Maldhok's Fight For Survival!

 

“Unless someone cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not”… The Lorax.

I love cartoon movies like Lorax & it does give a wonderful message of saving the trees along with dash of entertainment. Above dialogue from the animated character Lorax, remained in my mind & when I met Dr. Pramod Patil, I felt like I am seeing a real life version of those words! At the age of just twenty nine odd years with a medical degree under the belt when many will be working on hard to make own carrier in profession, this guy is trying to save “Great Indian Bustard” named bird! I am sure not many will be even knowing such bird exists rather the name Bustard often used as a term with slight different spelling, that term many of us knows for wrong purpose as a curse! Many will be as usual saying, what’s big deal? Have we not more important cause to live for than wasting our time for some bird which we even don’t know where it lives & how it looks! At the same time, many will laugh at foolishness of Dr. Pramod as he should use his medical degree to make human life a shade better which is more important than some brown white bird which lives in barren lands. Well, best part of Dr. Pramod is that work also he is doing i.e. his research is on one of the biggest threat to human of modern times, diabetes. This research he is doing in parallel with his passion to save maldhok. And it’s this quality of Dr. Pramod is what makes him my subject of writing but before that lets know about his passion i.e. The Great Indian Bustard which we call in native language as Maldhok.

With our love for so called progress & development & urbanization, god knows how many other species we are making extinct i.e. gone from the face of earth forever & top on the list i.e. extremely endangered is Maldhok. In a way it’s just another brown gray white bird though pretty big in size, may be largest Indian bird which can fly but right now only some two eighty odd birds have been left all over the country & India is the only country where maldhok is found. Worst to that in our so called forest friendly State only some fifteen odd Maldhoks are there. Few of them are in Varora near Nagpur & fewer in Nanaj near Solapur. Once found all over the grass lands & even dry lands of India now only in few patches the birds is taking its last breaths. Ironically it’s the only bird for which there are nearly eight sanctuaries in the country but hardly in four or five of these sanctuaries, now we can see this bird!

What’s so special about Maldhok, is the question many will ask as aren’t there thousands of birds species in our country many of them are more beautiful as well exotic in looks than maldhok. Well agreed there are beautiful birds than maldhok & rare too, but it’s the habitat which makes maldhok special. All the poor bird needs is, open dry grass land with very less vegetation that’s why the biggest numbers of them are surviving in Rajasthan that to arid lands of Jeselmer near Pakistan border. And along with dry grass land it needs little bit of privacy which we don’t give to him & extinction of maldhok is sign of human encroachment on natural habitats around us! Because it’s a sign that how fast we are driving away every living specie around us, even those whose requirements are not very special. Unlike maldhok, which lives in dry grass lands which used to be plenty of them around every town or city; the very same habitat of maldhok also survives many other species like hare or rabbits or mongoose, wolf, hyenas. All these are slowly getting extinct along with maldhok & its habitat & main reason is we the human! A bird like maldhok which mostly stays on ground & lay egg also in open ground has many enemies, right from snakes to jackals to lizards. Though the egg is like stone & gets camouflaged in the rocky brown background. But more than these natural enemies which it has survived over the years, it doesn’t have a chance to survive in front of humans. We have not only directly killed maldhoks by hunting for eating it, but our other activities also has driven the bird to extinct. First we encroached its habitat for hundreds of reasons, right from making roads, digging canal, using the barren grass lands for plotted layouts of home making & yes laying power lines which also kills not only maldhoks but many birds. And then we have our cattle’s which roam in habitat of maldhok eating all the grass as well its hideouts & at the same time damaging its eggs which are on ground. And on the top of it, the female maldhok can conceive only once in a year & that too one egg at a time, making it very vulnerable to extinction! And if we can’t conserve even the dry barren grass lands for maldhoks, how we will be protecting the ever green forests & species like tiger living in those forests?

