| Rajinder, welcome to Mumbai's urban
jungle! Tell me first why a social and human rights activist
has turned into a saviour of tigers in Sariska?
Let me clarify that I never came to Bhikampura in Sariska
to save tigers. All that my friends and I wished to do was
to protect the soil and water resources for villagers whose
lives had been devastated by drought. That our johads (Rajasthani
watershed systems) also managed to save the tiger is a happy
side benefit. But I should add that the people of Hari Pura
village in Sariska actually believe that the tiger keeps disease
away. They feel blessed by its presence. Such people can do
more good for tigers than large organisations funded by institutions
like the World Bank, which itself destroys tiger habitats.
Western oriented ecologists are not part of the environment
they want to save. The villagers of Sariska are.
You were once beaten up for "instigating these very
people to harm the tiger," right?
Yes. And so were many villagers who were wrongly seen by forest
officers as enemies of Sariska. Injustice and miscommunication
of this kind is why the Tarun Bharat Sangh was set up. We
wanted security and dignity for villagers caught in a vice
between ecological destruction and the misapplication of the
Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. We could see how miners supported
by politicians such as Balram Jhakhar, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
and Devi Lal were devastating Sariska. They had devastated
the ground water and grazing potential of the surrounding
forests and fields. Instead of tackling these forces, the
forest department targetted defenceless villagers. When we
resisted, we became targets of violence. On November 26, 1991,
in Palpur, the miners' thugs attacked us. But all that is
past. We now work closely with the forest department.
How did attitudes change so dramatically?
It has been a slow process. I still remember December 28,
1986, when the forest department banned my entry into Sariska.
Orders to break my legs had been given. All because we were
undertaking health and education work in villages marked for
displacement. But eventually the field staff saw that the
TBS was doing no harm and was in fact encouraging villagers
to protect the tiger habitat on which human lives too depend.
Slowly every slope and valley we worked on began to regenerate,
improving the water regime. In April 1999, the Forest Secretary,
Mr. Salauddin Ahmad, wrote to us saying our efforts had helped
Sariska. Waterholes once needing tanker supplies in summer
are now naturally full of water all year round. He asked us
to work in other parts of Sariska as well. Our belief that
people and wildlife can and should coexist was vindicated.
In 24 hours we started work on water harvesting structures
at Phanta Ki Pal and Bhero Ghati. We completed both in June
this year.
Who do you mean when you say "we"?
I mean TBS volunteers together with villagers. The Bhero Ghati
structure was, for instance, built by residents of the Baleta
Village situated 10 km. out of Sariska. Their involvement
was not entirely altruistic because they knew from past experience
that such water sources would help recharge their own wells.
The Tarun Bharat Sangh is probably best known for the
Arvari river, which you all helped resurrect. What's the real
Arvari story?
The Arvari was part of a 'dark (no water) zone' on Government
records. Five weeks after setting up watershed structures
in the catchment area in 1986, the aquifer began to fill.
By 1995, the river was running full all year round. But as
we told you when you visited us at Bhikampura, our work was
intended to recharge our wells. We had no idea we would be
responsible for the rebirth of a river. At that time, an old
villager had said: "Aisa bhala kaam karenge to dharti
ka pet bhar jayega aur pani ubhar ke nikle ga" (with
the good work that you are doing, the earth will be so full
that it will throw the water out). He was totally right.
Recently, government contractors came to the Arvari to claim
fishing rights. The villagers threw them out, saying this
was their river and no one was going to harm a fly in it!
Those who believe that only the forest department can look
after wildlife should come and see the area. The villagers
call it Son Chiri (golden bird) and it is our people's water
catchment sanctuary, where kulhar bandhi (ban on tree cutting)
and charai bandhi (ban on grazing) has led to a remarkable
forest recovery. Tiger, leopard, hyaena and jackals are now
seen. Birdsong is everywhere and children in our villages
are happy because they know their water comes from such healthy
forests.
Do you pay people to work on watershed projects? Do they
really care for wildlife as you suggest?
Usually, the system of shramdaan (donation of labour) works
well in rural India. But sometimes we do employ people, particularly
when they are landless and need money each day to feed their
families. You must understand that wild animals, plants, water
are all a part of the cycle of life in the Indian village.
Compare this with say the attitude of the Territorial Forest
Division, which looks only at trees and the Wildlife Division
that looks only at animals. Rural people, of course, figure
in neither's scheme of things at all.
Are you suggesting that the villagers know more than government
experts?
You decide. Take a look at our strange government policies.
