Sloth bears

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Bhargava,
I agree with you. I have been thinking for a long time about the pros and cons of starting on the field activities. There have been sporadic activities like distributing IndiaWilds caps and clothing material to forest department guards etc, providing monetary help to researchers, funding/providing for PILs, RTIs etc. It is limited based on my ability to spend time and resources.

I have visualised that the forums will be the online advocacy arm and there will be a setup with people working in the field with cross-pollination of ideas leading to action at both ends.

Having said that, lets try to see the number of hits and comments in these two threads. One is a congratulatory thread about a publication of a photo in a magazine and the other about how to help a researcher.

Sponshorship requirement for a field biologist: No comments so far - Sponsorship requirement for a workshop abroad - Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities

Photo published: 4 responses in a day - Photo Published - Leopard & Cub/Kabini - Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities

However, I had a talk with Anandji regarding converting IndiaWilds to an NGO for on the field activities.

Sabyasachi

[Roopak Gangadharan]

Bhargava,
We have all met , interacted and shared a common passion and cause through India wilds. we reach out to people sitting in various corners of the country, learn and share, highlight issue of common concern and in this very process we are contributing to the cause of conservation without measuring it against a scale of popular acceptability. Even if you ignore all of the contribution from Indiawilds as mentioned by Patra sab (which I believe is basically his personal contribution) spending time and making the effort of speaking out for what you believe is right and supporting it with visual evidence which might highlight the beauty of nature, share its wonders or simply portray insensitivity of the human kind has its place when done earnestly and with passion. I don’t think I need to highlight to you the importance of spreading awareness for any cause which is as poorly understood, which gets as little media attention which has such low priority in a social or political decision making process the world across as the cause for being sensitive for mother earth. I don’t think we should be-little this.

But what made me type all this which you might consider the ravings of somebody you don’t even know is that you want to wait until Indiawilds comes together to form a conservation unit to do your part in fieldwork or something more proactive than a digital post for what you love so passionately??? And that too in a protected area?? Why Brother, does it need a stage to stand up?? Aren’t sturdy legs enough?? And if at all the need is that of collective participation shouldn’t it be some who can meet, assemble and act much more easily and regularly than a set of people spread across the country?? There is nature around us there are things which we can do for this cause right in our backyard, the question we have to ask ourselves is what have we done for that?? Does commitment for conservation or love for nature have its place only in a National parks and Reserve forests? Is an act sacred only if for the cause of a tiger, elephant or sloth bear??? What about the parks, limited grooves , villages around our cities. What about the wetlands and non descript hills on the fringes ?? don’t you think we can do a lot more for these last resorts for the lesser creatures than simply limiting our contributions to once in a while act of a volunteer in a conservation effort in a protected area. Not that we shouldn’t do it but our lives, life styles, jobs, compulsions will severely restrict the quantum and more importantly the quality of our contributions for these locations which are geographically so distant and more so for a set of people who are in various corners of the country. I believe we still should make those contributions whenever we can but shouldn’t wait for somebody or someone to kick start it in a place which has its set of legal and procedural limitations as it will perhaps only serve as a good excuse for not doing our bit around ourselves and then offering a conditional muscle for service as and when somebody overcomes the legal overbearing hulk of the state in a protected area.

All this aside if your post has triggered a discussion on baiting on a forum which reaches a lot of people you have done a lot more than a intended action for the cause of sloth bears in Daroji which in all probability will never materialise. Whether that was anticipated or not..Believe me iv seen that change in a little village where from absolute indifference there are atleast 50 people who will pay attention to a bird which looks rare and keep night watch in turns to catch porcupine poachers. And if your are keen on field contribution do let me know…. nothing as glamorous as sloth bears and their feeding habits but you will do your bit. And as the saying goes whether someone believes you have succeeded or not you can still stand up and say “ I Tried”..…

Good night and Goodluck…
Roopak

[Bibhav Behera]

Roopak,
I think that is a point put forth which is more than apt and relevant. As 'Photographers' we are often myopic about the entire purpose of the effort. We often forget that what we are capturing is only there because that is how God had meant it to be and that it is only in our hands that we ensure that it stays the way it is if not strive to improve it.

Selfish and Cowardly would only be weak words to say if I mention that I am a Wildlife Photographer and Conservation is not my job but someone else's.

Let's be very honest with ourselves. We are photographers only because there are people who have been doing their job more than well enough to ensure that nature is preserved and it is only fair that they have the helping hand in whatever form it might be.

In line with what Roopak mentioned, we don't have to be Billy Arjan Singh or Fateh Singh Rathore to be a conservationist, but having the will and the heart to be one is what is the need of the hour.

A small anecdote to put forth my point: There is a particular person who I interacted with when I was in Goa and grew very fond of. He is a person who has grown up in the Chorla Ghats and loves it as his family. You see him smiling each time he is there, just knowing that he is at peace at home. The amount of effort he has put in for conservation and discovery in those hills is extraordinary. Not much is known about these mountains and a great number of flora and fauna in the place is still undiscovered and undocumented. Yet, it hasn't deterred him from making every single effort whether he has people behind him or not. Why is he doing it? For photographers like you and me? Or is it because it is necessary to do so for understanding how beautiful and enigmatic nature really is?

His name is Nirmal Kulkarni as some might have guessed and has worked for the discovery of various species of smaller fauna in the region.

I can lecture longer, but knowing that I have not done anything substantial till date for conservation but for some remote efforts here and there, I should keep mum. But what I realise is that it is important that people who are working in the fields get our support and we at the same time do our little bit in whatever form it might be.

[Bhargava Srivari]

Friends,

Many thanks for the few insightful words My personal opinion on the issue is that not all of them would know where to and when to and how to start conservation; all of us aren't equally aware of the oppurtunities. Hence, I'd still want a on the field conservation group to be formed just so that there is a proper direction in which the resources of IW are used.

Cheers

[Prasad Dingankar]

Sponshorship requirement for a field biologist: No comments so far - Sponsorship requirement for a workshop abroad - Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities

However, I had a talk with Anandji regarding converting IndiaWilds to an NGO for on the field activities.

Sabyasachi

Sir,
is there any posiballity to raise the fund through IW & same tobe used as a part of sponsorship. If that is the case pl let me know. I am ready to transfer online to the best of my ability.

Kind Regards
Prasad