January 2013

January 2013 VANA PREMI

53

LIfe Time Subscription - Rs. 2000/- Single Copy Rs. 20/-

JANUARY - 2013Vol .14 No.1

JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED FOREST OFFICERSANDHRA PRADESH

Yearly Subscription - Rs. 200/-


1

1. President : Ex-Officio President of Assn.2. Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan

Tel : 40121132, 9849233624e-mail : [email protected]

3. Associate Editor : Sardar Iqbal Singh,

: 040-20081143, 98499098774. Member : A.H. Qureshi, IFS (Retd.)5. Convenor : Ex-officio Secy.of Assn

VANA PREMI

Vol : 14 No.1January - 2013

Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan Associate Editor : Sardar Iqbal SinghThe Association of Retired Forest Officers,

Andhra Pradesh(Regd. No. 557/1990)

President : Sri. S.D. Mukherji, I.F.S. (Retd.)Tel : 23551065, 9885236493

Vice President : Sri. Krishna Bhoopal Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.)Tel : 23743774, 9866307808

Secretary : Sri K. Santokh Singh, I.F.S. (Retd.)Tel : 27962929, 9848808101

Jt. Secretary : Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Dy. C.F.(Retd.)Cum Treasurer Tel. 23342582, 9848754778

Editoriral Board

Contents

TARIFF RATES FOR ADVERTISEMENTS

Back side of front and last cover page

(Colour) for one year ...................................... Rs. 20,000/-Outer Cover half (Colour) for one year ........... Rs. 15,000/-Inner Center Spread (Colour) for one year .... Rs. 20,000/-Inner full page (B&W) for one year .............. Rs. 15,000/-Inner half page (B&W) for one year .............. Rs. 10,000/-Inner full page One Time (B&W) ....................... Rs. 2000/-

Inner half page One Time (B&W) ...................... Rs. 1500/-

VANA PREMI

1

Excutive committee members1. Sri C. Subba Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9848018796

2. Sri Sultan Mohiuddin,I.F.S. (Retd.), 9440057333

3. Sri M. Padmanabha Reddy, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9849269105

4. Sri J.V. Subba Rao, 9848486146

5. Sri A. V. Govinda Rajulu, 9440764611

Totla pages 52

1. Editorial ..................... QMK 22. Letters to the Editor ........ 33. Biodiversity Conservation for Sustained

Livelihood ....................... S.D. Mukherji 54. State - Sponsored Encroachment of

Forests in India ......... J.V. Sharma 125. Flamingos .................. 206. Invitation ................... 217. Twice Across Silent Valley

.................................... P.K. Zachariah 228. Birthday Greetings ... Secretary 289. Story of Tees Maar Khan

.............................Navratan Singh 2910. General Body Meeting Held on

18-12-12 ..................... Secretary 3911. A Cup of Coffee on the Wall 4112. News and Notes ....... 4213. Tips ............................ 4414. Feathered Engineering

..................N. Shiva Kumar 3615. ã¨O„HÍOu w «̀O ................. q.q. Ç¨Ïi„Ñ¨™ê £̂ 4716. J_»q «̀e¡ |∞∞}O f~°∞Û‰õΩO\˜~å...

......................................... Z. K≥·̀ «#ºJxÖò 4817. J_»q..............ã≤.ÃÇÏKü. „Ñ¨HÍ+π ~å"£ 4918. Legal Notes ............... 5019. Obituary ..................... 52


2

Dooms day and New Year: - Since last one year

it was believed that this world will come to an

end on 21st of December 2012. Every person

among 10 of us was said to be anxious that 21st

December would mark the end of the world. This

is mainly because people believe that the Mayan

calendar is ending on 21st day of December 2012

and that will be the last day of our world. Internet

played a great role in spreading this message

throughout the world very fast and free of cost.

The idea of the sudden end of the world due to

any reason is absurd. It is estimated that the Earth

has been here for more than 4 billion years, and

it will be several more billion years before the

gradual brightening of the Sun makes our planet

unliveable. Meanwhile there is no known

astronomical or geological threat that could

destroy the Earth. If at all the world ends before

our planet becomes unliveable due to

brightening of the sun, it will be due to global

warming, Melting of ice, rising of the sea level,

destruction of the forests will deprive the world

of oxygen. There will be more of carbon dioxide,

scarcity of water, periodical droughts and floods

and extinction of wild animals. Once Albert

Einstein a German physicist who later migrated

to America and settled there said, “If only one

species i.e. the honey bee becomes extinct, the

human race will also become extinct within 4

years of it”. The Honey bee a tiny insect is

responsible for pollinating more than 100

EDITORIALspecies of crops which we cultivate for our food.

Hence we will not be able to produce our grains,

vegetables, and fruits. That will not be sudden

and will be very slow.

Thank God the dooms day of 21st December has

passed off without any untoward incident and

we all have survived to read the articles of Vana

Premi.

New Year is the time at which a new calendar

year begins. In many cultures, the event is

celebrated in typical manner. The New Year of

the Gregorian calendar is used worldwide today,

including in India and it falls on 1st January. There

are numerous calendars that remain in regional

use that calculate the New Year differently. With

the influence of Western culture spreading to

many other places in the world during recent

centuries, the Gregorian calendar has been

adopted by many countries as the official

calendar, and 1st January as the beginning of the

New Year has become global; even in countries

with their own New Year celebrations on other

days (such as India)

January 1 had a long journey of ups and downs

before it became accepted as the first day of

the year in the modern calendar format. It is

believed that Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor,

first proposed the idea of having January 1 as

the first day of the year. This is because the

month of January has been named after the


3

Roman God Janus.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII did away with the

Julian calendar for good and established the

modern day Gregorian calendar where January

1 was re-established as the beginning of a New

Year.

Today however, January 1 is internationally

accepted as the beginning of the New Year

although many countries of the world have their

own New Year celebrations at different times

of the year. We hope on this New Year’s Day our

readers might have resolved to do many good

things in their life.

Vana Premi wishes its readers a very happy,

prosperous and a healthy New Year and many

more new years to come. QMK

Sir,

I am happy to note that VANA PREMI by its poise and get-up and content is becoming more and

more interesting to its readers and it is doubtlessly growing in stature and popularity. You are

indeed doing a creditable job. Congratulations! Your editorial in the December issue on Anti-

corruption Day is an apt description. The malady of corruption requires a multipronged attack. The

anecdote from the Yadon- ki-Baraat by Josh Malihabadi is informative and interesting.

P.K. Sharma’s lifetime story of Martyr Padma Rao is soulful. J.V. Sharma’s paper on misuse of

government land is fierce, forceful and fearless. All government lands are property of the nation. If

they are not cared for and if their misuse is continued, it is going to be the Tragedy of Commons.

Padmanabh Reddy and Nooor Ahmed have written well on Bio-Diversity. V.V. Hariprasad’s Travelogue

and Kamal Naidu’s narration are informative. I feel the younger generation among the retired

officers and still young generation in service must regularly contribute articles for the benefit of

all. Raghotham’s Urdu paper on ‘Death at the Threshold’ concludes: “ Throughout the life, I could not

reach the destination of peace, yet I kept on asking the Time; Experiences of life have kept me in

good stead from falling victim of cheating”. Your wishes to the author are timely.

Hyderabad K.B.R. Reddy

Note. Thank you very much sir. Your letter has given us lot of strength and encouragement. We

need cooperation of all the readers. Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


4

Sir,

I had read “Mautmeri Dehleez par” in November with the help of a mirror and was sorry to note such

a moving write up so near yet so far from the readers. Thanks for reprinting it in December. I would

like to reassure my favourite Dr.Desai that we are also ‘zindadar-e- gaur (alive at the door of a grave).

I was craving for long, to do a love story. But getting this genre printed in Vana premi is an absolute

No No. Hence it is camouflaged as a Science fiction.

Navratan Singh

Note. The proof of Urdu article which was sent for printing was reversed by the person in charge of

the press who do not know Urdu language. The inconvenience caused to Urdu readers is regretted.

Editor

Sir,

Alumni of SFRC retired officer’s conference was held at Madurai, TN.(16.12.2012to19.12.2012).

Seventy seven couples and twenty two singles have attended. Participants comprised of officers

from A.P 5, Goa 2 Gujarat 4, Karnataka 24, Kerala 3,M.P.17, Maharashtra 32, Odisha1, and TN.10

respectively. As per the convention the host state has made arrangements at T.T.D.C.Hotel. Inaugural

function followed by cultural program was arranged in the evening, which was presided over by

Sri.Y.S.Kadascha Mani who incidentally belongs to 1948-50 batch. Second day 176 participants

proceeded in 10 buses to Rameshwaram and visited the Ramanathaswami, Kothandarama temples

and the surrounding Theerthams Kovila’s.

Third day we visited Meenakshi temple and surrounding religious places in the fore-noon and in

the evening attended light & sound show at Thirumalai Naiker Mahal whose dynasty has ruled the

state for two centuries and responsible for the construction of the world famous Meenakshi Temple

Fourth day the valedictory function was presided over by Dr S.John Joseph P.C.C.F of Tamil Nadu

(Retd). Incidentally who was Principal of S.F.R.C.for about 7 years. It is not out of place to mention

that 2012 year happens to be the centenary year of Tamilnadu Forest Academy. In 1912 Madras

Forest College was established, which was renamed as S.F.R.C. in 1955, and the college was upgraded

as Tamilnadu Forest Academy in the year 2005. Further the first principal of Forest College was F.I.C.

Cowley Brown, and E.A. Lodge was instrumental in starting the Madras Forest college .C.R.

Ranganathan was 1st Indian principal. Under the aegis of G.O.I. 31 batches of forest rangers passed

out from the portals of S.F.R.C. after completing vigorous training for 2 years.

On the third night the sudden demise of Mrs Pushpalatha Sharma w/o Mr Y.S.Sarma

(1962-64)batch has sent shock waves and all participants were grieved. The body was transported

by ambulance to M.P.by road.

The next meeting was fixed at Gwalior of Madhya Pradesh..

P.S. Reddy


5

Introduction: Today, poverty and limited

alternative livelihood are two of the main

anthropogenic driving forces behind the

destruction of the natural environment in the

developing world. Faced with the dire need to

feed their families and meet other short term

basic needs farmers, foresters and the fishermen

in the developing world have limited choices

even when they know that their actions are

destroying the very natural resources that they

depend on to survive and prosper. Recent

reports indicate that 80 per cent of the world

fisheries are fully or over exploited but countries

with important fishing grounds find it difficult to

curb fishery permits due to its socio-economic

impact on the fishing community who have no

alternative to survive. The super cyclone Katrina

in 2005 and Sandy in 2012 in United States have

proved even the most developed and powerful

nation of the world cannot escape from the fury

of the nature. Such incidents are expected to

come with increased frequency and ferocity if

the abuse to the nature is continued and not

reversed

International Conventions and action Plans

The need for an international ‘Convention on

Biological Diversity’ (CBD) was first proposed in

1974, soon after the establishment of the United

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

FOR SUSTAINED LIVELIHOODBy

S.D.Mukherji

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The

work on the Convention, starting since 1983,

was actively negotiated throughout 1990 and

1991 under the leadership of UNEP. It was

opened for signature on 5th June 1992 at the

United Nations Conference on Environment and

Development (the Rio “Earth Summit”). Rio 1992

was the most important environmental event

since the landmark Stockholm conference of

1972. The lasting achievement of Rio was the

universal acceptance of sustainable

development as the central tenet of the

environmental policy. It was realized that

“Economic development and environmental

protection are mutually reinforcing, not

mutually exclusive.” Two major conventions

signed at Rio were the Climate Change Accord

and the Biodiversity Accord. The world’s leaders

recognized climate change and global warming

as an imminent threat to the future of planet

earth. The world recognized that conserving

biological diversity had become an urgent

global issue. Biodiversity nurtures life and

produces a wealth of environmental by-

products upon which our ecosystem, our health,

and our prosperity depend. For example a large

number of pharmaceutical products have

ingredients derived from plants. Rio conference


6

resulted in Agenda 21, an ambitious

environmental ‘Action Plan’ for the 21st century.

The Rio Declaration, the Convention on

Biodiversity and the Framework Convention on

Climate Change were all land mark events.

Awareness of Biodiversity

Twenty years ago only the specialized experts

in the field of natural sciences were aware of the

critically important role biodiversity plays in the

ecosystem. There was limited understanding of

the value and functions of biological diversity

by public and private sector planners and

decision makers, legislators and even less by the

general public. The world community has since

got to know that the effect of massive

biodiversity destruction and loss now occurring,

will have consequences as dire as a nuclear

holocaust, not immediately as visible, dramatic

and awesome, but surely and insipidly.

Decade on Biodiversity (2011-2020)

Twenty years on, the United Nation has declared

2011-2020 as the decade on Biodiversity. ‘We do

not inherit the world from our fathers; we borrow

it from our children.’ Biological diversity

represents the natural wealth of the earth and

the lifeline of the poor. Poverty reduction

programmes rely on biological resources and

restoration of degraded ecosystems, given that

the poor are the most vulnerable to the loss of

biodiversity and ecosystems, now increasingly

caused by climate change. The project: “The

Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity”

(TEEB), show the global economic benefits of

biodiversity, and the growing cost of

biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.