The Forest Policy does not talk about water and the Water
Policy does not mention forests. Bureaucrats in the irrigation
or agriculture ministries never work towards the concept of
agro-ecological zones. I have worked with government departments
and with villagers. I am not suggesting that every villager
is a saint, but I have more faith in their zabaan (promises)
and long-term vision.
Does this include a world with tigers in it? Do the people
accept that the tiger has a right to life, irrespective of
benefits to people?
Of course the tiger has a right to life. I was a part of the
Jungle Jeevan Bachao Yatra, which went across the whole of
India preaching just that. As for people working for wildlife,
why not take the case of what we call Bagh Sagar, a small
project we started in 1992 on the Jahaz wali nadi (ship-river,
because the valley topography resembled a huge ship). Villagers
from Debri, Banhala and Guada got together to solve the problem
of tigers straying into their villages. At a baithak (meeting)
it was decided that the tiger had little choice but to enter
the village precincts because there was no water or food available
in the surrounding area. Rather than harm the tiger, it was
decided to build a permanent source of water for it. Using
the little money we could gather and the voluntary labour
of villagers, a small dam was built a couple of kilometres
upstream right inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve. Water began
to collect within one season and this led palatable plants
to regenerate attracting many birds, and more importantly,
sambar, chital and nilgai. What more could the tiger ask for?
For that matter what more could those who love the tiger ask
for?
Is your tiger plan still working?
Fantastically well. One tigress has moved in permanently.
She loved the place we had selected for her. I have taken
a photograph of a tiger while I was standing on the small
dam we built. Thanks to the earthy wisdom of local villagers,
tigers have actually stopped coming into the village and a
major problem has been solved. We do not hear of cattle killing
as we once did. Everyone has benefitted.
So was the construction of the Bagh Sagar dam a joint
effort with the forest department?
No. We were being prevented from building the dam. We had
written explaining our rationale and for permission from S.
Sharma who was then the Field Director. But he sent us a legal
notice instead and threatened to break down the 'illegal'
structure. But we persisted. Though we had invested money
and labour, we neither claimed ownership, nor control of Bagh
Sagar. This would clearly be in the hands of the Field Director.
It took us a full 18 months to complete the dam and we had
nothing but the welfare of the tiger at heart. We wanted to
create a better ecological space for wildlife away from the
village. If this was not done either a human or a tiger would
die at some point.
After much persuasion, the forest department asked one Pushp
K. Jain to conduct an independent impact assessment of the
five metre-tall Bagh Sagar dam. He opined that it had had
a very beneficial impact. According to him the work we had
done had resulted in the Jahaz wali nadi becoming perennial.
When you consider that the catchment area was a mere 12 sq.
km. and the reservoir only 500 hectares, the end result was
nothing short of a miracle. I cannot understand why such simple
and cost effective strategies are not being employed across
forested India. More than guns and guards, the tiger needs
friends around its home. Think of it. A tigress and two grown
up cubs are now permanently resident at Bagh Sagar, a habitat
that only a few years ago was so desolate that animals tried
to enter human habitations for food and water.
Who has evaluated these claims?
The tiger and all its associated plants and animals are our
evaluators. I saw my first tiger in April 1997, sitting in
the water of the Bagh Sagar dam, years after I came to Sariska.
Tigers don't just come here for water. Grasses, shrubs and
trees which have regenerated now support the animals on which
the tiger preys. In 1995 a team from the Centre for Environmental
Law (CEL) including Sanjay Upadhyay and the late Chatrapati
Singh came here. They saw our resident tiger and were impressed
by the way in which ordinary villagers had nurtured an ecosystem
back to health.
Now what? Have you got a solution for both people and
parks for India?
Look, I can say nothing about the rest of India. But here
you should ask the current Field Director of Sariska, Mr.
Tejbir Singh, the Chief Wildlife Warden, Mr. R. G. Soni and
the Director of Project Tiger, Mr. P.K. Sen. We have an excellent
relationship with all these officers. They confirm that there
used to be a great deal of tension about grazing in and around
the Reserve. That such tensions have been reduced is the best
sign that some kind of solution is at work. Perhaps even more
heartening for us was the fact that a team of around 10 persons
from the Wildlife Institute of India visited Sariska on August
3, 1999. They confirmed that Sariska's ecological circumstances
were very good. While we don't claim total credit for this,
it stands to reason that what we have been doing has contributed
to the regeneration of the ecosystem.
Are you suggesting that merely creating some water bodies
has solved all these problems?
