“Good morning sir, myself Malkhan Singh Yadav. I am your guide for the day. We will go through the wildlife sanctuary and will be able to see some animals, you should have come a bit early to see them. Still if we are lucky enough we will spot few of them”.
That’s how my conversation started with Malkhan Singh Yadav our guide in Ken Ghariyal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
On my asking about the possibility of spotting a alligator I got a curt answer
Sir, no guarantee…
Got a bit disappointed on getting the answer. Firstly the waterfall was all dry as there had been no rainfall in the last few years. Secondly the animals are generally not out in the open at this time of the day. To top it all no guarantee of alligator spotting. All this made me a bit doubtfull about our so called guide.
This time I was wrong maybe all that went wrong was actually for our own benefit. What we saw was much beyond our expectations.
Thanks to Malkhan Singh Yadav.
Well he took position in the back seat of our car. Sambit sitting next to me. And me enjoying doing a off-road with my sedan. As our drive progressed we were able to see some spotted deers and neelgais. And a running commentary about all those other animals which are residents of the jungle but probably feeling a bit shy to show up.
Well Malkhan Singh Yadav was nicely compensating for the loss we made in reaching late to the sanctuary. Told us enough to visualize how the place may look in it’s full glory. The drive was pleasant, specially because we seldom get to wear t-shirts in the middle december and here we were almost sweating.
Malkhan Singh is a native of a nearby village, done his basic education in a school in Khajuraho. Seeing the condition here I’m sure basic education is not so basic in that part of our country. And our man had to struggle hard to achieve the basics.
No matter what the condition of the jungle may be, he has a pride in everything related to the jungle and the fact that he is the official guide of the jungle, the river, etc…
There was joy on his face when he could finally spot an alligator for us. Though he had not guaranteed us success still he made it happen. Just before we would have turned back towards our car he and the mallah spotted the 10 feet long alligator. Though from a distance, but surely we saw the reptile. With full satisfaction we turned back towards the point where we started from - A waterfall without any water.
Once again Malkhan surprised us. By showing the rock formations in the river bed, he made us feel lucky that we came in a dry season or else we would have missed out on seeing the five different rocks that the depression in the river bed consists of, well by all means it was probably much better than seeing just another waterfall. Or else I would have never believed him with the story of the extinct volcanic eruption which had melted five different types of rocks in a single big mass around the dead crater.
What lies beneath is generally a myth. Somehow Malkhan Singh is person who doesn’t make stories rather show evidences. Or else I wouldn’t have believed that alligators existed in this sanctuary or five different rocks have fused into one or there is a crater below the water surface.
I got a bit inquisitive and asked him what made him get to the job of a guide in the sanctuary. Once again the answer was all about showing evidences. This was story helped me understand his approach towards his job and maybe life. How he takes pride in what he does. How he believes in proving things than just telling tales.
Malkhan Singh as a student left his village and went to Khajuraho for his schooling. As I had stated earlier it’s not so easy to get basic education in a village like this. Malkhan was not one of the privileged kids to get easy education. He had to earn his living since the school days. He had to do part time jobs to earn a stay in Khajuraho. In a tourist destination like Khajuraho, it must have been not so difficult for Malkhan to help out tourist showing around the town. Telling them little of whatever he knew about the place and earn a buck or two. In return he would not just ask for money but an entry in his diary about their experience with the amateur guide. This was the certificate he carried along for years with him. And one fine day when a Wildlife Sanctuary was being opened in a nearby jungle. Malkan Singh got his way through as one of the first recruits as an official guide. He had no formal education as a forest guide. And on being asked for a reason for them to hire Malkhan. He didn’t waste anybodies time with stories, but provided evidence that he had collected over the years. Evidence about what lie beneath the surface of being a simple village school boy. Evidence of a guide called “Malkhan Singh Yadav”.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
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