Murdering The Big Cats

The recent news article about the murder of Avani tigress of Pandharkawada in Maharashtra is a grim reminder of how we treat denizens of the forests especially our National Pride. The tigress was said to have killed some people in the neighboring region in a period of year or more.  

Avani was shot dead by a private hunter as the story goes sanctioned by the PCCF Maharashtra. Alternative means of controlling the virulent predator was perhaps limited to paper work. 

The ideal first step would have been to tranquilize the tiger especially since she was said to have been accompanied by her cubs. Little is known of her cubs (if any) since the news reports are limited to the menace she was supposed to have caused. 

While shooting the man eating tigress her cubs should have been taken into account. A safe passage in captivity should have been provided since rearing them in the wild would have been impossible. Now with the the mother gone they would be difficult to trace and probably die of hunger.  When organizing such campaigns the authorities should be aware of the critical status of the species. With tiger numbers at shamefully low level hasty imperatives could prove disastrous in the long run i.e. if we are serious about furthering the cause of our National Pride and an animal of prime ecological importance.  

Whether all norms were followed or not a detailed investigations would reveal the truth. But in a country where truth can be suppressed with ease using pressure or monetary lure there is little hope that the facts will emerge. Nevertheless now that the deed has been done efforts should be made to trace the cubs if any. This would perhaps ameliorate the damage caused to the vulnerable species. 

The action also speaks of tremendous pressure exerted by humans whence faced with a problem animal. Such is the pressure from people and politicians that all hell breaks loose and the imperative becomes the noose and no rational or mitigation measures could be taken except shooting the animal dead. The courts too are not of much help as human life on Earth is seen supreme above any other life forms.    

We are still under the hangover of the Raj whence all predators were considered as vermins and exterminated by offering a reward. Human first attitude is terribly tilted and other forms of life on Earth are like third grade citizens. While the thugs and goons are nurtured by some politicians anomaly in animal behaviour is considered as threatening to all humanity. We are simply incapable of finding alternate solutions for animals with aberrant behaviour and shoot out orders are the consistent norm. 

The problem in India is the spread of human footsteps all over the land. We have spread with such alarming zeal that few natural lands are in preserved state of perfectness. The ecological impact of this has been disastrous and is being worsened by dissecting or destroying few remaining habitats in India on the pretext of development. These are the causes of sad state of land use in India made worse by uncontrolled ever expanding population. 

Large tracts of forests cleared for agriculture and industry lie degraded providing no viable returns. These should be returned to nature or used for expanding urbanisatination or for the industrial expansion that the rulers are so zealous about.  None of the protected areas should be brought under the axe of development. 
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Uday works as a naturalist and writes on issues connected with environment and tiger conservation in India.
He can be contacted at: pateluday90@hotmail.com
Mob: 9755089323

Explosive Social Media: Advantages & Incursions

It all began with the advent of  the Internet! The big bang that shook the Earth. The soft entry of social media took us by unprecedented surprise - enmasse and one by one. Little did the World realise the paradigm shift taking place as to the way we would socialize, network, find news and niche; communicate ideas and opinions, spread diverse thoughts, do business and more, besides just whiling away time.  

Platform by platform we were bombarded by new tools coming at our disposal almost free. Little did we know how consequential these platform would become, powerful enough to shake governments, negate standard beliefs and create volatility enmasse.  Most of the social media have become an institution in themselves commanding immense respect, awe and power. 

Though for most of the people or the common human it is recreation on a finger tips, and an easy way to communicate, keeping in touch and form communities and discussion forums within one's niche, it may carry a different meaning for the powerful establishments on the Earth. The phenomenon that social media is cannot be summed up comprehensively using few words. It carries a definition which may differ from people to people.   

It is the versatility, speed and global reach of the Internet that makes this anecdotal features infested medium so powerful with earth shaking qualities. People all across the political spectrum especially the right wingers, and the conservative ideological bodies are extremely vary of this medium which is a free and open peoplespeak platform. So effective has been the discourses on Internet - political or ideological - that some countries have imposed partial or complete ban on the specific platform with little success. Hence it seems that invincibility is an inexplicable characteristic of this phenomena in the cyber space.   

