The
Sundarbans Inheritance – Protecting a people’s
legacy
In a fast changing world, the true wealth of a nation is
all too easy to lose if its intrinsic worth is underestimated
by its citizens. Food factory, cyclone barrier, fount of
myths and legends and human inspiration, the value of the
Sundarbans cannot even be expressed in economic terms. Bittu
Sahgal whose association with this mangrove haven spans
four decades, asks that the Sundarbans inheritance be protected
as a covenant with tomorrow.
Where
tigers live – A living forest
The descent of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago coincided
with the ascent of one of our planet’s most hardy
plants – mangroves. In the magical, inter-tidal universe
of the Sundarbans, it is still possible to see ‘cusp’
life forms taking sustenance from both land and sea. Bittu
Sahgal asks that these life-giving swamps be recognised
as ‘vital infrastructures of survival’ without
which the quality of human life would plummet. He also asks
that the tiger be acknowledged as the ‘keeper of the
swamps’ and underscores the fact that the striped
predator and its swamps together constitute… the Sundarbans
inheritance.
The Mists of Time – The evolution and history
of the swamps
To know how to secure our future, we must first be familiar
with our past. The Sundarbans is one of the world’s
most precious biodiversity vaults. Sumit Sen presents a
compendium of information culled from diverse sources to
paint a sketch of the origin and history of the Sundarbans
in the hope that the knowledge will help us better protect
this crucial littoral forest.
Myths
and Legends – A matter of faith
In a land ruled by tigers, crocodiles, snakes, sharks and
harsh weather, deference to and the worship of nature is
ubiquitous, suggests Suchandra Kundu who provides an insight
into some of the hundreds of myths and legends that emanate
from and govern the lives of people who collectively form
the many-layered community of dwellers in the Sundarbans.
In
Praise of Mangroves – Nature's coastal armour
For eons, mangroves had been written off as wastelands.
Only now are scientists waking to the realisation that in
an era of climate change, losing these vital ‘organs’
will seriously affect the quality of human life. On the
following pages, Sumit Sen takes us through the mangrove
realm, in the hope that concern will follow appreciation
so that we might rise to defend one of the most remarkable
and threatened ecosystems on Earth.
Birding in Tigerland – Seasons in the sun
If it were not so totally identified with the tiger, the
Sundarbans would get pride of place as one of the world’s
most satisfying birding destinations. Once Bikram Grewal
discovered the joys of birding in the world’s largest
mangrove swamp, he found himself drawn irresistibly to tide
country, where the added possibility of sighting a tiger
adds a bite to birding. This is a compressed account of
innumerable trips that provide a month-by-month flavour
of a magical forest that beckons you all year round.
Crocs
of the Tidal Zone – In search for the world's largest
reptile
Even sharks and tigers give adult saltwater or estuarine
crocodiles a wide berth, for they are the world’s
largest reptiles. The author, Romulus Whitaker, one of the
world’s foremost crocodile experts, narrated this
account to Janaki Lenin, writer and naturalist, who has
been his partner for over a decade.
Creatures Great and Small – Sundarbans
lesser-known animals
Apart from the tiger, a host of ‘lesser’ life
forms go into making the Sundarbans the wildlife haven it
is. Lakshmy Raman writes that these creatures are dependent
on the food brought in by the tides, the rivers that empty
into the Bay of Bengal through the Sundarbans and the decaying
plants of the most amazing mangrove forest on Earth.
The
Bangladesh Sundarbans – A haunting mangrove tigerland
The more often you visit the Sundarbans, the more it captivates
and enthralls you. A. H. M. Ali Reza, who spent considerable
time studying the tiger in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, writes
on the dynamics of this ecosystem and the steps Bangladesh
must take to protect it in the years ahead.
Two
Countries, One Forest – A Sundarbans view from both
sides of the border
A geoscientist by profession, Dr. Gertrud Neumann-Denzau
has spent many years visiting both the Indian and the Bangladesh
side of the Sundarbans, often together with her husband
Dr. Helmut Denzau. She writes here with affectionate honesty
about the ecology, management and tourism options of a contiguous
habitat that offers visitors very contrasting experiences.
Sundarbans
Reminicences – Down memory lane
The Sundarbans means different things to different people.
But everyone who experiences it is washed with awe and respect.
Peter Jackson, a long time India hand, shares treasured
memories with us of his many visits to this half-way place
of land and sea over which the tiger rules supreme.
The
Honey Gatherers – Living in tiger territory
The honey gatherers of the Sundarbans know their forest
better than almost any other humans on Earth. If these fabled
forests vanish, such cultures, with their myths, legends
and traditions will disappear with them, writes Dr. Gertrud
Neumann-Denzau who joined them in their search for honey
or mou in the Sundarbans.
Protecting
Paradise – An inside story
While poets, writers and critics proffer advice and comment
on what was, is or should be done in the Sundarbans, a band
of dedicated humans patrols the mangrove forests every day
to ensure that wild nature stays wild. Pradeep Vyas, Field
Director, Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, India presents us with
a glimpse of the hidden world of some of the least known
green warriors on Earth.
Voices from the Past
Memories of a lifetime
A Sundarbans Checklist
Birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, crustaceans, mangroves
Faces Behind the Book – Photographers and writers
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
