Kabini Glory

Some 80 kilometers from Mysore, through a beautiful country landscape with curving roads, large tanks and few vehicles, past the heart of rural Karnataka, and in the shadow of vast forests of the Western Ghats lays the Kabini River Lodge.

A showcase to the wealth of Nagarhole and indeed wild Karnataka, Kabini has a rich history dating back to more than a century. Kabini is a visual treat. Sambars, spotted deer, gaurs, wild boars, elephants, leopards, tigers - it is the place, widely considered to be the mecca for wildlife sighting.

The forests extend as far as the eyes can see. Sandwiched on both sides by the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Nagarhole National Park, the Kabini River preserves among the last remaining wilderness in the country.

What is now the Kabini River Lodge was earlier the hunting Lodge of the Maharaja of Mysore and a favorite of his guests. The lodge is located in Karapura Village on the backwaters of the Kabini dam. During the late 18th and early 19th century - it was common to see Viceroys of the British East India Company at Kabini. Lord Mintow, King Edwards, Lord Mountbatten, Lord Irwin and the Russian Grand Dukes visited Kabini during their stay in India. Later on, JLR took over and began its path breaking experiment of community based ecotourism in a wilderness setting.

The journey begins at its very gates and its story is best told while sipping coffee at the very regal Viceroy Lodge. The antique furniture, the regal appearance and dozens of very old photographs whisper about the ancient roots of the place. There are photographs of the Maharaja of Mysore and his hunting party, some black and white stills talk of the elaborate kheddah operations undertaken to capture elephants.

Crocodiles silently submerging, otters curious enough to offer a few seconds of precious viewing, birds totally nonchalant and assured of the protection accorded to them, leopards observed more on trees and silently fading away into the wild, elephants frolicking in the waters and the tiger frequently seen looking over his kingdom - the magic of Kabini is not explained in mere words.

There are more prints of hunting parties of every sort, tigers, leopards, gaurs and mahseers. History breathes from each brick and the forests have tales to tell.

The State that is Karnataka

A land whose vitality is expressed through its culture, from the ancient dance drama of Yakshagana, to the unknown story of the silent rock of Hampi, from the best expression of Islamic architecture at Bijapur to the marvelous rock temples at Belur and Halebid. Karnataka is truly a microcosm representing the diversity of the entire country into one single unit. It is indeed a blessing that we all are witness to the bounty of this ancient land everyday of our lives.

As a state, traditionally forests have been revered and accorded a high degree of protection. Greenery has been respected and the capital city was famous across the world as a garden city. Very few urban conglomerations in the world would have a sprawling national park in the form of Bannerghatta so close to the city centre and if one goes further down the road beyond Kanakapura, the wilds of Karnataka beckon in the form of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

It is also a land of a mind boggling variety of food sensibilities. Puliogare, Bisibele Hulianna, Chitarana, Mosaruanna, Vangibath, rice avatars such as Sanna, Noolputtu, Kadabu, Kadubittu, Kadambuttu, Bemble curry, Pandi curry, Yenne Badanekayi, Menthe Soppu, Coorgi version of rice roti, akki roti and above all, Ragi, the simple down to earth millet which is the staple food across millions in the state.

Ragi would perhaps qualify as the epitomisation of the Kannadiga spirit, strong, hard working and soft at heart. A ball of ragi mudde with a puli (tamarind) rich sambar made by forest guards at some anti poaching camp, deep inside the forest with few utensils and a simple assortment of masalas is a treat. When after a day’s walk, you are sprawled out on the bamboo bed and Karia puts the ragi powder onto the utensil, pours water and uses a bamboo karchi to mix the powder and within minutes, the ball is made - it feels like heaven and many forest lovers would testify to it.
Then the exotic fiery food of North Karnataka with Jowar dominating the minds and food tastes just as Ragi does so in South Karnataka. Jowar bhakri follows you as you move around the villages and towns in and around the northern part. Mysore pak is as famous as its namesake town with tourists often thronging popular sweet shops during a visit to the town.

Then there is the geographical diversity in the form of natural regions. Karnataka has one of the richest remaining forests in the country with more than 43,356 thousand square kilometers or twenty two percent of the land under recorded forest area.

These forests are a treasure house of biodiversity and the sheer choice that nature has to offer humbles and reminds man of its bountiful nature. The famed Western Ghats achieves its greatest glory in the state with more than 60 per cent of the Ghats falling in Karnataka. Besides forest rich areas in the central and eastern portions also enrich the forest wealth of the state.

The state has perhaps one of the leading wildlife landscapes in the world. With more than 25 percent of all elephants, 10 percent of all tigers and a dense conglomeration of major herbivores as well as predators, the jungles of Karnataka abound with the attraction of its wildlife.

The forests are diverse. In the southern portion are the famed national parks of Nagarhole and Bandipur bordering contiguous forests in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As we move eastwards, we touch the forests of Biligiri Rangana Betta and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Karnataka is a wondrous state, one which abounds in natural wealth and grand vistas. Karnataka is indeed the best place to be, when it comes to appreciating forests, hills, beaches, temples and human cultures. JLR strives hard to match the expectations of eco-tourists and showcase the natural wealth of Karnataka.

Tourism - An overview

The Growth of Ecotourism Ecotourism as we know it now grew mostly out of a desire to travel without causing harm to the environment. The decades after the Second World War witnessed an explosive growth of travel options for the common man. With ease of travel and means of access available to make this travel possible, we started seeing the world in fresh light. It was the third great era of discovery and virtually the entire planet became one huge tourism destination. The Americas, Europe and Oceania emerged as popular destinations for globetrotting and people took travelling seriously. However, over exposure of these places meant that new places had to be discovered and the process of unearthing sites continued. This mass exposure meant that no place could remain out of bounds. Eco Consciousness While this travel brought large scale benefits to the people, with tourism being the source of one of the largest ever transfer of wealth from rich to the poorer countries, it brought about issues of over exposure and the associated ill effects of mass tourism. A large number of people wanted to break free from this clutch of mass tourism where the packages offered would be one size fit all and you may end up seeing your neighbor sitting next to you, wherever you went, be it the neighbourhood grocery shop at Bristol or the Natural History Museum at Beijing. Man has become more conscious of his environment than what he was a few decades ago. He saw images of degradation around him and began questioning the validity of large dams, deforestation and a multitude of artificial alterations being made to the landscape. The view that the present form of tourism alienates the local by making him merely a service provider rather than a partner in tourism, also took roots. Perhaps, a plethora of these reasons were instrumental in bringing about a gradual but definite change in the minds of the people and travel became more ecologically conscious. From the depths of this emerging consciousness grew a multitude of ways of travel. Hector Ceballos Lascurian coined the term ecotourism in early 1980’s. He defined it as “environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature that promotes conservation, low visitor negative impact and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations”. Being environmentally responsible is essential as it stresses on ecological protection, while the emphasis on promotion of local livelihoods is a key factor for a successful ecological tourism initiative. Setting Standards The growth of ecotourism has not been smooth. The word ecotourism itself has been the focus of diverse interpretations and definitions. Ecotourism being a growing industry, new benchmarks have to be set and growing challenges to be met each passing day. The word ‘eco’ has encountered many problems in the past and continues to do so today as well. Critics have pointed out that in being eco, we tend to damage the very place that we seek to visit and bring about negative influences to the people who live in these areas. Contrasting ideas keep brewing up, thus making the coming few decades even more exciting for ecotourism to begin fulfilling all the promises made and do so in a conscious manner. The dilemma for us is to reconcile the principles of ecotourism while being flexible enough to appreciate the fact that standards on ecotourism continues to develop. Mere adherence to established norms discourages many to take the step from being a tourist to an ecotourist or being a conventional set up to an eco-oriented one. The challenge is to be more innovative in approach. Whatever the pros and cons of the ecotourism movement, the ideologies prevailing in the past three decades have helped bring in an era of environment friendly tourism. Even large scale mass tourism sites are more conscious now than in the past. Examples such as the Nilgiris being declared as a plastic free district and Goa emerging as a favored destination for the environmentally conscious and not just the utopia of the budget happy are such changes that have crept into the mass tourism movement. In future, mainstream tourism and ecotourism should aim to protect the quality of the environment, enhance the cultural ethos of the region, ensure better livelihoods for the community and promote harmony while being ecologically sustainable. Acceptance of tourism as a social contributor and an agent of conservation is a vital step to design future tourism policy. The coming decades will be a test to develop tourism on these principles while ensuring that the ethos set are not diluted.

