In the Jungle

Tears of the 'Mangge' Hari, a lively boy of 11, lived with his parents in the sleepy fishing village of Kumbarjua in Goa. Forever active, he was always landing in trouble for his butter fingered ways. Unable to keep in check his awkward hands and legs, he preferred spending time in the mangrove forests of Kumbarjua. Here he could walk barefoot in the silt, squishing through the maze of breathing roots and nothing would snap or crash or fall. However, here in the quiet waters of the Kumbarjua canal also lived ‘Mangge’, the freshwater crocodile that the villagers feared, for he had dagger like teeth, a body covered with armour and was notorious for stealing the village fish after which he was said to show false remorse by crying and shedding tears while he contentedly fed on his prey. The villagers felt that the Mangge only pretended to cry and was actually very happy about stealing. They thought he was a hypocrite. “Don’t venture too close to the canal,” Hari’s