Walking through the iron gates, one sees an uneven stretch of land dotted with tall trees, which gives way to a clearing ahead. At the edge of the clearing are two graves with small tomb-heads painted white. This is the place where Sayed Haider Raza rests beside his father. It seems as if father and son are lying on soft white sheets under a summer sky, whispering to each other about all those days spent without the other. The Shia graveyard is located in Mandla, a picturesque town on the banks of the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh.
Raza was born in Babaria village, about 30 km from Mandla, 95 years ago. His father, Sayed Mohammed Razi, was the deputy forest ranger of the district. The village, which boasted about 10 houses, was surrounded by dense forest on all sides; it was a time when the onslaught on forests had not yet begun.
