once did it manage t hit me, but it went on and on. I grew tired, the goat too and it grew dark, when finally Bala came calling for me. I got up and walked away and saw the goat standing and watching. And then it charged again, but stopped in its tracks. Late night, we slept at Siva's house and the goat slept in the same room, for that is how they slept. I slept under its gaze and nothing much happened to me. Next morning, I left, saying bye more to the goat than to the tribals - they must have wondered what’s it in me with the goat than with them.