So, in the month of February when visitors are less and the heat is intense, we get to see a lot of wildlife. And we are having a good time with the sightings this year.

A leopard walking silently, apparently unconcerned is a sight to behold and of all the times that I have seen a leopard, they look majestic

The trees are flowering bringing a sense of redness to the forest. A palash here, a ficus there and the forests sing aloud.

The Naturalist’s Magical World

Looking around and soaking in the beauty of nature, the naturalist is one amongst all of us. The term naturalist, having been in existence for long has come to represent many things to many people. He has no special degree. He may or may not ramble a long list of Latin names of the flora and fauna. However he has one important role - respect nature, absorb her beauty and spread the message to everyone around. It is wise to remember that wild animals are highly unpredictable in nature. These are aspects on which training is imparted to the naturalist. In fact, carelessness is one quality that speaks lowly and scores least in the naturalist’s daily behaviour. Being alert is necessary as visitors too are often unpredictable in nature. It is their responsibility to monitor each visitor and respond to a situation in an appropiate manner. The naturalist collects a bewildering vareity of experiences along his lifetime. Each incident differs, a good guide can indeed tell a million tales. Catching them wide eyed and peering into crags for spiders can be a lesson in itself, so can be their ability to identify birds from a distance. They are passionate about butterflies and insects while being a treasure trove when the talk is on trees and flowers. And then there are the walkers. Men who trek in the jungles, pointing out insects, birds and plants to accompanying guests. Walking in the jungles brings about a remarkable perspective of experiencing nature in her glory. All good naturalists are walkers and explorers of nature first, taking joy in the flutter of a butterfly or the dew drop on a tender leaf. They bring to life stories that none thought would exist.

You know the magic of nature, when...

You know the magic of nature, when you least expect it to be beautiful, it knocks you off your breath and leaves you wondering about the sheer beauty in each and every of it's moods.

On a stony hilly plateau atleast 50-75 metres away from the nearby forests/plains, where due a to a lack of soil depth, just about everything makes an attempt to survive and life is held to tenaciously (and the proof being that relatively huge neem tree, which must have taken several years to reach this height in such a punishing environment, FALLEN, possibly because it could not fight a strong burst of wind or a heavy spell of torrential rains. Sudden death to a majestic life well spent.

Suddenly, I see a dip and see an oasis of greenery. Almost evergreen in nature, it was a paradise in the top of a tough hill. And then I see, that the entire area has subsided inwards, as if a giant JCB has scooped the rock and flung it far away. A soft layer of alluvial soil held out life to several trees and with little scope of exit, most of the water was being utilized by the trees.

Walking on that plateau, I feel that the slope or aspect plays a magical role. On the plateau, the slope was from the left to the right and as a result the vegetation on the right hand side of the cliff was much more green and luxurious. We saw much more during that super walk of a few hours through monsoonal Bidar, saw many facets of nature, got wet several times and finally came back to the resort.

Bidar has been carefully chosen as the Jungle Lodges flagship in North Karnataka. It serves the twin purpose of showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the region while at the same time sensitisies the visitor of the hidden natural gems, usually hidden from public eyes. The nature walk where I was in for example offered in the surroundings of the resort, is an attempt to explore and make visitors understand the nature of dry, scrub forests of this part of Central India. And if the walk is undertaken in the rains, it gets even better as the lush environment adds to the charm. We came back and read books, rested, had a pleasant evening and slept. The next day we finally left, went around Bidar and then to Hyderabad, through the most terrible traffic I have perhaps ever seen in my whole life. In the list of bad traffic scenarios, this counts as the highest, as we crawled through roughly 80 km of traffic. Amazing experience for a forest wallah.

What

What happened to the present past
    was a scare that woke me up
What happened should not have

But now is the present and the power lies beneath

Now the past shall be removed
Remembered yes, but only as a reminder
For the future to be fair and better

The past has no other role
except to teach us lessons

The past teaches us to live in the present

The past is but a bell, keeping us awake

The past is good, for it is our teacher..........

Remember it yes, but fear it not, never.........

Days in the Forest

Bikkapathi Mund is a small, almost cut off village in one of the hill regions of Southern India. But that by itself does not make it any special than the hundreds of other villages spread across hills of our nation.

The village is surrounded almost completely by thick shola forests that extend to the plains below in the form of moist deciduous and thereafter dry deciduous forests. Everywhere that the eye can see, one can squint in disbelief. forests all around and of all types and hues. Wild or perhaps slightly domesticated buffaloes roam the grasslands, occasionally becoming cattle-feed for the prowling tigers all around. A few Malabar squirrels have made permanent residence at the nearby department guest house. Old and decrepit now but surely holding tales of wildlife of the bygone era.

When I went there for the first time, I made a great friend. Kuttan who knows the world like only the best naturalists would, he showed the various sources of springs and explained how they sustained the surrounding region. I was taken aback by the sudden silence, but moreso by the sudden chill and suddenly found myself drifting off.

A kilometre away and a beautiful bikkimaram was standing majestically across the empty grassland. I walked on, unmindful of the chill and of the fear of the silence all around. It started getting dark and I could see that the mist coming in from the mountain in front. It was as surreal an experience as I ever felt, anywhere in life and I just kept on walking.

Some flowers bloomed bright, some leaves glistened thick, some moments, I found myself siting, sometimes listening to the rustle of the wild boars, or perhaps it was a leopard. 

Several minutes had passed when the jeep came downhill to where I was and said Lets go. I said yes and looked back. At peace.

Days in the Forest

A hot flustering morning it has been.

Walking in the direct, though not so warm sun, had more impact than the similar heat experienced in the North Indian summer, though that type of a summer is hardly ever experienced in places like these dense forests of Nagarhole. The exhaustion was due to the sheer number of kilometres walked.

Walking in the elephant forests has its own charm, that of the fear of dying, getting hurt, however, we did manage to outwalk that possibility. Back at the bungalow, taking a fresh bath, walllowing in water and just sprawled out, I feel at ease now.

One lesson during the entire trip was of taking Jenu Kurubas as guides. It was a risky venture as the two young boys, we took with us, got lost a few kilometres from the range office at Nagarhole. We had to ultimately take the game road and walk back the entire way to the guest house.

However, six days spent in the heat of a southern Indian forests has done enough to teach me about the myraid mysteries of life than several classrooms ever did

Magic of Thunder in the rolling forests

It was raining and the road was shimmering. Shimmering in the dark.

More than the rains though, there was the thunder. Soundless, giant streaks of white light. In periodic intervals, they lighted up the vast sky and turned outlines to figures. a lady on the left, a giant tree straight ahead, an elephant walking past. It was surreal and to see all this in a vehicle through the forests, at an unearthly hour made me gush with excitement.

It thundered more and the forests swayed. The jeep shook as if threatening to go off the road and into the ravines below. The state transport bus overtook us and disappeared in the distance.

