Once upon a time, during the early twentieth century, there lived a brave shepherd in the Himalayan mountains. His name was Salam Ghosh. He used to take a large herd of sheep to the upper reaches of the Himalayas during summers. The sheep would graze in the endless green pastures of the lesser Himalayas. This would save them from moderately hot weather down in the plains. There were many dangers that the shepherd would face during this trek and stay amid the mountains. Salam Ghosh was a man in his early twenties. He was tall, well-built and manly. His mustache was one of a kind. His eyes were deep and involving. His hands and feet were hard and fissured. His hair was charcoal black and it draped his wheatish forehead with elegance. He, however, had a crooked nose that always annoyed him. He often used to complain”. My nose is like a scab blemish on a red apple.” On the other hand, Salam was a man of mettle. He was known for his bravery. His tales were told to the children in the tribe. He had hundreds of tales of courage and wit to share. He often used to start his narrative in this way: ”When I drove my axe…” One fine morning, Salam left his home with his herd of sheep. It was mid-May. His dog Shera escorted the herd. Shera was his right hand. Ten young people aside and Shera on one side. He would trust him with his life. In a couple of hours, the unit started an upward trek to the mountain. By the eve of the evening, they had walked so long that all of them felt tired. They reached a small pasture.
A few mud houses with thatched roofs were seen. They decided to halt and spend a night there. Salam himself set the tent and managed space where the sheep would stay. But, what happened in the night was scary. When all the people were fast asleep in their tents and mud houses, Salam was awake. He was on guard. A large herd of sheep would attract wild animals especially bears and leopards. In the middle of the night, Salam saw some movement in the herd. In a while, Shera—who was also guarding the herd— began to bark. Salam got attentive. He rose up, drew his axe and awakened others. By the time a few other men could wake up and get ready, a leopard had pounced onto the sheep. Salam jumped in and hit the leopard in his head. At once he drew his dagger and pierced one eye of the leopard. In this fight for life and death, Salam suffered a grave injury to his face and shoulders. Nonetheless, this brave man managed to put the dagger in the other eye of the animal.In the meanwhile, a few other men with axes, sticks and swords and whatever they could find jumped into the arena. The leopard was badly injured. It galloped away on its way into the woods. Salam was taken to the tent. He was badly injured. He didn’t care for his life. He saved the sheep from being eaten away by the hungry animal. His attentive guard, his cleverness and his courage impressed everyone. Shera was equally vigilant. Had Shera not raised a timely alarm, Salam wouldn’t have been able to reach the spot on time. This way, the duo prevented a loss. The next morning, Salam was treated with some jungle medicinal plants. His pain subsided. His face was badly scratched by the animal. The scars on his face told the tales of bravery, sacrifice and courage for years. The pride that Salam felt was priceless.
(This short story is inspired by real-life characters and events) [email protected]
