Tale of two villages deep within forests
Seven-year-old Anagha of Byrigadde village studies in class 2 at the Government Primary School, Kundur, about three kilometres from her place deep in the Saragodu Reserve Forest of Mudigere taluk in Chikkamagaluru district. Every day, her father, Narayana, drops her off and picks her up from school. Narayana rides his bike in the uneven forest terrain, keeping his eyes and ears alert for any wild animal’s sudden appearance.A few days ago, Narayana was busy at the brick kiln where he works. Anagha’s mother had the responsibility of dropping her off at school. They had just walked a few yards from their house when they found a wild tusker right in the middle of their path. “The elephant was only a few feet away from us. We managed to run back home. The elephant remained there for a while, fo...