I was in Wynaad and driving past the hope that sustains the hills, a Wynaad draped with bamboos and ferns and shrubs, a Wynaad that is plentiful - the hope smiled in return - a brief thunder just circled through the dense foliage of her..... Of the beauty, they call a forest.

We had left the Nilgiri hills late and had to reach Sultan Bathery before the forest gates closed. It was a hot day, even in the hills and we were perspiring. Wynaad promised to be worse.....

But then, when very late at night, we crossed the state border and turned left at Gundlupet, on this empty summer weekday, the thunder rolled up in front. Twenty minutes and we were freezing, the million thunders rolling all around. The forests began again and we fell into a trance. The rains somehow never really started, it was just thunder all around. The jeep slowed, we did not want to lose that moment and drove slow. Spoke less as well, just drove on, into the dark

Of all the feelings a human can assimilate, seeing the beauty of nature truly is one that we have been blessed with.............

You

Written several several years back, perhaps just after school. Came across, thought of posting it and comparing it with myself.

You do not stay upto to your promises
You become self-pitiful at times
You get excited and speak too much and out of turn
You still dream at a wrong time and place
You unecessarily waste money on unnecessary items
You make derogaratory remarks about yourself
You are a hesitant gossip
You sometimes think that it is but obvious that people think in the same line as yours
You have a superior attitude sometimes

and

You are a true blooded optimist
You are in a lifetime long love with nature and that brings you closer to god
You respect the feelings of others
You feel beautiful. That makes you look so
You love reading
You care for small things, for the less blessed, for the unknown
You love observing the small details in life
Of the six billion, you are god's own child
Once hooked, you can't beat yourself.

You

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

- Kahlil Gibran -

You

You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with.

- Wayne Dyer -

Me, seven languages and a train to Delhi

Travelling on an Indian train is never to be taken lightly. Unsuspecting family members, raucous school children and a diversity of cultures that can put any western anthropologist into a bind. I had not been in a good mood when we took the long train from Bangalore to Delhi. We had gotten a little late arriving at the station, mostly as a result of my experimentation with the increasingly complex Bangalore roads, and the husband and wife that we are, had a small tiff over my somewhat unnatural ideas. I got down of the vehicle, declining any help from the driver and we walked away in a huff. Me angry at no one in general and Samita at me.

The Rajdhani to Delhi defied expectations and the evening was surely going to be ruined a bit further. The entire train must have been an old reject from some popular route in the 90s, toilets being unclean and the appearance of a train I used to travel on when I was still a child. This was a not what we expected and in a fit of indignation, I asked the busy looking ticket checker whether this is the train or ours will arrive later. He was as frazzled as I imagined myself to be and replied in a gruff voice, Yes. God, this journey was proving to be as difficult as a Himalayan odyssey.

However, we soon found our seats and encountered the first rat, one of the several that we met during the long journey to Delhi. The rat scampered away but left a bad taste in our minds. And then we noticed the curtains, they were frazzled and felt dirty and the rubberized seats as well. Things were going out of hand when we noticed the motley gang who were occupying the other seats.

An ancient looking Punjabi uncle straight from the Pathan areas of erstwhile greater India, his wife, a Coorgi with a heavyset figure, a hyper energetic Marathi, a Bengali intellectual, A Malayali and a serious looking Tamilian. So there it was and the first smile came to me in a long time. We were in a compartment with six more people who spoke the exact number of languages as my wife spoke within our language enriched life. And we were the only ones looking out of scene, neither this nor that, neither a Punjabi nor a Bengali. We in our urbanized growth looked like we could have been from anywhere, but the general assumption was that we were from Delhi. So they spoke amongst themselves, in their respective languages, to their wives and friends, talking about us often, oblivious to the fact that we were able to understand just about everything. So the evening went past and the rats retreated. We slept, rejuvenated from this group, though no one spoke to the other, yet everyone was at peace.

The next began well for curiosity got the better of all our passengers. They asked, almost in unison and at the first opportunity that they go, are you friends, in college. What married, how many years… What 5 years, ohh where are you from. Oh, North and South, and finally they realized that we spoke all the languages. The curiosity turned to a childish grin as they realized that we might have eavesdropped. But the amazement continued right till we reached Delhi, though the rats never rested and the attendants were equally rude. It was a joy filled second day and all the pain of Bangalore got left behind.

In this country - Homogeneity VS heterogeneity

Now, over the years, over countless debates and numerous fights, millions of us argumentative Indians might have discussed the issue of India as a single entity or our unity in diversity.

My opinions on this issue has changed or been modified several times since I was a child and I still have a fairly neutral view on the subject, but matters took a turn for the worse recently when I met a couple of old friends after ten years and these topics came up for discussion.

Initially, my so called urbane friends were talking about hindi or english to made as the universal language of the country and I kept on listening. Not for long though, as the tone got increasingly sharp as the day proceeded and these two well kept friends were fairly unanimous in the " Either my way or the highway" syndrome.

I tentatively joined int he discussion gleaning from my experience of having breathed the air of Bengal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh and offered reasons for the need to having hundreds of languages and millions of dialects.

No though.... No way - the instant reaction was dismissal of my views and in loud tones. What surprised me the most is that they were unwilling to listen to me and shouted me down. No amount of reasoning, cajoling, arguing could bring them to listen to me. Disturbing thought this - educated people and not even pure hindi speakers being so adamnat of imposing a way of life that is alien to the hundreds of friends I have in across the country. They were infact dismissive of the fact that a lot of non-hindi speakers did manage to speak hindi out of their own interest and not out of compulsion.

The discussion went far and long but the crux is that they did not budge from their stated positions. The fact perhaps there are so many of us who may be educated and bright, well read and traveled - yet are so very narrow in their outlook that they have failed to see the beauty of the nation as it exists. Failed to see the magic of heterogeneity in eating rasgullas one morning and fish curry that evening, saying namaste and nallarkingla in the same breath.... It surely is a big task for mother India to keep the heterogeneity alive.

kya kahoon

kya kahoon

kyon aise raton mein, andhekhi rahon mein.....

khayal tumhara aaya

fir socha main

ki chalta rahooon

fir socha main

ki chalta rahoon

Per yaad aati rahi

mein chalta raha

pass hi to thi humhare

yeh hume hai yakin

yuhin chalta rahoon

kyon saath ho tum humare

hume to bas dhoondte rehna hai

kya kahoon

kyon aise raton mein..................... rahon mein

A Day of Solitude by the forest

Just as the morning mist started to disappear and the jacket was taken off, the forest began to come alive. It is a small forest where I live, small but protected, ensuring that all beings can live their days in peace from depredation. The forest where I live may have a number of planted species, but the silence when within it never fails to impress me.

Today, was one of those of days when I was blessed to have an occasion to sit with the forest in total solitude, and what an experience it was. Birds chirping for as far as one could imagine and nobody around. A book in my handed, a book about the forests, Folded Earth, and I sat for long. Occasional phone calls altered the rhythm, I grew thirsty once and had to come back to civilization for a glass of water, but the silence kept calling me back and I sat in peace. After long, the peace that is not searched but comes to you naturally, I was blessed this morning.

Yes, Politics is killing the big Cats

Here where I live, I have a ringside view of how yes, politics is indeed killing this lovely animal called the tiger.  And the attack is multipronged. I have been seeing how enormously dedicated forest officials are enticed and entangled in the web of political conspiracies, how their image might be tarnished time and again by vested interests who will make sure that all the good work being done by them is brushed aside. How the advisory committee that half of this planet's sapiens are, will time and again criticize the work being done by the forest department for their interests.

