IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman
For a species that preys on the dead, the Long-billed vulture should not have found survival a struggle, except that it does. Ongoing construction of a resort at what was billed to be a vulture sanctuary, not far from Bangalore, has the forest department up in arms, as NK Suprabha finds out'
Just 40 kms from Bangalore is the site of a picturesque rocky terrain, surrounded by lush greenery and scattered villages, like in a frame right off the wall of an art connoisseur. The rocks are certain to be a challenge for rock climbers. The centerpiece of Ramanagaram is the Sriramdevara betta, (Mountain of Lord Sri Rama). This stunning landscape, replete with gigantic rocks, lake, breezy plains and the abundantly fragrant environs is a potent potion for cheerfulness.
It was here that the most memorable blockbuster of Hindi cinema ' "Sholay" ' was shot, the place passed off for a Chambal-esque hinterland called Ramgarh. Thanks to the association, the place also earned the title of 'Sholay Betta' (Sholay mountains).
Sriramadevara betta's fame however is not confined to its scenic beauty or defined by cinema; 255 km of this area is India's only natural breeding habitat of the endangered Long-billed vulture. And yet the commercial interests in this region are threatening to leave no trace of either legacy.
Bald headed, broad winged and dumpy tail feathered long-billed vultures are not too easy to spot. Weighing between 5.5 and 6.3 kg, these birds ' like all other vultures ' are scavengers, feeding off dead remains for food. Ramanagaram, famous for its silk, has continued to spare dead silkworms as supplementary diet for these vultures. Little wonder vultures are a common sight around city limits, feasting on worms discarded by the silk factories and then flying back to their rocky haunts.
Lately, in Sriramdevara betta, barely 12-13 Long-billed vulture families are left, though other species are abundant. 'When we conducted the bird watch survey three years back, we spotted 12-13 Long-billed vultures. Other common vulture species are also here. Finding the Long-billed vulture on the verge of extinction, we started the 'Save The Long-billed vulture' project. The Wildlife department has sent a proposal to government to declare this place a sanctuary,' says Geethanjali, District Conservator of Forests, Ramanagaram.
When TSI visited Sriramdevara betta, we spotted three different species of vultures and even got a glimpse of the elusive Long-billed vulture on a distant perch. The very rock on which this lone vulture rested overlooked, in a manner most ominous, the scene of two big cranes digging earth to lay foundation for an upcoming resort. 'This place is habitat to several species of vultures. Other animals like foxes and bears too are found here. But now the resort construction is on in full swing. The forest department is fighting hard to stop commercial activity in this area,' informs Nagaraju, a local priest of Sriramdevara betta. Scavenging for life The state government and the forest department had decided to declare Sriramdevara betta a vulture sanctuary long back. The initiative, if implemented, would have been the second of its kind in the country, after the artificial breeding centre in Pinjore near Haryana. 'We had sent a proposal to the central government to declare this area a vulture sanctuary a year back. I don't know the exact status of the proposal. The government will decide soon,' says Indu Bhushan Srivastav, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Karnataka.
The surrounding plains of Sriramdevara betta are now the private property of Ananthara hospitality firm, and set to be the address of a lavish resort in the region. 'We bought this place from farmers five years back. We have clearance for each level. It is true that vultures fly over this place, but birds don't necessarily dwell here. So how could you consider this place a vulture sanctuary? Besides, just because vultures stay here, the place won't turn into a forest area. There are no documents to prove this place is a forest area,' says Amarnath, Site Manager, who is in charge of the resort's construction works. Scavenging for life While Ananthara claims to have bought this land from farmers, there are documents declaring this land granted to backward communities as 'pasture' (place for cattle to graze). When the dispute reached the local court, the verdict went in favour of the private company. But now the forest department is appealing in the High Court. According to the forest department, 255 acres of land including the Sriramdevara betta and neighbouring plains fall under forest land, of the 344 acres defined by Survey No. 107. The revenue department and forest department are planning to conduct a joint survey. 'We have all documents to prove this area comes under forest department. The Deputy Commissioner gave clearance to the private hands without a second thought. The construction workers had even fought with our officials when we opposed ongoing work. One of our forest conservators got hurt in the process. But we will fight the legal way in the High Court. No one is permitted to use forest land without getting central permission. We have notifications from the time of the Maharaja's reign designating this as forest land,' says Indu Bhushan Srivastav.
However, Ravi Shankar, the new land owner backing the resort, begs to differ. 'The real tussle is between the revenue department and forest department. We are sandwiched in between. In this 255 acre land, only 138 acres are under the forest department. The rest of the acreage is revenue land. If they consider all of Survey No. 107 areas as forest land, they will have to demolish half of Sriramdevara betta village! We are working here legally. We have all permissions and clearances. If the High Court order proves adverse, we will wind up work immediately,' assures Ravi Shankar.
Amongst the Parsis is a tradition of casting dead bodies in a tower ' the tower of silence ' where vultures can feed on them. This ritual exposure in a manner to preclude contamination by the dead will be only one of the losses, should we lose our scavenger species. In Mumbai, the community has already resorted to 'solar concentration' to expedite cremation, while in Hebbal, Bangalore, the custom continues even though it is increasingly difficult to see a vulture preying on the dead. These prey birds are central to disease prevention and nutrient cycling. Unless we find ways to conserve the species, a less memorable spin-off would be "kitne vultures thhe?"!
