Five frenzied feeding flocks on four fruiting Ficus trees on a Friday morning might seem fictitious but is in fact, a fact. Fenced off from further foraging by four-footed furry ferrets, fast-flying feathered fauna feed as if famished. Finding a fresh fruit, Frederick the finch fails to fathom it, following a futile feud with his fat father Felix. Feigning a feeling of faintness, Frederick fools father finch Felix into fetching another fruit. Frequently father finch Felix fulfills favours until another fine Friday when he found a flattering femme fatale finch, Fiona, for Frederick. Fiona was a faithful wife, fussing over Frederick, finding and fetching his favourite fruits. Finally the flourishing Ficus trees put forth a last flush of fruits for the finch family following which Felix, Frederick and Fiona flew off far far away...
And that's where my imagination ran out!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Forest Guard
This is their story. A story of willful walking. They form the lowest rung in the rigid hierarchy of the Forest Department, but theirs is the toughest. They walk through unimaginable terrains, throwing away their lives to unpredictable dangers for terribly long durations. The more fortunate guards may have a radio, but others live far away from home, in the middle of a forest, on top of a hill, that is inaccessible to those without reason. What motivates them to do this ungrateful job? Why would anyone want to accept this pathetic life? How do they do it?
A ‘Conservation Practices and Management’ tour to Protected Areas (PAs) in South India instigated my curiosity in trying to understand such questions. In my quest for answers, however incomplete, I interacted with forest guards, walked a little of the beats they monitor, experienced a little of their lives and shared some stories with them. From the few days spent in the many PAs we visited, the only unanimous answer seemed to be unbelievable. Guards and Rangers protecting forests in Kerala and Tamil Nadu seemed to be doing just that, for nothing else but passion and love for the forests and the beings that live in them. They did not actively ask for anything, their basic rights included, unless prodded by those of us who have the power to provide and who care enough to ask.
Imagine this. You are an anti-poaching watcher. You have to walk an average of 15km every day through the wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. The terrain is tough as hell, full of leeches and many other things that can make your life miserable. You have basic clothes on (if you’re lucky, you have shoes, otherwise its slippers), your weapon is a stout stick, you have 3 companions and you have to carry basic provisions for the next 2 weeks. Remember, any vegetables are bound to rot in 2 days. Among the 4 of you, there is 1 gun with some bullets, in case of a sudden encounter with elephants and any other equally dangerous situation. At the end of every day, you make a ‘shelter’ with 2 poles, a sheet above, 2 sheets on the ground and 1 sheet to cover yourself. You cook every night, eat the left-overs for an early breakfast and start walking again. There is no lunch. Your monthly salary is Rs.2,500 with no leave (except 2-3 days maybe for emergencies) and yours is not a permanent job. You haven’t got your salary in the last 6 months. Your home is 1 day away and you have to walk 7km and take 2 buses, which technically means even if you get to go home, it’ll be for a day, maximum. You have a wife, a small child and your parents to look after. Would you continue working as an anti-poaching watcher? How long do you think you would last? I know I wouldn’t last more than 2 weeks.
This is the true story of many of the men we met. Some are boys, around 20yrs but, they are indeed men. They are all chock-full of complaints about all the promised things they don’t get and how they miss their families. Yet, if you ask them why they continue to work, without a thought, they say that being in the forest, walking untrodden paths, and living a simple life gives them joy. Above all, ever so compassionately, they say that they do it for the protection of the forest and all the life it embraces. I initially found this very hard to believe. After all, they too are human beings with feelings, longings and wishes. But this was the consistent answer I got everywhere I went. There is another conviction that human beings are endowed with. Hope. Maybe it is hope that is walking with them, supporting them, carrying them, caring about them and nudging them towards the next sunrise. Maybe they bestow their senior officers, the Department, the Government and hence the people of the country, with immense trust. It might be characteristic of a simple man to be generous with his trust but trust is one of the most difficult virtues to uphold.