On this back ground there are people like Dr Pramod who are like saviors of the maldhok, trying their every bit to make the bird survive amongst our concrete jungle! He goes to the villages surrounding habitats of maldhoks, speaks with them, make them understand importance of the bird. He meets school kids in these villages around maldhok’s habitat & tries to make them friends of maldhoks. He urges them to keep an eye on the bird & its enemies, mainly human hunters. He works along with forest department & try to help in whatever best way he can, right from providing basic infrastructure like binoculars to jackets as well make them aware about the importance of the bird’s habitat conservation & every possible way to make the maldhok survive! He write articles in media & make people in cities aware about their responsibility for the bird as well he goes visiting school/college kids here & ask them to donate some time for spreading awareness for the birds conservation. In a way it’s not the captivity in which we want to make the maldhok survive but its open free natural living which counts most. Because that means protecting the entire dry grass lands around & that will result in survival of many species few of which I have mentioned above.

Maharashtra is one of the six states of India where great Indian bustards are still seen so let’s have a look at scene here. In Maharashtra Maldhok Sanctuary is at Nanaj, near North Solapur which is some 200km from Pune. Though it’s been declared as wild life sanctuary way back in 1979, means highest priority to conservation of Maldhoks preventing any human interference in this habitat; yet right from its area i.e. coverage to protecting its boundaries, all the things are in controversy. There are power lines, which the poor bird can’t see in its flight & collide with the same resulting instant death. There are roads going through the sanctuary, so are canals & every type of excavation goes on damaging the very grass land structure as well domestic animals grazing is on rampant along with human moments! Result is despite of having a tag of wild life sanctuary there are just three maldhoks, which also rarely seen here! Sometimes I really wonder whether we in true sense have understood the responsibility we carry as “Being Human’, towards wild life conservation; because with every possible power i.e. right from machinery, money to man power & more than that power to make policies, still we can’t assure a specie like maldhok, its right to live & survive happily! On the top of it even when there are same ruling party’s govt in Rajasthan & Maharashtra, we can’t get eggs for incubation to conserve more numbers of maldhoks here in our State from Rajasthan which has maximum numbers of the bird. Remember just declaring some land as wild life sanctuary isn’t going to increase the numbers, as how we expect the numbers to grow if the existing single maldhok pair is going to conceive just one egg per year? So many such questions needed to be not just answered by catchy announcements from our rulerts but by action.

Here is where person like Dr. Pramod’s dedication & efforts are eye opener not just for govt but every that individual who just makes comment on social media about incapability of govt to save maldhok & other species of wild life & considers his job towards conservation is done! And when it comes to doing something by our own self, we have every reason for not being able to do anything; we have to look after our job, career or profession & then most favorite question, what govt is doing? Well, surely one Dr. Patil is doing it on his own despite being in profession like medicine instead making money he is donating his time to save the bird which is not even part of his studies! We also can take inspiration from him & start doing something & trust me, sky is limit. You can help financially to people like Dr. Patil for his fight for maldhok survival, you can visit maldhok sanctuaries & help people like forest staff or villagers who are working or living there, you can make people aware about species like maldhok survives, you can write to so called govt or every person you know about his or her duty towards maldhok & its habitat on social media & what not! There are nearly One Twenty Crores of we the Indians, imagine if like Dr. Pramod, each of us decides to adopt at least one specie around & start doing something about wild life conservation! You may call this thought as day dreaming but then if we don’t see such dream & make war of survival for maldhok as our war then the reality of our future is one day poor maldhok would lost its war & gone extinct. Once every such specie is gone extinct, all that will remain on the earth is human bodies residing in our concrete jungle & then who will save us?

--

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

-- 

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1415&v=blgni8HSfDU

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2016/07/real-estate-ye-kya-ho-raha-hai.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below) 

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Not Just a Medal But a Lot More to Battle For!

“When I fell down, I was like, ah. One moment, my race is over, my dream is over; but then I managed to dig deep. I promised my daughter Rhianna, my oldest daughter, I was gonna get her a medal. And in my mind I was like, ‘nah, I can’t let her down”... Mo Faraha.

“Frankly speaking I had come here (Rio) to win a gold medal only! Our country is participating in the Olympics for first time & we have won gold in first attempt & its awesome feel; we may be a small & poor country but if you have dedication then you can be part of this great event even after a terrible war & win a medal too”... Majinda Kelmendi.

