An Unforgettable Lesson

"Save me," a man shouted on the top of his voice, terrified that the tiger would prey upon him. The tiger was approaching him with a look that made his blood run cold. The man, having no hope to survive, started chanting mantras and praying to God. He had his eyes closed. He heard the roar of the tiger and was now waiting to die. Much to his surprise, he felt nothing but heard the sound of something falling. He blinked open his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He discovered the tiger unconscious because he had been shot with an anaesthetic arrow. 

Upon looking around he noticed a bunch of forest officers. One of them had the bow and arrow with which the tiger was shot. The man thanked the officers for coming to his aid at just the right time. The forest team, then, collected the tiger from there and took it with them. 

Ramangarh, a village in Uttar Pradesh's eastern district, was famous for its animal population. The village has always been a prosperous one. The people who live here believe in harmony and unity. However, the situation has not been the same in recent months. Animals that used to live peacefully in the forest are now invading the village and wreaking havoc. The villagers are petrified because of it. This time, a tiger had entered and caused significant damage to the villagers. Fortunately, everyone was unharmed, but how long will they be? There was no guarantee. The reason for the animals entering the village is more complicated. We'll take a good look at it later.

The man we were talking about at the beginning is one of the villagers. He was terrified and worried about the village, so he decided to go to the village chief. The village chief was a 60-year-old man. He wore a simple dhoti kurta and had a light moustache. He had a daughter who was in her twenties. Her name was Sarika. She was a brave and ambitious girl. She wished for the village's progress and was working hard to achieve it. She had been deeply moved by the invasion of animals in the village and had pondered the reason for it. 

Coming back to the story, the man came running to the chief's house, located in the middle of the village, and knocked on the door hastily. The worried-looking chief pushed open the door. After seeing the condition of the man, the chief became even more distressed. He welcomed the man inside his house. In the meantime, Sarika too came outside. 

“Poor man, how did you get into this situation? Your clothes are filthy and ripped. You appear to be in distress,” the chief inquired, concerned. Fearfully, the man began to cry. “Please save us, chief. Or we'll all perish very soon. Today, a tiger entered the village and caused significant damage to all of us. He was about to kill me today, but the forest officers intervened and saved me. We are all very concerned about our children. Please do something,” the man begged. 

The chief, bewildered by the man’s confession, began to ponder. He became very concerned for his people. He knew he couldn't solve the problem on his own, so he decided to call Panchayat. Within an hour, everyone had congregated at the meeting location. Their faces showed clear fear. 

"So, as we all know, animals are invading the village on a regular basis, causing harm to people and property. We must find a solution to this problem. We can't let our lives be jeopardised any longer," the chief declared, adding, "If anyone has a solution, please come forward and speak." 

As soon as he finished his sentence, a voice yelled, "I know the solution!"

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, which turned out to be none other than Sarika, the chief's daughter. Chief smiled at her and invited her to come forward and speak. She came forward and began speaking. 

"Before we can consider a solution, we must first identify the source of the problem. We can easily follow the cause to the solution "Sarika spoke slowly and thoughtfully.

Others were perplexed as to what she really meant.

"What does this imply? They're coming because there's a forest nearby. Isn't it self-evident?" Another man intervened.

"No way, sir! It's not that simple. Just think for a moment. The village has been located near the forest for many decades, but no animals have ever entered it. Then what happened suddenly that they entered the village?" She cleared out. Everyone agreed and murmured to one another.

"You are correct. We need to figure out why they're showing up suddenly." After a long pause, the Chief spoke up. 

"It's also very simple, Baba. The reason for this is that the builder has purchased half of the forest land and is clearing it in preparation for the construction of a factory. Its waste is dumped in the surrounding forest and rivers. The animals are deprived of their natural habitat. They can't find a place to live and are forced to come here. We must put a stop to this devastation. It is the only solution to our problem,” she explained.

"But we went to that builder last week to ask him to stop cutting the forest, and he refused rudely," a man lamented.

"So we need to make him understand the importance of forests and animals," Sarika said and pondered upon it. 

"How would you go about doing that?" inquired the chief.

"Oh, I've got a plan," she smirked.

She explained the plan to everyone, and they all agreed that it was a good idea. However, it was quite risky. Her intelligence was lauded by all.

"But who is going to go to him and risk his life?" An elderly lady inquired.

"I'll go," Sarika declared confidently.

People began murmuring amongst themselves. They agreed 

"All right, then, she'll go to the builder," the chief announced proudly.

That's how the day went. The next day would be crucial for everyone.

Next morning,

Sarika would be accompanied on her mission by three villagers. The chief wished her luck and kissed her on the forehead with affection. "Be careful," the chief advised. Sarika gave a nod.

After a while, they all left. The journey was long, but Sarika was thinking about how to carry out her plan. She was scared as well. As a result, she was unaware when she arrived at the Builder's residence. She thought the path was too short.

They prepared themselves for the plan and proceeded to the door. Sarika was the first to arrive, followed by the villagers. The bodyguards on the door stopped them.

"What are you doing here?" enquired a bodyguard.

"We came here to meet the builder sir," one of the villagers explained.

"Sir never meets poor people!" Another bodyguard spoke up.

This was enough to make Sarika's blood boil, but she kept her cool.

"We must meet with him. We came here from a distant village. It's important for us to meet him. Please allow us to go inside," Sarika spoke in a feigned pleading tone.

"Let me ask sir," the bodyguard said, his face softening from the phoney pleading.