Genetic Biodiversity and Drug Discovery

An example of the value of genetic biodiversity

is the discovery of drug Cyclosporine. The soil

fungus Tolypocladiuminflatum, found in soil

samples from Norway’s Hardangervidda

National Park in 1969, turned out to produce a

compound called Cyclosporine A, which is now

used in organ transplants to reduce the risk of

organ rejection. In 1997 the annual sales

revenue from Cyclosporine-based products

totaled US$1.2 billion. In the absence of the

benefit sharing legislation of that time, Norway

was not able to capture a share of these

financial benefits. This is a situation many

developing countries find themselves in today.

A global instrument to regulate the access to

such genetic resources and the benefit sharing

from their use is now in place through the

Nagoya Protocol to CBD. Hopefully, this will turn

out to be a successful financial instrument for

many developing countries that have abundant

genetic resources. Reducing Emission from

Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)

is another mechanism based on sustainable

management of biological resources. REDD+

will channel large funds to developing countries

for their deliveries of the ecosystem service of

climate regulation produced by forests.


7

Benefits from Coastal and Marine regions

(biodiversity)

The importance of coastal and marine

biodiversity was not generally recognized two

decades ago. Ocean covers 71 per cent of surface

area of the globe and constitutes 90 per cent of

the habitable space. It contains Blue Whale, the

largest animal on the earth, as well as micro

organisms. Coastlines supporting fragile

ecosystem include- mangroves, coral reefs, and

sea grass and sea weeds. Mangrove forests host

a unique variety of fish and crabs, birds, monkeys,

deer and even tiger among large number of

other living being. Coral reefs are known as the

“rainforests of the sea”. Even though coral reefs

occupy only 0.1 per cent of the sea, one third of

all marine species live on them. Sea grasses

support different aquatic lives including marine

turtles and juvenile prawns. One square

kilometer of sea grasses absorbs approximately

the same quantity of carbon dioxide as 50 square

kilometers of tropical forests. Sea weeds are

important marine living resources with lot of

commercial value. At present about 41 per cent

of the world’s population reside within 100 km.

of sea coast. Life in the sea produces a third of

the oxygen we breathe. Ocean absorbs about

30 per cent of carbon dioxide, helping to control

global warming. Fisheries employ about 200

million people and provide over 15 per cent of

the dietary intake of animal protein.

Conference of Parties (CoP-11) in Hyderabad

Conference of Parties (CoP) - 11 in Hyderabad

was the CBD’s 20th birthday: a time for

celebration, and a focus to resolve. 193

countries, 192 countries and the European

Union assembled and worked hard to agree on

the Aichi targets that were set in CoP-10, held

in Aichi, Nagoya, Japan in 2010. The twenty

Aiche Biodiversity Targets included in the 2011-

2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity are

ambitious but realistic. Ensuring truly

sustainable development for our growing

human family depends upon biological

diversity and the vital goods and services it

offers. While the poor suffers first and worst from

biodiversity loss, all of society stands to lose

from this mass extinction. There is also the

opportunity cost: what cures for disease, and

what other useful discoveries might be we

never know when a habitat is destroyed forever,

or land is polluted beyond use. For too long, our

natural capital has been seen as an endless

reserve, instead of the limited and fragile

resource we now know it to be. Fortunately, it is

not too late to stem the tide

Biodiversity and Human Welfare

During the past two decades, awareness of the

importance of biodiversity in ecosystem

services for human welfare and wellbeing has

increased very significantly. The data base is

improving. New and powerful scientific tools

are providing large amount of data at all levels

of biological systems: molecular, organism,

population, improving understanding on

species, ecosystem, genetic and molecular bio


8

diversities. Data from the highest mountains to

the deepest oceans are now providing new

information on the existence of extraordinary

organisms and life forms. An increasingly

improved knowledge of the complex

interconnectedness of the atmosphere,

lithosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere and

their influence on andby biodiversity is

emerging.

The indispensable role of biodiversity in nutrient

recycling, photosynthesis, carbon dioxide

sequestration, water purification, regulating

climate systems, soil erosion, agriculture and

food production, pharmaceuticals and countless

other services, are beginning to be recognized.

The value of biodiversity is being quantified,

providing a much needed determinant for

planning and decision making. Current

estimates in the range of US$ 33 trillion per year,

at best a low estimate, is double that of global

GDP. This figure provides a starting point to refine

and improve knowledge on the intrinsic value

of biodiversity to enable a better pricing of its

unique services.

The ecological footprint of humanity exceeds

the biological capacity of the earth and the gap

is widening that needs to be closed. Action on

the implementation of Convention on Biological

Diversity has not been taken on a sufficient scale

to address the pressure on biodiversity on most

places. There has been insufficient integration

of biodiversity issues into broader policies,

strategies and programmes, and the underlining

drivers of biodiversity loss have not been

addressed significantly. Action to promote the

conservation and sustainable use of

biodiversity receive a tiny fraction of funding

compared to activities aimed at promoting

infrastructure and industrial developments.

Moreover, biodiversity concerns are often

ignored when such developments are designed

and opportunities that minimize negative

impacts on biodiversity are missed.

Most future scenarios project continuing high

levels of extinctions and loss of habitats

throughout this century, with associated decline

of some ecosystem services important to

human well-being. Well targeted policies

focusing on critical areas, species and

ecosystem services are essential to avoid the

most dangerous impacts on people and

societies. Preventing further human-induced

biodiversity loss for the near term future will

be extremely challenging, but biodiversity loss

may be halted and in some aspects reversed in

the longer term, if urgent, concerted and

effective action is initiated now in support of

agreed long-term vision. Better protection of

biodiversity should be seen as a prudent and

cost-effective investment in risk-avoidance for

the global community.

The action taken over the next decade or two,

and the direction charted under the CBD, will

determine whether the relatively stable

environmental conditions on which human

civilization has depended for the past 10,000


9

years will continue beyond this century. If we

fail to use this opportunity, many ecosystems on

the planet will move into new, unprecedented

states in which the capacity to provide for the

needs for the present and future generations is

highly uncertain.

India with about 4.7 per cent land area of the

world, 18 per cent of the world’s population and

8.5 per cent of diversity has taken over the

Presidency of Conference of Parties to the

Convention on Biological Diversity for the next

two years. It has a huge responsibility to ensure

the implementation of Aichi targets. It is time

for action and show to the world by example

how to conserve the biodiversity with

sustainable livelihood

Forest Biodiversity

Since forest has a major share of biodiversity, it

would be worthwhile to know what action has

been taken by India and the future course of

action needed to improve the livelihood of the

forest dependent communities and save the

forest biodiversity for the future generations.

Management of Forests - Pre independence

Scientific management of forest was started by

the British government that wanted the

exploitation of the forests to meet their demand

of timber for the expanding railways, ship

building and other wood based industries. It also

wanted the forests to be reserved for their

recreation, mainly hunting of wild animals. The

best forest blocks with timber trees and wildlife

population were declared as reserved forests,

where even trespassing was prohibited. The

opposition by the local population to such

reservation of their forests was put down with

iron hand. However, even after declaring certain

forested blocks as reserved forests there was

plenty of forest left for the enjoyment of the

local population. The silviculture principle

adopted for the management of forest was

generally selective felling of mature timber

trees – Teak, Sal, Deodar, Chir pine, Spruce, Fir,

Oak, etc.- that would allow its natural

regeneration in due course. The hunting of tiger

was the most coveted game. It was estimated

that India had about 40,000 tigers and a much

larger population of deer, wild boars and other

wild animals.

Management of Forests - Post

independence

After independence the forest management

continued on similar lines. The National Forest

Policy adopted in 1952 fixed 33 per cent of the

land area - 60 per cent on the hills and 20 per

cent in plains- under forests to maintain the

ecological balance. This started the process of

bringing more forested lands under Reserved

Forest category. There was provision to settle

the rights of the people but majority of the forest

dwellers, mostly the tribal population living in

remote forests, had no legal documents to claim

their rights. Therefore, the forest dependent

community was left high and dry with no

alternative source of livelihood. To eak out their


10

livelihood they moved further deep into the

forests and were designated as encroachers.

National Commission on Agriculture As the

population of the country increased the demand

of land also increased. As time passed the

pressure was building on the forestland,

especially the forestlands located close to the

populated areas. State governments started dis-

reservation of forest lands to provide land for

agriculture and industries, especially on the eve

of elections, which shifted pressure on the

balance forests that started degenerating

because of illicit tree felling and encroachments.

The National Commission for Agriculture in

1975 created forest Development Corporations

in the States to increase the forest production

by taking large scale plantations of fast growing

species - like Eucalyptus and bamboo – to meet

the growing demand of wood based industries.

In the process large extent of forests were clear

felled, uprooted and ploughed for raising

successful plantations. This added to the misery

of the forest dwellers as the trees yielding non

timber forest products (NTFP) that was catering

to the food and income of the forest dwellers

were eliminated. This was also a major loss to

the biodiversity of the forests. This also resulted

into more encroachment into forests as interior

areas were opened up. In order to prevent the

degradation and diversion of forestlands,

government of India brought the management

of forests in the concurrent list and passed Forest

(Conservation) Act of 1980 that took away the

power of the State governments to divert forest

land for non forestry purposes. This action did

prevent the official diversion but could not stop

the encroachment on forestlands, illicit felling

and poaching, since the local population

perceived the forest department as their

enemy. The naxalite movement that was gaining

ground exploited the situation and aligned with

the forest dwellers to safeguard their interest

by permitting them to cultivate forest lands and

threatening the front line forest staff against any

action against the local people. Along with the

destruction of forest the wildlife population was

coming down drastically. The tiger population

had come down to close to 1000 tigers as

against 40,000 in the beginning of the century,

highlighting the pace of destruction of our

forests.

Role of National Forest Policy 1988 in Forest

Development

The continuous degradation of forests and poor

state of forest dwellers was an unacceptable

development. The government realized its

mistake of neglecting the forest dwellers and

taking up unsustainable forest development

activities such as clear felling of natural forests

and plantation of fast growing species of short

rotation sacrificing the NTFP yielding plants.

Therefore, National Forest Policy 1988 stopped


11

clear felling and recognized the role of the forest

dwellers, especially the tribal population, living

in and around the forests in the protection and

development of forests. The forest policy was

revised to involve the local people in the

protection and development of forests and to

provide them gainful employment along with

integrated development of tribal villages. This

arrangement was termed as joint forest

management (JFM). However, its

implementation was not that easy as the years

of suppression of local rights had estranged the

relation between the forest dwellers and the

forest department. While the local people

looked at the department as exploiter of the poor

people the forest department perceived the

forest dwellers as encroachers, poachers and

cause for the degeneration of forests. It took a

good deal of effort and time to bring

reconciliation between the two parties

suspecting each other. It is heartening to report

that Andhra Pradesh State did very well in

promoting JFM and regenerate large extant of

degraded forests. This was achieved under the

World Bank Forestry Project from 1994 to 2000.

The success of the project under JFM gave way

to a second W.B. Forestry Project from 2003 to

2009 where JFM was promoted to community

forest management that gave more power to

the local people to take decision on the matters

of forest management. It also gave lesson that

for the success of the effort of forest

conservation there should be continuity of the

programme uninterrupted as any break derails

the achievements much faster than the time

taken to achieve it

Conservation of Biological Diversity for

Enhanced Livelihood

To present the achievement of India in the

Conservation of Biological Diversity, the

National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai,

supported the Centre for Forest and Natural

Resource Management Studies, Andhra Pradesh

Forest Academy, Dulapally, Hyderabad to carry

out studies highlighting the “Biodiversity

Conservation for Enhanced Livelihood”. A team

of consultants covered the State of Andhra

Pradesh and documented 25 case studies

highlighting the effort of the local people and

forest dwellers in the conservation of forest and

enhancing the livelihood. The findings of the

study were presented in the side events to CoP-

11 on 8th of October 2012. The study brought

out that wherever the implementation of JFM

was done successfully and continued

uninterrupted both the people and the forests

have benefited. This is a win, win situation that

needs to be replicated for achieving the goal of

Biodiversity Conservation in forest areas.


12

A news item published in Deccan Chronicle dated 03.12.2012 revealed that according to a new

government document, nearly 1.25 million hectares of ecologically fragile areas have been illegally

occupied by humans. Forest areas under encroachment/illegal occupation given in the document

are:

STATE-SPONSORED ENCROACHMENT

OF FORESTS IN INDIABy

J. V. Sharma

No. State Area

1 Assam 2,59,700 ha.

2 Andhra Pradesh 2,56,000 ha.

3 Chattisgarh 1,18,494 ha.

4 Karnataka 96,014 ha.

5 Maharashtra 85,388 ha.

6 Kerala 44,420 ha.

7 Gujarat 34,791 ha.

8 Tamil Nadu 14,352 ha.

The report while emphasizing that the forest encroachment menace assumed alarming proportionsin Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh States, also revealed that the illegal mining in biodiversityhotspots is rampant in areas of Maoist insurgency of Chattisgarh. The most important andecologically sensitive biosphere of Western Ghats region is also faced with imminent threat.Seeing the news report, a doubt arose whether these figures of forest encroachments are inclusiveof the illegal occupations regularised under Forest Rights Act. The particulars of extent of forestland for which occupation claims were admitted and title deeds issued in the respective States ason 31.10.2012 put up on Ministry’s website are as follows:

No. State Area % claims % claimsDisposed Admitted

1 Assam 77,609 Ac. ( 31,043 ha.) 73.9 27.49

2 Andhra Pradesh 14,51,223 Ac. (5,80,489 ha.) 97.2 50.77

3 Chattisgarh 5,38,076 Ac. (2,15,230 ha.) 99.0 43.78

4 Karnataka 10,571 Ac. ( 4,228 ha.) 99.0 03.85

5 Maharashtra 6,35,915 Ac. (2,54,366 ha.) 97.0 28.85

6 Kerala 32,091 Ac. (12,836 ha.) 73.0 61.71

7 Gujarat 43,098 Ac. (17,238 ha.) 31.0 20.89

8 Tamil Nadu ——- ——- ——-


13

The comparison is confined and restricted to only these States because of the availability of

comparable figures. It needs to be clarified that the Certificates of Title were not issued in Tamilnadu

because of a restrictive order of the State High Court. That leaves only the remaining seven States

for study and comparison on the encroachments reported in the media.

