The Shoot

The Shoot by Dhruba Hazarika, a collection of 17 stories dwell on equations men share with animals, on boundaries between them that shouldn't be transgressed. These stories reveal how humans are just a tiny speck in front of nature’s wrath or animals mad with rage and vengeance; how family matters the most to animals just like it does to us humans.

While some human beings understood and respected this, most brazenly violated laws written by nature for the sake of cheap thrill or monetary gain.

Not set in cities draped in grey concrete and steel cloaks with patches of manicured grass lawns and regimented bushes as the only green symbols, these stories are tales of the wild and from wilderness, set in Assam. 

From the timid sparrow and quiet egret to raucous crows, from the majestic rhino to scurrying civets with their musky scent, from a determined herd of elephants to an army of ants that march with a resolve, a stray dog that doesn't flinch when hot water is thrown over it and a humble partridge chasing the killers of its kin, animals are heroes of the stories here.

That said, not all men are heartless hunters in these stories, there are some sensitive beings (like in stories Ghostie, Soul Egret, Nitai’s grief) who value lives and rights of animals as much as theirs. The pretty common stories on illegal hunting and forest rangers who flout norms themselves are packed with the rare instance of a man reviving a monkey with mouth to mouth resuscitation. 

The ominous flood waters of Manas river, the  mighty Brahmaputra which when it rains is furious like a God betrayed, the silvery tips of Kohua swaying in moonlit nights - there’s something preternatural / mystical about bountiful nature here that makes an enticing backdrop. 

Long or short, each story in this collection is a well crafted one with my favourites being ‘Ghostie’, ‘Tiger’, ‘Soul of the Matter’. Loved reading this book!

PS: A copy of the book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest opinion.