Category: Environment

Posted in Environment

Himalayan Tragedy.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Literally. Nepal tragedy is heartwrenching. But when I see that those returning from Kailash Yatra have perished in bunches, I wonder if they were taken into His bosom by Lord Shiva. Nowadays that’s how my mind works. Normally I don’t like Isha/Jaggi Vasudev. But I am surprised he does not seem to share my view, given the Yogi he is. But then you can’t speak the heart’s truth when you hold responsibility in your hands. He who talks so much about death and afterlife seems to be shedding some tears. The end may have been brutal – but imagine not returning from Mount Kailash. (Already spotted a podcast in you tube where a psyche was talking about a portal opening in Gyriong port in Tibet-Nepal border; she attributes even aircrash sites etc., to portals). What more can a Hindu hope for. Of course hundreds or perhaps thousands of other civilians from all walks of life have lost their lives. Nobody has exact statistics. I don’t mean to sound insensitive. I can understand how the bereaving families must feel right now. The pilgrims stood no chance. Probably they were at Tibet-Nepal border immigration checking back into Nepal after their Kailash Manasarovar yatra/Kailash Parikrama.. Most Indian tourists have perished while on pilgrimage to Nepal. Now Jaggi Vasudev must know what it is to go against nature in a massive way. Why should a glacier suddenly collapse. How much tourist traffic the Himalayan kingdom is handling. There are mountaineers heading to scale world’s highest peaks such as the Everest, the Anna Purna etc. Then there are millions of tourists from India on pilgrimage to Nepal. A good percentage of Indian pilgrims also head to Mount Kailash via Tibet border. In fact even from Tamil Nadu, hundreds have gone missing on their return journey from Kailash, the toughest trek on earth. But personally I think that’s a poetic way to go. Imagine having a darshan of the Kailash and then not returning home. Jaggi must know.

At the same time I saw this another spiritual group headed by Desa Mangairkarasi, a prodigy of late Shri Kripa Nanda Variar, escaping the tragedy but stuck in the Kailash parikrama in Tibet/Nepal border. May the pilgrims from Tamil Nadu/India return safe.

Isha group seems to have perished totally. No news about them. Of these almost 100% the pilgrims are foreigners from the US and Australia and UK and dozen other countries who were on Kailash Yatra. Obviously they must be Isha followers and Shiva bhakths.

There is so much of unwanted activities going on in the Himalayan ranges. Himalayas may be the tallest mountain range in the world but they are the youngest geologically speaking. The Himalayas that were undersea mountain ranges, erupted out of a natural catastrophe like when two tectonic plates collided. Interestingly I have heard a Hindu philosopher speak of how there is no mention of Himalayas in the most ancient Hindu texts or puranas that must have been passed on from another plane of time, by whatsoever means. So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand how seismically sensitive this zone must be. Already Nepal has seen devastating earthquakes. More vehicular traffic and pollution and construction activities and roads and footfalls mean, Himalayan glaciers melting real superfast in this global warming age. We have seen monsoon floods wrecking havoc in Kedarnath in India on the Himalayas exactly for the same reasons. This is why I am AGAINST THE CHAR DHAM PROJECT in India drilling the Himalayas. I don’t need to worship Shiva by drilling a hole into His Himalayan abode. Already millions are going on pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Amarnath, Gangotri, Gomukh etc., every year. The helicopter services have made every Hindu aspire to go to the Himalayas. The Char dham is now in every HIndu’s bucket list. But can you imagine what a damage millions of footfalls, helicopter services, construction activities etc., can do to the Himalayan glaciers. Even Ganga runs the risk of running dry at this rate. Now Jaggi Vasudev, can you understand why I hate you for taking over the Elephant territory at the foot of the Velaingiri Hills in Tamil Nadu for your Ashram. The Shiva I know or the Shiva I can comprehend may want the elephants roaming there not your mega Shiv Ratri hungamas. I can never understand this kind of piety sorry. I can never understand how you can save Hindu Dharma hurting environment and damaging nature. Those like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, Ramana Maharishi, Paramahamsa Yogananda etc., etc.. did quiet but effective service to Hindu Dharma WITHOUT DAMAGING ANYTHING/ANYONE. Their yeomen service to Dharma stands out recognized even today and they have millions of followers around the world without having to seek attention. When I saw acres cleared for parking space etc., in Isha near Coimbatore, I thought about the loss of green cover. You cannot plant Teak trees everywhere and call it ‘Kaveri calling.’ That is damage control. Why do we have sthala vrkshas in our temples. Every Hindu temple in India has a Stala Vrksha – it means it houses a native tree (vrksha) right from THAT exact geographic spot. GEOTAG by ancient Hindus practised for thousands of years right in our places of worship – our temples. For example, in Kapaleeshwara temple in Mylapore, it is Punnai maram (laughing tree) that is the sthala vrksha. This sthala vrksha temple culture even sheds a glimpse into our native history. Once upon a time, Mylapore was a garden or forest of laughing trees (punnai maram). That is how our Hindu ancestors saved and preserved each and every single native fauna of ours. Today in India we are ecologically rich and diverse even after such a huge environmental degradation, because of our Hindu ancestors who thought of every little thing including digging up a tank in front of every single temple they constructed. These water tanks are the lungs of our villages and towns and cities, after centuries and centuries and also ground water charging points on monsoons. You cannot substitute the Stala vrksha native trees with Teak trees everywhere Jaggi especially in fertile river banks. Did you ever think of where the elephants will go once they get down from the Velliangiri hills. You have taken over their corridor so they must be rerouting their millennia old traditional survival and habitational routes. Shiva is first that elephant. Shiva is first that forest cover. Shiva is first that Velaingiri mountain itself. Shiva is the very ground where your visitors park their cars. Well, that is my understanding of Shiva.