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board
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IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's SnapsFor a species that preys on the dead, the Long-billed vulture should not have found survival a struggle, except that it does. Ongoing construction of a resort at what was billed to be a vulture sanctuary, not far from Bangalore, has the forest department up in arms, as NK Suprabha finds out'
Just 40 kms from Bangalore is the site of a picturesque rocky terrain, surrounded by lush greenery and scattered villages, like in a frame right off the wall of an art connoisseur. The rocks are certain to be a challenge for rock climbers. The centerpiece of Ramanagaram is the Sriramdevara betta, (Mountain of Lord Sri Rama). This stunning landscape, replete with gigantic rocks, lake, breezy plains and the abundantly fragrant environs is a potent potion for cheerfulness.
It was here that the most memorable blockbuster of Hindi cinema ' "Sholay" ' was shot, the place passed off for a Chambal-esque hinterland called Ramgarh. Thanks to the association, the place also earned the title of 'Sholay Betta' (Sholay mountains).
Sriramadevara betta's fame however is not confined to its scenic beauty or defined by cinema; 255 km of this area is India's only natural breeding habitat of the endangered Long-billed vulture. And yet the commercial interests in this region are threatening to leave no trace of either legacy.
Bald headed, broad winged and dumpy tail feathered long-billed vultures are not too easy to spot. Weighing between 5.5 and 6.3 kg, these birds ' like all other vultures ' are scavengers, feeding off dead remains for food. Ramanagaram, famous for its silk, has continued to spare dead silkworms as supplementary diet for these vultures. Little wonder vultures are a common sight around city limits, feasting on worms discarded by the silk factories and then flying back to their rocky haunts.
Lately, in Sriramdevara betta, barely 12-13 Long-billed vulture families are left, though other species are abundant. 'When we conducted the bird watch survey three years back, we spotted 12-13 Long-billed vultures. Other common vulture species are also here. Finding the Long-billed vulture on the verge of extinction, we started the 'Save The Long-billed vulture' project. The Wildlife department has sent a proposal to government to declare this place a sanctuary,' says Geethanjali, District Conservator of Forests, Ramanagaram.
When TSI visited Sriramdevara betta, we spotted three different species of vultures and even got a glimpse of the elusive Long-billed vulture on a distant perch. The very rock on which this lone vulture rested overlooked, in a manner most ominous, the scene of two big cranes digging earth to lay foundation for an upcoming resort. 'This place is habitat to several species of vultures. Other animals like foxes and bears too are found here. But now the resort construction is on in full swing. The forest department is fighting hard to stop commercial activity in this area,' informs Nagaraju, a local priest of Sriramdevara betta. Scavenging for life The state government and the forest department had decided to declare Sriramdevara betta a vulture sanctuary long back. The initiative, if implemented, would have been the second of its kind in the country, after the artificial breeding centre in Pinjore near Haryana. 'We had sent a proposal to the central government to declare this area a vulture sanctuary a year back. I don't know the exact status of the proposal. The government will decide soon,' says Indu Bhushan Srivastav, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Karnataka.
The surrounding plains of Sriramdevara betta are now the private property of Ananthara hospitality firm, and set to be the address of a lavish resort in the region. 'We bought this place from farmers five years back. We have clearance for each level. It is true that vultures fly over this place, but birds don't necessarily dwell here. So how could you consider this place a vulture sanctuary? Besides, just because vultures stay here, the place won't turn into a forest area. There are no documents to prove this place is a forest area,' says Amarnath, Site Manager, who is in charge of the resort's construction works. Scavenging for life While Ananthara claims to have bought this land from farmers, there are documents declaring this land granted to backward communities as 'pasture' (place for cattle to graze). When the dispute reached the local court, the verdict went in favour of the private company. But now the forest department is appealing in the High Court. According to the forest department, 255 acres of land including the Sriramdevara betta and neighbouring plains fall under forest land, of the 344 acres defined by Survey No. 107. The revenue department and forest department are planning to conduct a joint survey. 'We have all documents to prove this area comes under forest department. The Deputy Commissioner gave clearance to the private hands without a second thought. The construction workers had even fought with our officials when we opposed ongoing work. One of our forest conservators got hurt in the process. But we will fight the legal way in the High Court. No one is permitted to use forest land without getting central permission. We have notifications from the time of the Maharaja's reign designating this as forest land,' says Indu Bhushan Srivastav.
However, Ravi Shankar, the new land owner backing the resort, begs to differ. 'The real tussle is between the revenue department and forest department. We are sandwiched in between. In this 255 acre land, only 138 acres are under the forest department. The rest of the acreage is revenue land. If they consider all of Survey No. 107 areas as forest land, they will have to demolish half of Sriramdevara betta village! We are working here legally. We have all permissions and clearances. If the High Court order proves adverse, we will wind up work immediately,' assures Ravi Shankar.
Amongst the Parsis is a tradition of casting dead bodies in a tower ' the tower of silence ' where vultures can feed on them. This ritual exposure in a manner to preclude contamination by the dead will be only one of the losses, should we lose our scavenger species. In Mumbai, the community has already resorted to 'solar concentration' to expedite cremation, while in Hebbal, Bangalore, the custom continues even though it is increasingly difficult to see a vulture preying on the dead. These prey birds are central to disease prevention and nutrient cycling. Unless we find ways to conserve the species, a less memorable spin-off would be "kitne vultures thhe?"!
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board
Run after passion and not money, says Arindam Chaudhuri
IIPM BBA MBA B-School: Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize To Irom Chanu Sharmila
Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions
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