Maybe the story is similar in other PAs in India, even in other parts of the world. The least we can do is listen to them. Give them the self-respect that they seek. Try to understand at least a little of what they experience. Smile and laugh with them. Let them know that they are not alone in their crusade. You will be richly rewarded, as I have been, with a story and some wisdom that might have otherwise eluded you.
A ‘Conservation Practices and Management’ tour to Protected Areas (PAs) in South India instigated my curiosity in trying to understand such questions. In my quest for answers, however incomplete, I interacted with forest guards, walked a little of the beats they monitor, experienced a little of their lives and shared some stories with them. From the few days spent in the many PAs we visited, the only unanimous answer seemed to be unbelievable. Guards and Rangers protecting forests in Kerala and Tamil Nadu seemed to be doing just that, for nothing else but passion and love for the forests and the beings that live in them. They did not actively ask for anything, their basic rights included, unless prodded by those of us who have the power to provide and who care enough to ask.
Imagine this. You are an anti-poaching watcher. You have to walk an average of 15km every day through the wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. The terrain is tough as hell, full of leeches and many other things that can make your life miserable. You have basic clothes on (if you’re lucky, you have shoes, otherwise its slippers), your weapon is a stout stick, you have 3 companions and you have to carry basic provisions for the next 2 weeks. Remember, any vegetables are bound to rot in 2 days. Among the 4 of you, there is 1 gun with some bullets, in case of a sudden encounter with elephants and any other equally dangerous situation. At the end of every day, you make a ‘shelter’ with 2 poles, a sheet above, 2 sheets on the ground and 1 sheet to cover yourself. You cook every night, eat the left-overs for an early breakfast and start walking again. There is no lunch. Your monthly salary is Rs.2,500 with no leave (except 2-3 days maybe for emergencies) and yours is not a permanent job. You haven’t got your salary in the last 6 months. Your home is 1 day away and you have to walk 7km and take 2 buses, which technically means even if you get to go home, it’ll be for a day, maximum. You have a wife, a small child and your parents to look after. Would you continue working as an anti-poaching watcher? How long do you think you would last? I know I wouldn’t last more than 2 weeks.
This is the true story of many of the men we met. Some are boys, around 20yrs but, they are indeed men. They are all chock-full of complaints about all the promised things they don’t get and how they miss their families. Yet, if you ask them why they continue to work, without a thought, they say that being in the forest, walking untrodden paths, and living a simple life gives them joy. Above all, ever so compassionately, they say that they do it for the protection of the forest and all the life it embraces. I initially found this very hard to believe. After all, they too are human beings with feelings, longings and wishes. But this was the consistent answer I got everywhere I went. There is another conviction that human beings are endowed with. Hope. Maybe it is hope that is walking with them, supporting them, carrying them, caring about them and nudging them towards the next sunrise. Maybe they bestow their senior officers, the Department, the Government and hence the people of the country, with immense trust. It might be characteristic of a simple man to be generous with his trust but trust is one of the most difficult virtues to uphold.
Maybe the story is similar in other PAs in India, even in other parts of the world. The least we can do is listen to them. Give them the self-respect that they seek. Try to understand at least a little of what they experience. Smile and laugh with them. Let them know that they are not alone in their crusade. You will be richly rewarded, as I have been, with a story and some wisdom that might have otherwise eluded you.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Hunger to Holocaust
A few centuries ago, the purpose was subsistence. To remain alive, feed yourself and your progeny. Needless to say, commercialization rules the world today and the most evolved brains are perpetually unearthing innovative ways and means to cater to their species by using, or more correctly, abusing other species. We have come to crave the strangest plant and animal parts, simply to satiate our slurping tongues.