Once upon a time I used to like Isha. Now I think its vulgar.

This is why I decided not to go on Char dham yatra ever. I can worship Shiva from right where I am. If I cannot see Him in my heart first, how can I hope to see Him in Mount Kailash.

When Raja Raja Chola built the Brahadeshwara temple over 1000 years back in Thanjavur (Tanjore) Kaveri delta, we Indians could still afford the deforestation. Acres of forested lands were cleared by our kings to build the most ancient 2000 year plus old Hindu temples that still proudly stand today in south India. (In north of course they were razed by the islamic invaders). But all that was eons back. Indian population remained optimal in those times. Monsoons were bountiful. Nature was respected and nurtured. There was no environmental degradation to alarming degrees obviously. When did we begin to celebrate Diwali. Fireworks were part of celebrations when Ram returned to Ayodhya with Seetha from when we started celebrating Diwali. So was dynamite/gunpowder used in fireworks through centuries in India? Never. Something organic was being used in the manufacture of our fire crackers which had no hazardous chemical content in them. Modern man has given every ritual a horrible twist and made it worst and regrettable. Joyous spirited festivals have been reduced to crass commercial gala events.

Nepal is bracing for more landslides and floodings in near future. For the locals this must be nightmare. For foreigners trapped in the landlocked nation, it can be traumatic. Not to mention the state of mind of their loved ones back home worrying about their safety – if at all they have survived.

We used to think about Nepal pilgrimage often. But my civil engineer husband would say, Nepal was poor when it came to safety standards. It would be a blessing to die there in a flash – and that is what I think about the Isha pilgrims who perished wholly on their return from Kailash darshan. But if you are wounded and stuck in Nepal hospital, that can be real horrendous situation. It is because of his practical reasoning that many times we dropped our plans to pack our bags to Kathmandu. Pashupathi Nath temple is in my bucket list. In fact we never anticipated the Gulf war that saw us retire from Doha. Otherwise in June/July we were thinking of Nepal. But my husband refused to allow me to book in advance. Nepal and Sri Lanka – he is not confident about. India is quick on reflex even if we are a third world nation. Our communication network and rescue ops etc., can bring quick relief even is disaster strikes (god forbid). In general we remain in preparedness most of the times for any eventually. We are shockproof in India. This is the advantage of belonging with a strong big nation. We have to act on warfooting basis during crises like the Nepal floods and we have to have access to resources, rescue op personnel, medical teams, food catering etc., with everything going on at the same time. We personally evaluate all these things and always rate India as a safe country that way. We don’t feel that way about most countries we have toured. In case of any emergency, things can freeze in most countries with inaction/inadequacy in many departments. Nepal sadly we rate as one such a vulnerable nation. But it is their destiny, understandable, being a landlocked Himalayan nation, at the mercy of the icy glaciers and prone to earthquakes caused by tectonic shifts. Most Nepalese factor in these life risks – as I understood from knowing them from our 20 year residence in Qatar where they constitute semi skilled workforce. Good workers. In fact every year I used to receive prasad from Pashupathi Nath mandir in Nepal. This year someone got us even a Rudhraksh mala from Nepal.

Dear Tourists/Hindu pilgrims: STICK TO BEATEN TRACKS. Don’t open new avenues. Kailash is best left free. So must be Amarnath. Kedarnath and Badrinath must be accessible by minimum land transport and mostly by foot- and not by helicopter or char dham tunnel presently under construction. Even this tunnel caved in, ending in tragedy remember. Don’t disturb nature – and if you do, be prepared to pay a heavy price. Don’t regularize Kailash yatra, Amarnath yatra, Vaishnodevi Yatra. All these must be reserved for the really motivated and physically dexterous. Rest of us have to satisfy ourselves with Kashi, Hardwar, Hrishikesh, what to do.

YOU SAVE HIMALAYAS/KAILASH/KEDARNATH/AMARNATH/VAISHNO DEVI/GOMUKH/GANGOTRI ETC., ETC., BY NOT GOING THERE, GOT IT?

Finally Shiva gave His piece of mind to Jaggi Vasudev. But what a brutal lesson was that.

Meanwhile Arnab:

(I decided to add the Arnab video in the last minute because interestingly there is quite some China traffic to my blog! Really surprised.So decided to entertain my chinese readers.)

Posted in Environment

Why can’t the incense sticks packs list composition.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Which country makes the best incense sticks?

Indian Incense: The best Indian incense sticks are hand-rolled and made using the traditional masala method, blending natural resins, essential oils, and herbs. Temple-grade incense from India is known for its rich, long-lasting aroma. (edited)

Haha copy & paste job from Google.

But even the organic incense sticks supposedly emit toxic vapors on burning.

Other studies have found that burning incense indoors increases the levels of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been linked to cancer. Burning any sort of organic material, whether tobacco leaves, coal or an incense stick – produces PAHs.

Burning incense is safe in normal amounts. Anyone wishing to avoid potential risks could consider burning incense only in situations with good ventilation.

Also from Google.

Surprised to find that no incense stick pack lists composition. The right words are there though: ORGANIC, NATURAL, FLORAL, ETC., ETC. But what is exactly the incense stick made up of. Is it 100% natural.

Also surprised that so far the Govt of India DID NOT INSIST on incense stick manufacturers to list the composition in the label. I don’t think this is allowable in any foreign country.