Mo Farah, 10,000m second time gold medalist from Brittan expressed after his thrilling win even after falling down on track at Rio Olympics. On similar lines expressed Majinda who won Judo medal for Kosovo; these words says what an Olympic medal meant for any participant of the great game! When I started writing this blog, already India has banked two medals & both by women. Both the women made history in their own way i.e. Sakshi Malik became first lady wrestler to get a medal in Olympics for our country & very same day Sindhu assured silver, becoming first woman to get silver medal for country! The shuttler wasn’t satisfied with silver & fought like a true warrior with World No 1 till three games & finally lost the fight for gold! And what a honorable way to lose; again proving, sometimes it’s not just the figures which decides the match result but the memories we take back at home after the match decides the winner. And for 120 crores of Indians, especially those like me who are not only fan but play the game of shuttle by themselves will be always grateful to Sindhu for the way she played in finals at Rio!

The Olympic which is supposedly greatest competition in any format of game, right form athletics to swimming & many games which we came to know about only at the Olympic. It has also heritage of controversies which follows every Olympic, may it be arrangements at the venue or economic impact on the organizing country or even doping scandals with participants. Yet one thing remains & that is its highest regard in the minds of not just players but everyone associated with game, coaches, physios, support staff, volunteers & yes fans all over the world, all seek just one thing, a medal in Olympics! In Greek “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, it means “Faster, Higher & Stronger”; that’s the motto of the tournament. This motto makes us realize every time you should try to outperform not just opponents but your own self too!

One more thing is common in controversy that too with our country & that is criticizing our team’s failure! And this time also we were not spared as first eleven days went without a medal & not so good performance by our players barring those by shooter Bindra & gymnast Deepa. Outcome was, right from our page 3 specialists to everyone started doubting our player’s capacity to win, even their intentions to go to Rio! Though there were many supporters for our players who replied Miss Page 3, yet it’s equally true many were thinking what’s going wrong with our country’s players; why even with over hundred player’s squad, we are not getting a single medal? Well, now with two of the girls getting medals will surely shut many critics but is it enough is also equally true. In our country success never needed analysis where as failure has thousands of critics, is always an unfortunate fact. Again why a victory should have gender shade to it, that is the question but that’s obvious in a country where we have to make slogans like “Save Girl Child”! Need of the time is to analyze sakshi & sindhu’s success at the same time lets work out how we can have more of them. Because if we study our game history barring cricket we never got consistent success at international level & this is the matter of concern. Agreed Sindhu & Saina are doing at world level much consistently but what besides them? At the same time we had Mary Come in boxing who next? We had Bindra with gold medal, again who is next in line? I am not referring to only Olympic but entire world level success ratio if we consider then it’s always individualistic & like years after year even  the countries like Ethiopia or Kenya or Jamaica produces athletes like ocean waves, while we have been just happy with trifles! And I am not comparing developed countries like USA, Germany, England or Russia. Even China has produced wonders after late entry in world level tournaments, so why we have to be satisfied by one Sindhu or one Saniya or one Sushilkumar & they too end as one tournament wonder!

Yes apart from cricket which unfortunately not part of big tournament one game we used to dominate, it was hockey. Here we have won seven or eight gold strait in a row, proving total dominance in the game over the years but that too we gave away to Western countries which learned basics of the game from us only.  And then in recent past we have been striking medals in wrestling but that too got cursed, first due to controversy over selection & then doping. Our best hope in wrestling is Narsing Yadav who got banned for four years ending his carrier itself. More than that the anti doping authority has raised serious question about entire system in India, asking how anybody can enter in the facility where athletes are trained & mix banned drugs in food of the players! As that’s what has been claimed by NADA i.e. our national anti doping authority, in a way exposing loopholes in our sports system itself! And then there has been a message which has gone viral how Gopichand trained Sindhu & lead her to medal, good at least someone is taking cognizance of efforts which are required to get a medal in Olympics! While we are celebrating two medals that too on 12th day but at the same time if we count success ratio then it’s hardly 2% on the count of entire squad which we have sent! And bad part is its way below the past Olympic i.e. where we have got some seven medals! So the graph is downwards which the case we should study is & that’s why I will like to put forward, our inconsistency at international level in any form of game! This is the difference we need to overcome between countries like USA or Jamaica or our neighbor China, where layers of players are developed. When one Lin Dan is snatching gold at the same time a Chen Long is getting ready for next year gold & someone further junior is practicing for Olympic after that, such is the system they have developed. In comparison we have one Kahshba Jadhav who got a bronze & then it too nearly thirty years for another individual medal. We had one PT Usha reaching finals of athletics & then it took again some twenty odd years for a Lalita Babar to reach in final of athletics! I think high time to think on such lacunas in our quest for Olympic medals. And I am not criticizing of doubting efforts of every individual player who has been qualified for the game, but it’s about the system which is supposed to develop the players who will stand to the pressure & quality of the game in Olympic! As going by genetics we are not as physically well built like West Indians or Germans are, so we have to make our self fit enough to rub the shoulders with them, is first challenge!

