Raju

During my recent trip to Corbett National Park, Raju was one of my guides. He took me (and my two hiking companions) on a steep hike behind our campsite. He lived in a house with his mother, wife and children just 5 minutes from the campsite. He talked to us about his walks through the jungle at night, braving his fears. He once encountered a tiger, but the moment passed, and the tiger walked away.

He had excellent vision and spotted a wild elephant walking on the edge of a river bed and the forest miles away. His frank and friendly manner was refreshing, and we felt very comfortable with him. He told us that as soon as children finish school he will send them to the army, as this was a family tradition. He didn't enlist in the army though, because his mother needed him around the house after his father's (a former soldier) death. He was the only other male member of the family.

When we stopped by his house at the end of the hike, he offered us tea. It took a while to come, and it tasted quite odd. My friend immediately asked him how it was made. He said it was powdered milk! He told us that his family believed that if visitors are given milk from his farm cows, it brings bad luck. Ten years ago when some visitors had come, farm milk was offered to them. That night one of their cows was lethally mauled by a wild animal. Since that incident, the family decided never to give home milk to visitors. I was shocked to hear this from an otherwise level-headed and affectionate man. That's the way it goes...