Nowadays I am trying to limit Agarbatti usage in my puja. However, something seems missing in that case! A label printing chemical/organic composition of the agarbattis will go a long way in clearing the doubts of the public in health matters. Brands can claim to be organic. How much organic are the certified organic really. The composition label can make the manufacturers liable to be answerable to customers.

Of late I am noticing a lot more so-called organic products NOT listing ingredients. The generic terms such as ‘organic’ , ‘natural’, ‘free of chemicals’ are liberally used. Why can’t gingely oil & groundnut oil and coconut oil manufacturers list clearly what chemicals the oils are free from. Do cold pressed/wood pressed oils come 100% organic without paraffin addition. Is it really possible to manufacture tonnes of organic coconut oil, peanut oil, sesame oil without liquid paraffin in at least a small percentage. Some, to be fair list the ingredients. Same for the so-called organic shampoos. Only a few mention they are paraben free. Many claim to be chemical free. What exactly is that chemical is our question.

Will Modi govt look into the matter. Sab chaltha hai India mein. Anyone can take the public for a ride without holding themselves responsible in any manner. No legal obligations. Look at the brand names of agarbattis. The manufacturers are all millionaires and billionaires. But such a simple thing as chemical/organic composition and additives if any – they cannot list in the box.

Again from Google:

Who is the largest producer of incense in the world?

India

India is the world’s main incense producing country, and is also a major exporter to other countries. In India, incense sticks are called agarbatti (Agar-wood: from Dravidian Tamil agil, agir, Sanskrit varti, meaning “stick”.)

Having said that, nothing to beat the aroma of sandalwood agarbattis. I wasn’t aware we are the agarbatti capital of the world! Sandalwood incense – so divine and blissful that i don’t mind having lit even if it can mean health hazards claiming to be organic by nature.

Posted in Environment

Bharat (India): land of cheetahs and tigers

Posted on by veeskitchen

Wildlife enthusiast, it gives me adrenaline rush to learn of how well our big cats are doing. Here are two updates. Cheetahs in India were hunted to extinction by the British (who have also done to extinction many native tribes in Australia and America). PM Modiji, conceding to the wishes of a billion Indians, finally brought home some cheetahs from Africa a couple of years ago. Cheetahs that rarely drank from waterholes in Africa are now superbly adapting to Indian environments that now we say, ‘cheetah bhi peetha he!’

I am yet to watch this you tube video on our national animal the tiger. India boasts of the largest population of tigers on earth.

Posted in Environment

Say NO to Kamakhya temple corridor.

Posted on by veeskitchen

I am with Shri Rajarshi Nandy totally on this. Missed a golden opportunity to go to Kamakhya with my guru last year. Its in my bucket list. For Shakthi marg followers, Kamakhya is basic. Our spiritual guru conducted homams/yagnas/havan there last year with shishyas. The group also worshiped the Dasa Mahavidhyas who are extremely important for those who have taken diksha or vow for Shakthi Upasana. So the Kamakhya temple corridor case is very much relevant for us as we can understand what it is about. Only someone who is spiritually elevated and someone like Shri Nandy who is doing Bhairav Sadhana and is also a presence at the powerful Kamakshya temple can know about the significance of leaving the shrine undisturbed.

One of the Shakthi peeths, Sati’s yoni fell in this part of Assam. Mother Goddess bleeds therefore a few days (in red) every month even now in Kamakhya. This is rivulet or stream that branches off from the mountains into the temple’s garbagraha (sanctum sanctorum). We don’t know how this is possible as was facilitated by our ancestors. Or by Mother Herself. But until today this is a reality.

Shakthi peeths are most powerful. They determine the destiny of a nation as Shri Nandy ji says in another video. Disturb Kamakhya who is looking after North East, be ready to lose North East. As Nandi ji says, the Mother Goddess will leave Her abode in that case. Without the deity, the pitah will cease to matter.

Some of us are just at the base of the pyramid when it comes to Shakthi Upasana. We have a whole lot of mountain to climb in front of us. Yet Mother’s presence is something we feel deep in our soul. We experience strongest of vibes. So one can imagine the level of spiritual elevation of those like Shri Nandy ji. I am not an expert in anything. I listen to many online. Many online gurus too for me who have been shaping up my thinking for years now. Shri Nandy ji is by far the best and most sincere and is reachable at grass roots level. Very accessible and also so genuine, real. Bhairava energy flowing out of him is unmistakable.

May our PM Shri Narendra Modi ji get some time to look into this matter personally once the Indo-Pak conflict emergency is over. The temple’s eco system needs to be preserved.

Varanasi corridor is an entirely different matter that has got no connection with Kamakhya environment. There it was necessary given that entire Kashi boasts of some 84 ghats. The cleaning up and restoration work was absolutely necessary.

Today I heard another shocking news: that an aerodrome is planned for Sabarimala – at the top of the western ghats. What madness is this. That is totally an elephant country where even tigers roam freely. A heaven for the wildlife of India. Such a biodiversity as in western ghats, you cannot find in more than a handful of places in the world. Bird species count alone exceeds over 200. Western ghats is the LUNGS of India somewhat along with the Himalayas. Already enough damage has been done. Even Lord Aiyappa shall walk out of Sabarimala permanently if this airport materializes. The communist state government of Kerala don’t have it in them to factor in these valid points. You don’t have to kill a 1000 elephants and precious-precarious ecology to make room for temple devotees. What kind of religiosity is this. I can never understand this destructive streak when it comes to nature in our countrymen. I am even against the Char Dham corridor through Himalayas. Anything against nature can never please Shiva or Shakthi. Already Jaggi Vasudev, in the name of Shiva, encroached a vital elephant corridor robbing our pachyderm families of their rightful home of tens of thousands of years. He speaks of enlightenment through crash courses (such as Inner Engineering for this precise reason: If he could only see that Shiva is that elephant… ) How much more must we destroy nature in the name of our deities you bloody fools. Did they ever ask you to do that?! That kind of spirituality I simply cannot figure out. I directly appeal to my PM: Modi ji please STOP plans for any aerodrome for Sabarimala. Don’t send away our deities permanently out of India. They will never return if we turn against nature.