Albeit main purpose of social media is to propagate knowledge and awareness like the television, and help people communicate globally, the medium is an extension of our sensory apparatus through which we can voice over effectively using the prevailing platforms like Twitter and FaceBook. 

For the professionals, entrepreneurs and  industry as whole it is a alternate arena to promote services, conduct business and market products. The cyberspace is a virtual medium that has proved to be a boon for unprecedented commercialization. The main players have been the ecommerce portals, B2B sites and the advertisement mediums.      

Twitter is an evocative and powerful medium that can spread voice, dissent, opinion and thoughts with the composition of few words. For the popular politicians, celebrities and the big vigs it has provided unprecedented reach to communicate with common human masses, fans and followers.  

The interactive features has given rise to miraculous access and expression to the propaganda and entertainment industry.  Singers, actors and musicians promote themselves with huge success so do other professionals. The religious gurus or the proselytizers have flooded this cyberspace in order to spread their creed. The political dispensation too has become an active participant using it as a propaganda tool in order to win battles at hustings and overcome the poll outcomes.

Facebook offers a interactive platform to socialize online using groups and making friends, communicate and create propaganda pages. It is ideal for creating niche communities as well as promote services and market products.  It has millions of members like other popular social platforms.     

The blogging fraternity has been one of the main beneficiaries it has given them voice devoid of difficulties of accessing conventional agencies. It has become a powerful evocative medium to express diverse thoughts, expound dissent and negate traditional practices and views that have become the scourge of rigid societies. The popular blogging mediums are blogspot, typepad and wordpress besides portals embedded with these features.        

Blogging is a powerful commercial medium as well where product specialities and comparison can be offered. One can also create an professional niche among the targeted readers hence for online reputation building it is one of the key elements. This is also one of the finest platform to create what is now termed as user generated content for marketing and reputation building on the Internet. 

Though the social media has arrived in our midst as a boon there are negative imprints as well. The promotion of unethical practices, pornography, fake news, unwarranted views, promoting extremist viewpoints, false propaganda and misuse in terrorist activities are the negatives that the World will have to learn to deal with. 

The social media incursions will continue it is for us to deal with it and adjust our lives such that the imperatives are fulfilled without any adverse effect. Addiction of any kind is harmful. 

Worshipping Trees Rivers Animals Reptiles & Birds A Vedic Conservation Tool

Worshipping natural elements like rivers, mountains, animals, trees, reptiles and birds seems utterly insensible doesn't it?

Well if you have not been doing this get down to the insensible task without wait. For those with a dogmatic bend of mind this may be difficult to digest. Those who consider nature worship as primitive will never agree. 

Consideration of natural world should not be associated with any ism whence it is holistic. The Vedas have given us this deep understanding five thousand plus years ago, they have preached worship of divine in nature. Conservationist will equate this worship for preservation ethos which is an essential set of practices in order to save the Earth and its innumerable species - the other life forms. 

It does not take much to realise that we live in an ecosystem which comprises of a complex web of life intermingled as well as dependant upon natural abiotic elements. Our lives are much dependant upon these elements, hence the atonement should come much sooner than later. 

Worship is an  acknowledgement of the supreme truth as well as paying respect. Whence nature is creation of God than all that he has endowed us with should be worshipped or accorded deep respect making it worthy of preservation. For our own good!

Five thousand years back this truth dawned upon the Vedic Civilisations of northwestern region of the subcontinent. Purana, Upanishads and Sutra all espouse this cause. Hence elements of nature were classified with patriarchal & matriarchal entitlements that accorded a deep sense of reverence in the due course.

The ancient sacred texts simplify the concept of holistic nature worship using manifestations that highlight the value of elements on the planet. Living with nature has always been the way of life for homo sapiens, divergence from the way came due to disassociation with the wise texts. The result is there for all of us to see rampant urbanisation, pollution, global warming, hunger and disease.     

This (Vedic) was a simple system of according equity or value to elements of the web which play a major role in maintenance of equilibrium on this fragile Earth. The system does not try to explain the intricacies of preservation rather offers a pill coated with sugar. Why? Well all do not wish to go deep into scientific explanations or interpretations of phenomenons associated with Earth which are responsible for our survival.   

Odes and paens have constantly reminded people of this equity and so has numerous myths, legends and folklore in India. The rich and vibrant cultural past was endowed with compassion for other life forms precisely because of values inculcated by the ancients thoughts in the subcontinent.