As for the doubt whether the extent of encroachment of forest lands reported in the press include

the encroachments which were regularised under FRA, it can be seen that the corresponding

figures do not tally or compare at all for any State. Moreover, if the claims over encroachment/

illegally occupied forest land are admitted and certificates of title are issued under FRA, the said

forest lands cannot legally be classified as encroachments any longer. Therefore, it has to be

necessarily construed that the forest lands said to be under encroachment reported in the media

are indeed the illegal occupations which do not even attract the provisions of FRA. It also means

that all these illegal occupations are post -13.12.2005, or in the event they being of earlier period,

the offenders are neither Scheduled Tribes nor Other Traditional Forest Dwellers.

By now it should be apparent that the real issue is of ‘encroachment of forest lands’ despite the fact

the Government chose to bring in a law (FRA) to legitimise some of the encroachments. The

encroachment of forest lands has been a nagging problem for decades. It is significant to note that

encroachments of forest lands were unheard of in British and Feudal dispensation before

Independence. People respected the law and did not resort to illegal occupations for quite some

period even after Independence. Thus the menace of forest encroachments started in popular

regime and flourished in popular regime. It is an irony in democracy.

I am reminded of an article by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru written long before India became

independent. To impress upon the responsibility of citizens in a free nation, he cited the incident

of an old lady walking in the middle of a busy road in a Russian city, the day after the Emperor Czar

was dethroned during Russian revolution. When a policeman stopped her and asked her not to

obstruct the traffic, the old lady was very furious and chided the cop that the Czar had gone and she

won the freedom. She asserted her liberty to walk anywhere she liked and do anything she wanted

and none, much less the policeman, could interfere with her freedom. She sternly told the

policeman to mend his old habits of Czar Regime. Citing the incident, Nehru conveyed the message

that liberty is not a licence but a social responsibility and should not be enjoyed at the cost or

inconvenience of fellow citizens.


14

Inception of the culture of encroachment of forests and its proliferation in Independent India seen

in the context of Nehru’s advice drives us to conclude that (a) Respect for law had eroded in society

to low levels; (b) there is steep decline in ethical values in the society at large; (c) These negative

and harmful trends are becoming more and more pronounced with accelerated pace with time;

(d) No preventive or corrective mechanism is in place to address the unhealthy trends; (e) Absence

of commitment and increasing attitude of compromise among the regulatory agencies and

bureaucrats, and (f ) the Governments or the political class who are responsible to ensure good

governance have no will or the moral fibre to guide the society as Nehru wanted and instead,

become active players in all nefarious deeds. Winning next election and staying in power is their

top-most priority and they go to any …… any extent to achieve this objective. Means adopted or

the larger interests of the society do not matter anything to them.

The governance and societal behaviour are brought into discussion to highlight the fact that an

essentially law-abiding society under colonial rule had degenerated into a value-less society in

freedom. It is an ironical aberration of functional democracy. If a Prime Minister thinks that it is

more important for him to stay in power than the national interests of protecting and preserving

the natural wealth for the health & well-being of future generations and goes to the extent of

making a law which condones a crime and rewards a criminal, it is only logical that lesser

functionaries, like pet dogs, bend over backwards to abuse the system in all conceivable manner.

I do not know how to put it -whether it is a service to nation or disservice. A Nehru would not have

compromised over the issue. The difference is very apparent. Nehru would have guided the society

to be on the right path as he said about the Russian lady whereas the present Prime Minister

allowed himself to be guided to choose the prohibited territory. The Nation has great respect for

the impeccable integrity of the PM but personal integrity is no substitute for good governance nor

is it a license for committing indiscretions that hurt the interests of the country.

Coming back to the issue of forest encroachments, it may be seen that the forests which were safe

and secure till Independence came under pressure resulting in degradation of growing stock as

well as decrease in extent. Uncontrolled explosion of population is surely one of the main causes

but it is the responsibility of the State to address the problem effectively. The successive

governments have failed to act positively and firmly in this regard and allowed matters to drift

away giving scope for unhealthy trends. People started disobeying the law encroaching upon the

govt. lands particularly the forest lands with impunity. The culture of illegal occupations spread


15

like cancer and the governments in power did not see the problem in right perspective and did

not take the steps to ensure rule of law. Instead, efforts were made to appease the encroachers in

the name of human factor and the encroachments were even regularised on some occasions. The

regularisation of encroachments proved to be an incentive for further encroachments. Even after

Forest Conservation Act came into force, no decisive action was taken to evict the encroachers and

the issue was always soft-pedalled. Instead of displaying the necessary political will to deal with

encroachments sternly as per law, the Forest Departments were not allowed to act effectively

even under the existing provisions of Forest Act. The situation proved to be an ideal ground for

operation by the nexus of unscrupulous politicians, antisocial elements, land mafia, opportunist

bureaucrats, self-styled social activists and inept, pliable & spineless forest force to aid, abet and

perpetuate the illegal activity. Alarming situation of forest encroachments reported in the media

is thus the consequence of lenience, apathy and collusion of the governments in power. The political

class extracts ‘the protection money’ of the kind of much hated organised crime from the encroachers

in the form of votes.

The mind boggling figures of illegal occupation of forest lands obtained from govt. source are of

grave concern for the reason that the nation having lost substantial extents of forest land under

FRA cannot afford to lose any more. These encroachments should be retrieved and restored with

vegetation. Given their track record, it is perhaps too much to expect meaningful constructive

initiatives from the governments of the day.

Discussion on encroachments cannot be complete without going into its populism aspect. Further

clarification on implementation of FRA is furnished below in respect of the States under discussion:

1. Andhra Pradesh: After disposing off 97.2% of the total claims received, Certificates of title over

an extent of 5, 80,489 ha.of forest land have been issued to 50.77% of the claimants. The State

stands first in the Country for sheer quantum of forest lost. The process of implementation should

normally be deemed nearly over with mere 2.8% claims remaining un-disposed. But it is not so.

The Government, obviously under the pressure of vested interests, have initiated the second phase

of implementation on the plea that all the villages with interface with forests were not covered

earlier. FRA apart, for academic discussion the entire 5.805 lakh hectares of forest land should be

deemed to be under encroachment as on the cut-off date.

2. Assam; Disposing 73.9% of total claims received, certificates of title were issued to 27.49% of


16

the claimants considered eligible alienating 31,043 ha. of forest land. Nearly 26% of claims are still

pending and the percentage of the eligible claimants appears moderate. Real position can only

be known after all the claims are disposed off. It needs to be remembered that Assam is besieged

with serious problems of influx of foreign nationals and forests are the soft targets for settlement

and occupation.

3. Chattisgarh: The State is rich in forests and has substantial tribal population. Backwardness of

the population is never in dispute. But unfortunately the gravest challenge is Maoist extremism.

The State Government has been doing everything possible to wean away the tribal population

from the influence of extremists which is amply reflected even in implementation of FRA. Almost

all the claims (99%) have been processed and 43.78% of the total claims were found acceptable

and title deeds were distributed for 2,15,230 ha. of forest land. That the State Government’s walking

the extra mile to win over the tribals did not bring the matching dividends is another story. Ironically,

the State Government is being faulted for rejecting the remaining 64% of the claims!

4. Karnataka: The least affected among the States implementing FRA could be Karnataka. There

appear no complicating factors either. Like Chattisgarh, almost all the claims i.e. 99% of the total

claims received have been processed of which only 3.85% claims were found genuine and title

deeds for an extent of 4,228 ha. have been issued.

5. Maharashtra: The State had processed 97% of the claims received of which 28.85% of the

claims were found acceptable and the forest land alienated is 2,54,366 ha. The State Tribal Research

Institute developed an almost foolproof procedure using spatial technologies to guard against

misuse of the legislation. Obviously due to rejection of large number of bogus claims, there was

pressure on the Government from the politicians and advocates of populism to go soft on eligible

criteria. That the Chief Secretary of the State had even issued orders to grant title deeds dispensing

with the very basic criterion of survey of the claimed land is an eloquent proof of the bureaucracy

abdicating its primary responsibility of good governance acting as private domestic servants of

political bosses.

6. Kerala: The State completed verification of claims in 73% of the claims of which 61.71% were

found to be admissible. Forest land lost in the process is 12,836 hectares.

7. Gujarat: Only 31% of the claims received are processed so far of which 20.89% found acceptable

resulting in alienation of 17,238 hectares of forest land.


17

I furnish below a table with information in respect of 10 States where the Act has been implemented

zealously and where the process of verification of claims has been completed in nearly 80% and

above of the claims received to arrive at fairly accurate trends:

State % of STs % of area % of forest % of bogus % of ST popin the State under forests area lost claims of country

A. P. 06.6 23.2 09.20 49.23 05.96

Chhattisgarh 31.8 43.8 03.64 56.22 07.85

Jharkhand 26.3 29.61 00.62 61.77 08.40

Karnataka 06.6 20.19 00.09 96.00 04.11

M. P. 20.3 30.89 02.16 64.92 14.51

Maharashtra 08.9 20.13 03.33 71.83 10.17

Orissa 22.1 37.34 03.73 59.65 09.66

Rajasthan 12.6 09.49 00.56 53.23 08.42

Tripura 31.1 60.19 26.78 33.51 01.18

West Bengal 05.5 17.49 00.57 78.82 05.23

Till now, we are seized with figures of loss of forest land either due to illegal encroachments or by

alienation under FRA. The true impact of these losses can be understood clearly only when compared

to the extent of forest land that originally existed as asset. According to official sources, the recorded

forest area in the country was 768436 sq. km. out of the total geographic area of 3287263 sq. km.

But all the area recorded as forest land did not contain well-stocked tree growth. There were dense

forests over 416809 sq. km. and open forests in 258729 sq. km. The remaining area of 92898 sq. km.

of recorded forest was, in all probability, under encroachments. Another set of figures, also from

Govt. sources, indicate that forests existed over 23.38% of the total geographical area of the country

but forest cover existed over only 20.55% of TGA. All these figures correspond to the period when

FRA was being brought in.

The above statistics throw up a different dimension to the already confused picture of forests in

India. Area under forest cover does not mean the recorded forest area. Significant tree growth also

exists over lands outside the recorded forest areas which will boost the tree-cover figures to

conceal and camouflage the bitter ground realty of degrading forests and shrinking forest areas.

A close examination of the available figures reveals that:


18

1. The North-East States contain larger extents of forests and also the larger percentage of tribal

population compared to the rest of India. It is also seen that the forest cover exists on larger areas

than the recorded forest areas. Percentage of recorded forest area to that of State’s geographical

area, with the corresponding figure of forest cover in the State in brackets, for these States are;

Arunachal Pradesh 61.55 (81.25), Assam 34.45 (35.33), Manipur 78.01 (75.81), Meghalaya 42.34

(69.48), Mizoram 75,59 (82.98), Nagaland 52.05 (80.49) and Tripura 60.01 (67.38). Assam has

comparatively lesser forest area because of the special socio-political conditions prevalent in the

State and so is the case for not much of wooded tracts outside the recorded forest areas in Manipur.

It is also significant to note that barring Assam, land management & ownership systems are different

in these States because of which Forest Rights Act had become irrelevant there.

2. The States in rest of India, with substantial population and varying extents of forests (not

necessarily more than the desired one-third area under forests), paint a different picture. The

percentages of recorded forest area and that of forest cover (in brackets) to the TGA of the respective

States are; A.P. 23.2 (16.23), Bihar 6.45 (6.07), Chattisgarh 43.85 (41.85), Goa 33.87 (56.59), Gujarat

9.65 (7.73), Haryana 3.51 (3.91), Himachal Pradesh 66.52 (25.79), Jharkhand 29.61 (28.40), Karnataka

20.19 ((19.29), Kerala 28.87 (40.04), Madhya Pradesh 30.89 (25.07), Maharashtra 20.13 (15.43), Orissa

37.34 (31.36), Punjab 6.07 (4.83), Rajasthan 9.49 (4.78), Sikkim 81.24 (45.00), Tamilnadu 17.59 (16.52),

UP 6.98 (5.71), Uttarakhand 64.81 (44.76) and West Bengal 13.38 (12.05)).

3. It may be seen that only Goa, Haryana and Kerala have larger tree cover on more than recorded

forest areas. These three States have their own reasons to be out of step with other States; Goa with

its colonial legacy had good forests and also tree growth outside while Haryana had been woefully

deficient in forests from the beginning and the larger tree cover shown in brackets is attributable

to social forestry activity. As for Kerala, it has an excellent history of rich forests and the general

attitude or bias of the people for greenery provides a better picture of larger tree cover, the

encroachments notwithstanding.

4.All the other States of the Himalayan region, Gangetic plains, Western, Central and Peninsular

India conform to the general pattern of visible erosion in the recorded forest area. These are the

States which hold the key to political power because the bulk of Indian population lives in this

area. As populism is the most effective tool to win political power, the political parties always try

to win over the people through appeasement rather than governance.


