Do We Go back to Pillaging Nature?
The Chambal ravines gained notoriety over the last several decades for their association with dacoits. From Daaku Maan Singh to Nirbhay Gujjar to Phoolan Devi, legendary bandits made a name for themselves operating from within the inhospitable, dry terrain that characterised the Chambal.
Hindi cinema, too, has showcased the violence that cloaks this region through films such as Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Paan Singh Tomar (2012) and the more recent Sonchiriya (2019). That is why when I first mentioned visiting the area earlier this year to my friends and family, for a wildlife safari, concerns about my safety were raised before one could say ‘sparrow’.
Needless to say, I have survived to tell the tale. The National Chambal Sanctuary is spread out over the Chambal River and the area surrounding its sandbanks. The river flows between the three states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It is home to some of the most incredible wildlife that you will see in the country.
The gharial, the crocodile subspecies with the long snout, the Indian skimmer bird and the Gangetic dolphin are among its chief attractions. The place is also home to marsh crocodiles, turtles and several other birds, including black-necked storks, Eurasian spoonbills and red-naped ibis. The months between December and February are the best time to visit, since the presence of the migratory birds increases at this time and the weather is also considerably cooler.
The Chambal river stretches over 400 kilometres along the three states. It has allowed for wildlife to flourish both within and around it because its waters have, largely, been free of human interference. This is owing to a couple of ancient myths that has led humans to believe that the river is associated with violence. One such legend is that a king called Rantideva massacred so many animals along the Chambal that the river turned red.
Another story is that when the game of dice was played between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Draupadi cursed the river for being a mute spectator to her humiliation. Whoever would drink from the river would have an insatiable appetite for revenge, Draupadi declared. That and the presence of bandits over the last several decades have caused people to stay away from settling around the river. This has been to the advantage of several birds, mammals and reptiles, who have thrived in the absence of human habitation.
We are seeing a reflection of the same phenomenon during this Covid-19 lockdown. Pictures of peacocks reclaiming South Mumbai and Nilgai roaming the streets of Noida in the absence of humans have gone viral on social media. Elsewhere, in Sikkim, a Himalayan black bear was found roaming the empty streets of Gangtok before he entered a telecom office.
Densely inhabited neighbourhoods in otherwise bustling metropolitan cities are reporting increased birding activity in the early hours of the day. A wildlife photographer friend the other day sent me a text of at least a dozen bird species he has been able to photograph from the balcony of his Gurgaon apartment since the lockdown began.
His enviable list included the likes of the Indian grey hornbill, the rufous treepie and the yellow-footed green pigeon. Not wanting to feel left behind, I reported my own verandah sighting of the lovely coppersmith barbet and the Indian golden oriole to him.
My visit to the Chambal and the current lockdown has, consequently, left me wondering about the long term. Sand mining is rampant around Chambal. The coronavirus epidemic will surely come to an end some day soon. What then?
Do we go back to the extraordinary rate of pillaging nature and its natural resources? Is it not possible to coexist with other forms of life that don’t need much except peace and quiet in the first place? The temporary pause enforced upon us in the current situation ought to make us reflect on these questions. There is more to life than materialistic goals and burgeoning bank balances. Otherwise the end is nigh and we won’t be left with even a sparrow to see.
(The writer is a wildlife enthusiast and author)
Twitter: @AkshayManwani