Eight years of being in the wild and I have been fairly convinced that howsoever critical a role NGOs may play ( and I worked in an NGO before for four long years), the real person to bite the bullet is the man in khakhi. And what worries me the most is that a conservationist, oh that is what I like to call myself, and half of my breed will be more interested in that next funding, the big grant, a superlative endowment and of course, unhindered access to the forest. And if that hapless forest official has the guts to put an end to this condescending fellow, god forbid as the newspapers are waiting.

How priceless is that forest officer, who recently gave his heart and soul to save a tiger that strayed in parts of Coorg and gave away hefty compensations for animal deaths,, buying time for the tiger in the process, knowing fully well that the tiger will return soon enough to the forest. What is the value of the lakhs of rupees he might have spent as opposed to letting that tiger being bludgeoned to death in some estate. Does this officer not deserve some award for god's sake or does he deserve brickbats.... What about a  person who has stopped favour-seekers who had an unhindered acess to the forest by ticking them off and saying, please go by the main road and not be some exotic forest road.... What about a forest officer who has worked for more than what his brief calls for and has regulated tourism wit the attendant risk of being maligned by a set of hard bargaining photographers, what about a range forest officer who had the guts to stop a so called important person and had a charge made against him..... I, who worked with Keystone for so long wish that the department is respected for what it does sometimes......

THIS IS HOW THE ECLIPSE LOOKED FROM WHERE I LIVE - KABINI

Thanks to Ashwin for letting me see this.

To be Noted

A poem should not mean. But be.

- Archibald MacLeish -

Rockstar

Am I amongst the 30% who liked Rockstar, yes.......... 

30.11.2011

Tomorrow is a day that I will not forget ever. Though reluctant to have attachments, I am in deep gloom that my MD sir is retiring and leaving JLR forever. As the person who brought me into this institution, a place that I had longed to be in since Bhopal, I am forever indebted to him for this singular act.

However, what is more important is that he has brought in a tremendous amount of help for people like us whom he supported to the hilt. I deeply admire you sir and would not like to express my gratitude in mere words. It was a pleasure working with you and knowing you and learning from you.

Regards,

Kunal

Come to think of it...

Come to think of it
all that I do is unnecessary,

And all that I spend
is, surely, a waste of money,

All the time that I dream
is, nothing, but a tax life's memories,

Come to think of it
thoughts are all but unnecessary...

Come to think of it
my life is nothing but a journey

and to reach the goal
one must use all the experiences thouroughly,

to go where one needs to, before he dies
it is better to walk straight and properly,

Come to think of it...

Cauvery - A Splendid Journey

Of all its gifts to mankind, the Cauvery bestows the land with an amazing richness and diversity of flora and fauna. Its river basin of more than 72,000 sq. km. is replenished by tributaries such as the Harangi, Chicklihole, Shimsha, Hemavati, Arkavathy, Honnuhole, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Lokapavani, Noyyal River, Amaravati River and more.

The rivers rise from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and are the catchments for world famous forests such as Wyanad, Mudumalai, Nilgiris, Silent Valley, Attapadi, Perambikulam and the Anaimalais. The basin is home to several rare and threatened animals, and to several of the unique camps of JLR, including at Kabini, Dubare, Doddamakkali, Bheemeswari and Galibore.

Commencing from Talakaveri, the Cauvery meanders down to the Mysore plateau through Coorg, marks the northern boundary of the Dubare Reserve Forest where elephants are trained for various forestry and non-forestry purposes, and bifurcates to a beautiful island, Nisargdharma. This island has been developed as a popular tourist site operated by the Forest Department of Karnataka and is a must see for all those who visit Coorg.

It is here that the river becomes languid. Caressing the rocks, its banks often plays host to a large numbers of Tibetan monks from the nearby settlement of Bylakupe, who relax and bathe in the shallow waters. The river widens out,  before its waters are bound by the 31 sq km Krishnaraja Sagar dam near Mysore and several anicuts and irrigation channels thereafter.

Thus, the great river which has travelled unhindered for more than 170 km is finally trapped and diverted into one of the first dams built in modern India. However, the river makes amends soon and cascades down the dam gates through a rocky outcrop which provides the dam with a dramatic visage. Thousands throng the Brindavan Gardens each day to witness the sound and light show each evening.

Thereafter, crossing the favoured bird sanctuary of Ranghanathittu, the river bifurcates at Srirangapatnam, providing natural defences to the island that was to become the capital of the Mysore Sultans. Srirangapatnam is rich in history and enough books have been written to honor this legacy. It is the history of Srirangapatnam that has in fact made it one of the top tourist destinations of India.

Each day, one can find tourists of both Indians and foreigners throngs through the tidy streets of this town, guidebook in hand, marveling at that day in 1799 when Tipu fell after a grand fight and the face of imperialism changed.

The island soon ceases to be so when the two branches of the river meet up at Sangam and the Cauvery continues its eastward journey.  The river has been used for irrigation in this stretch for centuries. It provides the Mysore region with its economic strength and vast, rice fields. The river provides much needed drinking water to several towns and villages along its path, besides being the backbone of the water supply to Bangalore, one of the fastest growing cities in the world. 

Traversing the Srirangapatna Island, the river turns towards Najangud amidst a fertile land and meets the Kabini, the other great river of the Cauvery basin. The river meanders through Talakad before crashing  more than 100 metres through two rapids Bharachukkki and Gaganachukki at Shivanasamudra where it was first tapped for its hydroelectric potential in 1902. This brought electricity to Bangalore and for some time, Bangalore held the claim for being the only city in the continent with regular electricity supply.

The Cauvery then enters a deep gorge, popularly known as the Cauvery Valley and home to the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary that covers an area of 526 sq km. A dramatic eco-region with elevations dropping to less that 250 metres and rising almost 1500 metres, the valley and the sanctuary has been modified by nature into an amazing biome.

With a predominantly dry climate - albeit rich with water from the Cauvery, the Palar and several streams - the river system is unique in this stretch of the Cauvery. In fact, the vitality of Coorg hills and the familiar scene of the river crashing into huge rocks and forming deep pools returns and can be seen up to the Tamil Nadu border.

After its journey through the Cauvery Valley, bound by dense forests on both sides, the river enters Tamil Nadu through a series of wild gorges and falls at a place commonly known as Smoking Stone or Hogenakkal and is then dammed again at Mettur, creating a lake known as the Stanley Reservoir. Finally, after lazily moving through Tamil Nadu, it joins the seas near Cuddalore, forming a large delta in the Thanjavur region where millions depend on the river for cultivation. Thus, the river that began its journey on the western edge of the nation finally dissolves into the sea in its eastern ends.

A river so unpredictable and gracious like the Cauvery has rightfully been accorded the virtue of being one of the most sacred rivers of India. With millions dependent upon it, the entire Cauvery basin must be provided the sanctuary it requires, so that it continues flowing the way it has for millions of years

The Cauvery’s journey makes for an interesting reading and has continued to fascinate travellers and pilgrims alike for centuries. However, it is the small 60 km stretch from below Shivasamundram till Mekedaatu that has been of particular interest for thousands of enthusiasts from across the world. They come and try their luck at least once in the deep pools of the Cauvery, for this is the land of the Mahseer, one of the last remaining refuges of the tiger amongst fishes.

Nature has created this valley and accorded protection to it. The sheer drop from the Mysore plateau ensures that there is no unwanted entry into the forests. Most of the original forests remain and all that you can hear is the whistle of birds and the gushing of the river. Running at a steep gradient, the river often crashes into rapids and rushes down as small waterfalls.

This setting brings forth much needed life into the river systems and unleashes a wealth of diversity with profuse fish populations and an abundance of other life forms. In lieu of its isolated nature, the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary was instituted in the year 1987, so that the inhabitants of this valley could be protected.

