TWENTY FOUR SEVEN - TYPICAL DAY OF A BHUTANESE FIELD FORESTER

This story was written in 2006 for enjoying many years later

Start your journey in haste you end up the day in haste, the week in hurry, the month quite fast and the year very very fast. I started my day about 5.45 a.m. from my home in Trsahiyangtse. Home you know is that place where in when you go there is no rejection whatever your state and position. I like my home for several reasons that need not be accounted in this document or piece of writing. The morning of 27th March 2006 saw me being taken from one district to the other covering roughly about 140 odd kilometers. I began the day in haste and the day did end itself in hurry.  Thanks to my car that can take me from one place to another as and I want it to.

Thanks to my car for carrying me anywhere I want and circumstances want me to move.

Having kept an appointment with one Mr. Khampa from Soekhar village under Balam, a Gewog adjoining my range to talk to him over some timber issue at Sheripam Check Post I had to make an hasty drive at 60km per hour which for some is not quite a speed save for me who can control speed only up to that limit. Crossing Kulong Chu at Dhogsoom and moving abreast Drangme Chu a meandering river with a meandering road along till the end of Sheri Chu and having to drag over the twist and turn of Yadi turnings had never ever been quite an easy drive for me ever since my appointment to establish Serzhong Park Range in April 2004. I always had been a tryst for this round of drive. The gorgy slopes of Buyang, the sharp climb near Choongdu adding fuel to my tiresome journey; the journey had always been an odyssey. These to and fro travel between these two beautiful places for me had been more often official than private though people always thought otherwise.

To my surprise I reached Yadi about quarter to eight and I wondered if my speed had been too much. When I but calculated the time and my speed it was just about 120 minutes; nothing to be surprised. Putting on my uniform from my Yadi house I made a move down to Sheripam check post at haste because I was the one to instruct the complainant to appear to my check post at 9.00 a.m. without fail. Once I reached the Check Post I was told that the alleged culprit has already reached the area and that he has waited for my arrival. I was down there by 9.45 a.m. Interrogation revealed that the man was guilty of what ever he has done for which the problem had to be postponed till the appearance of the responsible Forester In charge of Soekhar village not within the Sanctuary control.

While on the prowl over the issue a man came to ask me for stone slab permit mentioning the name of Mongar Dzongrab. I did not like his approach because who ever it may be it is through rule that the permits are issued and using someone's names these days have no impact on people especially like me. I told him to apply for the resource so that I can recommend and forward the issue to my higher authorities for approval but he pleaded for an early permit. He argued that the stone slabs were necessary for repairing the Mongar Dzong and that it was on emergency basis that he wanted the resource. I but was skeptic about his pleadings as it could be a big lie (using someone else's name).

My contractor friend used this DCM to carry the stone slabs at his discretion

A good friend of mine, he followed me up to Serzhong to keep pleasing me for the day for his commercial advantage. He finally made a move downward to Yadi after confirming that I will be spending the night at Serzhong. People always have forgotten that I never tell them (that group of people whom I know them as either a contractor working in my Range, or any suspicious looking people) the facts of my whereabouts. However, it isn't surprising that the fishermen and the people who do illegal activities of this locality had been always noting the movement of the blue car to see if it is approaching near by to catch hold of them in the illegal act.

During the last Internal Staff Coordination Meeting exactly a year ago I caught two fools heading for fishing right on that very bridge. They were perplexed at my presence at 11.45 p.m. on the bridge. The first fool who was dumb went to shit after seeing me catching his company who could not hear. I knew that the fool was forced to shit by his fearing hormones, other wise it wasn't definitely a correct time for shitting. If the story is presented in true sense, which I actually want to; how I caught them has an interesting beginning. On the evening of 27th March, 2005, all Rangers of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary along with their then Park Manager who had come for the 3rd Internal Staff Coordination Meeting were in their cozy beds when Sherimung Ranger, the host Ranger could not sleep. All of them having come from either Trashiyangtse or Lhuentse were tired and were in deep slumber when the host Ranger sneaked out of the camp to move up to the village opposite the Check Post site for a purpose other than protection and conservation. The trip was for entertainment - with all honesty, the so called Night Hunting, an odd term but commonly used to find a company at night explicitly for bluish activities.

