Sunderban: A Place for the Royal Bengal Tigers - Endangered Species

 

Its been a week gone so wild that it makes the heart beat so fast. I was more thankful that it has gone by for my team, and at the same time hated it so much for it lasted not more than a week. its so irrational to speak in ways that carries meanings so hard to understand, yet I am trying to do the same. I am happy cause I can be with my friends once again but also I am so lost.

 

As we entered the section it was so bright and upbeat that we forgot about everything else. We reached the villages and was bewildered by the warm welcome that we had, which we never expected. We were not sure that there could be any problem except the name of the adjacent village " Vidhaba Hut " which meant "villages of the widows" which at that time seemed so weird. We were fed and given places to rest. The elders came to have a chat and we started trying to explain the purpose of our intrusion. We had so many pictures and books, catalogues filled with statements akin to the importance of self-conservation; how they should feel proud to be near the habitat of such a wonderful endangered species. "The Royal Bengal Tiger's". and why they should try to protect them from poachers. They listened and they listened hard. They had a smile that remained intact. we were so happy that we had completed the better part of the mission. Little we had known...

 

we didn't had the permission to enter the preservation, so we decided to be as close as we possibly can. we wanted to feel the excitement spending nights at the wilderness. we were concerned as we knew that the tigers are coming out of the forest more frequently and we blamed the inhabitants for encroaching their territories. For days we tried to explain the demerits of  the human invasion and all the way they smiled. we asked them to build more boats so that they can fish instead of making their livelihood extracting honey. We never tried to know why they did; and finally when we were taken to the open sea and saw the other boats from the distance (which actually didn't carry the famous black flags which they were supposed to carry as shown in the pirate movies) and we were shown how to duck to avoid stray bullets we found out life was not so easy for them, whom we had been giving lectures for such a long time. Ground Zero was not exactly a playground and it was all about survival of the fittest. We were no longer teachers, we were students; learning, knowing & asking "why".

 

Why do they enter the forest at night trying to beat the eyes of the rangers? Why they do not fish more often? Why they endanger their lives trying to extract honey knowing that the paths may cross any day and they may not return ever again? Why there are more females and lesser males in the villages? Why was the village named "Village of the widows"? Why?.....

 

It was so easy playing mouthorgan in the night and feeling so romantic. It was so easy giving lectures knowing very well that we will return back home and they may not. It was so easy to pretend not to see the eyes of the children who are now orphans who had lost their families trying to extract honey.

 

I remember the day I had taken my oath to protect the constitution. I remember memorizing the sections defining the fundamental rights of a human being. I remember the day I decided to protect ....

Who am I to decide who is right and who is wrong! Who am I to articulate who has the right to survive and who should not! Who am I...

 

But we still have to try to make a change. We altogether can save them both. But we should be ready to trade places before we do. We must learn to sacrifice before asking for one.

 

Thanking all of you to be a part of this. It meant a lot, a lot than u can even imagine. You are making changes, hope I can do the same.

 

Tried to sum it up....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0DaEbVgcwc

 

I know without your views this report cannot be complete and I will like to add your likings before I submit the same. This is a truly a global question and who better than u guys to enlighten it!

The Mission Line :- "To provide Alternative Livelihood for the poachers"

What are the Alternatives?