Wild Boar, Urban Development & Wildlife!

 

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“The future of wildlife and the habitat that they depend on is being destroyed. It is time to make nature and all the beauty living within it our priority.” …  Paul Oxton

“Urbanization in India is a slow but sure death for her villages and villagers” … Mahatma Gandhi.

 

Two quotes, both about making us aware about our duty towards others while we make progress & both personalities have a common platform as both have worked rather, say started their career on social front after working in South Africa, though Paul is from developed western world & Gandhiji is from underdeveloped Asia. And maybe that’s why if Paul warns us about our duty towards wildlife, then Bapu warns us about humans which themselves are a species different from the so-called developed & urban humans i.e., villagers. There is a similarity between these two categories, though Paul speaks about wildlife & species other than humans & Bapu refers to the humans yet these humans are a different species on the front of lifestyle & habitat than we human the urban humans & the humans which Babu has referred includes farmers, tribes & natives of villages who mostly live along with the nature at respective places! So, actually both of these are warning us about the same thing, while you progress or develop don’t forget (read as neglect) nature, which includes humans, wildlife, forests & every such thing & if Bapu has told us this nearly seventy years back then Paul is telling this thing today also, that’s the irony of our so-called growth or development!

I know, this is boring stuff & you may think it's going on the same lines of how we are doing wrong things under the name of development & destructing nature, as news papers are filled with news of how forests are getting reduced & man-animal conflicts & how we are destroying nature including water bodies & hills blah blah blah! And the very same news-papers prints full page advertises of the products which are cause of all the news they only publish about nature destruction which includes buildings (read as flats, offices etc), automobiles, oil & gas & many such, so what’s use of reading all this crap about save nature or wildlife whatever, & I will not blame you! As not just the news-papers but entire society (read as the world) survives on the money which is generated by all these real estate & automobile or oil or say every industry as from that money we get our food, we get our clothes, we get our shelter which we call home & all perks or say comforts of our life, so what if some wildlife gets hampered in the process! Agreed & this is exactly what Paul & Bapu has warned us about as because some developed humans can do such things for comfort then who will think about making others lives too a bit comfortable or let us put in other way, as no harm in making our own life comfortable but what if it’s built on death of thousands of other lives, is that comfort still worth, is the question I want to ask all of us, that’s why the sharing! If we consider ourselves developed & intelligent, then whose responsibility is it to find a solution where not every but most lives can strike the comfort along with ours, that is why this sharing!

 

Now if you agree with me & willing to read ahead then the ignition point of this urban vs wild sharing (that way everyday there is some ignition point) is a news (as usual) of death of an auto rickshaw passenger in outskirts of Pune city due to collision with a wild boar & two other are severely injured! The news was on the third page of a local daily & quite big as that way every day at least five to six people lose lives in road accidents in & around Pune city alone but it's usually human vs human collision, not with some wild animal like a wild boar! As how the stupid wild boar can do that, as first, it has no right to come on the roads built by the humans for their travelling, second, why can’t it blow horn or give indicator light before its intercepting some human’s vehicle & lastly, who gave it a right to push the smaller vehicle aside which caused death of a human, the wild boar must be sentenced for minimum seven years for negligent driving! And then this may be first of its kind experience in our smart developing city of Pune but in south India, on highways regularly wild elephants have been reported to chase cars & even damaged them injuring the commuters in many cases, all these wild animals should be punished under motor vehicle act, I wonder how some NGO has not filed an PIL for doing so yet! And if this isn’t enough, in the rural of Pune District (Junnar, Narayangaon), leopards are troubling the road travellers attacking on two wheelers, making them run for their life & getting injured to vehicle skidding the chase from these stupid leopards, who seems to be playing this chase game for their fun time, what else!

