Women's Day, Wild Life Day & Future!

 

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“Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. Man can rebuild a pyramid, but he can't rebuild ecology or a giraffe’... Joy Adamson.

On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March –because this was the day (i.e. 3^rd March) on which signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1973 – as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2021 under the theme "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet".

Well, interestingly the very same week of the year shares one more important day starting with alphabet W , yes it’s Women’s Day which is celebrated on 8^th March & let me tell you both W’s are very much important to entire mankind & its wellness! More interestingly if the theme of the Wildlife Day is People in & around the forests then theme of this Women’s Day is Women in Leadership as first time we have acknowledged that if we want to make survive the wildlife then it’s the people around the forests or say wildlife habitats which are going to play a vital role in it. Just like wildlife conservation, the women can be conserved (read as allowing women to live with pride, peace & dignity)  then they has to be given the pilot seat which is seldom denied to them in a men dominated world is a fact & I am glad, late but we are trying in right direction on the front of both W’s i.e. wildlife & women!

Now coming to wildlife & people around forests & women, on face one will say what’s connection in it or what’s common factor in all these but let me tell you if at all we can save the wildlife then it’s the women who must take (and not given) the pilot seat as the phrase says, if you teach a man something , it will make him to prosper but if you teach a woman something then it will help entire family to prosper & we want many families to save wildlife so high time the women takes leadership on the front of wildlife also, along with other businesses & professions!

Exactly keeping this aspect in mind I must share something about our contribution (sorry this blog is not for sharing my personal achievements but this isn’t achievement, it’s a small effort) on this front. Six years back we started Vanaja, a Nature Club at BNCA, and a leading women college of architecture in Pune, to make the lady architects aware about wildlife & its importance for the society. As its these brains (women) which will be designing various projects in future & if they know what they have to save (i.e. wildlife) sure they will plan every project may it be a industry, a school, a resort or a township, they will ensure wildlife will be part of their designs, was the thought process! And I am very happy to share that after six years the community of women architect leaders is increasing & who are wild lifer also & that makes a big difference while they plan any project! And then we have been part of Jungle Belles an exclusive wild life initiative for women only, making city women know about wildlife & make them expose to this wonderful aspect of our life!

As the women will start understanding wildlife then if the architect women (via Vanaja) which will be designing projects for humans i.e. people in & around forests will surely accommodate wildlife in it as well the women which will be getting exposed to wilderness via Jungle Belles will be going to forests, meeting people over there & apply their thought process for well beings of these people! And outcome is, during this lockdown era when wildlife tourism got worst hit on finance front, many women extended their hand to help people living around the forests & supported via contributing things like clothes,  food grains for the villagers, guides & such allied people depending on forests as well wildlife tourism for their livelihood via Jungle Belles forum! This I will say, is fusion of both the “W” themes actually, as if wildlife day is for people around the forests & women’s Day is for women leadership then what’s happening via initiatives like Vanaja & Jungle Belles is making two fronts of life meet & work in harmony for betterment of both W’s!

And the logic is also same for both W’s, i.e. if you want to survive (or grow or conserve) the wildlife then what you will assure, the simple answer is give wildlife its space to grow, right? And how you do it, can you do it sitting in your plush residence in city like Pune or Mumbai or Bangalore or Chennai or what about glass walled office towers which we proudly look at as symbol of our success? No guys, wildlife needs space & that space if in the form of the ocean, lake, rivers, ponds, hills, forests, mountains & many such & it’s right now being encroached by people who live near such places & it’s their land too which we want for wildlife! So its these people’s (humans) comfort & livelihood is at stake when we are conserving wildlife & we can’t just drove them off to make wildlife survives. And when we say we want women at peace & happy, what we should do? Same way as wild life i.e. we should give the women their space & how we do it but by giving them leadership, where they can take lead in deciding way to life for achieving their peace or happiness!

And let me tell you the major conflict when it occurs between humans & wild, then it’s the female gender which has to take the toll, from both sides! Look at the cases where humans has been succumbed to injuries or fatality in animal attacks by sloth bear or tiger or an elephant, most of the times its  lady of the house who has to go in open wilderness for natural call in dark hours to avoid men eyes (which are more deadlier than any wild animal) or to collect fire wood for cooking or to accompany a child going to school far away from home or for grass cutting & become easiest prey for the hunters like tiger, though no fault of them also! At the same time whenever there is incidence of an animal’s unnatural death (due to humans)  it’s mostly a mother & the reason is to protect her cubs from humans or from another male tiger or to feed the cubs where hunting becomes hard, the mom tiger or elephant exposes herself to human settlements & outcome is her death!

Friends, its irony of our so called evolved or developed society that we have to celebrate days for things as important as two W’s i.e. Wildlife & Women which are actually is third W i.e. Wheel of our life! And  yet we have to propose themes like livelihood of people around forests or leadership of women & frankly the wildlife for itself can’t do anything for its own conservation but the women can & must take leadership on both fronts, i.e. on their own lives as well wild life conservation, is need of the time! Why we need a theme to make women lead & tell or make women aware that she also can be a better leader than a man. Women, it’s high time to take controls in your hands than just demanding & use that power for yourself as well wildlife also! Imagine a woman whose main feature is care & apathy how she can harm innocent wildlife rather with more women in driving seat on wildlife front will make wildlife may it be some tree or a tiger or a bird (well women, snakes & reptiles are also part of the wildlife in lighter vein as most women hates or dislikes these specie) as a family member along with the people living forests & that will be the best day for both i.e. the women & the wildlife!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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