A HERONs CATCH

A HERONs CATCH

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

26/XII/2023

Ajmer has a very special place in my heart. Most of Dad’s Uncles & Aunts were settled there. As a kid, we sometimes used to go to Ajmer during Christmas Holidays. The recent visit triggered so many memories.

What used to catch my attention then was an exchange of letters between ‘Toto Uncle’, who was my dad’s favourite uncle. Both were hard core fishing enthusiasts. The famous lakes of Ajmer called ‘Ana Sagar’ and ‘Foy Sagar’ were always mentioned in those letters. Dad would include Kanjli rivulet in his replies, which used to induce a kind of competitiveness between them.

Dad had left Ajmer and joined Sainik School Kapurthala, Punjab in July of 1961. About 4kms from the school was this ‘Kanjli Bein’ which was an offshoot of Beas River. It was a flood water diversion with a check dam at village Kanjli. The Maharaja of Kapurthala had a palace on the river called Villa Kothi. It was an angler’s paradise.

Fishing stories at these water holes were the mainstay of those letters. Baits, type of rods, reels, and lines, where to buy them from, how to improve flexibility of the rods etc-etc were discussed as I recall? Only the last paragraph would address family issues.

Types of fish caught and their size and weight were another bone of contention. I wish there was social media then, all ‘Ajmeri lies’ would have got exposed. Pun intended. Archie, as my dad was fondly called, would boast about his catch from Kanjli and make the Ajmeri’s feel jay.

During summer holidays, ‘Dada’ and family would come to Kapurthala sometimes. We all would camp at Kanjli for their entire stay.

I remember, Dad would borrow bicycles from his colleagues or hire them for a whole week depending on their stay. All of us would pedal to the river. Local fishermen, out of respect, would vacate the best spots for ‘Maat Saab’. Ladies would get busy cooking, while men folk got busy catching fish.

We kids would be sent on errands to fetch firewood for a makeshift ‘choolah’ or fetch water from the hand pump. The fishy taste and smell of water is still fresh in my mind. We then would walk down to the village to get Lassi, which was offered freely those days.

The reaction of the whole ‘khandaan’ when a big sized fish which was about to be landed was noteworthy. All other activities would freeze. Sometimes, at the edge of the water, in its last struggle the fish somehow got unhooked and escaped, it was as if a nuclear bomb would fall on the family.

Then the usual exchange of blame. The line wasn’t good, the quality of hooks was questioned.

It took time for people to calm down. No one owned up on his poor technique. However, they kept discussing that loss for days and never celebrated the bigger fish caught.

Last week I got a chance to visit Ana Sagar after ages. The place had changed. It is a concrete jungle around the lake now. I am not sure if they allow fishing anymore.

How could we not stop at that famous lake which found a mention in every letter of yore! For me it was the birds which caught my attention. Gulls, herons, egrets, cormorants, and others were doting the lake. Without using a hook, line, or sinker, I caught birds in my camera with the harsh sun in my eyes.

A Heron was caught in action. It had been waiting for quite some time, as still as a statue. In a swift swooping action, a fish was in its beak and down its gullet. Tummy full, it took flight. That Heron's day was made and so was ours. It was time to head home.

My mind is filled with nostalgia. Thoughts of those exchanges of letters went flashing by. God Bless both Toto Uncle and Archie in Heaven. I wish we had preserved those Inland letters. Will I return to Ana Sagar and catch the heron again? I wonder!!!!!!!!

JAI HIND