 

Sorry Guys, sarcasm (and I am full of it) is the only way I can express myself as keeping all due respect to the lives lost of humans in all above incidences yet this is outcome of neglecting the warning which Bapu has given us decades back is what I feel & to remind ourselves about it, this sharing! As, Leopards, elephants, wild boars, tigers attacking humans, (thankfully tigers not around Pune yet) so what next, whales attacking ships or eagles attacking aeroplanes & choppers; when we will learn that it is our relentless attacks on all these animals’ homes (read as habitats) because of which we are witnessing their retaliation for their survival! As a man gets killed in an accident with a wild boar it becomes big news but a wild boar is killed under some heavy vehicle then it's not even news worth printing, is a bitter fact! As imagine instead of their auto rickshaw, had there been a truck or some bigger vehicle & yet the wild boar would have collided with that vehicle as like you & me it has not taken a driving licence (one more offence of the stupid animal) nor it has been taught traffic rules & what would have been outcome of the collision then, the wild boar would have been died, that is all! Unfortunately, it collided with a rickshaw causing a human die yet I am curious nobody even bothered (whom am I fooling) what must have happened with that wild boar! I know, many (read as most humans) will ask that had the deceased human being been my family member would I have written this sharing, & I must confess maybe not but that doesn’t change the facts, which we must think on, right? As the deceased person’s family must be angry with the wild boar & may be seeking revenge on the entire species or at least the family of the wild boars living in that neighbourhood & that is a natural tendency of revenge. But if the same law of nature is to be applied then what about thousands of deaths of the wild animals which die every day due to our encroachment in their home, on whom & how they should seek revenge, is the question I want to ask via my sharing! Well, just a few months back there was news about some 12 odd blackbucks losing their lives after they jumped from a flyover on Pune-Solapur highway in a panic as they accidently came on the road & couldn’t find a way out from it! Again, fools these blackbucks are, what was there to get so panicked of some concrete highway, they could have waited till the road is empty or can’t they read the Emergency Numbers displayed on all such highways, they could have dialled that number & asked for help, what was the need to jump of the flyover (Sarcasm)!

 

The real culprit or say the reason for such incidents is, we have lost nearly 6.50 lakh hectares of forest cover & this is the official figure so you can imagine what must be the actual figure as in many places the people (and the govt) don’t even realize this is forest so who cares if it’s gone! And it's not just the wild boars but leopards, elephants, jackals, wolves, chinkaras & thousands of such species are losing their home everyday & whom we should blame, as in our so-called developments even millions of humans have to settle in illegal homes which are worse than hell, in such scene who cares from some four-legged animal’s homes! What Bapu has said is because of disparity in the lifestyle, villagers are running towards urban centres like Pune causing total chaos on the balance of habitats, both for humans & wildlife! As on one side forests are becoming the softest target for encroachment then the urban centres like Pune are getting overloaded due to migration from all around, causing destruction of wildlife here! In forests like tadoba, if the population of the tigers is increasing is a good sign, then this increased population doesn’t have enough forest cover which is resulting in an increase in man-animal conflicts causing deaths of humans as well tigers (read as wildlife)! In south Indian forests big animals like Elephants & Indian Gaurs which need large areas as well as food, are the worst sufferers & outcome is, more attacks by them on human settlements! And on top of it, with due respect for their efforts, the forests depts’ (all over the country) are poorly funded making them toothless & clawless tiger when it comes to protecting wildlife, is a fact with our Super Mai Bapp (Central Govt) needs to understand & act up on it!

 

The forest dept in the wild boar & leopard attack prone areas has issued a circular for the residents in the localities not to move around after sun down or late night but how to implement or enforce this, we do not have any answer! In a city like Pune where in broad daylight every age group person who has got a driving licence jumps the red signal if a traffic cop is not around & we are expecting people to follow such a guideline of not use roads at night by a toothless forest dept, whom we are fooling but ourselves! And for how many nights people will sit at home & not to use the road as the answer lies in giving proper habitats to the wildlife & not in making some weird regulations which won’t be able to be followed neither by the humans nor by the wild animals! The cause of animal-human conflict is, not just our inability to manage the wildlife but our poor understanding of development which neither gives good homes to the humans but takes away whatever homes the wildlife has & this fact we need to accept, if we want to make wildlife survive! Till then the god also can’t save the wild boars, leopards, elephants & the humans who are forced to get into conflicts with all such species, amen!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at You Tube link below..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2023/01/defining-good-home-real-estate-in-2023.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/

PMRDA, PMC, Infrastructure, Citizens & Government!