19

5. It may also be seen that the excess tree cover of the North-East and a few other States elsewhere

has also been offset by the substantial decrease of forest areas in other States. This overall loss of

forest extent from out of recorded forest area for the entire country works out to 3% even before

the FRA was made.

6. As stated already, this loss is entirely due to apathy and inaction of the governments. No effective

action has ever been taken to prevent or curb the tendency of encroachment of forests.

7. It can be safely assumed that the loss of forests has accelerated after the FRA came into existence.

The handling of the issue from the beginning by the government smacks of covert support to

illegal occupants and there are many instances of fresh encroachments to plead for regularisation.

The alarming picture of encroachments extracted from government sources and mentioned in

the first para above can be taken as a hint for more damage to forests in future.

1. After completing the implementation of the FRA and alienating as much as 9.20% of the State

Forests, the A P Government ordered for second phase of implementation. There is reason to

apprehend that the other States too may emulate and it may snowball into a never-ending process.

2. Some public representatives and social activists have already started a campaign that all rejected

claims should be admitted irrespective of the procedure stipulated. There are already 14,85,095

claimants waiting at government’s counter whose claims were rejected and they constitute ready

customers for land distribution melawith nearly 60 lakh hectares of forest land at risk.

3. The example of Andhra Pradesh is a precursor for things to happen in future. The recorded forest

area is 23.2% of the State’s geographical area but the forest cover is only 16.23%. With alienation of

9.20% of forests under FRA, the State forest area comes down to 14%. There are encroachments to

a tune of 2.56 lakh ha. (reported in the media) to contend with.

Thus, none need have any doubts that this malady of encroachments is State-sponsored. Where

does all this lead to?

Breaking NewsEnd of the world which was scheduled for 2012 ispostponed to3012 due to some technical problems

and continue living with sprit. Keep smiling


20

Flamingos are a type of wading bird in the genus

Phoenicopterus meaning “purple wing”), the only

genus in the family Phoenicopteridae. There are

four flamingo species in the Americas and two

species in the Old World. Flamingos often stand

on one leg, the other tucked beneath the body.

The reason for this behaviour is not fully

understood. Some species of Flamingos have the

ability to have half of its body to go into a state of

sleep, and when one side is rested, the flamingo

will swap legs and then let the other half sleep,

but this has not been proven. Recent research

has indicated that standing on one leg may allow

the birds to conserve more body heat, given that

they spend a significant amount of time wading

in cold water. As well as standing in the water,

flamingos may stamp their webbed feet in the

mud to stir up food from the bottom.

Young flamingos hatch with greyish reddish

plumage, but adults range from light pink to

bright red due to aqueous bacteria and beta

carotene obtained from their food supply. A well-

fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly coloured

and thus a more desirable mate; a white or pale

flamingo, however, is usually unhealthy or

malnourished. Captive flamingos are a notable

exception; many turn a pale pink as they are not

fed carotene at levels comparable to the wild.

This is changing as more zoos begin to add

prawns and other supplements to the diets of

their flamingos.

Feeding: -Flamingo’s filter-feed on brine shrimp

and blue-green algae. Their beaks are specially

FLAMINGOSadapted to separate mud and silt from the food

they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down.

The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy

structures called lamellae which line the

mandibles, and the large rough-surfaced

tongue. The pink or reddish colour of flamingos

comes from carotenoid proteins in their diet of

animal and plant plankton. Flamingos whose

sole diet is blue-green algae are darker in

colour compared to those who get it second

hand (e.g. from animals that have digested blue-

green algae).

Lifecycle: - Flamingos are very social birds that

live in colonies that can number in the

thousands. These large colonies are believed

to serve three purposes for the flamingos:

predator avoidance, maximizing food intake,

and exploiting scarce suitable nesting sites. The

most basic and stable social unit of flamingos

are pair bonds which are made up of one male

and one female. The bond between them tends

to be strong; however, in larger colonies (where

there are more mates to choose from), mate

changes will occur. In pair bonds, both the male

and the female contribute to building the nest

for their egg and defending it. Before breeding,

flamingo colonies, split into breeding groups

of around 15–50 birds. Both males and females

in these groups perform synchronized ritual

displays. These displays serve to both stimulate

synchronous nesting and establish pair

formation for birds that do not already have

mates. A flamingo group stands together and


21

display to each other by raising neck, followed

by calling with head-flagging and then wing

flapping.

Flamingo pair bonds establish and defend

nesting territories. They locate a suitable spot

on the mudflat to build a nest, which is usually

chosen by the female. After the chicks hatch, the

only parental expense is feeding. Flamingos

produce crop milk, like pigeons and doves, due

to the action of a hormone called prolactin. It

contains more fat and less protein than the latter

does, and it is produced in glands lining the

whole of the upper digestive tract, not just the

crop. Both parents nurse their chick, and young

flamingos feed on this milk, which also contains

red and white blood cells. In the first six days,

the adults and chicks stay in the nesting sites.

At around seven to twelve days the chicks begin

to move and explore their surroundings. After

two weeks, the chicks join groups called “micro

crèches” and their parent soon leave them in

these groups. Later, many micro crèches come

together to form crèches which contain

thousands of chicks. Chicks that do not stay in

their crèches are vulnerable to predators.

In our state Flamingo festival is celebrated every

year at Sulurpet. This year it will be celebrated

on 7th & 8th of January 2013

INVITATIONThe Association of Retired Forest Officers, Andhra Pradesh, Congratulates the following Forest

Officers, who are retiring from service on attaining the age of superannuation on the dates

mentioned against their names and cordially invites them to join the Association of Retired Forest

Officers to keep in touch with their old colleagues and to keep themselves occupied.

Name of SFS Officer Date of Retirement Name of I.F.S. Officer Date of Retirement

-NIL- 1. Sri P.Bhaskar Reddy 31-01-2013

For further details they may contact the following –

Sri. K. Santokh Singh, Secretary Mobile Number 9848808101

Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Jt.Secretary Mobile Number 9848754778

Crossed Cheque for Rs.2000/= drawn in favor of “The Association of Retired Forest Officers” may be

sent to the following Address towards Life Membership of Association

P.UPENDER REDDY, Jt.Secretary cum Treasurer Quarter No.2/B ,P.S.Nagar, Vijay Nagar Colony,

HYDERABAD- 500 057

Crossed Cheque for Rs.2000/= drawn in favour of “Editor, Vana Premi” may be sent to the following

Address towards Life Membership of Vana Premi

Editor , Vana Premi, Room No. 514, Aranya Bhavan, O/O Principal Chief Conservator of Forests

Saifabad, Hyderabad- 500 004 - SECRETARY


22

It was an order. The Head of the Department

(HOD-CCF) wanted the Working Plan Officer

(WPO), Palghat to walk along a disused mule path

marked in the Survey of India Map.

I, as WPO, could perceive that HOD was

pondering over this trekking even before I

joined as WPO in September, 1977. My

predecessor assessed the situation and managed

to postpone the trekking till he relinquished

charge, probably for want of an assertive order.

The order was received by the middle of April,

1979. The intention of the HOD was to schedule

his trekking by the middle of May, before the

South West monsoon becomes vigorous.

I had my apprehensions about the rigours of

trekking. Yet, I conferred with the WP Range

Officer, the late R K Achuthanand (SFRC Alumnus

1965-67 who passed away on September 8,

2010 after his retirement in 1999 as ACF) and

the party of 4 Foresters who, after completion of

the previous WP covering the area where the

proposed trekking path lay, were continuing

with me. These field staff had occasion to

perambulate portions of the path while doing

field work for the WP prepared by my

predecessor. We examined the relevant Survey

of India Maps. We assessed roughly that the

length of trekking would be around 44 kms.

TWICE ACROSS SILENT VALLEYBy

P K Zachariah

Early morning the next day, we the six of us,

started by Jeep. By evening, we reached Upper

Bhavani Hydro Electric Project Rest House, our

route being via Coimbatore and Ooty. En-route,

we collected a few loaves of bread and few

bananas. We huddled together in one of the

rooms in the rest house. Owing to difficulties in

contacting in advance those in charge of the

Rest House, we had to be contented with a frugal

supper and accommodation.

We decided to travel light. Each of us carried in

a shoulder cloth bag, one blanket, toilet kit, 2

loaves of bread, 3 bananas and a water bottle.

We could fix up a guide who was conversant

with that part of the path running through Tamil

Nadu territory.

After finishing morning ablutions, we started

trekking at day break next day. We directed our

Jeep driver to reach Poochakuthu (in Kerala)

where our trekking would end.

Our first obligatory point was Sispara peak on

the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We

assessed from the map that the path up to

Sispara peak was more or less level. Sispara is

around 2100 meters (7000ft.) above mean sea

level. The distance from Upper Bhavani to

Sispara was assessed to be roughly 10 kms. After

covering 3 kms, we saw remnants of an old rest


23

house which was marked in the map. By 9 am,

we came across a mountain stream and there

we had our frugal breakfast. We continued to trek

and by about 10.30, we reached Sispara, on the

inter-state border. The guide who accompanied

us from Upper Bhavani told that he is not familiar

with the track beyond Sispara. However, we asked

him to keep company as we felt that sending

him back alone was unfair.

Our next obligatory point was Walakkad where a

rest house existed in the pre- independence days

as could be seen from the map. The altitude of

Walakkad was around 950 m(3000 ft) The descent

from Sispara to Walakkad was quite steep as the

distance between those places was about 3 kms.

The old mule path is non-existent. The non-

timber forest produce (MFP) collectors paved a

foot path making the distance shorter and

steeper. There was no other way for us, but to

trek along this new steep path. This path was

very steep and interspersed with loose stones

and rills formed by severe erosion and also

trunks of fallen trees of girth more than 200 cmt.

This means that one could not anticipate as to

when one would trip and slide along the path.

The interfering logs were strewn helter kilter.

The area receives very heavy rainfall in most of

the afternoons and the erosion along the path

was quite severe. The surrounding forest is

typical wet evergreen.

We started descending and I was the first to skid

and fall. As I scrambled to walk again, I could

see each of my team mates getting up after a

fall. Wind fallen huge logs lying across the path

were a real impediment for trekking. Diameter

of most of the logs was so large that one has

either to sit astride and slide to the other side of

or crawls beneath each log, for moving forward.

This exercise was so tiresome that by the time

we reached Walakkad, all of us were complaining

about pain in our leg muscles.

Around 2 pm, we reached Walakkad and saw

the remnants of the rest house and its elephant

proof trench. We sat by the stream running near

the old rest house and ate from our provision of

bread and bananas. Took rest for about 15

minutes and proceeded towards our final

destination, viz., Poochakuthu, nearly 21 km

away.

The terrain was undulating and the trekking was

much easier than our forenoon exercise. We

could hear occasional trumpeting of elephants

and came across steaming elephant dung. In

order to avoid direct confrontation with wild

elephants, we kept our eyes and ears open.

Listening to chirping of birds was exhilarating.

On intense search, Lion tailed macaques could

be seen peeping through foliage of tall pristine

Culleniatrees. (Editor’s note:Cullenia is the best

indicator plant species of evergreen forest with

Lion Tailed Macaque,a genus of flowering plants

native to India and Sri Lanka.Culleniaexarillatais


24

found in Western Ghats. Earlier classification

schemes place the genus in the Kapok-tree

family (Bombacaceae), but the Angiosperm

Phylogeny Group places it in the Malva family

(Malvaceae). The name is after General William

Cullen (1785–1862), a Resident in the court of

the Maharaja of Travancore who also served as a

botanist and meteorologist.)We waked and

walked and felt that we were nearing

Poochakuthu where our Jeep was awaiting our

arrival. The day light started to fade and to our

surprise, dusk fell. Tall grass made it difficult for

us to track the correct trail. We found that we

were disoriented and we could not track the trail.

In the fading light we were unable to read the

map for re- orientation.We scrambled to find a

safe camping place. We anticipated two prime

dangers. One was from wild life and the other

from flash flood.

We located in the middle of a stream, a solitary,

sufficiently elevated rock, large enough for all of

us to stretch ourselves to spend the night. We

assumed that our camping place was above flash

flood level and inaccessible for wildlife. We could

gather some firewood and light up few fire points

to prevent straying wild life. We ate from our

provision prayed to God for divine protection

and stretched ourselves. My team mates took

turn to keep alive the fire.

Under the wings of the guardian angels, we spent

the night without events.

At day break, we took out the maps and

oriented ourselves. By 8 am, we reached

Poochkuthu where the driver of our Jeep

awaited us. The driver spent the night in a

nearby camp set up for collecting non timber

forest produce.

But for the disorientation at dusk of the previous

day, we could have completed the trekking

along a 44 km path from Upper Bhavani in Tamil

Nadu to Poochakuthu in Kerala in about 13

hours.

By the time we reached Palghat, our leg muscles

were in severe pain. All of us, in our respective

homes, nursed bitterly painful leg muscles for

a few days.

I drew up a factual report and indicated therein

that all of us who were under 40 were nursing

bitterly painful leg muscles, owing to the

rigours of trekking.

On reading my report, the HOD got annoyed. It

appears that the HOD assumed that I cooked

up the report in order to dissuade him from

trekking along the trail and at the same time to

save myself t of the trouble of trekking. The HOD

was on the verge of his retirement on

superannuation.

The HOD was in the habit of walking every

morning through the Royal High way in

Thiruvananthapuram City for exercise. The then

Additional Chief Secretary used to join the HOD

for exercise.