Anyone who by chance comes across my blog, I request to contribute generously to the court case for fighting the proposed Kamakhya commercial infrastructure corridor to promote tourism. This kind of development we just DON’T need around our shrines.

I am waiting for a link that can enable one to make a monthly/regular contribution for Kamakhya corridor case.

Donate

I think this one is for one time contribution.

A request to Nandy ji too. Please also ascertain whether any aerodrome is proposed for Sabarimala in Kerala and if so, please address this issue as well. You can take up the discussion in your you tube channel. Thank you.

Posted in Environment

Today is the World Elephants Day.

Posted on by veeskitchen

August 12th is the World Elephants Day. I don’t have to say much. I have blogged enough out of love for elephants of India, especially the domesticated ones. May be in my previous janam I was a temple elephant. My elephantine love also has earned me a pet name from my friends, some of who happen to call me only by that name for years now! The Indian elephant: Such a gentle giant. Sweet and wise. Elephants are also very emotional creatures. Their communication in low frequency with their herd makes them a very intelligent mammal species. We may be the last few generations lucky to see the pachyderms in flesh and blood. If you are Indian, you may see a domesticated temple elephant walking casually alongside the road in heavy traffic! Cows, elephants and all at the green lights: that is India for you! The Indian elephants may go extinct by the turn of the century. Very recently was witnessed, the Wayanad landslide tragedy that buried villages. In the same river where a pregnant elephant stood dying having eaten a pineapple stuffed with explosives fed by villagers, at a different point in Wayanad, floated hundreds of lifeless bodies and torn homes. That is the power of nature. Karma is real. When the last elephant is gone, it shall take away the bees and the trees with them. Who is Shiva. Shiva is the elephant. Elephant is Shiva. Imagine barring elephants from elephant corridors that they walked and knew by instinct for millions of years. Destroying nature and doing your bit for quickening the extinction of a mammoth and distinctive species from the face of earth hardly counts to me as faith. Brutal inhumane treatment of the tuskers in our temples by those who swear by vegetarianism hardly makes sense. You know what is meant by halaal? Killing in one stroke going for the jugular – making it painless for the beast. What makes people judge races on their food habits. Its those who rear elephants in Guruvayur who are cruel and heartless. Not the beef eaters. The breaking of the will of the elephant calf – this can be heartwrenching. The calf that shall grow into a fine male tusker to bear the deities on his back starts believing that the chains are his limits. Broken psychologically. India has a chance if the temple elephant culture comes to a close. India can hope about adding a decade or more years to the elephants of the subcontinent if the Dasara parade of the elephants may come to an end. There is no point otherwise in the prime minister going on record about the world elephants day. It is still in the government power to do something about it. For those in power, everything unfortunately is about vote bank. They can never go against their vested interests. Such a sad day really.

Meanwhile every elephant that walks on earth to me is saakshaath Ganesha! Cannot imagine our Vinayaka bound by chains, can you.

Posted in Books, Environment

Review: ‘The tusk that did the damage’ by Tania James.

Posted on by veeskitchen

I am re-blogging what I did in 2015 in yet another blog of mine. Poachers is the inspiration.

Book Review: ‘The Tusk That Did The Damage’ – by Tania James

August 29, 2015

ELEPHANT POACHING RESUMES IN KERALA/INDIA?

Felt a strange ‘deja vu’ reading this book. Read the excerpts in ‘The Hindu’ over an year back I guess. The synthetic achchan, Shakti mustard oil, sambar masala, the name Ravi Verma and then the mention of (some random) blogger and a few more could be the reason. Quickly checked out the first publication date: 2015 it says.

At the outset I believed the book was authored by an American American (!) I mean a caucasian so were surprised beyond limits that tusker names like Sooryamangalam Sreeganeshan must roll out so freely from the author’s imagination/research. This is possible only if you have an intimate knowledge and familiarity with the terrain and that kept playing at the back of my mind. The exact depiction of Kerala landscape, people, culture, toddy (!), elephants, wildlife parks everything was perfect. It was only when I was in the last 10 pages I cared to look up the author. Not a surprise that Tania James is an Indian American with roots in Kerala.

Aware of elephant torture in our temples, I still believed elephant poaching was rarest in India unlike it is in Africa where rampant hunting down of the species threatens the globe with their inevitable extinction in near future. Tampering/trespassing  with forest/wildlife reserve and/or any illegal encroachment is a serious criminal offence in the country.  I have observed from an NH project how even the highways are planned and mapped taking into due consideration the habitats of the native species and the flora & fauna of the land. The impression was, poaching stopped with the British barring one or two exceptional cases here  and there. Natives have captured stray elephants to train for battles, festivals in the past but rarely for tusks – or it was so believed.

A quick googling yielded the following links:

http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/10/09/indian-elephant-poaching

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/elephant-poaching-haunts-kerala/article1-1366255.aspx

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/india-untamed/2015/aug/05/poachers-stalk-elephants-kerala-after-gap-of-20-years

http://savetheelephants.org/elephant-news-service/elephant-poaching-forest-officials-subvert-probe-india/

So almost after a clean dry period of 20 years, poaching has shockingly resumed in south Indian forests with forest officers hand in glove with poachers in the inhumane, dastardly act.

