Chankaran

Chankaran. On Sunday morning at the Tilak Udyan, Rama did the namkaran of the watchman of the Tilak Udyan. With palm on his head, she named him Chankaran, transacting Sunday smiles. Not Sankaran. Rama wanted to present a rose but Chankaran objected to plucking a rose on a still, Sunday morning. We were at a comfy, wooden bench and Chankaran walked over with a smile and a tail wag. Plonked himself at me feet for a head and body massage. He smelt fresh. He took out of his pockets a Parle G and shared it. The function was overseen by crows and mynas. Chewing a Parle G, he talked of his birth at Tilak Udyan and his bringing up by the public in shanties outside. 'They are kind folks,' he remarked. 'Every Sunday, they offer me a lunch of fish and meat, sometimes biryani and that suits me. My workload is not heavy as the walkers are all decent,' he added. Brings me to the two gentlemen who got me into loving Nature: Kishor Rithe of Amravati and K.Venugopal of Business Line, Chennai. There was some reluctance on wildlife writing in a business paper. But Venugopal, Sir as me always calls him, agreed. Business Line foot the bills as me went with Kishor Rithe into forests; Varad Giri took me to Western Ghats; Nishi Bahu offered technical know-how with some fun; Rishikesh Chauhan of Bombay Natural History Society to Point Calimere. Me sure am lucky. An afternoon, Sir called up from Chennai; 'please meet my father in Mumbai,' he said. An unpleasant job but orders are always obeyed. Met G. Kasturi on the fifth floor room of Kasturi Buildings at Churchgate. 'Like the  wildlife pieces; after all a business paper is not all about Sensex,' he said. Chat over, we went our ways. Frontline started by G.Kasturi began with some fine journalism by experts on wild life; with full page colour pix; there are some who still cherish old copies of Frontline before it became ordinary as the mass of mags at the newstands. English language newspapers in the 50s, 60s and 70s did give space to wildlife. The Statesman, Calcutta, ran the famed M. Krishnan column. Thanks and thanks again.