25

The HOD told the Addl. CS that there is a mule

path from Upper Bhavani to Poochakuthu and

even wives of British Forest Officers used to walk

along that path quite often.

The HOD had to his credit the experience of

assaulting almost all the peaks (usually avoided

by other Forest Officers) whenever he visits any

forest area. In fact assaulting peaks was his

passion.

The Addl. CS told HOD that while he was Sub

Collector, Calicut, he climbed Banasuran Hill (an

ascent of about 1000m) in spite of dissuading

remarks by his Tahsildar who did not want the

Sub Collector to inspect some sore spots in that

locality.

From the middle of 1970s, the Silent Valley was a

favourite item in the media. The Addl. CS felt

that he must also walk through that mule path,

frequented by British ladies so that he can also

be familiar with Silent Valley. The HOD and the

Addl. CS decided the dates for their visit and

alerted the field staff accordingly for preparing

for the visit. The Wildlife wing of Kerala Forest

Research Institute was also asked to join the

party.

In those days, there were 2 Forest circles with

Kozhikode as the H Q, one in control of the

Reserve Forests and the other, of those Private

Forests vested with the Govt. since 1971. Two

Forest Dinswe’re functioning with Palghat as the

HQ. My predecessor wrote the Working Plan for

the Palghat Forest Dn. looking after the Reserve

Forests. I was assigned the task of preparing 2

First Working Plans, one for Vested Forest in

Palghat Dt. and the other for that in Malapuram

Dt. (By God’s grace staff and I could complete

the preparation, of the two plans, and I could

get approval, of the Government by 1980 i.e.,

within a span of 3 years.)

The mule path from Sispara to Poochakuthu

passes through Reserve Forests and so the task

of making arrangements for the visit of the HOD

& the Addl. CS was assigned to Mannarghat

Range Officer who was in charge of the Reserve

Forests through which the mule path runs. They

erected temporary sheds at Walakad and

cleared the path to the extent possible in the

short span of time available.

In a stern order, I was directed to accompany

the party during trekking.

On the appointed day, by the middle of May,

1979, the HOD and the Addl. CS and the

Conservators with their staff assembled in

Olavakkot Forest Rest House, located very near

Palghat Railway Stn.

The HOD gave a bit of his mind to me. He said

he had occasion to climb many peaks in India

and that he had taken it as a challenge that he

would finish the trekking ahead of me. The Addl.

CS was keen to add that he had climbed

Bansurankota, a hill in Kozhikode Dt., against the

will of his subordinates. I said that the remarks


26

were premature.

Early morning the HOD, the Addl. CS and Forest

Officers of all levels and their respective Staff,

each in their respective departmental vehicle

moved in convoy, reached Upper Bhavani Rest

House by evening and settled down for the night.

The vehicles were directed to report at

Poochakuthu by the evening of the day next to

that.

The party consisting of around 50 khaki clad

Foresters of all levels, man mazdoors for carrying

minimum luggage, a cook and 2 helpers started

walking towards Sispara. The terrain was almost

level and the HOD & Addl. CS were conjecturing

that the report on my reconnaissance trekking

was cooked up. The pace of walking was such

that the party had their lunch at the spot where

my teammates & I took our breakfast, the other

day,

By 3 pm, the party reached Sispara and started

to descend. One by one, all the members of the

party, started to skid and fall as the steep path

was full of loose stones and rills created by soil

erosion. Soon each one of the party started

feeling exhausted and started to perceive that

the trekking ahead was true to my narration.

The Addl.CS was blaming the HOD that he was

tricked into this difficult situation by the

assurance of the HOD that the path used to be

frequented by even the wives of British Foresters.

As the descend to Walakkad progressed, the HOD

tried to balance himself with a make shift

walking stick. The Addl CS was ably supported

by the two accompanying Conservators. In his

exhaustion, the Addl. CS was remarking jokingly

that I (the author) would be mocking the senior

officers at least in my mind.

By dusk, the party was approaching Walakkad

temporary camping area. All on a sudden, the

Addl. CS passed out uttering the word sugar.

Knowing that the blood sugar level of the Addl.

CS had dipped, the HOD pulled out sugar from

his ever present lunch-basket and

administered sugar into the mouth of the Addl.

CS. To everybody’s relief, the Addl. CS responded

to the treatment and continued to limp, leaning

on to the two Conservators towards the nearby

camping shed.

Soon, day light faded and each settled in their

earmarked temporary shed. As night

progressed, I could overhear the conversation

between the HOD and the Addl. CS. They were

accommodated in the hut close to the shed

where other senior Officers and I were housed.

The Addl. CS was heard remarking that the

report I sent after the reconnaissance trekking

was factual and that his bureaucratic

experience led him to think that the report was

cooked up.

On the next morning, after breakfast, the camp

was packed up and the trekking continued. The

HOD was exhausted, but he plodded on ahead


27

of others who were watching the progress made

by the Addl. CS. Depending totally on his will

power and on the support given by the two

Conservators, the Addl. CS, inched forward along

the trekking path step by step. The Addl. CS was

pointing out that he could not see any Lion Tailed

Macaque or other Wild animals. The Foresters

remarked that wild life would not tolerate our

50 strong party and they would move away for

shelter.

Will power of the Addl. CS prevailed and all the

others were confident that the Addl. CS would

be reaching the finishing point.

It was about 5 pm and Poochakuthu, our

finishing point was within sight and suddenly, it

started to rain. While I was observing the

progress made by the Addl. CS, I looked up and

saw the HOD nearing the finishing point. I was

reminded of the challenge made by the HOD

that he would be finishing ahead of me. I did not

want that challenge to materialise. I ran and ran

past the HOD who was shivering by the cold

weather, aggravated by exposure to the rain. As

I ran past the HOD, I told him that I was finishing

ahead of him. The HOD remarked that I had

tricked him in to the trekking.

P.S; Sri C K Karunakaran IFS, CCF (Retd.), SFRC

Alumnus, 1956-58 batch and IFC Alumnus 58-

60 batch, was the territorial Conservator who

supported the Addl. CS in this trekking. Two

months ago, there was a news item in the

Malayala Manorama daily that he had won an

award for publishing a book in Malayalam on

environment. On reading that news item, I felt

that I must congratulate him on his

achievement. The telephonic talk slipped into

reminiscing events shared by both of us and

hence this narration.

The Additional CS retired on superannuation

and passed away. Most of the others exceptthe

then Range Officer, R K Achuthanand live to

reminisce the event.

The author is an alumnus of 1960-62 SFRC batch

and was an Assistant Instructor, Southern Forest

Rangers College from 1972-1977 prior to his

appointment to the Indian Forest Service

(Kerala Cadre) He retired on superannuation in

2001.

A society grows great when old men plant tresswhose shade they know they shall never sit in.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.(Mahatma Gandhi)


28

We wish the following born on the dates mentioned

“ A very Happy Birth Day”

Birthday Greetings

S.No. Name of the member D.O.B.

Sarva Sri

1. D.V.Rao 09-01-1931

2. K.Koteshwar Rao 10-01-1933

3. R.D.Reddy 14-01-1938

4. K.Mohan Reddy 16-01-1934

5. H.K.Desai 23-01-1936

6. V.P.Adinarayana 23-01-1940

7. P.Gracious 24-01-1949

8. Dr.C.N.Rao 26-01-1938

9. T.Narayana Swamy 30-01-1933

10. C.Jagannath Reddy 03-02-1930

11. P.Upender Reddy 05-02-1942

S.No. Name of the I.F.S. Oficer D.O.B.

Sarva Sri

1. M.Prutviraj 09-01-1960

2. M.Sudhakar 10-01-1957

3. R.G.Kalaghatgi 20-01-157

4. B.Sunder 20-01-1970

5. P.Bhaskar Reddy 21-01-1953

6. Dr.Manoranjan Bhanja 22-01-1958

7. Dr.K.Tirupathaiah 23-01-1959

8. Dr.P.Subbaragavaiah 25-01-1961

9. Rameshkumar Suman 03-02-1966

10. A.K.Jain 05-02-1959

S.No. Name of the S.F.S. Oficer D.O.B.

Sarva Sri

1. P.Samuel 07-01-1964

2. I.Prakash 09-01-1977

3. R.Kondal Rao 15-01-1970

4. M.Nagarjuna Reddy 30-01-1965

5. S.Narender Reddy 05-02-1959

Secretary


29

He was never a good athlete and abhorred

physical slog. During the halcyon days of Forest

College, he opted for Tennis to avoid the rough

and tumble of Football or Hockey. Tennis was

aristocratic and bourgeois. It gave him a lot of

time to sit and admire others shots and make

cryptic comments on them. End of the training

gave an abrupt end to his honeymoon with this

sport. A couple of years later it was the advent of

technology in the form of the small screen which

got him back to his lost interest. He was simply

blown over by the telecast of ladies tennis

matches.

Whenever he looked at the members of fair sex

around him he was filled with disgust. They huffed

and puffed dragging their quintal loads, crawling

with great difficulty like seals on a beach. In

glaring contrast were these celestial figures

carved in marble, sprinting like does and

jumping like gazelles on the giant wide screen

of his very bedroom. He was simply floored by

them .There was a steady supply of these

beauties. From Tracy Austin, Chris Evert,

Sabbatini and steffi graf to the very current

Sharapovas Azarenkas and Kournikovas. No

wonder these charmers charged the same

amounts for their three sets as for five of their

male counterparts because of their viewership.

Ironically for him there were agonizing

STORY OF TEES MAAR KHANBy

Navratan Singh

interruptions to this joyful activity. That too by

mosquitoes, creatures shamefully minute and

often ridiculed for their being weaklings. They

turned his life in to a hell changing ecstasy to

agony.

Imagine him sitting relaxed in his bedroom,

eyes glued to the wide screen of the TV. His

favorite Ana Ivanovich is on the court. She has a

face that brightens his own with joy. His eyes

are devouring her magical movements all over

the court and he is in ecstasy. Suddenly he feels

a painful sting in a very unreachable niche of

his back. He looks around and finds the

miscreant has already taken off. He wonders

why he did not feel the prick before the culprit

was air borne. He had been injected an

anesthetic fluid like an expert surgeon. He is

mad with rage now. He chases clapping

feverishly behind the insect, his anger jumping

up with every stroke. His frenzy increases with

every failure. He is almost mad now. After some

smart moves the intruder vanishes in thin air.

Incidences like this started happening more

and more often and making his life intolerable.

He started using every conceivable tool, books

pads, wedding cards or hand fans to hit them

with success rate, never to satisfy him. His

ingenuity was put to maximum use in devising

different tools. He used to wrap his middle with


30

news paper with a 2" hole in the soft sides of his

of under belly using it as a bait, and hitting

them.

Then he got his first look at an electrical

mosquito swatter and went head over heels for

it. The Chinese made contraption marketed

surreptitiously in India and sold by road side

venders at several traffic signals was the answer

to his ever increasing woes. It was sleek and

handsome. It came in a myriad of attractive

colors. It was robust and strong. The spark it gave

out delighted him. The gun shot sound thrilled

him. Now he could keep an account of his kills.

He bought a couple of them in different colors

and hanged them in the rooms. As he moved in

his house, seeing them overwhelmed him in the

nostalgia of days gone by when his tennis was

alive. He held them in his hands, the feel was

reassuring. There was lot of tennis still in him. He

made a few shots in the air and marveled at the

flare with which he did it.

He started using this weapon of mass

destruction with infinite zeal. He would lie on

his bed with the WMD and ambush the enemy

with different strokes he had learnt in the past.

His base line shots would take the invaders

marching from the top. His ground strokes would

annihilate the forces emerging out from under

the bed. His shots down the line terminated the

troops attacking from sides. He improvised his

strokes by a combination of chip or slice as the

need be. He found his backhand equally

punishing.

He executed the slaughter with a relish which

spread a gloom and scare in the Mosquito world.

His reputation as a dreadful butcher spread far

and wide. A message spread through the word

of, buzz in their thoraxes that this serial killer

would not relent till he gets a target of thirty

kills in every round of carnage. And thus he got

his title of Tees Mar Khan. The name itself made

them shiver with fear. In the air coolers fifty fifty

meters all around, this way or that, in the vicinity,

if a pupa started crying, its mother would say

“Keep quiet child or TMK would be here.”

Intense fear and hatred were not the only

sentiments for TMK. He had the reputation as a

source of providing the most sumptuous and

delicious blood meal to them. It was not only

wholesome nutritionally It made them fly on

cloud nine. They were more expressive

uninhibited and forthright in opening up their

inner feelings. Their partners simply loved the

way they were receptive to their advances. The

intoxication gave a sway to their flight and made

them fly as an aircraft in turbulence. It was

exhilaration of the highest order. And if they

were giving a ride to their partners it would be

an orgasmic experience of a life time.

Now TMK was a connoisseur of good food and

ample intake of drinks. The high content of

alcohol in his blood made him unique for the

special flavor. He was also hypertensive and a

feather touch by their proboscises would throw


31

out a fountain of the delicacy which found its

way to their abdomens with a minimum of effort.

They need not even suckle it. Every meal on him

was a feast and mothers used to implore their

daughters to go for it even if they had to lose a

leg in the tussle.

Intense hatred and malice against his aerial

adversaries made TMK deeply interested in

them. He started studying them in great detail

and documenting his finding. He was able to

identify them by the color of abdomen and the

buzz of their wings. He started giving them a

number, an identification number, starting with

a prefix, Mos for males and Fos for females. After

a much deeper study he could decipher their

language basing on the frequency of the buzz

which was how they communicated among

themselves. He noted that females were bigger

in size and only they sucked blood, whereas

males lived off sucking nectar from fruits, flowers

and vegetables.

