The Dutch Army Captain, who was in charge of their
camp in Oli ‘Kayaloram’, shore,
presented the ‘Desavazhi Nambuthiri’,
our great ancestor, a large-bored
single barrel muzzle loading gun firing balls or slugs namely the Blunderbuss, [an alteration of Dutch donderbus ‘thunder-gun’,] which ‘Appachan’ inherited from his
ancestors. It was one of the first batch of guns given to a ‘Desavazhi’ of the erstwhile State of
Cochin. When the Arms Act came into force, he obtained license for the gun from
the government. As in previous centuries, hunting was more than a hobby to
attain pleasure or relaxation. It was a means to tone the body, to test one’s
nerves and learn the fine art of hunting. My ancestors believed that hunting of
wild prey was the same as slaying enemies or killing ferocious beasts.
Jacob and I used to accompany ‘Appachan’ on his hunting expeditions. He used it mainly to
preserve his agricultural yield from the birds. Occasionally after a breakfast
of rice soup, we used to go to the paddy fields where Pigeon and water birds
like Herone, Snake-darter, Egret, Spoonbill and Water-hen were spotted in
plenty. Some of these water birds were migratory; they come from such distant
places like Siberia to escape the severe winter.
Over the vast expanse of delta land, we used to hop over thorny bushes, walk
through the tiny bunds; skip
across small breaches on the paddy fields; and entered into the open dirt fields. We often
spotted storks standing on one leg; Herones having long skinny legs slyly waded
through the shallow canal to take cover under the shade of ‘Kaitha-Kadu,’ Thatch Screw Pine forest; a pair of ‘Eranda’, wild ducks, swiftly swirl through the wide Karithara Canal flapping their wings; two Egrets with its feet folded under their bellies flew off noiselessly, staring into the Vendatty Canal, and they were
hungry. I spotted Waterhens, (Kulakozhi),
having an elongated leg, pointed long neck, wings slightly red, breast
portion white in colour, and their tail flicking up, walking on floating
planktons in a pond near Thaithara Palathingal’s house. They are so light and
on seeing us approach, scared, ran speedily to safety. Little away, I noticed a
pair of Egrets and Common Myna (Madatha)
walking behind the cattle grazing on green patches on the bund of Karikkanthara
paddy field and feeding on crickets and other insects that emerged out of their
shelter in the blades of grass. The sun had slipped from the peak but still blazing; we too,
were famished and returned for our lunch. After the days hard
work we wash our sweaty, greasy faces
and have a good bath before entering the
Mana. A glass of butter milk, ‘Sambharam’,
before meal or a good meal with thick curd made from the milk obtained from our
cows was a welcome relief after the scorching heat of the sun. Our hunting
outing would have got us about a dozen or more birds from which we would be
able to get about two to three kilogram of bird meat. ‘Ammachi’ and Mariakutty would cut it, skin it, and remove the
digestive system, legs, head and other unwanted parts. The rest were cut into
small pieces and washed properly. Sufficient quantity of pepper powder, pressed
coriander and salt are smeared on it and kept aside. Later this was deep fried
in our own coconut oil. This fried meat, salad and dry ‘Chapatti’ made an excellent dinner for us that night. The very
thought of it makes my mouth water even now.
In the evenings we used to go to the bamboo forests
in the neighbourhood, where there were trees with thick leaves and fruit trees
on which we could spot not only water birds but also other varieties of birds.
The meat of Koel, Cuckoo and Pigeon that we shot down here were also tasty. ‘Appachan’, at times, allowed me to fill
in the gadgets. About five to ten grams or more of gun powder, a black powder,
which is a mixture of Sulphur and charcoal, had to be loaded into its barrel
depending on the distance of the target. This was followed by filling it with
coir fibers made into small round balls. All this had to be stuffed well by
using a long iron rod. Again about six to eight rounds of iron pellets were
loaded and tightened as aforesaid with coir fibers. These were loaded to
tighten the entire pack. Finally a little ignition powder, Potassium nitrite,
was packed on the trigger-point behind the gun powder pack and after which the
trigger was closed gently and carefully. The gun was made ready for firing. In
spite of the gun made ready a lot of times for shoot, I was forbidden to shoot
at as I was not eighteen years old. He adhered to every letter of the law. This
annoyed me at that point of time. When I became a major, I made my maiden gun
shot at a Woodpecker followed by a Koel and a Cuckoo and then innumerable water
birds. This was the fulfillment of a long cherished dream and the entry into
manhood. I mastered the art so well that I used to shoot down as many birds as
my father and he applauded me for it. Jacob too was very good with the gun. We
used to go on a hunting spree. The echo of our gun shots lingered in the air
for some time; the wisps of white smoke emitted
on firing wafted a pleasant
smell of the gun powder that dissipated
and vanished into thin air.