"Yes!" Sarika cheered in her mind. She prayed to God that the builder would not refuse to meet with them.

The bodyguard talked on the phone and then hung up. He approached them. "Sir is ready to meet you all."

"You can go inside," said the second bodyguard, "this way." He escorted them inside.

Their gazes wandered around the mansion. They appeared amazed by its beauty. The mansion was as lovely from inside as it was from outside. It displayed all of the expensive items. They walked past the garden. It was also quite lovely. It had a wide variety of flowers. They were fascinated.

"The person who lives in such a beautiful mansion doesn't even have a speck of beauty in his heart," she reasoned to herself. The bodyguard escorted them to a hall and then left. They sat and waited for the builder. 

"Look who's here!" In the room, a voice echoed. When they turned around, they saw the builder standing there with an evil smile on his face. He was a 40-year-old man with a long beard and a shaved moustache. He wore an oversized coat that gave him a devilish appearance. Sarika's eyes welled up with rage when she saw him. She just wanted to smack him across the face, but she knew he needed to be taught differently.

"What work do you have with me?" Asked the builder, who was sitting on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other.

"We came from Ramangarh..." Sarika began but was cut off by the builder.

"You mean that stupid poor village," smirked the builder.

"Excuse me, sir, but please watch your language. You're referring to our village, aren't you?" Sarika yelled angrily. 

"Take it easy and keep going," the builder said nonchalantly.

"Sir, please halt the construction of that factory. Animals are entering our village as a result of forest cutting, putting our lives in danger."

"Please stop the construction," 

"Yes sir, only you can help us." 

"Please, sir."

The three villagers begged him to help them.

"You think I'm insane to cancel my multi-billion-dollar project for your insignificant village? Then you're mistaken. Isn't it better if you change your residence?" The builder stated.

"It's our place, sir. We're not going anywhere. You must depart." Sarika said.

"It's not going to happen. Let's see what you can do," the builder put them to a test.

"Okay then. I challenge you that you will yourself stop the construction and leave from here or else we will leave the village permanently," Sarika challenged him, scaring the villagers.

"Let's see," the builder smirked. 

At night,

"You know this is risky," one villager warned.

"I know, but we don't have any other choice," Sarika explained, "so just be ready with what I've told you."

The villagers nodded in agreement. Sarika disguised herself in a tiger costume. She appeared so real that no one could tell the difference between the real and the fake.

"He needs to know what fear is exactly like. We went to talk to him politely. But he didn't agree. Now we are gonna make him teach an unforgettable lesson!" Sarika thought determined. 

The four approached the mansion. They noticed bodyguards outside. They had to find another way inside. They went around the back. It was a short barrier. They might be able to scale it. Sarika motioned with her eyes to the three. She went inside and began climbing the wall, which was followed by others. They walked in on tiptoes. Bodyguards were stationed around every corner. They had to divert their attention or hide from them. They were frequently on the verge of being apprehended. They eventually made it to the door of a room. She prayed that this room only belonged to the builder. She smirked as she peeked in. Oh, it was the right door after all. They all entered the room quietly.

"Ready?" Sarika asked. 

They showed thumbs up. They went to hide not before closing the door from inside. Sarika signed them to start.

They played the recording. The room was filled with a deafening roar. Sarika pretended to be the one who was roaring. Builder jerked awake as a result of the loud roar. When he saw a tiger in his room, his blood ran cold.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. But it was pointless because the room was soundproof.

"Someone help," he yelled again, hoping to get some assistance. He yelled several times, but it was in vain. He was aware that he was entrapped.

"No one will save you today," Sarika, disguised as the tiger, spoke in a thick voice. 

The Builder was taken aback when he heard the tiger speak.

"Do you.....do you.....do you....speak?" He asked, his voice shaky from fear and shock.

"Of course," Sarika replied.

"Why....why are you here?" he stutteringly asked again. He was terrified.

"I'm here to chastise you."

"Why are you punishing me?"

"Because you cut down the trees and destroyed my habitat. We don't have a place to live because of you, so we must relocate to a nearby village. I'm going to kill you and then eat you today. This will be the most effective punishment for you."

"No...no...no please don't kill me. I'll put a halt to the construction. I intend to plant an increasing number of trees. I'll do anything you want, but please don't kill me" The builder begged and cried.

"Do you know how many of us die as a result of forest clearing? You must promise me that you will never clear any forest area again and that all construction in our forest will be halted."

"I guarantee it. I sincerely apologise. I am extremely guilty. Please accept my apology."

"Okay, but if you do it again, I'll come back. And I will not leave you at that time."

"No, no I will never repeat it."

Sarika noticed he was sweating profusely and couldn't speak due to a dry throat.

"You can drink water," Sarika, still disguised as a tiger, said. Builder drank the water kept aside and fell asleep within a minute or two. Sarika gave a sly grin. The villagers emerged from their hiding spot.

"How did he sleep?" Asked one of the villagers.

"Nothing much, just because of the effect of one sleeping pill," Sarika said as she walked away, leaving the villagers stunned.

The village panchayat was in session. They suddenly saw a man running towards them. When he got close enough, they realised he was the Builder. He sat in the legs of the Chief and began speaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I will stop construction today only. Please accept my apology."

"What happened to you all of a sudden?" Asked the chief, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh, nothing special! A bad dream taught me an unforgettable lesson. I sincerely apologise."

"Oh, if you're guilty, we forgive you."

Sarika kept her laughter under control the entire time. She set a good example for everyone. She was later elected as the village's new chief.