Living And Being Alive

Feb 25, 2018; last day of International Conference on Environmental Protection at Ooty;

one of my favorite places.

Dignitary and award sessions are going on in the afternoon. The weather is unearthly today. February is my most favorite month among all as it is the transition phase of yearly seasons, end of one sequence yet beginning of another. It is simply mediocre by characteristic yet pompous with colors reflected in flowers it up brings.

Sitting in the last audience row in the ceremony I was enjoying the gentle chilling mountain breeze blowing in perfect co-ordination with the post-sunset play of lights in the firmament. Twinkling stars are slowly making appearances knitted as if the huge sky-wall hanging overhead. Altogether may be it is the most beautiful day this year would ever give. I was lost breathing all these marvelous beauty of nature and capturing the scene in my mind-frame.

Suddenly my ears caught my name - “this is third call for Rishiparna Guha, best paper award on strategic management policy of Biodiversity”. Gaireek shook me a little and I hurriedly stood up. He hinted me to the pathway to the stage with a proud and satisfied smile. I started walking towards the dais to collect the award.

I have been working as a teacher in Environmental Management in TATA Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai for past eight years and have been keenly interested in focusing on readily available technology for environmental protection. I have been working with several NGOs and social organizations to highlight the problems related biodiversity protection in association with changing climate. I worked really hard to achieve my goal keeping my norms as steady as oak.

On this beautiful day all my hard work was going to pay off. My policy is appreciated internationally and the Ministry is considering my proposals for enactment through aided projects. Every important person was talking about my insight about the problem and how my emphasis on accuracy in resource accounting projects and their continuous evaluation. The rehabilitation of tribes and improvement of their lifestyle, livelihood and availability of all the amenities drew attention of all the dignitaries present in the conference.

As I reached the dais everyone in the audience gave me a huge applause. This was the day as if I have been living for. But why ‘was’? Isn’t it still is? Years of my hard work and gathered knowledge is being appreciated and recognized in international platform. This acknowledgement would have flourished me to the fullest. But still it now seems as past tense and not feeling like it would have felt. I am feeling so lightheaded and distracted… I am not happy…. I guess I know the reason.

During my Ph.D. I traveled almost all the forest areas in India and met with tribes living there to know their culture and lifestyles. Because I strongly believe that they are the closest child of nature and the road to proper environmental management goes through the land of tribes.

Yesterday during the conference I took a short trip to the forests of Nilgiri to meet the TODA tribe. It is a legendary tribe and one of the most primitive of among Indian tribes. They are known as the milkman tribe for their main livelihood being cattle and dairy. Me and Gaireek one of my best friends these days and colleague for years share similar interests and so he happens to accompany me in these types of crazy ventures of mine. I always be thankful to him for that.

Bahato, a short heighted dark complexioned man belonging to TODA tribe was working at the conference venue as one of the suppliers. I requested him to go along with us and he happily agreed. With usual carriages necessary for a forest trip I always carry some short posters made with cartoons and easy-drawings to interact with people in case I be unable to get any mean of understanding their dialects. It was part of my communication methods and it worked well so far. I also took some clothes, books, umbrellas and jhola bags for the people living there.

My experiences taught me that these basic things are easily accepted by tribal people and such transactions make communication easier and creates boding quicker. After three early morning hours of mystic drive through the mysterious blue mountains we had to carry on foot. We followed the narrow lanes through the forest. A mesmerizing walk of forty-five minutes with Bahato leading us finally took us to our destination.

Bahato introduced us to the leader and also to his family and other people. I learnt the total population was near about 1500 but seemed only around 50 people living in the herd we met. It took of about almost an hour to get along with them. Presence of Bahato made it really easier for us to interact with them.

One girl asked annoyingly something to me which I did not understand and I looked at Bahato. He glared at the girl and said that she was offering us something to drink which I did not believe but I ignored that. We came to know about the effects of change in their profession to agriculture from managing livestock. How it increased their dependence on seasons and they had to learn to many things as marketing, deciding and negotiating proper prices. They also expressed frequent miscommunications with tribe development centers. Their reluctance to development of industry in vicinity of the forest area drew my attention. I did not interrupt. I knew it is not convenient to convince them otherwise at first meeting. I mean how would I feel if someone just comes up to my house and advise me how to live in it..?

They seemed very happy to take all things their mother nature give them as granted with their hands open and wide-spread. Gaireek asked the leader to take some snaps. At first they hesitated but happily welcome the request when I joined to pose with them. I laughed in mind. In spite of such ignorance, poverty, such vulnerability the peace reflected in their faces were unearthly. Their smiles had no other meaning than welcome. A pure emotion and nothing else. For my work I communicate with people in a huge range of backgrounds socially and financially. But I never came across such purity, such innocence in our living civilization. Somehow they were extremely alive without ever experiencing any living amenities.

We had to be back at the hotel before dark as we had to attain the dinner party given by the host institute of the conference. I gave them the household’s stuff I took with myself and they happily accepted all especially the umbrellas. They gave me a big vase made of bamboo and canes with metal craft over it made by efficient hands. It was exotically beautiful indeed. I was so happy to and felt privilege to receive it. I thought it would enrich my collection of tribal art. But as I saw Gaireek’s eyes on the vase I instantly knew it would definitely beautify a reading table, but not mine, of course his!!

Bahato agreed to accompany to the conference venue. In the car I was silent all along. Gaireek started to talk and took the vase from my hand. It was a minute art work. He said how much it would cost in international market. It could be a great way to earn their livelihood, he continued. Bahato suddenly broke into his voice. His gaze was firm. He said that the gift was nothing but a complete gratitude to us for our interest in them. It is no advertisement of their craft and culture. They are saturated with happiness and do not feel any urge for recognition from anybody. Gaireek tried to confront him but I pressed his hand to stop him. Bahato continued. They are happy when they are undisturbed. Interactions followed by intervention of outer world makes them feel threatened of adulteration in their culture. Many of them have left their native places listening to the provocation of city fortunes but they paid huge price for the living they are bearing with. Being attached to their usual lifestyle makes them feel in the safe embrace of mother nature and they live their lives to the fullest there. They do not welcome change not because they are not willing to but simply they do not feel the need to change.

I was speechless. He made a straight hit to my ideas of conservation. I got his point well. He was honest in his beliefs. The smiles in their faces still linger in my eyes. A pure and independent expression of emotion. The fact that completeness itself found them and lived with them all along their journey through time was challenging all my notions for resurrection. Bahato is right. It is us, so called civilized people, who get insecure in so many means – sometimes by profession, wealth, beauty, even sometimes even with our complexions for which we can do nothing. Yet we are enjoying the precious life!!

Today, when all my ideas are being celebrated, I discovered them to be meaningless yesterday. I slowly came down from the dais with the elegant certificate and off course a heavy- heart. I sat beside Gaireek. He looked deep into my eyes searching for what was going on inside my head. He asked me what the next plan is. I faced the deemed sunset sky and closed my eyes and sighed. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was still looking at me with a child’s face. I gave him a smile of a single emotion and said TO BE ALIVE!!..