The sun was about to set. the birds were fluttering around the bamboo and
other fruit trees, seeking to nest there for the night, but they saw us below;
from it rose a disquieting murmur, and they took fright. They flew hither and
thither, undecided, waiting for the gathering to disappear and let them return
to their nests.
One day, after sunset, we returned with a lot of
cranes from our hunting session. I thought all of them were dead and threw all
of them on the kitchen work area to be dressed for the meal. Suddenly, I gazed
at one of them raising his head, when I went near to have a closer look at the
bird; he tried to poke my eyes with his long beak. I jerked back right on time.
I gave him one blow on his head and made sure he fell silent.
I made use of every opportunity to improve my
deftness with the gun. While I was studying in Sacred Heart
College at Thevara for my pre-degree and degree courses, I was a cadet of the
N.C.C. (National Cadet Corps) Army Wing. The officers in charge of NCC in our
college, Lt. Col. T.C. Mathew (who was a Professor and later HOD of Zoology Department),
Major Abraham Maliakkal (Physical Education) and Col. George, who was the
Commandant of N.C.C. Battalion at Ernakulam, identified and recognized my
talent for shooting. The military instructors gave me several tips for firing
bullets on .22 and .303 Riffles at the shooting range on our college campus. While
lying down straight to shoot at the target the military instructors directed
me, “Spread your legs about your shoulder width to get a comfortable lying
posture. Hold the rifle on top of the curved portion of your pointed finger and
the thumb on the left hand. The weight of the rifle should be on your elbow
resting on ground. Keep it with a tight grip on your right chest muscle just below
the collarbone to ensure steadiness and accuracy. This position helps to absorb
the recoil of .303 Rifles on the whole body. Insert your pointed finger on the right
hand straight into the trigger guard and rest it on the guard. Adjust the
barrel gently with your right hand. Relax your body, control your breath and then
aim at your target. Your eyes should align with the markings, an aperture at the
back and a tiny bead at the front of the barrel and with the bull, a black
circle on the white background at the target which may have scoring rings. When
you are ready to fire gently squeeze the trigger without bending your finger. Proper
form has to be maintained to hit the target every time. When your neck and eyes
are strained; relax them for some time. Do some neck exercise and look at a
green pasture or running water for relaxation of the eyes. Then continue
shooting. Regular practice would definitely make you a great shooter.” I
followed their instructions diligently and fired my shots when I could see only
the bull and nothing else, and I never missed it. My officers allowed me to
inspect the reactive targets to easily identify bullet strikes. This gave me an
opportunity to improve my skills by quickly being able to compare their aiming
point and where the actual bullet impacted the target. For snap shooting events
time is an important factor. You get only a few seconds to fire a few shots.
Modern weapons are fitted with telescopes as well.
In the
Indo-Chinese war of 1962, the Indian Army used .22 Riffles and the Chinese used
S.L.R., (Self Loading Rifle.) When the
regular army was equipped with .303 riffles and S.L.R (Self Loading Riffles),
the .22 Riffles were given for training the NCC cadets. In 1971, my officers
gave me a wonderful opportunity to attend a weapon training camp attached with a
regular army battalion, the Gurkha Rifles, then stationed at Pangode in
Trivandrum. I used to get training in the use of .303 Rifles, S.L.R. (Self
Loading Rifle,) Bren-gun and L.M.G. (Light Machine Gun) at their Pangode
military firing range. Thereafter I passed the ‘B’ and ‘C’ Certificate
examinations too in NCC. I was gradually promoted as a Junior Under Officer in
NCC. While in college, one of my friends, T.A. Kuriakose (now, Major T.A.
