‘By the grace of God, I was back from the jaws of death’
What would you do if a tiger suddenly appears in front of you? Okay, it’s the tiger that’s going to decide, not you. Virendra Dayaram Sahare (45) of Sindpuri had a terrifying encounter when a tiger struck him but left him alive on Friday.
The video showing a tiger invading the Sahara went viral on Friday, sending a chill down the spine of the viewers. The incident occurred in Binaki when the tiger was chased by an unruly mob of villagers. Benaki is five kilometers away from Sindpuri. And the problem of making the rounds is, what did the Sahara do? Narrating his ordeal to TOI from his hospital bed in Bhandara district, Sahare, a marginal farmer, said, “I’ve never seen a tiger in my life. On my way back from Bapera, where I had gone to get’ Dhan’ rice, I saw a crowd making a big noise to drive out the tiger. The beast stood in the bushes on the other side of the road. One villager had already been targeted.” “I was curious to see the tiger. After parking my two-wheeler near the field, I selected an isolated farm package to get a glimpse of it. There were two more men out there. Even as the crowd screamed, the angry tiger came out and crossed the road and headed straight to the farm bundle where I was standing, “Sahare recalled.
“The two individuals standing near me disappeared, but before I could collect myself, the tiger pounced on me, and in a few seconds I was brought down. The tiger was sitting on my back, gripping me with his hands. I didn’t panic, and the only logical thing I did lower my head down and hold it with both hands so that the tiger wouldn’t seize my throat, “Sahare said.
As the crowd, with stones in their pockets, turned toward the tiger, Sahare left and ran away. “I tried to get up, but I couldn’t have suffered deep bruises on my back. Due to the weight of the tiger on my body, I have suffered a fracture on my right leg and a hand injury. After primary treatment in Sihora, I was moved to Bhandara, “the victim said.
“There is a misconception that a cat has nine lives, but I have only one, and by the grace of God, I was back from the jaws of death. It’s like a rebirth to me. No one can kill the one who is guarded by God. Or else, can you ever imagine freeing yourself from the clutches of a tiger, known to be the most vicious and powerful animal?”Sahare continued.
Its condition is said to be stable. The poor farmer, who owns 1.5 acres of agricultural land, has a wife named Meena, Dinesh’s son, who is studying in Std XII and Pallavi’s daughter, a class XI student.
“We will provide help to the three people who have been wounded in the tiger attack. Individuals are responsible for the mess as the drama lasted from 12 a.m. to 7 p.m. The tiger had killed him, and the villagers had given him safe passage, and he would have left. The horrifying video also conveys the impression that the tiger attacked the Sahara in self-defence and that the intention was not to kill him, “said Vivek Hoshing, Deputy Forest Conservator of Bhandara (DyCF).