In the study of these diminutive creatures he

found that, one individual clearly stood up and

under lined its presence. Named Mos48 this

character was different from the rest . However

TMK had no clue to know further. The ancestors

of Mos 48 had travelled to the shores of India in

an Arabic trade ship. Their descendants travelled

inlands trailing the hospitable paddy lands. His

earlier ancestry was feeding on the Oxy rich

blood of Norwegian Vikings, Spanish gladiators

and English Pirates. He was a great strategist and

an expert in matters of warfare. His flying skills

were marvelous. He could make swift moves

vertically up wards and downwards. He could

perform puzzling feats of somersaults and cart

wheel. He had made TMK eat his boots on

several occasions and mocked his defeats with

a humiliating wag of his tail.

TMK in frustration developed a compulsive

obsession to crush him between his palms.

Once there was an opportunity for TMK to get

him. TMK having a nap, happened to just open

his eyes, and saw Mos 48 riding on a female and

navigating her flight. His partner carried a pink

shine on its abdomen. There was no one around.”

It must be my blood”. TMK frowned. Luckily the

swatter was handy. He held it firmly. The couple

was gliding slowly. Perhaps Mos48 was

oblivious to his waking up. Soon they were

within the range. TMK made a hard shot with all

the viciousness at his command, taking them

right in the middle of his bat. Mos 48 thought

that at last the inevitable has happened. They

were caught in the tangle. TMK was briskly

moving the bat back and forth. Mos 48 gently

stroke the head of his beloved with his antenna

and told with a kiss.” Go to sleep my dear. This is

our end.”

Then the swinging of the swatter stopped. Mos

48 amazed at being alive had the quick thinking

to assess the situation. He briskly freed his

partner from the mesh of wires and asked her

to fly away. He started circling around TMK,


32

Laughing and mocking at him, waving his tail.

TMK realized that in his fury he had forgotten to

switch on the bat.

Mos48 had an enormous hatred for humans and

on top of it for TMK. TMK had slain his mother

soon after she laid a raft of about three hundred

eggs, in one of which he was kicking. He was a

veggie like all other males of his kind. He had

the desire to wipe out humans. The only restraint

was that the females, his females, loved the blood

meal of the humans. Human blood was rich and

delicious. No wonder as they eat a variety of plant

and animal foods. They had no tails, for their

uninvited guests to be wary about. Many of his

girls had lost their proboscises piercing the hard

hoods of oxen and cattle and later died starving.

Human skin was soft and bereft of irritating hair.

It opened up its treasures on a gentle tap by

their snouts.

TMK was an admirer of St.Valetine The tales of

the valor of the lovers in the days of the yore

inspired him. There were times when a lover

sighing like a furnace with a woeful ballad made

to his mistress’ eye brow would bare his heart

to half a foot of steel. A knight in shining armor

would brave rocky fortresses, and put his neck

to the edge of a sword to rescue a damsel in

distress. He felt, if you have not loved someone

deliriously you have not lived. His advice t o

young folks was ,keep the spark alive in your

hearts and wait. Lightning will strike sooner or

later. But now what he saw was conspiring , lying

and conniving young suitors who first asses the

possessions and connections of their sweat

hearts before moving ahead with the business

of love. They make sure that their future mate is

sufficiently reinforced with material assets

before claiming her hand. TMk found only MoS

48 measuring up to his expectations.

Mos 48 had an exceptional command in flying.

He could perform amazing twists and turns up

and down and side to side. He used this mastery

to survey and recce the threat situation and

lead the ladies, his ladies to a safe blood meal.

He knew that the blood meal was necessary for

the seeds sown in the females to survive. He

used his artistry mostly to get them back safely.

In the event of an ambush he would move ahead

of them and attract the assailant with his antics.

The confused aggressor got diverted towards

him, meanwhile the mothers would escape

with their brood. The assailant feverishly chasing

him would be no match for his acrobatics. In

this way he had escorted back dozens of females

bearing thousands of eggs. He knew that his life

was short and he had to complete the mission

he had assigned himself at the earliest. He had

to communicate the skills of safe flying to the

females in the Gen next.

He had a way with the ladies. In fact he was a

ladies Mos, daring, chivalrous and kind. His songs

of lust and passion made them swoon and sigh.

They secretly giggled at the lascivious hints he

made in the wrap of humor. Mos48 had other


33

attributes. The buzz of his wings produced

melodious ballads in a Spanish tinge drawn from

his ancestry. Full of passion and lust they could

sweep any lady off her feet. The thrilling whine

in his love calls was irresistible. His ode to their

charm and beauty would break all their

defenses. However modesty is the jewel of a

female. Nature puts on the females the burden

of guarding against life, getting spoilt by

promiscuity.

He personally did not like the idea of swarming

and never participated in it. This tradition

involved the swarms of their males raiding on

the freshly matured female en mass and sowing

the seeds of life. The process caused physical hurt

and is devoid of the finesse and romance which

he idealized. He flew over to the raft where a

fresh crop of larvae had emerged a few hours

back. They were waiting in their wings to take

off. He addresses them.

“Dear ladies, Welcome to life and to this world. I

invite you for a rave party, at a joint, flooded with

the most nutritious food, fortified with rarest of

spirits. I assure you the spike will add a glow to

your charming faces and attract the best of the

suitors. It will be an experience of a lifetime. This

is a beautiful world and the only place capable

of holding life. As insects we are committed to

make life sustain here. You should know that

every blood meal is essential for the eggs in your

bodies. But the flight to every meal is fraught

with great risk to your own life. Please follow

some safety rules which will if you are lucky get

you back alive and deposit your beloved eggs

in life giving water.”

“In flight try to either point your face or your tail

at your hosts. Never give them your broadside

where you will be surely spotted. See that you

are positioned between your host and the

source of light. The glare of light will make you

invisible. If you are on the opposite side you

are a sitting duck for the host. These rules of

caution apply only for humans. Humans are the

only kind that kills indiscriminately. Other living

beings do not kill without reason and if you do

not bother them. After your meal your

abdomens will get a pink complexion. You look

as if you are wearing a gem like a ruby, giving

you an irresistible beauty. It will also slow you

down. Remember this is the most dangerous

situation for your survival”.

“Now I will tell you some facts about humans.

Except for making a delicacy of their blood there

is nothing that is nice or fair about them. They

are the meanest and the most selfish of all the

creatures that ever trod on the face of Earth, and

the dumbest. Their stupidity may destroy all life

from this planet. In nuclear fallout they will

sooner or later wipe out life making a Mars out

of Earth. It is the responsibility of the insect

world to keep life alive.”

“Humans with the help of some gadgets think

that they are the strongest of all while the fact

is that they are the weakest. Every one of you


34

can exterminate their whole localities. You spot

a sickly puking rat. Take a small gulp of its blood.

It may be a bit nauseating. Do not worry. It will

do you no harm. Now hop on to your human host,

any one of them. Have a great meal with your

snout stirring his blood. Now forget it and go

ahead with your normal business. Your great

grand children will find, them coughing blood,

and falling dead. With every sting on them their

proboscises will spread the disease in a ripple

effect. Soon the people would be dying by the

wayside in multitudes. It would be great fun but

only you will have to find alternate source of

feeding. It’s only this consideration that we are

keeping them alive and getting on with their

destructive activities.”

“Humans are the most greedy, selfish and

destructive predators that the Earth had ever

seen. They either eat or utilize body parts of

almost every living being animate or inanimate

,plant or animal. They have already made several

of them extinct. Soon they would use up all the

resources and make our Earth sterile. They create

noise and burn up Earth’s chemicals for their

infantile pleasures on their festivals. When these

imbeciles laugh we feel like crying and cry when

they laugh. Of course we neither cry nor laugh.

They lack the character to accept the nature’s

programming of, life cycle and cleansing of life.

They try to cling on to living while they should

be dead. In this quest they created a class of

dubious credential called doctors, and an

unreliable science called medicine. We insects

have the character to get through our life cycles,

welcome and celebrate our end with poise and

dignity. Look at these cowards, mourning and

making a hue and cry in morbid fear of Death.

This world is not safe in their charge. For your

immediate caution I tell you that the man on

whom you are partying today is the meanest

serial killer, even among the humans. So ladies

keep these suggestions in mind and take off on

your first flights. If you find some human

clapping behind you do not flatter yourselves

that he is applauding you. His intention is to

kill you. Have a pleasant and safe flight. Please

do not forget the rave party to night. Bon voyage.

“

The newly emerging adult females carefully

listened to the cautions. The males among

them had strange sensations of pubescent

changes in their bodies, like the rotation of life

creating organs. Adolescence had brought

huge rebellious upheavals in their feelings .

One of them told his mother”Don’t kid me

,Mom. I am no longer a larva.” The churnings in

their minds made them excitedly flap their

wings anticipating an adventurous swarming.

As he spoke he looked at her. She was listening

with eyes lowered in total concentration. A girl

almost twice his size with an exquisite figure

and with a unique complexion of grey with

charming yellow spots, she looked up at him,

stars in her eyes. As their eyes met, he was dumb

struck. All his eloquence was lost. His eyes


35

stopped blinking. She turned back and with

slow and measured steps flapped her wings and

started walking away. He stood still mesmerized

by her looks and watched her moving with the

grace of a ballet dancer. He loved the way she

had looked at him. She walked a few steps and

took off. His eyes glued on her he was floored by

the majesty with which she lifted up herself and

held herself in the air. She turned and looked at

him again. He was staring at her without batting

an eyelid. With a mild smile in her eyes she sped

away. He kept staring motionless in the direction

she disappeared. TMK had later named her

Fos84.

Fos 84 heard the roar of storm. The swarm was

coming from behind. She noticed one fellow

chasing her. She tried to dodge left and right. He

did not relent. Behind him were five more

following him. She speeded up .The gang was

close upon her. The leader suddenly took a brisk

leap and pounced upon her. He grabbed her

with two pairs of legs and was moving another

. Before he could tighten his grip she took a

sudden turn and slipped away. Flying upside

down she gave a massive kick to the assailant. It

broke his left wing and he fell on the ground.

Seeing his fate, accomplices of the unlucky suitor

dispersed away. In next lap of her flight she saw

her attacker being shredded bit by bit by ants

on the ground with a disdain, free of any remorse.

In TMK’s drawing room Mos48 was restlessly

clinging to a flower with a grave fear for the life

of Fos84. Lightning had struck him leaving a pang

of pain he had never felt in his earlier existence.

Batch after batch of the marching fliers were

returning , a number of them were

triumphantly carrying a rider on them. There

were few casualties which reassured him. He

waited with baited breath and a dreadful worry

lurking within him. The piercing eyes which

caused such a tumultuous storm in his soul were

nowhere to be found. He went on with his

feverish search, peeping in to every nook and

corner to find the throb of his thorax.

Then at last he spotted her. The noble beauty

was trying hard to disentangle her friend stuck

up in a wire mesh with her mate. The job was

tough and she was breathing heavily. The

workout had brought a glow over her thorax

making her looks irresistible. Another look at

the wire mesh, and he was terrified. The mesh

she was working on was that of a swatter. She

was on a mine field oblivious of the dangers .

The very thought of losing her for ever sent a

cold shiver down his back. He rushed towards

them. Fos84 looked up ,cheered a smile and

resumed her work. Two rear legs of her friend

and one of her mates’ were enmeshed. They

were in excruciating pain but their faces were

brightly shining with the glow of consummate

love. Mos48 took stock of the situation. The

swatter was not live. But it could be ignited

any time. They would have no escape if they

were not freed. His lady love was dangerously

moving, getting her own limbs into the trap.

He dreaded to think about the possibilities.


36

He moved to her side planted his legs firmly on

the wires and began lifting the trapped legs. His

tentacles were now scrapping hers. Fos84 got a

whiff of odor coming from the body of Mos48,

sending sparks in her body. The sensation of

touch with every brush of the tentacles and the

scent of a male was a pleasant mix. She was in

a spell. They freed the couple. They limped away

a few steps, bowed with gratitude and flew away.

Mos48, his tentacles still brushing up Fos84, was

lost in a dream world. In the ethereal world of

fantasy they went on caressing each other long

after the couple was rescued. Fos84 could not

understand what made her act so differently. She

was overwhelmed in is presence. He was a pillar

of strength and a fountain of wisdom. Puzzled to

decide the right or wrong of it, she was now a

bundle of contradiction. She surrendered to his

leads. What she only wished was, ,the time to

stop and the happenings to go on and on.

Suddenly Mos48 woke up to realize the clear

and present danger they were in. Keeping his

cool he told her to come out of the booby trap

and have a good look at the dangerous weapon.

They got air borne and flied around it. He

cautioned her to be as far away from it as

possible. Fos84 was in a spell. She had no idea

why she did what she was doing and why she

was following him. He led her to land at a cool

fragrant spot, near the flower vase. He placed

himself at a distance. His wings were flapping.

Fos84 felt her wings too were fanning the air

around her. She looked up into his eyes and felt

she could not take them off. Their wings were

now creating a buzz with the same intensity.

Mos48 now started moving around her with one

of his wings tilting towards her. He was dancing

around her in a Shiva’s Tandav. The pace of the

dance was increasing . The sound had now

grown in a melodious whine creating a storm

in her. He moved towards her now. The buzz

was on, sending signals into the depths of her

desires. He looked into her eyes and in a firm

buzz told,” My beautiful lady, I want to father

your children and then go to die.”

