THE GREAT INDIAN CIRCUS Its ironic, that the much touted buzz word these days Make in India bears an emblem of a prowling lion, which as explained by the Government of India, stands for strength, tenacity and wisdom, all of which represent core Indian values. I say ironic here, because, its rather strange that in order to represent a concept as deeply rooted to Indian values and competency as the slogan is, the emblem chosen is one that is in fact not of the national animal of the country at all, which is the Royal Bengal Tiger, but rather of an Asiatic Lion. For years now, the tiger has officially been proclaimed the national animal of India, because of its sheer grace, strength, agility and enormous power. The lord of the jungle symbolises or at least ought to symbolise Indias wildlife wealth. Sadly, this has only remained a notion on paper, and not a reality. To say that there is no movement or awareness in aid of tiger conservation in the country would be factually incorrect. Indians these days are stirring up to this concept and definitely adopting means by which each one of us can contribute towards the conservation of this magnificent beast. Save the Tiger is a phenomenon that has indeed spread rapidly across the urban populations of the country. With news and broadcast channels now joining the hands with celebrities, the chorus for a brighter future for the tiger has only become louder. But, while strength certainly lies in numbers, especially a united force of likeminded citizens, this I am afraid is not sufficient. There cannot, in any democratic society, be a strength greater than political willingness, which can support and propel the efforts of the citizens of the country. And, the lack of this willingness in India is, I am afraid the dampening spirit of the entire initiative of the phenomenon Save the Tiger. Over the years, Governments have come and gone by, each political party bearing its own national and regional manifestos to lure the vote bank. Some have promised cheap rice, priced sometimes as low as Rs 2/- per kg, while others have promised to lower the escalating costs of fuel. All very fine, especially from an urban point of view. But, how many political parties have actually added an aspect of wildlife conservation to their political manifestos, that ensures that the tiger and Indias rich wildlife are well protected in their natural habitats? Sadly, none! The last minister in power to ever take in interest of this sort was Dr. Karan Singh, way back in the seventies, which is when Project Tiger was initiated. Since then, the initiative seems to be dying a natural death thanks to political apathy, across party lines. For a democracy to function effectively, government systems and process need to be well oiled. When systems are put firmly in place, actions follow, leading to betterment of society at large. The same thumb rule applies to forest and tiger conservation efforts in the country. But, this is possible only if to begin with political parties take an interest in this form of conservation and treat it as vital to the very ecological existence of this country. While every national park in India is reasonably well appointed with the requisite number of forest officials and security guards to protect the jungles, these very officials merely remain rubber stamps on paper, whose hands are tied in the wake of any adversity that knocks at the doors of the jungles. A point in case, the guards - the foot soldiers of the forests of Ranthambore or for that matter any forest/park/sanctuary - these men are simple folk who are indeed passionate about protecting their forests, at a very grass roots level. A typical day in the life of a foot soldier at Ranthambore starts at 5:00 am and ends at 6:00pm (Or may be in night shift). During this time ideally the guard must traipse the jungles to ensure all is well in his backyard. But, shockingly enough, the guard often finds himself assigned to VIP duty, each time a VIP or a person of certain social and political stature decides to tour the forests on a personal sojourn. If this is not gross misuse of power, what is? One can certainly not expect the guard to return to his official duties of guarding the jungles, after 6:00 pm once the VIPs have had a field day and departed for the cities once again. This way, the jungles remain unprotected, a free run for poachers. And mind you, poaching does not only imply killing the great tiger or any other protected species of the forests - even a small piece of wood cut from a tree or even hunting small bush animals can amount to poaching, because this too can destroy the delicate ecological balance of the jungles. For this eco system to be retained, guarding the jungles is vital, and these guards must be allowed to perform their official duties for which they have been appointed, rather than use their services to entertain the privileged lot. (Mr. Mohan Singh, RNP Forest Guard, Courtesy – Tiger Trackers. Where and who do they report to. Their job and passion for which they have join the forest services, or to attend VIP Guests) Its about time that political parties realised that the jungles of India are not a great Indian Circus show. Animals need to co-exist with tribals, in their natural environments, with minimalistic human interference. Laws need to be re-built and new ones need to be created if we must protect our fragile eco system. Because, without this political willingness, the future for the Royal Bengal Tiger only looks very bleak; SO LETS STOP THE GREAT INDIAN CIRCUS.....IN YEAR 2015.... Happy New Year! Things will change for sure in coming year.. I believe...
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:51:19 +0000
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