The life of the villagers of Kookalthorai in the Nilgiris district is very different from what life is for a majority of people.The region is connected to contiguous forests of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve through the Moyar Valley which is an important elephant corridor. This makes interactions with wildlife an everyday occurrence in this village. From your neighbourhood mongooses and langurs paying a visit when hunger strikes to curious sloth bear barging into the house or large-sized gaurs blocking your away, the villagers’ encounters with the wildlife are as vivid as they could get.
One of the directors of Keystone Foundation Anita Varghese, staff Nayantara Lakshman and steward Baby Shalini felt the stories of these encounters could make for an informative and engaging read and set out to put these stories together into a 32-page book— a collection of 10 stories titled Beyond Forest Boundaries. With amazing illustrations by Anjali Joy accompanying the stories, the short story collection is a delight to read. The project is funded by the HCL Foundation.
These stories not just introduce the reader to the everyday life of the villagers of Kookalthorai, it also exposes one to the intricate, deep and often spiritual bond they have with the wildlife. In The Wandering Elephant, Geetha feels a sense of loss when the lone elephant stops visiting her village. In The Mysterious Nai Sithurai, when a mystical creature makes away with his puppy, Kaushal, though disheartened, understands it as “a part of life”.
Some stories also point to reasons why wildlife is getting too close for comfort in this village. In Who Invited the Wild Boar? Seema realises her villagers are the reason why wild boars are not leaving her neighbourhood. Some villagers like Soundarya and her husband have the wherewithal to shield themselves from wildlife encounters by means of CCTV cameras and electric fences, many villagers, often poor, are vulnerable to interactions that could get dangerous.
By Arathi Menon
