Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06been so little wildlife about. The Indians may have a good attitude to livingcreatures, not killing them unnecessarily and not eating them, buttheir intense management of this land meant no wild habitat remainedfor the wild animals to live in. In nearly two weeks of being outdoorsevery day and night, we had seen just one small group of chital and amongoose. I would see much more than that walking for a day anywherein England. The only wildlife in any numbers were birds—theyare able to live with so much human activity.I could not help but notice on the map that just before we left thebund, after four days’ walking, we would at last be right next to the GreatGandak. That morning, an hour or so after leaving Mr. Singh, we cameround a bend and were suddenly on a cliff being eroded by the river,trees behind, for once no one in sight, and the Gandak slipping slowlyand mightily, full of silt, past us. It was the time of our normal morningstop, and Ajahn Sucitto agreed that this would be a good place. So wesat overlooking the great river. Downstream sailing boats were hauledup on a wooden jetty, and across the river, on the distant bank, grazedflocks of ducks and greylag geese. This is what I had been looking for.My heart trembled. At last. Sitting by the river feeling at one with it all...“Shall we go on?” We had had our standard fifteen-minute stop itseemed, and my companion, as ever a chap of unwavering application,knew it was time to set off. I could have asked to stay, but that kind ofthing is never the same if one tries to hold on to it. So we got up andwent on. After just a few hundred yards, our route led away, and weturned inland never to see India’s Great Gandak again.We joined a small road heading east and were soon engulfed by a flockof boys on bicycles. There were thirty or more of them coming homefrom school, and as each caught us up they slowed to stare. As usual withlads of that age, they were not really interested in trying to interact withus, just curious about us as objects. They discussed us, laughed at us, andoccasionally one of them would try out one of the English questionsthey had learned in school. We tried to ignore them, but it’s difficult to1 4 4