Fos84 felt as if struck by a missile. She felt like

fainting with her wings stopping for a moment.

Now Mos48 was behind her whining loudly in

a frenzy. She took a few steps and jumped in

the air. Mos48 flying above suddenly clutched

her in a soft grip with his three pairs of legs.

They started flying. Their wings were moving in

rhythm. Mos48’s limbs tickled her for a while.

Then they started moving all across her body .

They were digging into the lobes of her

abdomen igniting sparks of libidinous desire

and passion. They were flying with a cushion of

air brushing between their bodies. She was

amazed to feel how easy and delightful flying

with a mate could be. With the resonance of

their wings they could raise their pace to any

level. Then he landed upon her firmly

squeezing her to himself. Fos84 felt the warmth

of his embrace . She thought this was the


37

ultimate moment for which she had lived

through the different stages in her life. Suddenly

she felt the climax, the exhilaration of life flowing

into her body in a stream of several lives. She

was in a trance unchartered in her previous

existence.

It was getting late and TMK had not arrived . The

group Mos48 invited was getting hungry and

wondering what he was waiting for. Most of them

had a crush on him. The reputation of siring large

broods of strong and healthy eggs associated

with his lineage had spread far and wide through

buzz of wings. They had missed him in the

swarming . They had no idea that his priorities

were different. Then TMK entered , went straight

to his bed and threw himself on it. Food had

arrived but the host was missing.

They flew home clinging together in an embrace

, making waves in a melodious note. They heard

a roar. The group had burst into an applause on

seeing them. At last Fos 84 had taken a mate.

They looked adoringly at the astonishing couple

and the ravishingly beautiful Fos 84 blushing in

the glow of consummate love. Their admiration

doubled up at the pleasant thought of a

sumptuous dinner and a delicious end to their

pangs of hunger.

Mos48 riding with his lady love made a

surveillance of whole anatomy of TMK. He

started distribution of batches to the various

banquets which were scattered all over the

body of TMK. He told them to avoid his middle.

It was within the firing range of the enemy

battery. He assessed the inebriation status of

his host and directed them towards his legs,

back of his elbows and even under his chin. His

nose was also a safe niche for those with

acrobatic skills, because he dared not hit his

own nose. At last he dismounted himself from

Fos84 after making her land in the back of

TMK’S ankle. He moved away a little, watched

her lovingly from a distance, covering up for her

safety

Fos84 looked at him gratefully. She tapped

TMK’s skin and pierced it. Anticoagulant

anesthesia began flowing through her snout

She probed deeper and reached the streams

of delicious warm blood. The delicacy began

to flow in to her body out of its own thrust. She

went on imbibing the life giving liquid. She

guessed , hundreds of lives craving with hunger

in her abdomen would be hailing the arrival of

food with joy.. A strange effect of psychedelic

drowsiness had been growing in her with every

gulp of the divine fluid. The spiked blood meal

was inebriating her. She could hardly know for

how long she went on with the feast. Mos48

was patiently waiting in the pyjama sleeve of


38

TMK. He was loving every moment, while he

watched her. He saw her stomach getting a

pinkish tint first and then slowly getting more

and more reddish. It was also growing larger.

At last she withdrew her snout. It was dripping

with red hot blood. She looked enchanting. Now

Mos48 realized why the human females used

bright red lip stick to lure their men folk. After

all humans also were hunters in their past. He

had so far done the job as per the script. Now

he wanted to take her to a safe hiding corner

and leave her to feed and bring up the crop of

eggs growing in her womb. That was the object

of his life. The raison d’ etre‘ for his existence.

Fos84 was in no mood to let go these moments.

She made a nod at Mos48. He rushed at her and

mounted himself firmly on her. He implored her

to hurry and get out of the scene. They took on

their flight swinging and swaying. She would not

heed to his cautions and reminders of safety

measures . “ My lover why bother about living ,

these moments of your love are worth a

hundred lives. I know once you leave me I may

not find you”. They continued circling around

TMK’s bed flying at dangerously low levels. He

tried to prevent her from the misadventure.

His protest getting feebler he could not resist

her seductive charm. He succumbed to it.

Exhausted with their love play they were

dangling in the air forgetting all the safety

rules ,not knowing how close they were to

their mortal fate. Now Mos48 conscious of the

threat told her sternly. Please, for sake of our

children in your inside I ask you to leave this

place immediately. She yielded “Ok Dear, your

wish is my command, Here we go.”

TMK had just woken up after a bad dream. He

looked up. He saw the pair of mosquitoes flying

very slowly just above him. He looked carefully.

He could identify his old foe. His eyes now

riveted on the prey, his hands drew closer. As

soon as he found them in range he attacked with

bare hands. He was on target. A splash of blood

burst with the sound of his clap crushing the

lovers to their final destination.

Incidentally TMK’s TV was playing a Hindi song.

“Tu jo saath ho, phir kya ye jahan. Tere pyaar

men ,ho jaoon fanaa

When you are with me, does the world mean a

thing? In your love even death, would I embrace.

The valiant lover used to say ,humans are silly

enough to kill or die for, money, possessions,

pride, power, fear , fame or honor. These morons

also kill for pleasure or even for no reason at all.

Dying in the cause of love only made sense. It

makes a world of difference in the quality of

life.


39

At the outset Sri K.Santokh Singh, Secretary of

the Association, welcomed the Members;

Ladies, Staff members & Trainees of Forest

Academy to the 66th General Body meeting cum

Interactive Session with Trainees. The President,

Vice President, Jt. Secretary and Editor, Vana

Premi were requested to occupy their seats on

dais. The Director of the Academy was specially

invited to occupy his seat on the dais and placed

the agenda before the President with a request

to initiate the meeting.

1. Shraddanjali- The members & Trainees paid

homage to the departed souls of Sri K.Papa Rao,

Associate member of the Association and Sri

Guru Reddy, retired Forest Officers.

2. Felicitations- The Association felicitated the

following officers for their outstanding

performances.

A. Sri T.Krishna Murthy retired Prl.C.C.F, for his

contribution to the cause of Forests &

Environment and more particularly to Minor

Forest Products. Apart from Forest

Department, his sincere works were

MINUTES OF INTERACTIVE SESSION OF

RETIRED FOREST OFFICERS WITH TRAINEES

OF A.P. FOREST ACADEMY, DULAPALLI& 66TH

G.B.M. HELD ON 18-12-2012

recognized by many organizations, such as

Indian International Friendship Society

which conferred “BHARATH JYOTHI” award

on him & The International Publishing

House also honored him with “BEST

CITIZEN” award. Sri Krishna Murthy thanked

the Association for the honor bestowed on

him and shared his experiences with the

members & Trainees.

B. Sri K.Buchiram Reddy for his exemplary

work in bringing out a book on Forest

Martyrs, which was released on Forest

Martyrs day 2012(10th November,2012).Sri

KBR Reddy, thanked the Association for the

felicitation & became emotional while

introducing his three brothers, who

witnessed his felicitation.

C. Sri P.Raghuveer Director, A.P.Forest

Academy, Dulapalli, was felicitated for his

untiring work in totally transforming the

activities of the Academy, and its

recognition by the International

Organizations Award for EDUCATIONAL


40

EXCELLANCE in the field of ENVIRONMENT

& NATURAL RESOURCES to Dulapalli Forest

Academy was presented by the Prestigious

INDUS FOUNDATION, New Jersey, U.S.A. on

9th September,2012. Sri P.Raghuveer

thanked the Association for his felicitation

and shared his experiences in transforming

the affairs of the Academy.

3. Sri T.Narayana Swamy, Sri J.V.Sharma, Sri

M.Padmanabha Reddy and Sri S.D.Mukherji

addressed the trainees and advised them on

various aspects of their duties. Sri

Padmanabha Reddy and Sri S.D.Mukherji

answered certain questions posed by the

trainees.

4. Felicitation of Kumari Lalitha, who exhibited

her extraordinary paintings on Nature & Wild

Life was greatly appreciated & felicitated by

the President of the Association.

5. One of the lady trainee rendered melodious

song, praising the contributions of Retired

Forest Officers for the cause of Forest&

Environment, which was applauded by one

and all.

6. The forenoon session was concluded

with the vote of thanks extended by the

Secretary, thanking the Director and his

staff for making all arrangements to

conduct the meeting.

7. Action taken report of the Secretary- The

afternoon session was started soon after

Lunch in which the Secretary introduced

new members and presented his action

taken report on the deliberations of 77th

EC meeting held on 28-10-2012 and 65th

G.B. meeting held on 23-09-2012.

8. Pensioners Day- Sri T.Narayana Swamy

explained the members the significance

of celebrating PENSIONERS DAY on 17th

December every year.

9. Vote of Thanks- Sri P.Upender Reddy,

Jt.Secretary cum Treasurer proposed vote

of thanks to ladies and members who

attended the meeting braving longtravel

Secretary

Don’t walk behind me: I may not lead. Don’t walk infront of me: I may not follow. Justwalk beside me and be my friend.


41

I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop

in a neighbouring town of Venice, the city of lights

and water. As we enjoyed our coffee, a

manentered and sat on an empty table beside

us. He called the waiter and placedhis order

saying, ‘Two cups of coffee, one of them there on

the wall.’

We heard this order with rather interest and

observed that he was served with one cup of

coffee but he paid for two. As soon as he left, the

waiter pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying

‘A Cup of Coffee’.While we were still there, two

other men entered and ordered three cups of

coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They

had two cups of coffee but paid for three and

left. This time also, the waiter did the same; he

pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, ‘A

Cup of Coffee’.

It seemed that this gesture was a norm at this

place. However, it was something unique and

perplexing for us. Since we had nothing to do

with the matter, we finished our coffee, paid the

bill and left.

After a few days, we again had a chance to go to

this coffee shop. While we were enjoying our

coffee, a man entered. The way this man was

dressed did not match the standard or the

atmosphere of this coffee shop. Poverty was

evident from the looks on his face. As he seated

himself, he looked at the wall and said, one cup

of coffee from the wall. The waiter served coffee

to this man with the customary respect and

A CUP OF COFFEE ON THE WALL......

dignity. The man had his coffee and left without

paying. We were amazed to watch all this when

the waiter took off a piece of paper from the

wall and threw it in the dust bin. Now it was no

surprise for us -the matter was very clear. The

great respect for the needy shown by the

inhabitants of this town welled up our eyes with

tears.

Coffee is not a need of our society neither a

necessity of life for us. The point to note is that

when we take pleasure in any blessing, maybe

we also need to think about those people who

appreciate that specific blessing as much as

we do but they cannot afford to have it.

Note the character of this waiter, who is playing

a consistent and generous role to get the

communication going between the affording

and the needy with a smile on his face.

Ponder upon this man in need he enters the

coffee shop without having to lower his self-

esteem, he has no need to ask for a free cup of

coffee. Without asking or knowing about the

one who is paying for this cup of coffee to him.

He only looked at the wall, placed an order for

him, enjoyed his coffee and left.

When we analyse this story, along with the other

characters, we need to remember the role

played by the wall that reflects the generosity

and care of the dwellers of this town.

Can we do something like this in our little

areas??????


42

The world’s least corrupt nations: - Denmark,

Finland and New Zealand are leaders when it

comes to the world’s least corrupt countries,

according to Transparency International’s

Corruption Perceptions Index 2012. The

Corruption Perceptions Index is presented on a

scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very

clean).India secures the 94th position in the

index with a score of 36.

1. Denmark:-With a large welfare state and a

highly prosperous economy, Demark is ranked

as the least corrupt country in the world.Score:

90.

2. Finland: -Finland is known to have a very low

number of corruption charges. It is believed that

the nation has successfully fought against

government corruption and now Finland’s

records are among the world’s most

transparent.Score: 90.

3. New Zealand: -New Zealand is very well

known for its democratic institutions strength,

government transparency and lack of

corruption.Score: 90.

4. Sweden: -Sweden is considered to be one of

the most highly developed states in the world.

The country is ranked among the top 10 least

corrupt countries in the world.Score: 88.

5. Singapore: -Singapore is consistently rated

as one of the least corrupt countries in the world.

NEWS AND NOTES

Singapore is known for its freedom of speech,

effective criminal justice, order and

security.Score: 87.

6. Switzerland: -Switzerland has the best

environment records among nations in the

developed world. It is among the oldest

constitutions in the world and ranks as one of

the top 10 countries with least

corruption.Score: 86.

7. Australia: -With an organized political

culture, Australia is listed among the world’s top

10 countries which are known to be transparent

and least corrupt.Score: 85.

8. Norway: -Norway uses a civil law system and

features a free market activity. The country is

one of the least corrupt countries in the world

and a notable participant in international

development.Score: 85.

9. Canada: -The Canadian government

guarantees basic rights and freedoms that is

usually not overridden. This makes Canada one

of the least corrupt countries in the world.Score:

84.

10. Netherlands: -Netherlands characterized

by its neutrality and has a long tradition of social

tolerance. The country is listed among the

world’s least corrupt countries. Score: 84.


43

Did you know there was a Two and a Half

Rupee Note?: -Sounds funny and strange but it

is a fact that some times during the British Raj,

there was a Two and a half Rupee Note(in use in

Indian Currency ! please see last cover page.

