Early Life & The First Man Eater
Pachabdi Gazi was born in 1924 to a simple working class family in a village called Gabura in the Satkhira District of what is now known as Bangladesh ( located near the banks of the Khelpotua River ) .
His paternal grandfather was Kinu Gazi ; a gentleman who had successfully hunted 97 man eating Royal Bengal Tigers in his life before Royal Bengal Tiger No. 98 unfortunately mangled him to death .His father , Meher Gazi had successfully hunted 50 man eating royal Bengal tigers in his life .
Unlike his father and grandfather, a young Pachabdi never saw himself as becoming a hunter of anything more than deer , upland birds and waterfowl for the larder .
He always desired to be a Honey collector , because there are an abundance of honey combs in the Sundarban mangrove forests and honey would fetch a hefty sum in the local food markets back in those days ( Honey is still regarded as a delicacy in Bangladesh, today by all of us ) . He went to Kholshapuri primary school , but unfortunately could not attain a higher degree of education after the untimely death of his father ( but more on that shall follow , below ) . As a child , he was rather lean and unremarkable in his build . However, he was fond of playing all the ordinary games which Bangladeshi boys of his age had enjoyed playing: Cricket , flying kites , playing with marbles , etc .However , all of this paled in comparison to Pachabdi’s most favorite hobby of all : Hunting , or “ Shikar “ as it was referred to as , in British India at the time .
Pachabdi Gazi’s entire family had but one firearm with which to hunt all of their game . It was an antiquated muzzle loading 10 Bore double barrel smoothbore percussion cap ball-and-shot gun built by James Purdey & Sons . It was gifted to Kinu Gazi by a British military sapper in 1848 .This was the gun with which Kinu Gazi had slain 97 man eating Royal Bengal Tigers ( by loading it with 1 1/2 ounce spherical leaden balls ) and with which Meher Gazi had slain 50 man eating Royal Bengal Tigers . Young Pachabdi was the very first Shikari in his family to have access to breech loading firearms.
In 1936 , a group of visiting American Shikaris who were visiting British India had gotten lost in the Sundarban mangrove forests , when they crossed paths with 12 year old Pachabdi ( who , like most local children treated the Sundarban mangrove forests as his play grounds ) . The boy had guided them to safety and as a token of appreciation , the generous American hunters gifted the boy a shotgun . This was a Remington Model 1889 10 Bore double barrel side by side shotgun . It had 32 inch modified choke barrels , 2 7/8 inch chambers , exposed hammers and double triggers . Along with it , they had gifted the boy with all the 10 Bore cartridges in their possession .
Young Pachabdi was ecstatic with joy by acquiring his new gift . During the British colonial era , American shotgun cartridges ( including those manufactured by Remington ) were also available in more than a few firearms shops across British India . Including the village where Pachabdi and his family lived. And the boy put his gift to good use .
With Remington No. 6 cartridges , the boy harvested quails , doves, snipe , pigeons , cranes , Harial birds and hares .
With Remington No.2 cartridges, the boy harvested teal ducks and common sheldrake ducks.
With Remington BB cartridges, the boy harvested greylag geese and mouse deer.
With Remington SSG cartridges ( which held 16 pellets to the cartridge ) , the boy harvested Chital Deer .
Needless to say , the Gazi family never had to worry about a shortage of fresh protein during the boy’s youth . The family lived a simple , but content life in their own little world .
All of this would take a tragic turn on the summer of 1941 . A man eating Royal Bengal Tiger nicknamed , “ The Terror Of Golkhali “ had been menacing the Pachabdi’s village and had been responsible for killing 16 villagers , most of whom were honey collectors . One day , young Pachabdi was returning home from a successful Shikar with a freshly slain Chital Deer on his cycle drawn cart .
As he neared his house , he saw his mother , younger brothers and other villagers howling in despair and yelling , “ Baagh ! “ at the top of their lungs .
Clutching his 10 Bore Remington shotgun ( which was still loaded with SSG cartridges) , the boy ran to the direction of the commotion . A grisly sight awaited him .
There ; viciously mangling his helpless father ( Meher Gazi ) was a massive and monstrous looking Royal Bengal Tiger . In a desperate attempt to rescue his dear father , Pachabdi rushed towards the fiend and fired both barrels of his 10 Bore Remington shotgun simultaneously into the Royal Bengal Tiger’s spinal column at a distance of a mere two feet , from behind . The fiend dropped dead ; on the spot .
As the crying 17 year old boy turned to look at what remained of his father , he realized that Meher Gazi was no more . Pachabdi Gazi had become an orphan .
The villagers gathered around the slain Royal Bengal Tiger . It had a snout to tail length of an imposing 10 feet and was an old male . In a desperate attempt to save his father , Pachabdi had successfully ended up slaying the “ Terror Of Golkhali “ .
Even though everyone was cheering for the boy and singing praises about his courage , Pachabdi’s simple little world had shattered all around him . His dreams to become a honey collector had also shattered . He was broken . His life had changed .
Pachabdi’s childhood home .
Pachabdi ( right ) with the slain “ Terror Of Golkhali “