Indian elephants register casualty in unnatural circumstances owing chiefly to electrocution (by electric fences installed by industrious farmers) and rail accidents but elephants being poached in India in recent times is bothersome and shocking news. Elephant death statistics have recorded a zero to bare minimum under poaching so as not to make a headline. Until I read the book, I had assumed elephants were safe from poaching in India, with only our tigers having to live under the scare.  Single-horned Rhinos of Assam for another.

So the book has arrived just at appropriate time as a caution. A thorough investigation is mandatory in the poaching issue and offenders must be brought to book. Repeat offenders must be dealt with severely and if there does exist a network as alleged/illustrated in the book upto Dubai for tusks, the angle must be explored by all means.

The story is a moving narration, first person accounts of an innocent and aspiring young man, a woman film maker and the rogue elephant itself. Reminded of the tamil film ‘Kumki’ and to a certain extent couldn’t help wondering if the picture could have been a major influence with the book. Good sense of humour the author has interspersed through out the book. That helped in lightening up tense situations as the story was otherwise like one very serious affair.

My empathy is with Indian Elephants always- such a sad species. When the ‘gravedigger’ is made an orphan, it broke my heart. Every elephant killing is like driving a spear through my heart. To fell such a magnificent but a benign beast, one has to be a monster. Evil personified. Its not a matter of will power or skill. Its a matter of one’s heart. For what I hold for the Elephant is reverence, awe, affection. An elephant as we know generally is otherwise a gracious, gentle giant. Unless provoked, it never disturbs anyone.

I have had my share of jumbo safaris, elephants bathes but now regret it very much. Never imagined, how even the ritual bathing could be torturous to the animals. Someone tweeted: ‘Imagine yourself naked in a room and being fondled by a crowd of onlookers. This is how pet animals/zoo animals must feel.’ Ever since I am thinking  about even the zoos. Zoos are not pleasant places but they are the last refuge when it comes to conservation of rare species going extinct which can be bred in safety, away from poaching threats. And zoos have to be financially viable so opening them up for tours is necessary. How the human wave pressing from all over could be disturbing not only to the pachyderms but to all zoo animals. Yes, why should we wanna go near the tuskers? We can maintain a distance with them and enjoy from afar. When I did my elephant safaris twice, I kept caressing the elephant head, for the love of it. Its long hair almost 10 cm tall in the head was so prickly and thick. It was then I understood why people wear ‘ananudi’ (elephant hair) rings. I have seen them in jewelry shops in Chennai. Even the mahout (pappan) asked me if I wanted an elephant hair as souvenir and I was utterly taken back. Plucking one from the elephant must definitely cause it a lot of pain. I touched the old lady (in Elephant Park, Munnar), gave her fruits and asked her if she would remember me. Telling her I loved her was important then. In Thekady to our bewilderment, 3 of us were put over a single male elephant. The keeper said, elephants can bear weight, can carry logs. True, the young male did not even heave a heavy breath on carrying us triplet. The burden was no issue I guess.  But it did give us a guilty feeling. In Karnataka, limited myself to giving the elephant its bath in Kaveri. Recently from some Elephant Facebook pages I have been learning how Elephant Art (paintings by elephants), Elephant Safari everything is disguised and presented to tourists as acceptable/not inhuman. Good marketing by tourism industry with a keen business mind. In truth, even these are not appreciable. Wherever and whenever possible, the calves must be returned to where they belong – the wild. Elephants are not for our amusement.

Another thing, its irritating and again bothersome that wildlife must be so much photographed or filmed for someone’s thesis (for personal gains) or selling in the media (the telecast rights). Just how much revenue does our forest dept mint out of permitting foreign crews from recording the wildlife in their natural settings with their sophisticated equipment. Wildlife photography must be totally banned in India and elsewhere. Recall this from Night Safari in Singapore where we were warned not to shoot pictures in darkness out of concern for scaring the animals. But rigorous check was not carried out to see if anyone carried a camera. Some violated the rules and its true the night creatures panicked and scurried here & other when even the shots were captured in Night-vision mode. The purpose of night safari was lost.

Photography of trained/domesticated animals is okay perhaps. In Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nad, we boarded a govt jeep that screeched in maximum decibels that no wonder none of us spotted anything in the park. But in the reserve shoulder adjoining the park, we luckily spotted a herd of wild elephants browned with mud bath. It was disturbing to see that even these were used to traffic noise and human scent that the herd tore the trees and munched away the shoots and branches without sparing us a glance as if they did not care who spotted them or clicked them.

I don’t feel good watching wild tiger pictures. That jeeps drive so close to them and that humans are no strangers to the big cats is distressing. For personal victories and gloating over Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, every dude with a DSL cam heads to our national wildlife parks & sanctuaries for shooting prize winning pictures that he/she thinks are his/her trophies. Why do we want audience for everything. I find the idea unsettling.

Treetop cottages in Wayanad (Kerala) and Topslip (Tamil Nad) are always in our mind. This is a quiet and undisturbing way to observe and enjoy wildlife. I guess most sanctuaries in India including Ranthambore etc offer this facility.

Top slip reminds me of a friend’s experience. You have to return with your jeep/car by 6 pm to base cottage there, for elephants will be on prowl in the wild with sunset. The friend’s family could not. They were near the summit when they came face to face with a herd of wild elephants. The head of the family switched off the lights and the engine, downed the windows just a fraction to let in breathing air as the family huddled closer to each other in the car. They were surrounded by 10-15 big bulls and cows and calves who were feeling all sides of the car with their trunks. The family held their breath and sat immobile, going to sleep without a sound as hours clicked, hostage to surrounding inquisitive wild elephants. Wouldn’t have taken the tuskers a minute to upturn the car. Finally only around the dawn the elephants left quietly and the badly scared guys made their u-turn. Next day they were warned by the forest dept for overstaying.