This Year and My Monsoon Run

Bannerghata, Bidar, hampi, Dandeli, Wyanad, Coorg, Bhadra, Bandipur, Jog, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Belgaum, Pattadkal, Aihole, Badami, Belur, Halebid, Mangalore, Kudremukh, Talakkad, Bheemeswari -

This monsoon is turning out to be a transit in rains

The Kabini Manifesto on Waste/Life Management

Waste is a threat, perhaps it is a lighter word. Waste is a curse and a needless one at that. What we do about it is entirely our responsibility. And come to think of how we shirk responsibility, nowadays, anybody talking about waste management is considered a green warrior. I would say that those who manage waste are just conducting the fundamental duties as enshrined by the constitution and nothing spectacularly out of the world. It is our duty to leave the earth cleaner than we found it.

It is in this context that at Kabini, we are striving to be sensible about waste and aim to spread the message as far as our influence can. There are critical issues in which a place like Kabini must move ahead in the coming years. They are the manifestos on waste management, energy management, conservation management with life management running as common thread across all.

The Kabini Manifesto

- No plastic in the campus. Whether by reducing intake or by recycling after usage, plastic must face death at our hands.

- Segregation to be seamless and effortless in the long run. Plastic, paper, metal, glass, waste plastic, tetrapacks, egg-shells, e-waste, napkins, sachets and their associates to be segregated and respectfully recycled.

- Besides segregation, designate a place to keep waste wood, steel, plumbing material, switches, pipes, wires so that they can be put to use later.

Plastic Bottles PET, a subset of the larger plastic-chemical industry must be reduced. We thus purchase Kent systems while increasing the price of bottled mineral water, while sending a message to the consumer not to buy PET because of the inherent damage to the environment. The waste water from the RO systems is directed to the gardens.


- Recycle A4 papers in its entirety. First use both the sides, then send it to the segregation unit. Get a rubber stamp made that says "We only use recycled paper" and show it to the world.

- Start an organic garden. Even if the production is low, the message gets conveyed. And reverse the hesitation over organic products. Instead of the conventional higher rates, sell organic stuff at half the market price of that day and still make money.

- Reuse everything that is lying waste, especially those which the world feels just has no utility left at all. Reuse everything and see what happens. First use is made of the tonnes of waste wood lying around, then old pipes and then just about everything. The carpenter makes magic with wood, the plumber saves money from old pipes and the electrician has enough stock to last a year without fresh purchase.

- Consciously learn from the ones who have lived at a particular place for long periods and I have been blessed to stay at a place that has a documented history of more than 150-200 years when the place was used for elephant capturing. The senior people who live here are a treasure house of knowledge. Learn from their experiences on how much sand is adequate for building a wall, how knives can be sharpened, what is to be designed and in what way

- Set up a consolidated Decentralised Wastewater Treatment System, to take care of the wet waste that is generated in large amounts. This will be the final answer for waste generated in toilets, kitchen and dining areas and if as a result we get bio-gas and reusable water, nothing can top that.

- Save energy. A big challenge at Kabini as we are naturally disadvantaged. First step - finish replacing all bulbs with CFL and slowly with LED. Reduce usage of the generators by several hours a day. Compel drivers to increase their fuel efficiency. Move towards solar energy especially for heating solutions. Reduce spillover in the water tank, install power saver switches in the rooms, bath tubs are being removed.

- Our vegetable waste is now sold to the milkman who for 30 years had been taking it free. Now they pay us with five litres of milk daily. In the near future, we may start our vermicomposting unit and sell compost in good looking packs as organic compost or something.

- Use waste newspapers and old hammock strings to create carry bags to keep products sold at our Earth Shop.

- Dry leaves that were burnt are now to be collected. The collected material is strewn across the slightly big forest that we have inside the campus to convert into humus.

- Old logs to be reused in producing soil. They are kept at strategic places and people are made to understand the utility of insects and other organisms in converting organic matter into soil.

- Repackage the philosophy of treating people who collect waste. One way of doing that is to make good looking dustbins intricately designed by our carpenter that is easy to maintain and extremely attractive. Just by being positioned at a place, people should be attracted to see the dustbin and it is here that we spread the message of cleanliness to them.

Sachin as Actor

Broke my heart........ After 20 years of seeing Sachin being idolised and worshipped by almost the entire billion that is India, here is a claim that he is an actor. For whatever reasons and to save whatever money, it really saddened an average fan like me..

May the next big prize - not the Bharat Ratna but the Oscars come his way

Life and times at Pillur

Pillur is an unknown place not many have heard about. But I in my earlier avataar have written about it and a long time from now, I would remember my time there fondly.

Life is Pillur can be broken up into 2 parts - before and after marriage.

Before marriage, I used to be at Pillur, ostensibly looking after projects but never really sure about the level of interventions an outsider can have at a place.

I used to be up imeediately after the 6.30 bus would leave for Mettupalayam and after brushing would go out to the nearby shop for tea. A leisurely tea was followed by a visit to a nearby village or be at the centre itself. Invariably, hpowever I would return back 9.30 after completing most of the works and then just wait for the heat to hit.

Lunch was a massive Rs. 15 affair and then came the afternoon siesta. Then maybe a village visit during the evening. The period around dusk would be a heavy duty affir at the dam with me running about 8-10 rounds of the dam.

Oh, what a life it was and though the heat was immense and a constant struggle against whatever activity we set out to complete, I at least became healthy beyond belief, also because I used to exercise for some exams as well.

After marriage, life was more rushed as I was returning to Kotagiri every 4-5 days. This took a toll and caused an impression in the office. Nursery plantings were over and I could see that I have had a successful affair at Surki and Chitukunni, besides having put up a lot of efforts at Pucchamarathur.I stayed and worked at Pillur till January 2006 and then intermittently till March of that year.

My time at Pillur was spread over one year, from February 2005 to March 2006 and then infrequent visits continued till 2008. It was punctuated by aa series of fortunate incidents, none momentous but each filling up a space of nostalgia that is embedded in my memories forever.

What I recal most are perhaps my coracle rides across the Bhavani river and so was the occasional jeep rides to Pucchamarathur, through Attikadavu. Biking up and down to Pillur from Kotagiri though the forest as well as through the longer road was fun as well. Walking upto to Situkunni and getting severely affected by some insect bite will remember with me foreever, so will the walk to mettupalayam through the river bed of the Bhavani.

The nursery that we started at Sittukuni was my first field work, we climbed to the village, went and cut bamboo from the forests above, somehow managed to carry the huge bamboo down and then set up the nursery. Involvement with that nursery till it was closed down was a learning experience and also was the other nurseries.

Going to the large tree a few kilometres from our base will always remain a memorable experience as was that walk that actually traversed the entire hill and landed us directly to the camp.

Just a thought that crept in today. In days like these, when the pace of life is extremely languid and thoughts are at a premium, it is better to declare it as a holiday. Ok, chooti today

WWWWWWWWW

When it comes to my field of work, I am pessimist to the core. I believe, perhaps I already know that our vast natural heritage is dying out. Not naturally but is being accelerated by our actions or inaction.

And as an individual, the more I see all of this happening, I become more radical about doing something. And yes, several times, I feel that all is lost. Yes, that is true as well... all is lost.... we will soon be a nation of cities siphoning of the resources in and around. Or as it is in Kerala, become one long urban village on both sides of the highway.

India as a city from north till south - the ultimate in national integration. We will not have states but mohalla names for our THE singular city - what we now know as Nagpur will be a Marathi Mohalla with a sprinkling of smaller linguistic mohalla. Patna will be a homogenous North Indian mohalla. 10 kilometres from Bhopal will be industries with their exhaust pipes turned towards the hinterland and supplying goods to the cities every hour. 20 Kilometres and the beautiful hinterland will start. Long stretches of wheat and rice will dot the landscape, cane swaying gently in the wind. Hundreds of cows munching on soft grass (IN AN EUROPE STYLE FACTORY). And no human in sight.