“There could be no development without desire” … Lailah Gifty Akita

“Roads remain the essential network of the non-virtual world. They are the infrastructure upon which almost all other infrastructure depends. They are the paths of human endeavor” … Ted Conover

When its matter of infrastructure then nobody can beat USA & the reason lies not in the wealth that country has generated but in the first quote by Akita, a desire to develop & then it’s backed up by their understanding about the development as roads are the first & foremost step towards any development, is what USA Society (I am deliberately saying society & not just govt) has understood & outcome is what we see there today! In our country whenever infrastructure aspect comes in the discussion, its conveniently thrown on the govt (usually blame for the failure as success nobody praises) but we forget that it’s the society which is everlasting & govts’ keep on changing & it’s the society which choose the govts’ & never vice versa! All we think is we have voted (that too 50% never bothers to vote also) & now it’s the job of the elected people whom we call as govt & they should provide us the infrastructure & in doing that we forget our responsibility towards this aspect of our life! First, do mind any govt has its own agenda & first on the agenda is to remain in power for next term & that needs money (personal not public) & we all know the avenues of this money comes from & here is where govts’ interest in the infrastructure come in the picture as most of our govts’ (sorry with due respect to Nitin Gadkari sir) are short sighted when it comes to regaining power & this is why society’s definition of infrastructure (read as need) & govt’s definition of infrastructure (again read as need) never matches!

I know, you are confused as to where this sharing is going, then without stretching your patience, there was news about sharing premiums generated (or say will be generated) from proposed construction projects in the merged villages which were part of PMRDA & now are in PMC. It’s said that the issue of sharing factor is finally resolved thus the development of infrastructure in PMRDA will now take off with speed, super!  Now, some Punekar will ask sarcastically that even when PMRDA was alone collecting these premiums, what development it has made & who has stopped them to do so as well in PMC limits also where PMC is sole collector of the premiums, does it means, all is well; then what’s so big fuss over such news! I respect sarcasm as well intelligence of Punekars unfortunately which is in existence only for comments but never in action as a society for their demands because we as a society are happy in just individually commenting that too in close doors or in person while govt doesn’t gives a damn about such comments is a fact! Well, actually there were two news which made head-lines, one as mentioned above, was about PMRDA & PMC (now its worst then Bharat-Pak cricket match rivalry) sharing premiums, so a hope of clearing the path for infrastructure development in merged villages (will explain it) & another was about March (morcha) of farmers has been successfully taken back as govt accepted farmer’s demands. On the face these two news may seem to have no connection but that’s what my point of sharing is! Of-late there has been cries over infrastructure mainly on two fronts, roads & water supply (sad, we have yet to come out of these basic needs of life) in & around Pune, that too in the merged villages in PMC the problem is grave. Well, to explain the background (to new readers, there are still some) nearly some 34 villages have been merged in PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) which were part of PMRDA (Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority). Though this is again a wise (rare thing) move considering the urban development but again as usual there are layers to such decisions when its Pune at centre & adhering to that, two villages on east side of Pune are already demerged. Then there is the issue of who will make the development plan of these villages while PMRDA has already made a DP of the entire jurisdiction of which these villages are part. This itself is a joke, as to merge these 34 villages was not planned overnight, so why in the first place PMRDA has been asked to make DP of these villages & if PMRDA was to make the DP then why it was not done jointly in hands with PMC as later anyways these villages were to be merged in PMC! Whom I am fooling anyways, by asking these questions, a thought comes to my mind when I pen my such words but then we must at least ask or else what we are as a citizen is also a fact, right?

Now, if you have understood the first news reference then let us come to the second news, which was about farmer’s March to Mantralay where Mai-Bapp govt sits in Mumbai for their demands. Such was the pressure built as framers from all over the State has joined that before this march entered in Mumbai, that the govt took cognizance & declared that farmer’s demands about fair rate (that’s again a joke) for their crops & many others (loan waiver or subsidy or electric bill etc), has been accepted by the govt thus the march went back! This exactly is what now the people (read as builders, citizens of Pune) has to do as or else the govt won’t ever going to listen to the demands regarding city’s infrastructure & the delay as well confusion (read as deliberate) towards urban planning or entire Pune as well at other such centres in the State. Why there is so much delay on making development plan of PMRDA, why there is never water supply (or no water supply) in many areas of the city while citizens pay their property tax on time, why this merging or demerging type decisions are delayed so much making confusion in home buyers as who will be their controller on civic issues, why even after deciding the villages will be merged yet there is no system in place for basic thing like property tax assessment of the properties in merged villages, why UDCPR (Same development control rules for entire State) is not applicable to PMRDA & why its applicable to Pune & if so then why now the project’s plans which are in the merged village’s are not being sanctioned under UDPCR, who is holding all such decisions which are directly related to the infrastructure growth of Pune & why, high time we raise our voice collectively guys, don’t you feel so?