The so-called wildlife photographers, in my opinion, do much more damage to nature that they say they revere. Their pictures with tigers & elephants shall encourage a lot more travelers into the parks which is not desirable. This is one ground where I would not want awareness in our people. Lesser the footfall in the forest reserves/sancturies, the better.

The tribals living at the edge of forests face not only conversion threat (by evangelists) (!) but also find themselves mired at the centre of human-animal conflict. It’s a catch22 situation no doubt. The delicate balance existing between them who have lived with nature for generations and the precious wildlife has to be maintained at any cost. One more survey to carry out: conversion rates of native tribals by foreign sponsored NGOs & missionaries. Curious why the author has not made a point on that.

The author’s fiction, even if imaginary, serves what purpose. One more filming with light flashes amid fast disappearing wildlife, one more DVD, one more research grant – filling whose pockets, boosting whose egos, to whose advantage. What did the wildlife or even the tribals benefit from the outcome. Wonder if a single rupee would have gone towards the Indian elephant that the filmmaker (or perhaps the author) professes to care for. Raising awareness is a point. There is enough awareness without having to make fresh pictures, without having to venture a further kilometer within Indian forests or hovering around frightened captured young cows & calves in nurseries.

I did like the part about reunion of separated calves with their mothers. This has to be given impetus and the ingenious way of not touching the calves with human hands during rescue is good. Even those captured/nurtured by human hands finally seem to make it to the wild which is heartening. The way it must be.

Do we have statistical data on captured elephants/strays in India. Data on temple/church/mosque elephants. Because in Kerala, even churches and mosques use elephants for processions/celebrations. What is the exact figure of temple elephants in Kerala/Tamil Nad/Karnataka or generally in India/South India. What about private ownership, licencees. Why has not the forest department come out with a table on domesticated elephant population. Why not make the figures public.

The book did make an engrossing read only next to ‘The Elephant Song’ by Wilbur Smith. The characters, the dialogues, the setting everything was natural. Tragic was the death of Mani-Mathai and also that of Manu but then by now I have had enough of fictions that I know the twist always lies in ‘punishing’ the ‘promising’ ones that shall leave the reader with a kind of longing… More tragic is the fate of the Indian elephant…

Posted in Environment, Pictures Desi

Tele series: Poachers (Prime)

Posted on by veeskitchen

As a wildlife enthusiast and lover of the Indian elephant, I cannot thank enough the producers of Poachers (Amazon Prime), the mini series that highlights the poaching menace in Indian forest reserves. Slick and sharp, the episodes are to the point and cannot come crisper. Not a single minute of sag. Real life story. Before I proceed, all round applause to Nimisha Sajayan, who plays the Forest department cop attached to Kerala state. She is backed by a very well cast crew including the ones who play the roles of Neel Banerjee Kerala state wildlife director, and Alan, a part-time wildlife dept staff and IT person. Its heartwrenching watching this series, but is a must for wildlife lovers around the world. Following some elephant pages in social media, it was heartbreaking for me even recently to note the tragic poaching of three wild tuskers who towered to the skies, within the Amboseli national park range in Kenya, Africa. India is a natural elephant country so we know what it takes to have the wild elephants roam about our forest corridors. India without her elephants is unimaginable. I have covered quite a few reviews in my blog on wild life and especially on elephants/Indian elephants. Its no open secret that the ivory contraband smuggling goes hand in hand with underground mafia dealing in dope and/or arms. Its in national interest to see to that the nexus is thwarted. Funding terror can only be the next step away.

About Poachers, I have done this copy & paste job from Google:

The series is based on the real-life events of “Operation Shikar” that unfolded between 2015 and 2017, spearheaded by the Kerala Forest Department. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) assisted in the investigations along with the police and others who risked their lives to unearth India’s largest poaching syndicate.


This article also may be of interest in this regard:

https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/2024/03/02/the-real-story-behind-the-amazon-prime-series-poacher.html

My takeaway from the series is the knowledge that ivory is also used to make small trinkets to instill interest in (new) (fresh) buyers hoodwinking law enforcement in broad daylight. This may be done by honing/sharpening the tusks of the temple elephants or elephants in captivity. Such a pruning of the domesticated elephant tusks may yield just enough shavings to cater to small buyers. There must be artisans devoted to the crafting art with the promise of a small/discreet market. Ultimately this may lead to sustained interest and big buyers who may be collectors of the exotic. So the only way to stop the tusk pruning of the tamed elephants is that, they may have to be let loose in the wild. NO MORE TEMPLE ELEPHANTS, NO MORE ELEPHANTS IN CAPCIVITY, NO MORE ELEPHANTS FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. Destroy the ivory as and when found. China, needless to say, is the first and worst international ivory market. When buyers create a demand, a supply chain can possibly be established especially in weaker territories. Its one tough job out there for our forest department officials.

Review: The Elephant Whisperer – Lawrence Anthony.