A seasoned ex-army and a forester, Nima told me that the fishermen would leave the truck only about 12.00 midnight and continue fishing till 3.00 a.m. We kept our eyes wide open from the transparent hut of Norpon Paithi who sacrificed his quilt for our sake to join his wife who was sleeping alone on our arrival. A sense of guilt ran through my senses to say we are a nuisance to this old couple who might like to enjoy but for our presence.

I returned from Serzhong round about 7.00 p.m. because of yet another contractor following me to hand over his half done water supply work for my Sheripam Check Post. A wonderful contractor he expected me to let him go back to Trashiyangtse seemingly expressing his problems at home. Who does not have problem at home? I told him to stay the night at the Check Post so that rectification works can be done before he is out of the area. He did agree to what I said but I had to stay back as well because if I came to Yadi I had to go back to Sheripam the very next morning. The decision fixed I kept on at the Check Post for the night but the night turned sleepless. The terrible night! Should I not call it a terrible night?

Being ill prepared to stay back at Sheripam I did not carry my sleeping bag the thing very very important for a person of my caliber who has to sleep in places not known every new night. My sleeping bag I left behind because I had to leave it as I myself put up at Serzhong more than often. The day had been tiresome; having to meet with the Gup to bring forth the offenders, having to fix the dates for making depredation compensation to the affected people and having to meet the contractor and having to patrol the fishing spots of the Sheri Chu.  Mr. Nima Trashi, my Park Guard, an ardent night patrol-er and the then Check Post in Charge quipped "Sir, our dinner today!" I asked him in return to know if he eats in the office - cum - resident Check Post building. He visited the kitchen then to find out if he has something left in the kitchen he supposedly had been used by our nagging contractor. He came out to say that there was some rice left over. He told me that he would heat it and feed me for the night. I nodded but remained worried, as he also had to eat something. My instinct told me to visit the neighboring houses of PWD labors and the two households below the road. So, I went to wish them at their home in the darkness. I wanted some information about the happenings of Sheripam in my staff's absence. A lucky man the landowner served me dinner of fried eggs and chilies. I liked the dinner and had to the brim. I kept on talking at their house for quite sometime about things that are not so note worthy. I kept on probing them about fishing and hunting in the locality at regular intervals. The response looked quite fine. I could gather a bunch of information about the activities down there.

At about 10 p.m. Nima Tashi (my old but smart Park Guard who later joined me to have dinner at the same house) and I left the house for the Bailey bridge over the Mooroong Chu, which also serve as the boundary between Ngatshang and Sherimung Gewogs.  This place around the bridge has served as parking for the drivers who wish to have fish. They park their vehicles and move down towards the river and start fishing. All these happen at night every time they know we are out of the Check Post according to reliable sources. As we moved on towards the bridge we saw a truck parked beside the bridge just below the road. We noted the registration number of the truck. At least four people were found sleeping on the truck. I told Nima that I have never failed to apprehend people of this area because every time I went for patrolling I had some kind of progress. I either caught the culprits or found their materials on the riverside.

The Bailey bridge that is the beginning of the Park Range serves so many purposes

As I came out from the PWD's office - cum - residential building (in which all of us were putting) I could not decide which way to head. I did not want any friends because I did not want any trouble with my wife at home. If I take a friend that would be end of it if my very friend spreads the news of our crawling at night; so making every sense of it I went to the Check Post contractor's supervisor to take a helping hand to my not so ideal but interesting trip. We went on crossing the bridge, reached the destiny but found that the aim of my night (the lady that I wanted to stay with for the night) sleeping with her father. Crestfallen we returned the same way we took. On reaching the very bridge I saw two torch lights moving towards us along the Mooroong Chu. I knelt down and instructed the guy with me to sleep flat on the ground so that they would come by us. As expected the guys came by us and then I took them by surprise holding one of them on the shoulder. I found a piece of fishing net in their bag and I took them to disturb my friends' sleep and showed them how " looking for Sex can help Conservation". My Park Manager could not help laughing when I linked sex and conservation as an example in the field. I believe so many offenders get caught when conservation people become nocturnal for purpose not necessarily for conservation. Mine is just a simple example of how I have saved the lives of so many fishes who could have gone down to the frying pans of those fools had the Ranger not been a nocturnal. Therefore, being nocturnal for the field staff is an added advantage to conservation.

