Life in the IAS: My Encounters with the Three Lals of Haryana

Name : Life in the IAS: My Encounters with the Three Lals of Haryana

Author : RAM VARMA

Book Format : Hardcover

Genre : Biographies

ISBN : 9788129134899

Language : English

Pages : 301-400 Pages

Publish Year : 2017

Publisher : Rupa Publications India

Sub Genre : True Accounts Books

Most Himalayan villages lie in the valleys where there are small streams, some farmland, and protection from the biting winds that come through the mountain passes in winter. The houses are usually made of large stones and have sloping slate roofs so the heavy monsoon rain can run off easily. During the sunny autumn months, the roofs are often covered with pumpkins, left there to ripen in the sun. One October night, when I was sleeping at a friend’s house in a village in these hills, I was awakened by a rumbling and thumping on the roof. I woke my friend and asked him what was happening. ‘It’s only a bear,’ he said. ‘Is it trying to get in?’ ‘No. It’s after the pumpkins.’ A little later, when we looked out a window, we saw a black bear making off through a field, leaving a trail of half-eaten pumpkins. Face to Face In winter, when snow covers the higher ranges, the Himalayan bears come to lower altitudes in search of food. Sometimes they forage in fields and because they are shortsighted and suspicious of anything that moves, they can be dangerous. But, like most wild animals, they avoid humans as much as possible. Village folk always advise me to run downhill if chased by a bear. They say bears find it easier to run uphill than down. I am yet to be chased by a bear, and will happily skip the experience. But I have seen a few of these mountain bears in India, and they are alway

Country of Origin : India