For that we have to understand social scene in our country, let’s start from the family or parents as it’s the parents’ role which is most vital in identifying a player right in childhood & provide him or her space to develop as a champion! On this front how many parents can afford to develop their son or daughter to make his or her carrier as a sportsman & that too other than cricket? And then those who can afford out of that how many parents allow their child to choose sports as carrier other than standard path like engineering or medical or mba or govt service? This is where the crux is for a country not being able to produce lots of international players, as we don’t believe in making sports as a carrier for our kids! Passion, talent & all other things are fine but that passion & talent get tied up & gagged under the terms like salary package & settling down in life, which sports doesn’t assure one bit here! For example who knew names like Dattu Foknal or Gita Fogut or Lalita Babar before they got qualified for Olympics & what will be there status after coming back from the game without a medal, can anyone assure that? Agreed now govt will give all praise, money & job for those who have won medal but what before that?

Why a young boy or girl who is from an average middle class family should start aspiring for the medal in Olympics with no background of any sports in first place? We need to tap the talent right when the age is nine to ten & train them & then we can expect gold from them at age of eighteen & above & like a production line in auto industry, this procedure should be ever on. And for that like engineering or medical colleges we need to build sports academy at every district level & see that it produces quality players & assure them their future! These institutes should give good scholarships’ as well insurance type backups in case of injuries to the young sports students. Along with game training, the sports institutes should train the athletes to keep away from drugs & stay extreme fit; as injury & doping are the two worst enemies of modern days athletes! Take example of Usen Bolt, it’s not just nine gold in three events in three consecutive Olympics but he has to remain fit & drug free for nearly fifteen years for that, that is what makes Bolt greatest!  

We have IIT’s for making best of technocrats, we have IIM’s to make best of managers, we have AIMS for quality  medical talent & list is on with Architectural, Science as well Commerce Institutes but where are the Institutes which produces quality players & if there are any then what’s going wrong & who is analyzing their output? Same is with attitude of society as well players who have made themselves big even by money (though very few other than cricketers), what is their contribution to sports academies like alumni of IIT’s does for their institutes? How many players who have made it to international level, regularly goes to spend time with young athletes who are yet at State level & share their passion as well exposure? Most importantly, what society in whole is doing for sports in our country? How many corporate have adopted unknown players in sports other than cricket? Agreed we do business to make money so we put our money on the horse which is winning but then what right we have to call other horses as donkey? At the same time there is need of tournaments like IPL in every game which will give opening as well stage for every sportsman to perform & earn some money too. One more important aspect is developing Institutes’ to make coaches also are equally important as to have batch of great sportsmen, we need greater coaches first!

Social media is full of positive as well negative comments about players & their performances but who have actually done something for any sport or for a sportsman in real life? What right we have to speak about our countries performance at Olympic? I think Rio Olympic has definitely opened box of Pandora for all of us & our Hon PM who is keen to make countries mark on International level won’t leave any stone unturned to use sports as best tool for doing so. Only thing is he should realize, an Olympic Medal can be wished through “Man Ki Baat”, but it needs more than just wish as well passion & talent to take it home. The missing link is organized infrastructure & a system to support the talent we have in sports. Lastly, what I as a person gained from Olympic? I enjoyed watching every moment of game & I myself get inspired for being fit by myself first & to do something better than what I am doing for my work as well my surrounding. One more thing, I will surely do my best to support some sport in my best way & will contribute to gain my country medal in not just Olympics but every tournament; this is what I have gained from Olympics & I am sure if each of us decides on same line then only we have understood the gist of “Citius, Altius & Fortious”!

--

Sanjay Deshpande

 
Sanjeevani Dev.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1415&v=blgni8HSfDU

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2016/07/real-estate-ye-kya-ho-raha-hai.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com