A few years ago I visited a remote tea estate in the Anamallais of Tamil Nadu. During dinner my host who knew of my interest in angling mentioned some good spots in the interior where large fish had been caught. But he also cautioned me that crossing the thick forest was hazardous without the services of a guide, if I dared to venture out. The very mention of angling lifted my spirits despite the risks.
Early next morning an experienced guide and I set off on the fishing expedition. After a 30km drive into the interior, we picked our way down a narrow track to locate the river. Dense forests surrounded us compelling the guide to hack his way through the undergrowth that engulfed the path. Mounds of fresh elephant dung littered the route, this, together with the ever thirsty hordes of leeches that merrily feasted on our blood, slowed down our progress. Yet, we plodded on.
Soon we heard the gurgling sounds of flowing water and a river loomed large ahead. It was quite broad with forests on either bank. We started fishing and caught a few small and medium sized fish. These minnows can be caught anywhere; I had ventured this far only because I was after the elusive monsters which reportedly lurked in the depths of the river. But, fishing in this inhospitable terrain was no easy task.
We fished for over an hour with little success. My guide suggested we try the opposite bank for better luck. Searching among the bushes he located a small canoe with a single paddle. This primitive boat was a hollowed out tree trunk that could barely accommodate two persons. I had my apprehensions as to whether it was stable enough for us to safely cross the river, a risk I had to take as it wasn’t often that one got such an opportunity to fish this pristine location.
Launching the canoe in the water we slowly paddled towards the opposite bank. We had covered almost three-fourths of the way, when I spotted two logs floating downstream. On closer scrutiny I noticed that the logs had eyes that were observing us minutely! This made my hair stand on end. I had watched enough of Discovery Channel to realise these partially submerged objects were in fact camouflaged crocodiles.
I had had many close encounters on land with dangerous wild animals, but this was my first perilous brush with reptiles in water. No wonder our catch had been scanty; the crocs had obviously been feasting on the large fish. Anyway, this was certainly not the time to sharpen their taste buds by offering them “juicy steaks on a wooden platter”! My guide too was nervy about their presence, so we quickly headed for the safe river bank, paddling fast and never daring to take our eyes off the lurking monsters.
We abandoned the idea of fishing and from the bank scouted for any more predator. We found none and with all urgency paddled back to the boarding point. It was only after planting my feet firmly on solid ground that I felt sheer relief. I often recollect the horrifying scene of canoeing in the wilderness with two carnivores within striking distance and thank God we did not end up in their voracious jaws.