Please see last coverpage for photograph

Top 10 Critically Endangered Animals: -It is

undeniable that it is hard to make a list of

endangered animals because of the number of

animal species that are currently facing

extinction. As this might be the case, it is only

fitting to write this article according to World

Wildlife Fund (WWF) list.

10. Mako Shark; Mako shark is killed primarily

because of its tender meat and fin. To make things

worse, the shark fin is considered to be of great

value medicinally. Some poachers will just strip

off their fins and throw it back to the sea and

leave it to die there.

9. Green-Cheeked Parrot;Because of its

beautiful colours and intelligence capabilities,

the green-cheeked parrot is being sold across

the United States and Mexico. The great demand

for these birds has made its population rapidly

decrease.

8. Tiger;the numbers of tiger in the wild is

getting lesser each year because of poachers.

Tigers are just occupying 7 percent of their

original habitats and if this will continue, they

will soon face extinction like their relatives in

Asian countries.

7. Hawksbill Turtle; An adult hawksbill turtle

can measure as long as 1 meter. Because of the

low birth rate of these turtles combined with

the illegal trade of its shell, the hawksbill is now

exponentially vulnerable to extinction.

6. Alligator Snapping Turtle; The meat of

alligator snapping turtle is considered to be an

exotic food. Due to international market

demands for an alligator snapping turtle and

the deforestation that is taking place in North

America, this turtle is now rapidly decreasing

in numbers.

5. Polar Bears;The polar bears are among the

earliest species that were threatened by the

escalating global warming issue. With ice caps

melting, it is estimated that within the next

century the polar bears will be completely

wiped off the face of the icy arctic.

4. Beluga Sturgeon;Once believed to be

extinct until one beluga sturgeon was found

alive in the Caspian Sea, it is now considered to

be an ancient living fossil. Because of its

delicious meat, it is highly in-demand at exotic

restaurants. Because of it is so expensive, many

poachers are tempted to hunt down beluga

sturgeon.

3. Giant Panda;This is one of the iconic animals

that represents all the endangered species of

the world. There are now only less than 1,000

pandas in the wild. Because of their beautiful

and soft fur, they are sought after by poachers.


44

In addition to this, their natural habitats are now

disappearing because of deforestation.

2. Mountain Gorilla; Sad to say, there are only

about 720 surviving gorillas in the wild and

another 200 of them are living in the Virunga

National Park. Thankfully, the active conservation

efforts of the Democratic Republic of Congo have

paid off. There had been a 14 percent increase in

its population for the last 12 years.

1. Black Rhino; During the last few decades, the

population of black rhinos has decreased by 90

percent. There are now about 3000 rhinos in the

world today and if poaching continues, they are

‘Ants hate cucumbers. Find the ant hole and leave

cucumber skin next to it, they won’t poke their

little heads out!’

‘If you want clear ice, just boil the water before

you freeze them and keep them isolated, it’s the

other particles in the water that makes it look

dirty

‘If you have chewing gum stuck to your clothes,

put them in the freezer for about an hour. Then

you should be able to simply remove the frozen

chewing gum by hand

‘Spill some black pepper where ever you find

mice or rats, they ‘will take one sniff and head for

the hills!’

believed to get extinct within the next few

years.

The list above may change. Some may increase,

and other may decrease even more. May be, by

the next time someone will make a list of these

endangered species, one of the animals listed

here may be officially extinct. This is the sad

state of our Mother Earth. While there are efforts

made to salvage these animals, it is never

enough as long as there are greedy people who

are motivated by their selfish ambitions. It is

time to make a stand. It is time to make a change

and the change starts with you.

TIPS

‘If you want lustre in your hair (personally I

prefer distinguished grey hair), add a spoon of

vinegar and then wash really well. The lustre

and shine will reappear!’

‘Soak the lemons in hot water for one hour,

and then you’ll easily squeeze out all the juice.’

‘Get some toothpaste and rub it on the ink

stains. Then let it completely dry and take it to

the wash. If you acted fast enough, you just may

get a clean shirt back.’

‘There are several ways. First you can cut the

onions under cool water, and surprisingly,

chewing gum while cutting will sometimes

lower the need for tears.


45

ByN. Shiva Kumar

It is monsoon again and bayas or weaver birds

are back to their frolicking mood — mating,

building artistic nests and bringing up families

In recent months, the house sparrow has hogged

all the limelight and even nominated as the

Delhi State Bird. On the other hand, a similar

lookalike sparrow survives in obscurity and is

relegated to the wilderness. In fact, it disappears

into thin air for

most part of

the year and

appears on the

horizon like a

pop-up on a

c o m p u t e r

screen only in

the rainy

season.

The dull

brown weaver

bird, commonly known as baya, has

inconspicuous hues in the off-season. However,

when the monsoon begins and the parched

earth turns emerald they dramatically arrive on

the scene. This small bird gets into the ‘breed

and brood’ mood and their subdued brown

feathers turn brilliant yellow with contrasting

dark chocolate. Only the male turns attractive

though, donning a yellow crown and chest for

the love season, while the female retains its

original color.

The baya weaver’s nest is an architectural

achievement which dangles from tree branches.

The nest looks like a long pipe with a bulge in

the middle with an entrance pointing

downward. The bulbous structure is the nesting

area with a long

entry tube which

makes it difficult

for snakes and

lizards to attack.

Although the

latticed nest looks

delicate and

precarious, they

are sturdy and

fastened taut to a

twig — so much

so they are impossible to be dislodged even

by high winds, storms and cloudburst. Most

nests endure through the four-month breeding

season and sometimes even up to a year. After

the breeding season, smaller birds and rodents

take advantage of the readymade abodes and

roost in the abandoned nests. The hardy nests

are made entirely out of strips of grass or thin

FEATHERED ENGINEERING


46

ribbons of palm leaves

which the birds assemble

by cutting a notch in blade

of long grass, then

stripping off a 30 to 60cm

length. The strands are

woven into cozy one-

bedroom apartments for

the mom and children to

thrive.

As a passionate

birdwatcher, I was

fortunate to observe and

photograph a large colony of 70 baya nests some

years ago in the heart of Noida when natural

trees and open spaces existed (see picture).

Today’s young generation living in cities rarely

gets such opportunities because bayas no more

nest in urban areas. Even if they do, they have to

put up with unruly situations as the one I noticed

in Sector 14 in Faridabad. They have hazardously

chosen a lonesome palm tree in the parking area

of a shopping Centre and made 20 nests despite

a lot of commotion.

Strangely, the male and female bayas have their

works distinctly demarcated. While the male has

the onus of building the intricate nests, the

female brings up a hungry brood of chicks. The

male baya, being a polygamist, is capable of

acquiring many partners; he painstakingly

weaves a splendid nest that is half-finished and

invites a lover to inspect the

construction. If the female is

dissatisfied, the male has to

engineer another improved

version. Once the female is

satisfied, they make love and

the male goes scot-free to

find another lover and

repeat the laborious nest-

building activity. The male is

capable of playing husband

and father to four or five

families all at once. More

nests mean more wives but it is not an easy

venture as scientists have found out that a single

completed nest comprises an incredible 3,437

grass strips.

According to Dr. R. Nagarajan at the

Department of Wildlife Biology at AVC College

in Tamil Nadu, Bayas are ingenious and construct

nests above natural water surface like lake, pond

and even inside abandoned wells. In desperate

situations, they even use telephone lines and

electric power line wires in the middle of

sugarcane fields or streams to hang their nests.

They only choose safe spots which are not easily

accessible to predators, including man.

Incredibly, the baya has the stamina to make a

minimum of 500 trips to complete one nest in

about 18 days.


47


48


49

By CH. Prakash Rao


50

In Kerala State, two sets of Laws are in operation,

viz. Kerala Forest Act and Wildlife (Protection)

Act.

After the commencement of the Wildlife

(Protection) Act in the State of Kerala, the State

Forest Act was amended by Amendment Act 23

of 1974. By the amendment, the following clause

occurring in the definition of ‘Forest Produce’ in

Section 2 (f ) of the Forest Act was deleted.

“Wild animals and tusks, honey, wax and all other

parts or produce of animals”

The effect of the amendment is that the items

mentioned in the said clause cease to be ‘forest

produce’.

While so, a case was registered in 1990 in

Vazhachal Range and Vazhachal Forest division

of Kerala State for illicit killing of a wild elephant.

During the course of investigation, the following

three persons were taken into custody:

1. Nelladan George,

2. MadhuraJohny, and

3. Chirayath Jose.

On interrogation, the aforesaid persons admitted

to the fact of killing elephants and the following

details have come to light in their statements

made to forest officers.

LEGAL NOTESState of Kerala and Anothervs. P.V.

Mathew (Dead) by L.Rs

On 01.04.1991, Neeladon George and

MadhuraJohny gave their statements before

the D.F.O. Chalakudy and Chirayath Jose made

his statement before the Flying Squad Range

Officer, Thrissur. They admitted to having gone

into the forest for killing elephants. The

investigation revealed that about seven months

ago they went into the forest by engaging a car

bearing No. KL8 6755, for shooting elephants.

They returned the car; and the poachers stayed

back in the forest for a few days. MadhuraJohny

sighted two tuskers: one big and another small.

After killing the elephants, they removed the

tusks and put them in a cave. They then

returned to Thrissur by bus.

Again they went into forest by engaging the

same car and collected the tusks from the cave

They sold the tusks to Chirayath Jose for Rs.

72,000/- and paid Rs. 3,500/- to the owner of

the car.

The car was later seized and it was subjected to

confiscation proceedings under the Kerala

Forest Act by Authorized Officer (D.F.O.,

Chalakudy). A Notice for confiscation of the car

was issued and after holding an enquiry, the car

was confiscated on 20.12.1996.

The owner of the car P.V. Mathew appealed to


51

the District Court, Thrissur and the District Court

allowed the appeal on 04.12.1998. State

preferred a revision to the High Court of Kerala

and the High Court passed the judgment on

02.12.2005 dismissing the revision petition of

the State.

Aggrieved by the judgment of the High Court,

State of Kerala preferred appeal by special leave

to the Supreme Court. The High Court dismissed

the revision petition of the Forest Department

because the High Court found that the ivory was

not forest produce any more after the

amendment of the Forest Act deleting the tusks

from the definition of the forest produce. The

Supreme Court Bench comprising, P. Sathasivam

and Chalmeswar,JJ heard the matter and held

that the present definition of ‘forest produce’

does not include ‘Tusks’. The Court held that even

the seizure of the car was not justified. The

confiscation it was held was beyond the

jurisdiction of the Authorized Officer. The Court

was unable to agree with the stand taken by

the State and consequently the appeal failed.

A.I.R.2012 Supreme Court 1502

K.B.R

Note: It is considered that the proper course of

action for the Kerala Forest Department would

have been to deal with the matter entirely

under Section 51 (1) and 51 (2) of the Wildlife

(Protection) Act for punishment of the accused

as well as for forfeiture of the Vehicle.

Let’s hope and pray that, the coming year bringshealth, happiness and peace to all of

us, our families and the rest of the world. Vana Premi


52

Sri K.Papa Rao (IFS),

RetiredDy.Conservator

of Forests passed away

in the early hours of 5th

December, 2012. He

had been suffering

from Alzheimer disease

for the past few years.

Sri Rao was born on 28-08-1941 in

Peddamaddala village of Krishna District to Sri

Kanakamedala Basavaiah and Smt.

Kanakamedala Sita Mahalakshimi. He had his

education from Hindu College, Machilipatnam

Mr Rao was selected as Forest Range Officers in

the year 1964 from Gujarat State and under gone

two years training in Southern Forest Rangers

College, Coimbatore during 1964-66 and passed

out with flying colours. He secured GOLD medal

in Forest Utilisation. He was very serious in

studies and equally active in all competitions

including Drama. He was greatly admired by all

trainees and liked by all Instructors.

After completing training and appointment as

Range Officer, Mr. Rao married Smt.

Ratnamanikyam in the year 1967 and blessed

with a son & Daughter. His son, Dr.K.Basu

Chakravarthy did post-graduation in Surgery and

OBITUARYK.PAPA RAO

28-08-1941—05-12-2012

presently working as Professor in Mamatha

Medical College Khammam. His daughter-in-

law, DrRekha is also working in the same

medical college.

Papa Rao served forest department of Gujarat

in various capacities as Range Officer, Asst.

Conservator of Forests & Deputy Conservator

of Forests and was appointed by promotion to

Indian Forest Service for his meritorious service

in the year 1985. He was honoured with very

prestigious award of “VRIKSHA MITRA” in the

year 1989 and was presented to him by none

other than Honourable Prime Minister of India,

Sri Rajiv Gandhi, for his extraordinary

contribution to SOCIAL FORESTRY. Mr.Rao was

highly respected by his subordinates & as well

as Superiors for his good manners, hard work

and honesty .He finally retired on

superannuation in the year 2001, as

Dy.Conservator of Forests, Sardar Sarovar Project,

Gujarat.

Mr Rao is survived by his wife, a son, a daughter,

Grand Children and host of Relatives & Friends.

MAY GOD BLESS HIS NOBLE SOUL TO REST IN

PEACE


53

Registered with RNI R.No. Apeng/2002.2185Postal Regn. No.LII/RNP/HDC/1154/2012-14

BOOK POST

To

If Undelivered, Please return to : Editor : VANA PREMIOffice of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Aranya Bhavan,

5th Floor, Room No. 514, Saifabad, Hyderabad - 500 004, A.P.

For details please see page no.43

Ven

u G

raph

ics,

Hyd

erab

ad ,

924

6332

717

Documents

January 2013