Mar 18, 2003 05:05 AM
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(Updated Mar 18, 2003 05:18 AM)
The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle is Kenneth Anderson's second of the eight books dealing with his tracking down the marauding tigers and leopards in the jungles of Mysore, Madras, Andhra Pradesh and Northern Malabar in the first half of the 20th century.
The author lived in Bangalore, derived from the kanarese word bengal uru (bean town) or the city of beans. He gained such a reputation in southern India as a fearless slayer of man eaters, and as a result, whenever a tiger or leopard turned nasty and considered as a real threat to humans, the authorities sought Anderson's help. The only reward he accepted was the skin of the animal.
First published by Allen and Unwin in London in 1959, the Black Panther is by far the widely printed title of all Anderson's books. The US edition alone put out no less than 250000 copies in 1960. The 247 page book contains 9 stories told in such a delightful way that the reader actually feels that he or she is accompanying the author through the dense jungle paths and streams and hear the cry of the langurs and the songs of the birds and the gentle breeze rustling through the dry bamboo leaves.
Of the 9 stories, my favourite is Old Munuswamy and the Panther of Magadi. Munuswamy pretended he was a shikaree and used to take the green horns to the jungle, telling them that there was a tiger or a leopard in the vicinity. He even show these hunters the pug marks of the big cats neatly printed on the sand banks and river beds, actually made by Munuswamy by way of artificial means. After accepting a few rupees to buy a live bait and for his services, Munuswamy obtains an old donkey from the local pound, and put up the sahib on a machan.Of course, the tiger or leopard would never arrive. After spending the night on the tree, the would be hunter returns to the city, giving some more money to Munuswamy for the telegram when he come across the cat again. A jovial Munuswami then rush to the local arrack shop and spends his money, and congratulating himself for fooling another sahib or dorai. The young Anderson was one of his victims. But one day Munuswamy actually shot and wounded a leopard with a home made shotgun. The leopard then became a man eater. The authorities caught Munuswamy for his actions, and Munuswamy in turn sought Anderson's help.
Anderson went after the Killer from Hyderabad, a tiger, several times, but unable to bag the animal. Hunting the man eating Black panther took place in 1934. Another man eating panther, terrorising the yellagiri hills area was also hunted down by Anderson and regained peace for the peasants to work in the field. The maned tiger of Chordi also give the readers some exciting moments. In addition to these tales, there are stories of author's encounters with snakes and other jungle creatures as well as hunting the bull bison of Gedesal.
The book is illustrated with 9 photo plates and 2 maps. The recent reprints of Anderson's books in India by Rupa publishing are in paperbacks and lack the photos and maps, but priced at an affordable Rs.150 each. While the original British edition costs as much as $65.00, the US edition is available for around $15.00 or less.
Anderson died in Bangalore in 1974 at the age of 64.
