Jungle Belles; Tribute to the Path Untraveled!

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“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” … Robert A. Heinlein.

The year 2019 has come to end & while penning down my sharing in the later part of December I always love to look back & see the days of the years by rewinding the mind tape! Though tape (video/audio) now days has been restricted to sticking tape as today’s genre doesn’t even know what it is yet my genre still understand it as it meant!  Last two years my forest trips are not frequent as they used to be (I do miss them) yet my exposure to wilderness remained a lot & thanks to the people who made it possible, I want to introduce two such women who are my friends & that makes me proud! As you might be knowing wild life conservation, which is need of time, is something not much considered as woman’s field & reasons are forests are far away from homes, as well the infrastructure there is not so comfortable (read as safe which is a myth though) & then when the holiday destinations are decided in the family a woman has last say as its always kids & the hubby & the seniors in the home (read as In-Laws) is the standard chronology in most Indian families. Obviously a lady of the home has hardly any choice of her place to visit & no wonder forests comes last on travel agenda! At the same time it’s not possible to go with unknown groups especially if men are involved, is another hurdle, even if the lady gets permission to go to forests alone. 

That is the reason if you go through social media & groups of wild life photographers posting their wonderful wild life images, 95 out of 100 such wild life images are clicked by men & most celebrity wild life names are of male gender! Though we forget wild life is not just about clicking photographs of tigers but a lot lot more than it & to understand wild life first one needs to visit the forests or else how you are going to love them & if you don't love forests how you are going to conserve them, is something I always ask to the people! And on such background if a wife, a mom, a sister, a girl-friend, a grand-mother starts visiting forests, gets enlightened about its importance, then only she can tell (read as share) about forests & what these forests needs from us to survive, to her brother, son, husband & friends & there only is some hope for forests as well thousands of species who are endangered & on verge of being extinct by some son, father, husband or a friend ( read as men)! 

And then another side is this can be best mental as well physical break for a woman when she visits some forest far away from city life as well home's daily chores, rejuvenating herself for her infinite duties! This is why Hemangi Vartak & Aarti Karve's new venture Jungle Belles is special as its women focused & making them aware about their duty not just towards forests but towards themselves! And when they both decided to start Jungle Belles, which will be a service to provide the platform to women to make them visit wilderness exclusively by themselves i.e. ladies special you can call, I myself as their friend as well as a wild lifer, was happy to be their little support via Sanjeevani i.e. my firm. As here are two women who are themselves comes from so called elite (read as upper class) part of society & who could have been just happy by visiting forests by themselves & post their outings on Insta /FB & get applauds from their friends. But they deiced to do something more as they not just love forests but they want to convert their love for forests in more better way & actually do something for the forests & what better way than making other women gets exposure of forests by their venture! And if you want to make a woman love something then first she should know that thing, a simple funda which most men never understands & that’s why may be it took these two women to come up with concept like Jungle Belles!

Well, Jungle Belles doesn’t just takes women to forests but brings forest to them at their door steps that too in city like Pune through many well known wild life celebrities, which shares their work as well passion about wild life with audience (mostly women) so that the bond between women & forests gets builds! Jungle Belles runs (an plans to continue with it) an year long activity in Pune for wild life lovers & more for non lovers (of wild life) by which a platform is being created between the people in field & people in city, to make both these fraternities gets exposed to each other. And this includes forest departments senior people who actually work for protecting forests like Mr. Nitin Kakodkar, IFS, PCCF (Wild), wild life filmmakers like Nalla Mutthu & Bedi brothers, wild life photographers like Vikram Potdar & Mohan Thomas & the list will sure soon have some female names too as there are such though a few yet; infact the Jungle Belles took off at the hands of none other than Vandana Chavan, MP of Pune who is known for her environment awarness!! And even if you get the forests to a woman’s door step yet getting that woman to her door steps is hell difficult, especially when the cause is like wild-life. Because unfortunately that’s not priority for most women & when a woman is invited for some wild life program then she comes out with every possible reason for not attending it (even it may be a holiday or week end); such as, kids have classes, its holiday & husband wants me around, I have to attend some family function, I don’t have transport arrangements, my maid hast turned up today, my in-laws are not well & the list is just un-ending! And this is why we are unable to protect forests & natural habitats as the women power has not yet joined hands in this movement!This is where the path of Jungle Belles concept wise may look golden & great, but it’s rough & tiring than any jungle path actually, as its most difficult to make women know that the key to save the forests or nature is in their hands only! Still Hemangi & Aarti (in support with Anuj Khare) dared to take this path & are on with their fight, this is what makes them special in my eyes!

Below is something about Jungle Belles which I wrote; it’s actually for Hemangi & Aarti, more than readers…...

Indeed, Girlz, with Jungle Belles, it's the wilderness experience is what we want to make you live by! A venture by Hemangi Vartak & Arrti Karve, who themselves are Master of Management & Wild Lifers too, have come-up  exclusively for Women Wild Life Tours, Awareness & Conservation opportunity! It’s well supported by veteran wild life guy like Anuj Khare!  Jungle Belles is is Wild Life Tours only for Women & there will be a round the year Club activity also with loads of programs, dedicated to wild life knowledge sharing as well conservation. Best part is it’s by the women, for the women so fur some moments you will keep aside every responsibility you perform under different roles & explore the nature through best dimension i.e. wild life! 

Actually by me it’s not just about wild life, forests, animals, nature or even conservation, it’s actually for every that woman who keeps herself on the back foot (or say back stage) when its deciding priorities. I don’t by mistake will say to any woman that don’t care for your husband or kids or family  & then comes your house hold duties & then job front for working women & then comes career but beyond all this there is a duty towards your own self, its knowing the woman within you & make her at peace & happy & best way for that goes through nature. When you are visiting some forest even nearby to Pune or attending some visual presentation about nature or forests, that time is what you are giving (read as gifting) to your own self & that’s what I call rejuvenation! Do it women & see you are not just helping to a movement known as Save Tiger but you hold power to Save Entire Society; that’s what Jungle Belles is going to make you know about yourself!

So ladies, this 31^st Dec, while you welcome a New Year, make a resolution to be a Wild Lifer Woman & age is not a criteria here, gender is surely & it’s in your favor when you joins Jungle Belles, Happy New & Pink Wild Year Girlz!

You can get more info about Jungle Belles from aarti/hemani or anuj at..

junglebelles.pune@gmail.comas well at 09763418218/ 09923558588 / 08007976337

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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