We would have achieved the American dream, here in India.......
We will have one person managing 10000 acres of land and the rest engaged in beautifying the city.

Drive for another 100 KM and you will see the same phenomenon repeating itself... What about the forest or lakes or pastures or hills or mountains.... Eaten up by the Indian Uncle Sam....

Thinking...

In the glory and the perceived doom of the aftermaths of post globalised industrialisation, there stand so many interested parties that our politicians would die to have them inducted into their ideological fold. But what is so unique about the war for/against industrilisation and environmentalism is that the third group of the usual fence sitters is bigger than usual.

These are the very people who are forced to drink a mix of browny wowny slimy water each day and prefer to spend rupees eighty per day on treated water, month after month, on and on, yet choose, refrain and just do not step on the line which will make them capable of choosing a correct way of living, one that is free of the networking modern society provides. The net is never damaged.....safety net, spider net, societal net, parental net, friend's net or just a material net. Never.

Look

Look through the glass,
you will find
Thy face not seen before
With the touch and the Care
that nature bestows

Look through the mirror,
you will find
the other face of you
Lost in the rat race
Life has become today

Can we go the extent of stopping the monsoons for our own benefit one day

I suffer from ........ and I do not know what to do about it

Mukurthi Again

As a past resident of the Nilgiris, discounting an oppurtunity to visit the Mukurthi National park is not a choice but an eagerly awaited stroke of fortune, as people would testify to the difficulties of permissions and prohibitive costs involved in visiting this pristine zone. I have visited the park umpteen times for very short durations and the very abundance of nature at its best compels me to look at the westward sky, everytime I pass Ooty.

Mukurthi is infact a jewel in the hill district's crown and its very existence till today speaks volumes of the conservation efforts undertaken by past conservationists in enforcing policy decisions that led to the creation of the park.

Mukurthi is located in the western crescent of the Nilgiri district, looking over the expanse of the state of Kerala and almost appears as a wall like impenetrable fortress when seen from Nilambur region of Kerala.



The park is covered by grasslands and sholas and some stretches of the invasive tree, wattle.

The Forest Department and Nilgiri Wildlife Association were organising a census to estimate the population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr and I bounced upon the organisers. With a stroke of luck, Mohanraj Sir, who is one of the most progressive conservationists in Southern India and also one of the main organisers of the event allotted me to survey the Bison Swamp region.

The effort was worth for the sheer opportunity to see pure nature with so few disturbances.

The Wyanad Tale - Young Men on the Move

Vinayan is from Wyanad, one of the northern districts of Kerala with a substantial indigenous population and a degree of backwardness that is an aberration to the overall growth oriented outlook of Kerala but it is not infact backward in the Central India sense of the word.

There are hardly any destitute poverty stricken people hanging around. Visiting here from Eastern Uttar Pradesh, one would amaze at the number of vehicles, number of public buses, innumerable bakery shops and so many umbrellas, that popular umbrella companies infact have their showrooms in most of the towns of the district. But Mananthwady, Sultan Bathery and many more small towns and villages have a story to tell.

The story is that Wyanad did a fast forward leap to modernity, sidelining the vast populations of indigenous people, who could not adjust to modernity in the modern sense of the word.

Wyanad was and still is, one of the least densely populated districts of the state of Kerala and it is people like Vinayan (whose family originally brought about destruction of the forests) as they, along with thousands of other immigrants from central and southern Kerala have taken up cudgels to preserve the remaining forests of the district.

Vinayan sees the forest as an integral part of Wyanad, a sea change from early migrants who viewed the then vast forests as a resource to be logged and burnt and pillaged. For then, the forest was a dark brooding competitor in the land starved minds of most people. Encouraged by the government, the tale of Wyanad's forest is a tragedy of the present times leading upto this situation where barely some parts of the original forests remain as per the original habitat.

Vinayan's father and Sujin's father settled in Chettapalam and Thrissilay close to the town of Mananthawady.

Saneesh's father also was a migrant from Ernakulam. Infact, when it comes to Wynad, almost everyone is a migrant in the correct sense of the word. Nobody belongs to Wyanad as Wyanad Belongs to None.

While Wyanad is no one's ancestral home, except for the indigenous people who have lived in the primeval forests for long, it is now referred to as home by many who live here.

Saneesh, Vinayan and Sujin are but a few amongst the growing tribe in the region who are passionate about the pearl and not averse to irking the establishment in order to get their demands met.

These three are infact are a part of the story that turns the familiar cycle round and round - the fathers destroyed large areas of forests, the sons are now rebuilding the forests as is laying fresh plaster on a dilapidated house.

They are birders, take part in animal census regularly, conduct environmental education classes, together with more friends maintain one of the best libraries, small town India might have ever known - the Youth Library at Manathwady.

These boys and their many friends are working towards restoring the lost primacy of Wyanad’s natural heritage into the lives of the ordinary people - they are not frazzled by the infrequent progress and take it as part of the larger game.

What they do and are attempting to do is simply one of the earliest known solutions to turn back deforestation. Educate all and sundry. Hold classes for students in natural; settings, take them on nature walks to Kuruvadwip island, take part and exhort citizens to be active members in tree planting ceremonies and much more.

This strategy of educating people is seemingly one of the least attractive measures to confront deforestation, but the high thinking promoters of complete closure of protected areas and/or complete autonomy of indigenous populations are slowly taking up this path.

Today is long gone

Today is long gone..........

If that is all that matters, I am losing still....

For all I may do is to sit still and all I can do is to freak all day....

For all the suffering that she has had, all I have done is not much....

For all I have done is to give empty drums, to their depths of sorrow....

All I know is that I am going deeper underground....

And yet, all I know is that nothing is totally lost for then, nobody would have been a better person today.

If living an imperfect life is a crime, one must suffer or should One, I ask?

There is always a chance, that we will pull through and then, maybe we will...

I can't oversee your death. I can see you over that climb and help you along. It is a challenge but it is true.

Your life is all you have, have to make it remain with you.

The heaven that is Mukurthi

Again, a visit to my personal heaven. I have explored virtually every corner of this heaven in the wonderful opportunity that I got in the past few years.





I wonder if I will ever get over my singular love for this small patch of forest. Why, after a million visits, feel like going again.
I hope it gets more strict to enter there, for we nature lovers help ruin that beauty more than others.

If I ever decide to die on my own terms, I will do it here. Here and nowhere else. My best memory would be walking that early morning right along the edge or just sleeping during the days or so many more.

Change

As and when life begins anew, it brings a fresh whiff, a scent wondrous and it is now that you feel that it is young, hopeful and it is divine.

For when the ride is uphill with its strains and hiccups, only when you reach the top, does it feel so nice and so fair.

Leaving one's world and going to another random place, life beckons. And for me, a change every few years is just like an experience breathing in fresh air. While in the hills, one of the strongest memories was looking out of the window and seeing God's magnificent creations that gave me an immense sense of pride.

Wyanad in the night

You enter Wyanad ususally to pass through it - to Cochin, to Calicut or to Southern Kerala. You hardly roll down the window when the clear sky becomes dark due to the madly dense canopy, you think about the impending vomit of your chidlren now that the hills are twisting, you do gaze at the fields and wonder about the greenery of God's Own COuntry. As you reach closer to the border of this hilly district, you will yourself to sleep as there are no longer any interesting buildings to watch and speculate the prices of, neither are their any towns to buy your regular snacks from. You invariably sleep and wake up at Mysore, smiling pleasantly at the noise of the Maharajah's bus stand and his palace that stands tall.


