O Y GH 7 B C P RI T, 1 9 3 , Y CHA R LES SCR IBNER ’S SONS Printed in the United States of A m eric a ll o a t o th book A rights reserved . N p r f is m ay be reproduced in any f orm without ’ the perm ission of Cha rles S c ribner s S ons PR EFA C E This kind of book—and it is a rare kind—is the best bo o k television we have yet discovered . It is scarcely a f at all . Never did print have such di ficulty in remain in g black or paper so nearly dissolve into a clear an d I u ndian air . It would be abs rd to discuss the writing u to as writing , as it wo ld be talk ofthe brushwork of a smile seen in the street . In short , these letters are not works of art , but n i n works of ature . Nature has certa n adva tages n n A n d n natural ess amo g others . for authe ticity there n hin i who is ot g to beat it , as those artists adm t marry their models . So here we have India as one person saw it ; the right sort of India and the right sort of person . No u politics or ologies intrude ; there are palaces , j ngles , k n mon eys , elepha ts . That is the India I was brought A lo t w up upon . ofpeople have been tinkering ith it i ever since , and I am to learn that it is st ll there beyond I fa cing T H E E L EP H A NTS A R E G ON E BA C K T O ' T H EI R J UNG L E Photograph by Barba ra Flaherty va r: Ingen an an d the tropic oce , I am glad to have a piece of it n here in my ha d . n By good luck , which agai belongs to nature , these casual letters tell a story , or at least follow its contour . film A film The story is that of a Flaherty . Flaherty differs from others ; the making of it is an adventure n rather tha a gamble . It is an exploration into a sort of ‘ ’ nn n beauty that ca ot be put under co tract . c These letters are a re ord ofsuch an exploration , of a search for all that is most delightful an d excitin g in n India . That must have bee a great pleasure , and plea tuII hi sure is the very s ofw ch they are compounded . n No wo der it is such a pleasure to read them . J OH N C OLLIER CONTENTS Preface byJohn Collier A Word ofExplan ation — Part I May to November — Part II November to M ay: The jun gle Epilogue ILLUSTR A TIONS ' t h e e l e ph a n ts a re go n e b a c k t o t he ir jun gl e Photograph by Barbara Flaherty van Ingen ' A e a sa n t a u o c a bufi a lo a n d a o o f r ic e p , b ll k , b wl Phot ograph by Barbara Flaherty van Ingon Sr i Ch a m un d e sv a r i De v i t ute a r o e ss o f so r e , l y g dd My , in h e r c a r Th e bull o c k s o f Myso r e a r e a fa m o us br ee d Sh a ll h e be To o m a i? R o a d t o Myso re — ‘ h t u l A r r is a in T e c a c a n e m a n . s e n e o h j g l d l , k d of l e m ur Dho bis Photogra ph by Barbara Flaherty van Ingen Sho o t in g begin s R efr esh m e n t s o n t h e w a y ' A m t He a d tr a c ker fo r t h e Pr in c e s shik a r . l os h e t r a c ks by sc en t t h e c o n t in uo us pr o c e ssio n o f t h e b ull o c k c a r t s Mo n so o n Photograph by Barbara Flaherty van Ingen 9 F A CING P A G E Th e Br a h m in bo y is t r a in e d in t h e r it ua l o f h is fa it h t o c a r r y o n it s spir it ua l a n d t e m po r a l a ut hor it y In Me lko te bur n s t h e fla m e of Br a hm in pr iest h oo d t ir w a r m s r in L Sa us e in e o e t o s r in e . iv dh , b gg g h y h h —f in g ve sse l s of pr a yer e a c h c r um b t he y beg a n o ff e r in g t o t h e go d s G o m a t a Sr a a n a Be o a . Co o ssa a in st a t ue c a r e v lg l l l J , v d f f r D o ut o a sin gl e bl oc k o g a n ite . A . 983 ' Ir aw at h a s t r a m l n g We a ve r s of Me lko t e ‘ ' Ir a w a t h a m ust h Ir a w a t h a is we ll a g a in Th e Je m a d a r an d go o d Ir a w a t h a Wh om h e c a pt ur ed ‘ ’ w a n de r in g a l o n e a n d m ust h in t h e Mysore jun gle t Ta kin g t h e c a pt ur e d t usker t o wa ter . Th e w o kum kie s in t h e for e gr o un d a r e ac t in g a s b r a ke s t o kee p t h e t usk e r fr o m c h a r gin g t h o se I n fr o n t Photograph by Ba rba ra Fla herty van Ingen Mo t he r e l e ph a n t wit h b a by b o r n in c a pt ivit y Photograph by Ba rbara Flaherty va n Ingen ir n t Th e em a d a r . Our m a o ut s a n d t e e e a s o e J h h l ph l v d , fe a r e d a n d o be ye d h im Th e t o c a e a te m a e t o s in u i e a t r a a n d S k d g , d w g p l k p c r a sh d own a t t h e c ut t in g of a r o pe La s m i r iz e or e e a n t of t h e K a a n o t e c a m k h , p w k l ph k k p , put t in g up t h e g a te po st fo r o ur S t o c k a de — Th e Jun gl e R iver vill a ge r s c o m e for w a te r a n d t o b a t he I O On e tw o " Le t r i t " , f , gh Th e wild h e r d c o m es t o t h e r iv e r t o d r in k Photograph by Barbara Flaherty van Ingon ' t he b o y w e im a gin e d a n a v a l a n c he of bo die s in a r o ll in g c l o ud o f d ust ’ P ui K a a Na a t ir t e a r s " f , l g , wh d y I I A W O R D O F E " P L A NA T IO N Le an n st there be y bothersome confusio about them , the members of the Flaherty family who will be met ‘ ’ ‘ : n B o b with in these letters are my husba d , or Dad ’ d — a y Robert Fl herty , producer of films ; his brother ‘ ’ an d — assistant , David Flaherty Uncle David ; our ‘ ’ eldest daughter Barbara , Barbie , with us in India ; an d n an d M two you ger daughters , Frances onica , at n n school in E gla d most of the time , though they did i come to India wh le we were there .