HOSTILE

By Russell Crisante' Fernandes 

 

The Bagh Bahadur motored its way past the exposed mudflats at high noon. Something very unusual caught my eyes as I looked upon the areas from where the waters had receded. An endless line of what seemed like fishing nets bordered the banks. Aghast at the thought of blatant violations within a biosphere reserve, I asked my guide “Isn’t the forest department going to confiscate these nets?” He smiled and replied “If they do that, it’s the villagers that will be hooked and eaten”. He didn’t have to explain his statement to me. I knew now that these were not ordinary fishing nets. In fact, they were not even put up to necessarily prevent people from entering the Sunderbans. They were there, to keep the people safe from what came looking for them from these forests.
While most kids my age were battling with light sabers, I stayed engrossed with the tales of Corbett and Anderson. Most of my friends always wondered what it would be like to go into the future and experience advanced technology. I wondered what it would be like to step into the past and experience primal fear. It is hard to describe how undertaking a journey of a few hours from one of India’s busiest metros feels like stepping through a time portal, where the rule of tooth and claw still holds sway. Here, we are not on top of the food chain. One would imagine that the only concern for people that lived in these parts would be to stay of the menu. How many of my initial assumptions were proved redundant in the next few days.

sunderbanSunderbans

 

tigerRoyal Bengal Tiger

salt water crocodile sunderban brooklynvoiceSaltwater Crocodile

The Sunderbans has always been a land of myth, mystery and stark reality. Few places expose you to the fragility of life as these parts do. While this narrative started off with an insight into one of the most publicized reasons for mortality, there are perhaps too many to mention within one article. The cycle of life and death is looked upon pretty much like the life altering tides; what comes into being, must go out eventually. The highest incidence of predation by Bengal Tigers takes place in these parts, more publicized than the deaths attributed to Saltwater Crocodile attacks and Snake Bites. However ironical it may sound, but being in the same neighborhood with the world’s most aggressive Tigers and largest species of Crocodile, is still not the biggest problem faced by the people of the Sunderbans.
Located at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the River Ganges, the world’s largest delta has always at the mercy of the elements. Seasonal tropical storms have made a lot of widows wish they had asked their men to not risk venturing out in a dingy canoe on a day when the sky looked grey. Remember, they do not have the luxury of the weather channel or the internet to know the extent of approaching storms. In fact, the distant glow of kerosene lanterns on a late evening boat ride home reminds us that most of the villages don’t even have electricity or access to clean water. The recent fury unleashed by Cyclone Aila provided further evidence to how nature can literally blow away man’s claim to being the dominant force. Our planet has never been called Mistress Earth, and for good reason.
While news channels go through the labor pains of sending a crew to cover the initial havoc unleashed by cyclones, little coverage is extended once most of the bloated carcasses have been accounted for. For the survivors, the hardships that follow can sometimes make death look like a luxury. While agriculture may have never been an occupation of preference, the few that did practice it are literally looking at the heavens for some mercy.

Their lands have not produced crops for almost 3 years now since the cyclone as a result of the saline water that was unleashed inland. Their only hope is for another strong monsoon season to literally flush out the salinity and improve crop yield.  Traditionally, the Indian side of the Sunderbans has always had a higher ratio of saltwater to freshwater as compared to the Bangladesh side.  Any further imbalances created will have a much higher impact for people living in these parts than most of the metros.
One look at the recent events with New Moore Island will put the term ‘Global’ warming into perspective. There has been considerable debate among both India and Bangladesh about which country laid claim to the uninhabited stretch of land, among others along the maritime boundary. This debate was effectively settled when the island was completely submerged as a result of rising sea levels. As we look back on the current world scenario with conflict zones prevalent in most nations, it is now ironical how many of the conflicts may survive the world rather than the other way around.
What still amazes one about the Sunderbans is the strength of character displayed by the people. Sandwiched between hostile elements and political apathy, they still find perhaps the numbness to remain optimistic. Just as they don’t always have the time to look up and see what may be stalking them through the mangroves, they don’t have the luxury of looking towards the year 2020 and wondering about the effects of global warming. Some conservationists debate that the Bengal Tigers should be classified as a sub-species for their unique behavioral patterns. If we do think on those lines, the people of the Sunderbans should be classified separately for their courage and will power.

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