It was shocking to note that the big Ambani pre-wedding party had a prop of an elephant – drumbeating about the virtues of Vantara at the same time. How hypocritic. Vantara will be zilch investment luxury forest safari lodge for the who-is-who of India, no more. Very clever Ambani marketing. Looks like they took over 200 ailing elephants for the project from all across India. Anyone who loves wildlife, will never do this:

Posted in Environment

International Big Cat Alliance IBCA, India

Posted on by veeskitchen

India is home to world’s largest number of tigers, Asiatic lions, leopards, snow leopards and cheetahs (revived-sourced from Africa). India is also the only country in the world to be the home to all the thee big cats viz., the lion, the tiger and the cheetah. A total of 15 big cats call India their home including the elusive lynx found in POK, Sikkim etc. Indian cabinet approved the establishment of IBCA to be headquartered in India. Along with the jaguars and pumas, a total of seven big cats that are endangered species will be protected by the alliance that will focus on playing effective role in preventing the big cats family from going to extinction.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cabinet-announces-international-big-cat-alliance-9189173

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/16-nations-and-9-international-organisations-join-india-led-big-cat-alliance/articleshow/108139059.cms

Posted in Environment

Vantara: the great India give back to Mother Earth.

Posted on by veeskitchen

As a wildlife enthusiast and an elephant lover, I can’t put into words what the idea of Vantara means to those like me. To anyone who hits upon my blog by chance, I have this request: please go through my write-ups on environment. I have a lot of points for your consideration. I also take this opportunity to thank India’s greatest wildlife photographers who are rendering a yeoman service, some of who I am following on social media. Apart from following the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) which aids research projects, I am also keeping tabs on those like Bird Count India, Season Watch and Tree Walk. My contribution is merely my interest and spreading the message. I try to raise awareness and thanks to me, many have become aware of the plight of the temple elephants.

https://vijiravindran.com/category/environment

Meanwhile Vantara is like dream come true. To me, it is the great India give back to Mother Earth for the toll we take on Her with our environmental degradation and mindless pollution denting the o zone layer. The nonprofit initiative as announced by Anant Ambani of the Reliance group, Vantara, is a wildlife rescue and rehab center which already houses myriad species of rescued wildlife from entertainment industry, abuse etc., for instance. The center will focus on research and wellbeing of rescued animals both domestic and wild in a safe haven of sanctuary spread over a 3000 acres in Gujarat, close to their oil refinery in Jam Nagar. State of art animal healthcare is on offer. Details are yet to emerge. First of all my hearty congratulations to the young man who has moved away from tradition venturing into something for the benefit of the soul. Can’t be exactly profit motivated, but cash registers must start ringing once the center is fully operational including the tourist zone and the wildlife institute. A project unprecedented in Indian history of this magnitude, Vantara is a small compensation still for the unlimited damage we are inflicting upon nature day in and day out. Not a Reliance person, NEVER SHOP AT RELIANCE RETAIL for groceries or clothing or whatever as a matter of principle. Never acquired a Reliance phone. For me Reliance always meant ‘unreliable.’ Their foray into the retail sector especially left me with distaste. So Vantara comes as a big surprise. The younger generation are far more responsible. I see a lot of youngsters say these days that they want to stay single and don’t want to become parents and add more burden by way of couple of more human beings to the planet earth.

At the same time, what if this is any preempting move by the Reliance who may have a hidden agenda for acquiring the protected forest areas of India for their ventures now that they are armed with the newly amended Forest conservation (amendment) Act , 2024. At best, it could be an afforestation plan ahead in schedule, of a conserved land acquisition. Me, forever the skeptic! Sick of politics and the wary me would never put total trust on politicians and business men. Both these people have no scruples. They will sell their soul without batting their eyelids. They are No.1 manipulators and every single move of theirs has to have a motive. Only time can prove who really is this Anant Ambani.

So with the zoological park set to open soon, you can expect ticketing; or is it free for visitors Mr. Anant Ambani? Soon you can have game lodges for VVIPs, the Kenyan style. Exotic holiday for India’s elite and rich is in the making where elephants can walk in to the resort in search of water. Yet as the wildlife are treated on rescue in nature’s setting, for the moment let us go with the young tycoon.

As far as rehab of wildlife is concerned, and especially when it comes to the elephants, all you may need can be experienced mahouts with a little tech knowhow. The traditional methods of conservation of wildlife were what that have preserved our forest wealth for centuries. The 2022 Oscar winner ‘The elephant whisperers’ shot in the Nilgiris is about the rehabilitation of orphaned young elephant calves. India’s tribes are seasoned when it comes to sharing spaces with wildlife. No ultra modern laboratory in the world can replace our traditional nature conservationists. So why the needless sophistication. Our expertise must be honing our own inherited strengths and pluses. If you put your faith in India’s wise, you will be able to take better care of our wildlife. Remember Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda have not international.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2024/Feb/27/wildlife-conservationist-km-chinnappa-who-revived-nagarhole-dies-at-84

A lot can be done without it all being a pompous and mega show. Anant Ambani can also refer to NCF and try sponsoring their projects. This is what conservation is all about. It takes much more than the grandeur; it takes real physical efforts to be monitoring wildlife 24 hours, compiling data and matching, and following up with conservation methods with locals in an effort to protect the endangered species. This is not to undermine Ambani’s efforts to bring in a change in our landscape. But India has dedicated wildlife conservationists doing a stupendous job without making waves about it for decades. It will be worth it even if you stop the likes of Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan from poaching our blue bucks.

Posted in Environment

Why Lakshadweep must be left alone.

Posted on by veeskitchen

As the row between Maldives and India intensifies over some useless tweets posted by insignificant political people of the island nation Maldives that is going to go down under the seas within next 100 years or even before the next tsunami strikes, I want to share a piece of my mind regarding Lakshadweep islands, off Kerala coast.

Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian sea are the union territories of Republic of India. Long back in my school days they were in news when Rajiv Gandhi vacationed there with Sonia when he was our PM. One cartoon from Illustrated Weekly on Rajiv I still remember from those days! Well that used to be my favourite weekly. Or was it fortnightly? I loved this cartoonist Mario Miranda who did caricatures on Rajiv in Lakshadweep. After that, its Modi’s turn now to step on to the islands. Lakshadweep islands also figure in Mallu pictures routinely with their fish markets, etc.