Back to what happened on the hasty day is perhaps more note worthy than just being dragged to last year's 27th March. Nima and I decided to put up in the hut of Norpon Paithi adjacent the Mooroong Bailey Bridge to see if any body moves out of the truck for doing any thing in the darkness.

 

Norpon Paithi’s hut our night’s cover with Norpon with teacup on the door

As expected at about 12.45 p.m. a pair of torch showed over the parked truck and two to three people moved down the river side. I told Nima if we have to follow. "Sir let's wait and watch what is the next thing they are up to" said Nima. Inquisitive me told him what we have to do to which he said that we should wait near the truck till they return. It was apparent from his expressions that he feared chasing them because he had bitter experiences of the past and I have one such experience as well but only one at Trsahiyangtse in 1999 where I had to drop down the lit torch on the ground to be stoned by the fishermen. The people battered my torch to dysfunction and I fear the night even today; had I continued to hold the torch I could have been beaten like my torch was beaten. As we were discussing I napped a while because of my closing eyes telling him to be vigilant about the torches. I promised him his turn of nap once I was fine. As I closed my eyes a DCM truck crossed the bridge at a dashing speed disturbing every piece of my nap. The proximity of the Norpon Paithi's hut to road added to such an advantage that no one could escape, even people's moment can be monitored through this helter-skelter hut. My old but energetic partner ran after the DCM to lock the gate at the Check Post, which was about 300m away so that the DCM could be caught while returning.

After a while he came back to put up with me. Round about 1.30. a.m. a man walked by our point, we then decided to follow the nocturnal and stalked behind the man like the tiger after a sambar prey. The man to our disgrace stopped near the truck, climbed up and went to sleep with the other people. We saw everything he was doing and heard everything he was speaking and we did not hear anything fishy, sand-ly, boulderly or timber-ly. This person made us think if he had any other purpose other than doing illegal activity. After a few minutes I instructed Nima to climb the truck top to look for any circumstantial evidences for doing any illegal activity. I myself woke up the person sleeping in the cabin and sought redress about their presence at night near the river instead of truck parking in the town. He gave me some vague answers but I could not take action for lack of evidences. The truck left the area after about half an hour when the night was still young for reasons unknown to us. My Nima had a doubt if the truck would come to Yadi. He was sure that the truck had illegal motive and that the truck would stop some meters away from our eyes. But we could not follow the truck as we had nothing to proof the truck guilty.

A few minutes later we decided to move down the riverbank to look for the people. We failed to locate the people but while coming up crossing the chorten near the suspension bridge we saw the white DCM light springing from the other direction making us at heels to stop the thing. I ran faster than him because I had the contractor's torch while he was torch less. On reaching the road he ran faster than me and we found our great contractor who followed me the whole other day had better idea of taking the resource at short cut. Without permit, without any document; I wonder if all the contractors alike. 

Nima Trashi pretending to be asleep at my direction inside Norpon Paithi’s Palace

The DCM who thought the Range staff could be fooled

When the contractor was caught it was 2. 25 a.m. he admitted his guilt and agreed to pay the fine imposed. But Nima and I wondered over the order of the day. The contractor told me if I would get gold medal for doing duty without sleeping to which I had to reply saying my medals as my monthly salary and my travel and daily service allowance bills.

Today, the then set (2006) of Serzhong Range Staff are various places in Bhutan. 

Nima Tashi is still with Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary and is still looking around the same area but with a little difference. He married a young lady from Serzhong and is committed to stay with her for life in Serzhong.

Samten Choden moved to Mongar Division after Sheripam Check Post and she is now with Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, all refreshed, new place, new husband and with new looks.

When I last contacted him, Tshewang Dorji was with Jigme Dorji National Park, Gasa and has since been promoted a Ranger.

I have been told that Karma Wangdi has become a Lepidopterist at Ugyen Wangchuk Institute. I am sure he is doing his best as whatever he is.

Bal Krishna is with Jigme Dorji National Park, Gasa and has chosen to take up herpetological studies in the Park which I thought I have inspired him (although it is up to him whether to believe or not). I am just kidding boy. 

I wish my then team a best of luck as I remember our night crawling for whatever reasons. 

Disclaimer

This is my personal thought and anything written here is not intended to harm or promote people or things mentioned here. No one is authorized to use the content of this blog for either personal or public purpose. People mentioned here in are fictitious characters and any resemblance to anyone with some characters or more are purely coincidence.