But my eyes pop open long long before I entered the land of the forests. I sit up in anticipation in the red and white KSRTC bus that does reek of vomit, but is regularly cleaned in the depots. I sit up and move over to the window to watch the spelendour of the hills and forest draping her modestly. I become a poet watching the clouds over Brahmagiri. I point out exactly to whichever part of me that is able to twist that if Brahmagiri is front, Chembra must be behind. I wonder and wonder and reach the forest.

It was about eight in the dusk when I drive into Wyanad through Gundlupet in Karnataka. The road was wide and empty except for a turboed KSRTC bus and the sights were a beauty. It was raining in the strange Karnataka sort of a way that makes you feel that any rain in this dry zone is inadequate yet if you step out you wet and drenched to the bones. It was raining and the road was shimmering and more than the rains, it was the thunder. In periodic intervals, it lighted upo the skies and made outlines turn to figures. A lady to the left, a giant tree straight ahead and a Pachyderm walking past. To see all this in a quite vehicle at an uneartly hour made me gush with feverish excitement.

It thundered more and the forests swayed. I was in Wyanad and was driving past the hope that sustains the hills and the surrounding plains, a Wyanad draped with Bamboo and grasses and shrubs, a Wyanad plentiful - the hope smiled and returned - the thunder just circled through forests forest's fargile shadow. I reached the checkpost..

How to Park in Kerala

Step 1 - Enter the town and look around. As the crowd moves on your left, move with them, or atleast try to. Take a complete round of the town.

Step II - Again, go round, look around for a place to park.

Step III - Take a final round. By now, you would have become familiar with the policeman who is efficiently directing the traffic to go round, a couple of striking employees who are being watched by hordes of others. Try the India Coffee House for a parking but it is invariably full, finally try with as many citizens as possible who get equally confused with the most vexing question ' where to park'

Warm...

A warm afternoon,
Seeing into the wild...
I am here at home - Thinking a lot, also about nothing at all.

And when I grow old and see nothing closeby, I will have the young ones read this for me before I say bye.

And the world, it will keep on rolling - A giant ball and we walk smartly.

Plants on Yesterdays's walk

I had a chance to go around with Sadanada Ji, a man with enough energy to outlast most of us, for his 72 years on earth and he showed me a number of plants.

1. Saw the Thunbergia grandiflora flower in the garage next to the office. This is ornamental in nature with beautiful flowers and climbs up, has covered our garages providing it with a wild look.

2. We walked towards the north block and saw the tree Lannea coromandelica, which has grown quite tall. I believe that it is anti-inflammatory. Just next to room 14.

3. We saw large clumps of lemon grass that I told the gardener to plant all around.

4. Saw the marigold and remembered my childhood for a few seconds.

5. Ipomoea quamoclit is just near the entrance to the north block from the Viceroy lodge side and on the right arch. Beautiful flower, also known as the cypress vine.

6. Vinca rosea, found just about everywhere in India is highly medicinal in its nature, used for a series of medicines.

7. Spoke about the pods of the gulmmohar for long and also about the entada, found in Mudumalai.

8. Clerodendrum inerme or the vishwadhari, it is used popularly as a hedge plant and is the main hedge near the Viceroy Lodge.

9. Duranta, also we saw - very popular as a hedge plant wherever I went in Coorg. Dubare elephant camp has a large number of these plants, though they have not come out really well.

10. Towards the evening, when dusk came in, saw a number of spiders, saw the flower gloriosa superba, Bauhinia variegata, saw some orchids that Colonel Wakefield has planted at his garden. Then saw the Avacado or the Persia americanus.

11. Finally, it was swietina macrophylla also known as Big Leaf Mahogany, Big-leaf Mahogany, Bigleaf Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany, Honduras Mahogany, Large-leaved Mahogany, Sky Fruit, Tropical American Mahogany.

10 things I like about Keystone ( While I was there)

Found this entry in an old diary, about to be disposed..... A lsit written perhaps at a moment, when I must have been really enjoying the floating clouds of Kotagiri...

The Ten things I like about Keystone

- The 4+1 eco-buildings that are nice to look at and even better inside.
- The campus with some trees here and there with an isolated kudil and a forest at top.
- Th efact that Mukurthi is closeby - My personal heaven.
- The mgazine stand with all the fun.
- My desk - a territorial possession - and the view from it.
- The mist that surrounds you and makes you dream and makes you calm and makes you happy.
- The fact that I wrote a few of these books that kinda rocked.
- I can do things without prying eyes.
- I do not have too many people to talk to.
- I have had great four years here on the whole - My second Chandigarh.

The Last 30 Summers - First sixteen years

30 summers and how did I spend it.

It is not a consequential question for many, but me, for as long as I remember, have had my father and bade-papa exclaiming that India is a very hot country, and as a result - have been very excited about the impending heat and on the ways to enjoy it.

The First sixteen years is a period that I remember for watching Chooti-Chooti on the Bengal Doordarshan, usually in the afternoons, playing early morning cricket and again in the late evenings. As the chooti-chooti serial would begin at 12 or was it at 1 pm, we would assemble in one of the homes and basically eat and sleep while watching that iconic serial.

Evenings would be cycling invariably. However, soon, I started going out more and more with myself - mostly because most of my friends had their parents transferring themselves out the wilderness called Girmint. Invariably, the summers becam self discovery months.

I wold be cycling to really dangerous areas - even for adults. Chat up with illegal mine workers, check out how they wash the coal or burn it to make charcoal.

Once, and I remember it vividly. The monsoons had burst at its seams and the whole area was under a dense cover of water. I knew the illegal miners were around as I had seen them last evening. Walking upto to those mines through some heavy rains, I reached the mines but everything was changed. More than 2-3 acres of land had vanished. My stomping grounds were missing. And as suddenly as I watching, I saw land going under. Subsidence is as they call it in our part of the world and it had begun right in front of me. I stepped back and more, and then more. Finally, I stood as the ground seemed harder and barely a couple of feet away, it ended. A big pond was being created right in front of my eyes, no illegal miner was killed and the ladies will have nice place to wash their clothes.. It was the dawn of a new pukur

Competing Claims

Where do Competing claims take us....

It is a complex, complicated and confusing scenario.

All conflicts have claims on them. A good one or a bad one. Conflicts exist everywhere, they may be good or bad, but they exist.

The claims various stakeholders place on the resource is what makes it interesting to understand the various competing claims on these resources.

I am confused about how does one analyse the various competing claims. But nevertheless, the theory of competing claims is a better way to look at conflicts than traditional conflict management models.

Imagine a scenario - a forest is to be opened for exploitation where indigenous people live. They want to cut timber, someone else wants to mine coal, the community wants to harvest NTFPs, the oldies want to continue worshiping to the spirits, newer generation wants to open a little land for agriculture. So many claims on a piece of land.

What does one do....Bring them all together and draw a rich picture of the scenario.

Analyse who are the stakeholders. See how much stake they have.
See the power they exercise....

Take a look at the various rights of each of the stakeholders as well as the duties of each of them. Make a matrix crossing each others rights with respect to the duties they have to perform.

See what the institutions can do and how can they be developed.

Make an economic valuation of the various resources at stake....

Develop scenarios of future events and try to develop a strategy for dealing with favorable as well as unfavorable scenario and then move on to develop assumptions that defines our final strategy....

Maybe, then one day the claims will be met or atleast partly met of each of the stakeholders. Some will lose out, some will benefit....

The Forest is Still Tonight

The Forest is still tonight, No sound can I hear,

The winds have died down,
the rivers flow silent,
Trees look morose and so do beings.

For silence spins yarns around wisdom,
Perhaps, the wise must speak.
Talk silently about our follies,
But do we hardly listen.

The wise forest speaks,
and yet we do not listen.