For me, Lakshadweep assumed huge prominence in my limited intellect when I read this book ‘At the feet of living things’ written by one Aparajitta Dutta and others. The book is a series of essays on 25 years of wildlife research and methodical conservation efforts in India. The published papers also include a couple on coral reefs off Lakshadweep islands that are dying a slow death like in rest of the oceans. The atolls are a total biodiverse ecological system. We have a very fragile marine ecosystem in and around Lakshadweep which could be on the verge of collapse already , thanks to relentless fishing and tourism industry that brings in environmental degradation with it. Endangered species like the dugongs too make the shelfs along the archipelago their home. Then there are the olive ridleys. These are besides the corals that are bleaching white. The bleaching of corals has been contagious now for decades in every single ocean on earth. The seagrass meadows are the carbon capturers under the oceans that clean up our atmosphere and give us the much needed breathing air. Research scholars in India go out of the way to pool funds and support nature conservation. The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) plays a vital role as an NGO helping with fundings and research which will go a long way in maintaining the precious ecological balance in India. Their prime concern is to stop forthwith or at least slow down environmental degradation that is happening at an alarming pace. At this rate, none of the future generations will be able to walk around Lakshadweep or go for snorkelling the way Modi ji was seen doing in the Lakshadweep islands.

I AM REQUESTING OUR PRIME MINISTER MODI JI TO READ THIS BOOK ‘AT THE FEET OF LIVING THINGS’ WHOLLY TO UNDERSTAND WHY I REGRET HIS LAKSHADWEEP VISIT AND THE PUBLICITY THAT SURROUNDED THE EVENT. May the Maldives win the battle. India with her conservation efforts can win the war eventually.

What a flurry of activity in social media on Maldives/Lakshadweep. Why such a reaction to Maldives comments. You may disregard and choose not to react. Why should the travel companies cancel their bookings. Whose loss is it anyway. Why the scathing attack on Makemytrip. These people are answerable to their clients. Their loyalty to their their feeding hands is business ethics.

Comments on Modi by Maldives ministers must be taken at diplomatic level. This trial by social media and mass media is not only awkward but sounds immature for a profound democracy like India.

May Lakshadweep be left alone. We have Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius, Bali, Langkawi, Hawaii etc., etc., for beachside vacations. Lakshadweep are precious. More tourists will KILL Lakshadweep way too sooner and completely nullify the good and sustaining and consistent efforts put forth by our research scientists in conserving our ocean wealth. WHEN SHALL WE START LOOKING AT LONG TIME GAIN OVER SHORT TERM PROFITS.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India also enjoy a special status when it comes to conservation, with most parts protected. The Andamans also boasts of the world’s only aboriginal tribe surviving to this day even if their numbers have come down drastically: the Jarawas.

Conservation is not a single day affair. Conservation is a long term commitment requiring resources, research and dedication in equal measures.

WHY IS MAINTAINING AND UPKEEP OF A HEALTHY MARINE ECOSYSTEM IMPORTANT? For novices, it may come as a complete surprise to learn that the seagrass meadows absorb the excess carbon from our atmosphere. They are our ozone cleaners. We breathe thanks to our marine life. The oceans are our oxygen pumps.

May our government close the doors on Lakshadweep for good barring the locals and business people from Kerala with vested interests/ties in the islands. This will do India good in the long run. I did not get to see a single sensible post on Lakshadweep in the media/social media – which exposes the halfbaked knowledge of the paid journalists. For them, anything that can be sensationalized will butter their bread nicely, that’s all. News is for TRP ratings. The irresponsibility of the media and jingoistic public reaction with the social media superheroes going ballistic over Maldives is nothing short of despicable.

The chardham project already has seen a cave-in. Unlike other mountains, Himalayas rose out of volcanic eruptions on the movement of tectonic plates causing earthquakes. The Himalayan region is a very sensitive seismic spot. Go against nature, you will pay dearly with life and loss of property that shall take too much resources and time to rebuild. Kedarnath floodings are another proof.

I appreciate our PM Modi ji for his zeal and enthusiasm – after all he is human even if prime minister. It is heartwarming to see him post pictures of temples and forests and mountains and seas and missiles and parades and science labs and tech industries. He is flying sorties, he is snorkeling, he is trekking habbada! But I guess that this one time, his Lakshadweep venture backfired. May be he is not yet aware of what a damage his Lakshadweep posts could do. There will be a chain reaction: more footfalls, more crass commercial tourism and finally DEATH OF LAKSHADWEEP, DEATH OF THE CORAL REEFS OF INDIA, EXTINCTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES SUCH AS OLIVE RIDLEYS, DUGONGS ETC., ETC. Should Lakshadweep be opened up, expect the shit to hit the fan. All will be over in under twenty years with Lakshadweep gangraped and cast off after misuse and disrespect. It runs a shiver down my spine. I feel such a sadness clutch my heart as I envision what is going to happen to Lakshadweep…

RESPONSBILITY: You know this is such a powerful word. We in this generation are eating into our next generation’s health and wealth – anybody gets it. The man who took over the elephant corridor stealing government forest lands calls himself Sadhguru. The yogi who encroached into and took over rainforests in east India for his ayurvedic multi million company calls himself a sanyasi. The jogis minting millions owning corporations can happen only in India. This is India. This is also Hindu Dharma is it not. Finally when all is done and dusted, hopefully our children and grandchildren who may never get to see a single tree or elephant will have the coins and currency notes to eat for lunch and dinner.