Even religious teachings advocate this virtue of responsible living. Unfortunately rapacity has overtaken us, as a result earthly climate control is completely out of order, millions of species have become extinct or are on the verge, violence and chaos have taken over the planet and created an apocalyptic situation.       

From the Vedic civilisation has evolved many thoughts in the country which have flourished right into the contemporary era. This is associated with our inheritance and accords space not only to myriads of elements but diverse thoughts as well. This is what makes India a pluralistic society in true sense deciphered in simple terms it percolates down to live and let live.                   

Analogy Aliens & Terrestrial Intrusions

The search for the esoteric aliens is an ongoing human endeavour, it is terribly exciting and completely trespasses boundaries of our imagination mired in colourful garb of cosmic dust. There is a wild goose chase for discovering alien life. The UFOs have taken us by storm, and the mysterious objects continue to enamour through the media.  Star Wars has completely engulfed our mind with highly evolved aliens travelling through the vast void that is the cosmic space in spaceships that are in-comprehensive for our mental faculties. They appear less destructive and often friendly and human. We have been brainwashed by exploits of Superman saving humans. He is from the outer space a different World. Superman has been able to conjecture a friendly image of superior aliens contrary to what we may experience in reality....if ever.     

Most of us have either not read or forgotten the War of Worlds by H.G. Wells and live in a Utopian dream of discovering benovalent extra-galactic life.

We are not alone! Ha!  

But do we realise the consequences of coming in contact with highly evolved extraterrestrial creatures. The event could be disastrous and may lead to extreme subjugation and even complete annihilation of man kind.

Lets draw an analogy in order to come to some startling facts and consequences that between exploratory humans with high technological abilities and resources and the less able.    

The exploratory quests or conquests have taken place throughout the recent history with objective being economic loot, missionic zeal and eventual settlement. The search for spices seems benign to the common man - a historical perspective that is completely misleading. 

We are well aware of what transpired under the guise. 

The arrival of Christopher Columbus on the North American shores and subsequent colonisation was by no means  a favourable event for the indigenous communities as we know very well. The  Spanish conquest of Southern America, the colonisation at hands of European powers not forgetting the sufferance for centuries in India and perhaps elsewhere at hands of Central Asian marauders - an extension of vicious and overpowering Arab Imperialism of that time.  

The indigenous communities or locals have been brutally ravaged and plundered by these incursions, their culture and religious identities have been completely or partially destroyed by the constant proselytism and foreign ideologies and cultures imposed hopelessly out of sync with indigenous historical evolution. Some were turned into economic slaves and exploited mercilessly for ages. The rest is scripted in the annals of history often containing badly eroded and manipulated facts. The passing of time has lead often to complete amnesia regarding ones roots and cultural/religious past. (But to be fair there have been instances of arrivals being inclusive or less destructive or even completely benign).

The events have been the harbinger of incorrigible instinctive slave mentality. The altered demographics have been instrumental in creating divisive tendencies between people of same genome and has often resulted in continued bloodshed and eventual division of lands. More so the impact of these conquests are still continuing in one form or other Worldwide creating constant upheavals. 

In short a heavy price has been paid by the locals due to the incursions of terrestrial aliens. Why all this will not happen with the arrival of extraterrestrial beings who can travel through bizarre incomprehensible maze of cosmic pathways from distance ranging from few to many extra galactic scales uncountable light years away. This certainly leads to them being highly evolved. 

The disparate technological superiority, advanced mental and physical abilities of aliens will result in complete subjugation of human society totally enmeshed in internecine conflicts. We will be like sitting ducks enslaved, exploited, subject to epidemics caused by foreign microbes, raped, plundered or even subject to genetic intrusions. 

Are we prepared? 

In spite of the technological advances we have yet not been able to explore our own Universe forget about reaching the extra-galactic cosmic realms. Our weapons may prove to be Diwali crackers whence faced with  those yielded by intruders from superior civilisations. Actually our imagination limit is the only succour at our disposal if we think of being attacked by aliens with violent or ravaging dispensation.        

Further!

Look what we have done to our natural World, the environment we have inherited, millions of beleaguered life forms facing mass extinction. The World anyway is slowly dying thanks to destruction of  habitats and the ecosystems contained within, the resultant climate change, water and food shortage, pollution and more is destroying us albeit slowly.  