It is only natural that change occurs and adaptations arise. With the rapid transition from the use of ancient hunting tools to the wielding of arms in hobbies like game hunting, greed grew in the hearts of men until it was too late. Today, there are so few wild plants and animals remaining. The luxury to kill for food or fun no longer exists. Take the case of fishing. Traditionally, fishing equipment was species-specific, fisher folk would not harvest during the breeding season of fish and consumers would not buy pregnant fish. Now, 40% of catch is thrown back into the sea, unusable and dead. Even the most efficient equipment cannot meet the requirements of the world and therefore commercial farms came into being where fish are bred and fed. Haryana produces the largest quantity of fish per hectare and the state is far away from any ocean! This inevitably leads to a loss of livelihood for traditional local fisher folk and they sink into deeper poverty. And then when people want exotic delicacies like shark fin soup, you don’t know whether you’re eating farmed or wild shark body parts. One kilogram of Great White Shark fin is sold at an international price of Rs.50,000 and for those in Chennai (that is Madras), Hotel Runs in Adyar serves shark meat!
We say we are bound by innumerable laws and restrictions that prevent us from exploiting nature but let’s face it. There are also countless ways of bending over and under these rules. If farming is allowed for this species, why not that? And another..and another.. Everybody has their priorities. Tirupathi laddoos are famous world over and they are said to be blessed by God. What you might not know (I definitely didn’t) is that they use Civet musk for fragrance and now want permission to farm civets to cater to their popularity! Leaving aside, just for a moment though, the care and well-being of the animals in captivity, it seems frankly unnecessary. It might even seem unethical to some, but ethics and values are individual beliefs and are varying.
If we are to conserve and protect what remains of our wildlife, both plants and animals, we need to exercise enormous restraint on ourselves. Cut the demand and the supply will dwindle (easier said than done, of course). We need to ceaselessly question ourselves each time we want something – “Is it really necessary?” Then even if once in a while we pamper ourselves and ignore that question, atleast we won’t feel so guilty!
Warning: The opinions in the article are solely the author’s.
It is only natural that change occurs and adaptations arise. With the rapid transition from the use of ancient hunting tools to the wielding of arms in hobbies like game hunting, greed grew in the hearts of men until it was too late. Today, there are so few wild plants and animals remaining. The luxury to kill for food or fun no longer exists. Take the case of fishing. Traditionally, fishing equipment was species-specific, fisher folk would not harvest during the breeding season of fish and consumers would not buy pregnant fish. Now, 40% of catch is thrown back into the sea, unusable and dead. Even the most efficient equipment cannot meet the requirements of the world and therefore commercial farms came into being where fish are bred and fed. Haryana produces the largest quantity of fish per hectare and the state is far away from any ocean! This inevitably leads to a loss of livelihood for traditional local fisher folk and they sink into deeper poverty. And then when people want exotic delicacies like shark fin soup, you don’t know whether you’re eating farmed or wild shark body parts. One kilogram of Great White Shark fin is sold at an international price of Rs.50,000 and for those in Chennai (that is Madras), Hotel Runs in Adyar serves shark meat!
We say we are bound by innumerable laws and restrictions that prevent us from exploiting nature but let’s face it. There are also countless ways of bending over and under these rules. If farming is allowed for this species, why not that? And another..and another.. Everybody has their priorities. Tirupathi laddoos are famous world over and they are said to be blessed by God. What you might not know (I definitely didn’t) is that they use Civet musk for fragrance and now want permission to farm civets to cater to their popularity! Leaving aside, just for a moment though, the care and well-being of the animals in captivity, it seems frankly unnecessary. It might even seem unethical to some, but ethics and values are individual beliefs and are varying.
If we are to conserve and protect what remains of our wildlife, both plants and animals, we need to exercise enormous restraint on ourselves. Cut the demand and the supply will dwindle (easier said than done, of course). We need to ceaselessly question ourselves each time we want something – “Is it really necessary?” Then even if once in a while we pamper ourselves and ignore that question, atleast we won’t feel so guilty!
Warning: The opinions in the article are solely the author’s.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)