Warns us of the impending doom,
yet we do not listen.

Yes, I know. The forest is still tonight

Complexities

For when the evening sun dips,
the tales come whispering hard.

What the boys are doing at random points,
Is but to announce their falling grace.

When are we left with no choice,
To join or let her go.

Confessing now to hold the evidence,
One must learn the hard way

When

When I walk alone, I see a lot,

When I walk with one more, I appreciate better and feel joy,

When I walk with more, the games begin,

When I walk with a crowd, I become part of it,

When I walk with the lot, I form a revolution,

When I walk alone, I feel good today

Sights

Leopards and tigers everday

Mr. Jairam Ramesh - I

Jairam Ramesh is the Ultimate Strategic Maverick. He is a leftist on the right, says Mr. Lumumba. A respected leader from the same party that he belongs to - from Karnataka - said he is too uncertain in his decision making. Some say he is working and receiving his motives from the high command. There are those who say that he has a personal motive.

Since, I do not think much at all. I feel that he will be remembered long after he is gone. Long after the long hair is all but gone, after his health would have gone and so will be a lot of us. He is playing a small yet crucial part in determining India's future course and I still feel that it is his own thoughts that make him what he is and not at the behest of anyone else. Right or wrong - he is the charisma required.

Good times, Bad times

Good times, bad times...
Figment of thy memory
Times last life like...
Not for the beauty of thy life,
Nor its sorrows.
Time beholds, listen ya carefully

Times behold

Good times, bad times,
last not so ever,
teaches one, not much,
teaches one to respect it.
For it passeth soon... for it stands never.

Times behold, time must go on.
Leaving in its wake,
not much but a dirty mud rake
Time beholds - for it moveth fast..

GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES

Wildlife Week 2010

It started with almost a sudden recall that the wildlife week is about to begin in a few days. At Kabini, as far as I remember we have never celebrated the week in any special way. So we had to take up the challenge and do something this year.

On the 30th of September, we were ready with a plan. And it was ambitious. The idea was to bring children from a particular school each day at 10 am. Thereafter, have a small session on understanding the forest, followed by the movie Nagarhole in Kannada. This was to be followed by a lunch and then a safari into the forest. The forest department wholeheartedly supported the idea and gave us permissions.

From the first till the completion of the week, we managed to bring an amazing 600 plus children, almost more than a hundred each day and have fun filled sessions. We covered the villages of Belthur, Karapura, Gundathur, Udboor, Magge and Mallali besides the tribal hadis in and around the camp.

It was a learning experience in an unique way. Besides the enthusiasm of the children which is apparent, it was quite clear that our staff had even greater fun. The gardeners volunteered, so did the naturalists, the electricians went for safaris with the kids and so did the housekeeping staff. It was fun and I am already looking forward to the next year, or maybe the next event where we can involve children again.

Review in the Sanctuary Magazine

My ideas

My ideas about life were vague, my thoughts and acts were frayed.
There is nothing I could do, except fall in love with you.

Seen life, but learnt nothing yet.
Felt it, but missed the queue. I am truly on a wild road now.

Ode to GKW

I stood at the edge
Waiting to be engulfed
I waited for the moment to come,
When I could be nothing and yet be all done.

I felt the clouds pass by,
I felt the air rush.
I heard strangers all around me,
and heard God whisper by.

I heard the power of music,
I saw her laughing loud.
The Jogin was all there for me,
To touch my destiny.......

I waited, waited for a chance,
A chance today to die.
But suddenly the winds died,
ANd said, Lead a New Life.....

Vegetables at Kabini

Soon guests coming to Kabini will be offered organic vegetables as part of the normal menu. We have started or own vegetable garden and have laid forty plots initially. These plots by themselves, have the capacity to reduce our dependency on long distance purchases that we are forced to do.

Am awaiting the first crop

One more sad day, but who cares

Another elephant captured at Dubare last year has died this morning. Lambodra, poor fellow never knew what he got into when he was captured grazing last year. He got into the company of men who took so-called care of him and left him to his death.

Sad day, but who cares. Three of them have already died and they were all captured in the prime of their lives. Wastage of Life, which courts should man approach to address these issues.

We are just too complacent now. All of us...

Every............

Every decision you make -- every decision that you make every second -- is not a decision about what to do, it is a decision about who you are. Every act is an act of self-definition. --Neale Donald Walsch

A review of Wild Vistas

http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/books/article450940.ece

Wild Vistas was reviewed recently for the Hindu. Check it out here......

Poachers and Tourism

I found out today that somewhere tourism does have its super effects on conservation.

When poachers are cutting apart a gaur, packing it neatly into packets, separating the leg pieces and carefully skinning it as well, how does tourism come into place.

Tourism scares these poachers away and ethically informs the authorities who take prompt action, ensuring that something good comes out of that innocent gaur.

Tourism keeps illegal fishermen at bay, forcing them to stay away from forest regions as they are scared of information given to the officials.

Today, I witnessed tourism actively protecting my beloved Nagarhole.

Warren Anderson and Us

Both suck

Without numbers for sometime

With my cell phone blacked out and me having lost all the assorted numbers, some of which had needlessly occupied space in my phone anyways, it sure is special.

The experiment, if it were to be called so, confirms that one does not need too many numbers and I have got along well since that day, more than three weeks ago.

Neither is the absence of membership to an assorted list of organisations and social networking sites done any harm to my breathing pattern and best of all, the removal of the number of visitors tab from the blog is a social walking past the tense moments one would have upon clicking on that tab.

A Lousy feel for an afternoon

Forests for whom?

Forests mean many things to many people. It is a source for food for some, a supply of medicinal plants for others and a valuable economic source of timber for many. All these are traditional demands that have been met by the forest since life began on earth. There were infact few forests that did not usher benefits to either man or animal. This role of the forest as a mutual agent of assistance is acknowledged by millions. For them, forests are the omnipresent philanthropist.

However, over the past decades, the importance of the forests has been acknowledged by people who receive remote benefits from them. The person sitting in a large urban town is now forced to pay higher amounts for that piece of furniture that was a fraction of the price some years back as compared to the present. He, now realises that forests need to be conserved, for whom is the question. Is it to be conserved for the benfit of him and many like him in distant markets or is it to be conserved for the people who live adjacent and subsist on them, or is to be conserved to protect the invaluable wild flora and fauna that are critical for the health of the ecosystem.

These issues are related to the ownership, use and management of the forests. How will the resources be utilized and by whom, for whom. The state representing many interests including that of the demand of the distant consumer has larger concerns in mind and often brings about changes in forest to meet its goal. Dams, logging, mining and large projects are undertaken to meet larger goals, goals that permenantly alter these areas and their ecology. However, it is difficult to ignore the communities who have traditionally lived by the forests and accessed it for their livelihood. Can they be made partners in forest management and continue to protect its resources, undertaking the least damaging activity of NTFP collection, rather than large scale mutilation of forest regions.

Recent advocates of conservation promote exclusion of forest dependent people from their homes for the large interest of the society as opposed to groups who actively promote encroachment of displaced groups claiming that these forests are their own.

There is a mind numbing variety of choices, people have made to themselves, forgetting that the forest inherently comprises of three elements – flora or trees and shrubs, fauna or animals and man. These three are intrinsic to the very identity of the forest. But in the ideological divide between so many interest groups, it is always easy to focus on the importance of either these three components, though always in conjunction with the needs of the consumer dependent upon the forest for its timber. Lost in the noise is the increasingly less importance being paid to the original concept of the forest that comprise flora, fauna and people. Through an isolated window, focus on either of the three is likely to lead to an immediate collapse of the forest ecosystem, forest will then cease to exist as it does now and remain but a mere plantation or a forest village or a zoo or a research station.