Kuriakose, (son of Lt. Cdr. T.K. Alex who was then in the Indian Navy), now
residing with his wife, Betsy in Heera Waters, at Chilavannur in Ernakulam, used
to take me to his house at INS Venduruthy. I vividly recall his mother, Ammini aunty,
who used to greet me with a smile; and offered piping hot tea and snacks. Ammini
aunty and Alex uncle always encouraged me. At that time the Senior Under
Officers in my college were Mr. Gopinath, Manikandath Road at Ravipuram, Mr. Martin
K. Mathew, Maliakkal Thevara (later DSP of Kerala Police, Crime Branch at
Ernakulam); Mr.Kuriakose Kaithakottil at Chethicode (later LIC Branch Manager)
and Mr. Kuriakose Kattikaran at Ernakulam (later Manager Law in Ruby
Marattululam at Changanassery); and one of my juniors, Mr. Girijan (later Lt. Col.
Girijan.) They used to cheer me up and gave me confidence. I was selected for
snap shooting competition with Self Loading Rifle at Avadi in Chennai. But I
failed to make it to the national level due to lack of regular practice and
familiarity with the SLR gun. In 1972, I was promoted as the Senior Under
Officer in N.C.C. (Army Wing) of my college. My passion for shooting
gave me a great deal of exposure. It also helped me make friends from all
across India. Whenever my family and I went to Ooty for the holidays, we used
to make it a point to meet Brigd. Bhasin and his daughter, Monica Bhasin. He
was then the secretary of the Ooty Gymkhana Club. We along with Carrol King,
Sally’s friend, used to meet Uncle Sam (Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw,) a seven
feet tall towering personality. He was my passionate hero of 1971 Indo-Pak War;
and was a very endearing person.
The British government encouraged the hunting of wild
animals. They used to reward the victors with monetary awards. They saw the
need for agricultural expansion and the export of agricultural products. As per
an official estimate, over eighty thousand tigers, one lakh-fifty thousand
leopards and two lakh wolves were slaughtered in India in fifty years from 1875
to 1925. The actual would be much more than that. The owners of coffee,
cardamom, tea and rubber plantations in the Sahyadri Mountains and hills had
the power to shoot not only in self-defense but also to safeguard their
privately owned estates or leased plantations. I happened to read one of the
thrilling classics of Colonel James Edward Corbett, “The Man Eaters of Kumaon.” In this book he has mentioned his
adventurous hunting feats at Kumaon, in the foothills of the Himalayas. During
these expeditions he states that he hunted down eleven man-eating tigers. I
marveled at his achievement.
Due to the British policy of hunting wild animals to
promote agriculture; large areas were deforested. A few animals like the
aurochs (an ancestor of buffalo), the pink headed duck were extinct; the
rhinoceros having single horn were killed for their horn, which is believed to
have magical power and it is now an endangered animal; the pride of the jungle,
the lion, too faced the threat of extinction. Now the lion is confined to the
Gir hills in Gujarat alone due to the protection afforded by Navab of Junagadh.
Wisdom dawned late; great men realized that the forest cover was depleting at a
drastic pace causing damage to the environment; and they deplored
deforestation. The government too realized their folly. They prioritized the
urgent need to focus attention for the conservation of the flora and the fauna.
They had to look into the preservation of forest wealth and the environment.