Obviously not. But a chain reaction of positive results did
take place because of our watershed works. The economy of
the villages improved. Fodder and water ensured both food
crops and milk. When benefits began to accrue, locals began
to prevent outsiders from bringing their cattle into Sariska.
The forest department could never have done this, but the
locals did. This is why Sariska has regenerated so remarkably.
Look at Ranthambhore, where grazing continues to be the prime
management problem.
Do you believe the Ranthambhore problem can be solved
at all?
Yes, if people are given a sense of ownership. Unless people
living around the forest feel they have a stake in the good
health of the forests, unless their children feel secure there,
why should anyone expect them to protect the forest? If the
police, for instance, threatened to remove you from your home
in Mumbai, would you feel kindly towards them?
What was the key to this improved relationship between
villagers and the forest department?
Please don't imagine everything is perfectly fine now. While
things are on the mend, it will take much longer for a lasting
mutual trust to form. But we are on the right path. I remember
the situation in Debri village, in the core area, some years
ago when villagers razed the guard hut and prevented the forest
department from entering their territory for a span of seven
years between 1987 to 1994! Today the situation is dramatically
improved. The TBS organised several meetings and eventually
villagers not only invited the forest guards to their villages,
but even helped them rebuild the guard-hut. But one condition
laid down was that the guards respect and obey the Gram Sabha,
which helped restore the land.
Debri is an example for the whole world. Ten years ago this
was a war zone. Water had to be brought in from outside. Antagonism
between villagers and the forest staff resulted in the death
of two tigers that had taken to entering the village. Now,
with the building of the Bagh Sagar dam and other such structures,
the villagers learned that they could thrive together with
the wild animals that have always been a part of their cultural
ethos.
But all gains can be reversed in the blink of an eye. There
are complaints that some forest guards tried to coerce Debri
villagers to pay for grazing rights in the lands that the
villagers themselves restored. This is very wrong and it must
be stopped right away or it will have bad consequences on
the process of Sariska's renewal.
What about your relationship with the forest department?
Our relationship is good, but we are always trying to improve
it. It was at our instance that the Supreme Court ordered
the closure of illegal mines in the sanctuary. But now a lower
court magistrate has given permission for 41 mines to be re-started.
We need to work together to stop them for good.
We have also offered to work with the department on delicate
issues such as relocation. For instance, 40 families of Umri
village are willing to move out to Dabekan, south of Sariska.
But the forest department itself is slow. By and large we
feel that people should be allowed to stay where they are,
but if they agree to move voluntarily we will certainly help
them do so. Unfortunately, the Umri relocation has been pending
for more than 11 years. We have heard of similar situations
in other states where villagers willing to relocate are not
being helped, while others are being coerced to move. This
strains relations between people and parks.
We are very keen to work even closer with Tejbir Singh, the
Field Director, who is an honest man and highly respected
by the villagers. Perhaps we can work on the shifting of the
Kushalgarh-Thanagazi road route. Five tigers have been killed
on this road that passes through the core area. The Central
Government has sanctioned three crore rupees for the alternative
road and we will convince the locals of the need for the alternative
road.
We can also reduce poaching. As per our information, five
tigers have been poached in and around Sariska in the past
five years. When Fateh Singh Rathore was the Field Director
we had helped him apprehend one Sarda Singh Bawaria, a well
known poacher suspected of killing 16 tigers. Villagers can
be relied upon to fight poachers, provided they are not themselves
treated badly by the forest staff. As I see it, poaching is
a problem only on the east side of Sariska. The gujjars of
Dabli can't confront the large gangs of armed poachers from
Prithvipura and Baleta, which kill animals almost every week.
The Range Office at Bara (Akbarpur) and the chowki at Dabli
need to be strengthened. If the villagers are protected, they
too will prevent the poaching.
Where do you go from here? Have you any plans to extend
your work to different states?
Our work here has just started and we have no plans to take
up work outside Rajasthan! But we would like to export our
experiences. There is an open offer to all individuals and
organisations that wish to work on watershed projects anywhere
in India: "Come to Bhikampura as our guests and share
our experience. We have a simple but comfortable ashram where
you can stay and friendly villagers from whom you can learn."
Rajinder Singh,
Tarun Bharat Sangh,
Bhikampura-Kishori,
Via Thanagazi, Dist.
Alwar 301002,
Rajasthan.
Tel.: 01465-25043
or
34/24 Siddharthpaty,
Mansarovar,
Jaipur 302011.
Tel: 0141-391092
Fax: 393178 |
