Khan, Idrees

Scope and Contents Idrees Khan served as a mahout in Dudhwa National Park from 1972 to 2024. In this interview, he shares his life experiences beginning from his early childhood and moving to Dudhwa with maternal grandparents. He shares the period of his life when he trained to be a chara-cutter and mahout with his grandfather. He recalls several memorable events from his career, including tracking and tranquilising tigers, even recollecting incidents of close encounters with them.He regards his...

Scope and Contents Idrees Khan speaks of how Dudhwa was when he arrived there. He describes the landscape when it was not yet declared a National Park. He also shares how the place developed with infrastructure over time and his observation on the trends in population sizes of deer. He also shares legends and tales of spirits and djinns in the jungle, reiterating that the jungle is much older than people at present and acknowledging that the forest is inhabited by many creatures from olden times. He shares...