With humans exploiting every inch of land as population grows, industrialisation advancing rabidly, improper resource utilisation taking place, and worst our greed for amassing wealth - the future of the Earth is doomed. Armageddon has become a reality.

Then why fear the aliens whence we have inherited such deadly instincts?                 

The inevitable will happen and the only recourse for us is to build new colonies on other inhabitable planets till we destroy that as well.                  

The Vanishing Leopard in India

The Vanishing Leopard 

Green Energy & Conservation: A New Paradigm For Inclusive Growth

In case of India the five year plans have to be comprehensive in true sense as we have a vast assemblage of the down trodden living below the poverty line.  Informal economy limits the playing fields to the rich and the fortunate. Our Nation comprises of diverse human profiles subsisting on all steps of the economic ladder, unfortunately it is busting at its seams lower down. Hence all should benefit from economic endeavours of the State.  

In current scenario dominated by impending climate change or global warming economic planning has to be circumspect - discouraging unfriendly practices. This makes tackling inequity a challenging task as lot of old norms the unfriendly practices which are causing environmental disturbances have to be done away with. The old practices have to be conducted in a greener way or completely abundant hence innovation & technology has to step in. Greater stress has to be placed on cottage industry especially those pertaining to production of endemic specialities, and arts and crafts. Global appeal has to be created for indigenous production especially from the rural sector. This means induction of innovative practices and contemporary technologies at grass root level for production of globally acceptable products. 

Sound policies also means greater stress has to be placed on education and instilling technological proficiency amongst our masses. Education can be the biggest poverty alleviation instrument besides being helpful in eliminating social evils and conservatism - both are the need of the hour. Without tackling these it is difficult to come out of economic quagmire that the developing country like ours faces.           

Alternative energy is one of the positive sources which could solve our energy crisis in a friendly manner. It can also be instrumental in alleviating poverty by providing fuel at lower cost. Alternative energy would be an indirect and direct growth boosting factor. It has to be seen what policies are shaped by Governments in India to encourage generation. The majority of sufferers from polluting environment are living below the poverty line in India. Hence improvement in quality of life in the country should not be a top down approach it should be the reverse.            

The scourge of developing economies is rabid industrialisation, a haste that creates lot more problems and solves  less. In order to achieve a rapid growth detrimental aims and objectives are unthinkably pursued which cause lot of environmental distress besides social injustice to local residents (sometimes).

Highly impressive economic growth does not mean production of unmanageable numbers of luxury cars or extensive stressful housing complexes. This is what years of faulty planning and myopia has led us into. Ill planned industrial complexes near urban areas are major cause of  pollution leading to unmanageable health problems that large cities in India are facing.   

In order to feed the ever growing millions we have ravaged our forests and other fragile ecosystems due to fast expanding agricultural fields, commercial wood logging,  and livestock without a second thought. Though with the creation of protected areas the rot seemed to have stemmed but this is not the case everywhere. Primal land is still being targeted for economic gains and this spells bad conservation policies.       

Improper utilisation of land at the cost of last remaining natural places, valuable resources and our inherited wealth are the damage rabid industrialisation does besides releasing large amounts of pollutants in the air.

We have become a human centrist society, and completely disregard nature and other life forms. Habitat destruction has been the norm since times immemorial and continues till this day. Most of the conservation efforts remain on paper, are poorly implemented and some die unheard due to legal entanglement. In a fast developing India this seems to a sector of least concern. Hence to many of our policy makers environmental concerns especially that relating to our remaining natural lands and wildlife conservation has no importance or perceived as conservationist nuisance. Even for the ruling Governments this has no place as populist policies are of prime importance for remaining in power. The gain is that of mega corps with paltry benefit to those employed. Corporate influence on Governing bodies is well known, and this is what does the utmost damage. Industrialist gauge their profits from mega projects and totally ignore environmental factors.       

Unchecked population growth is another factor that is proving detrimental to environment besides increasing poverty in India. Although active efforts have been in this direction since decades but we are still heading to the most populous status on Earth. Hence we are eventually going to leave more carbon footprint on Earth that others.     

In order to undo what missteps we have taken in the past with grave consequences we will have to restart from step one with an out of the box thinking.