The concern for nature and its protection thus grew out of the ethos of the
hunt. Colonel J.E. Corbet drew on his considerable influence to help persuade
the provincial government to create India’s first national park, namely Hailey
National Park in U.P. (now Uttarkhand) in 1936, which was renamed as Jim Corbet
National Park. It is significant to note that Dr. Salim Ali did a path-breaking
work in natural history, cataloguing the distribution of the over thousand bird
species that inhabit South Asia. At Bharatpur, which is now a bird sanctuary,
one finds that during the monsoon storks and other waders breed in their
confines. It was at the instance of Dr. Salim Ali and his colleagues that
shooting was forbidden in Bharatpur. Thereafter, a lot of other national parks
and sanctuaries were declared by the Government of India. There are six
National Parks and fourteen Wild Life sanctuaries in the State of Kerala, South
India. Eravikulam National Park, to protect Nilgiri Tahr, with an area of
97 km, in Idukki district, was declared in 1978. Periyar National
Park, an elephant and a tiger
reserve, with an area of 350 sq km of
the core zone and the total reserve protected area covers 925 sq km is situated in the districts of Idukki
and Pathanamthitta, was declared as the Periyar National Park in 1982. Silent Valley National Park in
Palakkad district,
with an area of 89.52 sq km was declared in 1984. Mathikettan Shola
National Park in Idukki district, with an area of 12.82 km was declared in
2003. Anamudi Shola National Park in Idukki district is
composed of Mannavan shola, Idivara shola and Pullardi shola, covering a total
area of 7.5 sq km was declared in 2003. Pambadum Shola National Park in Idukki district,
with an area of 1.318 sq km was declared in 2003. The proposed Karimpuzha
National Park has an area of 230 sq km. The Wild Life Sanctuaries in
Kerala include - Periyar or Thekkady, area - 427 sq km, in Idukki district
established in 1950; Neyyar in Thiruvananthapuram district -128 sq. km, altitude
80 m-1866 m, established in 1958. Reed brakes, Ibex, Lion Tailed
Macaque, Indian elephant, Nilgiri Languir, Crocodile, Shola birds are the
attraction. Peechi-Vazhani in Thrissur district, area - 125 sq km,
altitude 40 m-928 m, established in 1958. Muthangha in Wayanad district, area
- 344.44 sq km, altitude 800 m-1158 m, established in 1973: Indian
Elephant, Bengal Tiger
are the attraction. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad district, area
-285 sq. km, altitude 459 m-1439 m, established in 1973: Nilgiri Tahr, Lion
Tailed Macaque, Gaur, Indian Elephant. Idukki in Idukki district, area
-70 sq. km, altitude 600 m-1200 m, established in 1976: Indian
elephant, Sambar. Pappara in Thiruvananthapuram district, area -53 sq km,
altitude 60 m-1717 m, established in 1983: Lion Tailed Macaque, Indian
elephant, and Shola birds. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in Idukki district, area
-25.16 sq. km, altitude 30 m-620 m, established in 1983: Birds. Chimmony in Thrissur district, area
- 85 sq. km, altitude 50 m-1116 m, established in 1984: Indian elephant,
Bengal tiger.in Kollam district, area
-171 sq. km, altitude 120 m-1785 m, established in 1984:Myristica swamps,
Bengal tiger, Lion Tailed Macaque, Shola birds, lesser predators, and Gluta Travancorica trees. Chinnar in Idukki district, area
-90.44 sq. km, altitude 440 m -2300m, established in 1984: sandal forests,
dry habitat species of animals and birds, Nilgiri Tahr, Indian elephant. Aralam in Kannur district, area
-55 sq. km, altitude 60m-1598m, established in 1984: Gaur, Sambar, Nilgiri
Langur. Mangalavanam Bird sanctuary, situated behind the edifice of High Court
of Kerala at Ernakulam district having 0.0274 sq. km, almost at sea level,
was established in 2004. Kurijimala in Idukki district, area
-32 sq. km, altitude approx. 800 m-2550 m, established in 2006: to protect
Neelakurinji. Ranipuram Wildlife
Sanctuary proposed in 2007 in Kasargod, approx. area -80 sq. km is an
integral part of Brahmagiri biosphere: shola forests, Indian elephants,
Indian leopards, wild dogs, various species of birds, Malabar Large
Spotted Civets, slender loris, and macaque.
The Forest Acts and Rules also came into force. It is
an offence to kill or capture any mammal, reptile or bird or even to disturb
them within the sixty square miles of the park. The Forest Rules provided
penalties for illegal trespass and poaching.
This conservation of flora and fauna in nature
reversed the thinking process of many including mine. Therefore, my antique
Blunderbuss donderbus (thunder-gun),
which was very frequently used by my ancestors to gun down storks and pigeons,
is now displayed as a show piece in my Oli Mana.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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