And I agree such policy decisions cannot be taken overnight but that doesn’t mean it should take years after years & we don’t have any Sunny Deol shouting for us with his fists pumped as “Tarkih pe Tarikh, my lord” here, so we only have to do that job. If you are thinking that’s not your job & there is a system to do all these things then either you are a fool or you are coward (unfortunately, most of us are both) because the problems which you & me face, the so called govt hardly gets any brunt of it & govt is least bothered about things like their own revenue etc, they have other important things to look after such as to please their voters & cut the power supply of their opponents, & we don’t fall in any of these categories unless we start a march of our own! If you don’t agree with this statement also about govt’s attitude towards the development which we call as infrastructure then ask yourself these questions, the way you have to face traffic jams every day everywhere does any minister has to face, the way you have to call ward office of PMC for less or no water supply often, does any MLA has to call, the way you have to wait travel on bumpy roads or no roads (in merged villages) without street lights, does any Minister has to travel like that, the way as a law abiding builder you have to keep hold your plans as you don’t know which rules will be applicable for the sanction & suffer losses for your investment on the land you have purchased, does any elected member of the govt system has to suffer such losses & the list of such question is unending as you also can create some questions of your won from your day to day fight for survival! Tell me now, have you got answers for these questions related to poor infrastructure while you pay all your taxes on time or do you think the govt will willingly answer these questions in time? And do mind, the govt is supposed to answer the questions about basic needs of infrastructure not just by issuing some notification but by time bound action plan for construction or this infrastructure, it's your right as a citizen which is not happening, is my point of sharing!

Guys, I know all of us are busy in our own survival issues & we (read as Pune-PCMC) are much better placed in comparisons to many other cities & towns in the State but that does not mean all is well, as we are paying the price also for the perks which we are getting! We are one of the most air polluted city & most garbage making city & our rivers (and other natural water bodies) are worst polluted, we also have slowest traffic speed & there are many others bad aspects of urbanization which can be only controlled or undo with fast action on the infrastructure making front. And all this needs a leader in place which will care for the city & will ensure that decisions as well policies related to city are acted upon & fast, or else do mind, one day there will be infrastructure & policies but no citizens, its writing on the wall for which we only have provided the pen to the writers!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at You Tube link below..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2023/01/defining-good-home-real-estate-in-2023.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/

Hon PM, Well- Planned Cities & Country's Future!

 

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“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” …  George Bernard Shaw

G B Shaw, those who have even a smallest of exposure with English literature knows this name & for those who have not even littlest then, this name is for English literature in the same way that Sachin Tendulkar is to Indian Cricket, I think that’s best I can explain. And why I thought this quote, is because of one news article about our Hon PM Sir who said “Well Planned Cities” are our country’s only Future! However controversial he may be yet I admire our Hon Pm for his vision as well sincerity in his work (conversion & ways of doing it, are different topic) & right from the beginning when he & his team came in power some nine years back (long time now), they knew their clientele (sorry that’s how political parties look at their voters now a days) are from cities & he has focused on it. May it be trying to make homes cheaper to Smart City mission to PMOY (Pradhanmantri Awaas Yojana), implementation of RERA or budget provisions for infrastructure fronts, his focus has been towards urban population which wasn’t ever the case for first sixty years from independence is a fact. And his latest statement also shows the way govt’s approach towards cities will be & this is directly related to the field I am in i.e., real estate, that is why I felt like writing regarding his views.

Hon PM Sir, it's great that you have understood the importance of the planned cities & sure when the top boss understood seriousness (read as importance) of any subject only then the system moves on that front, this is hundred percent applicable “Law of System'' (sorry for sarcasm) in our country from Galli to Dilli (read as everywhere), may it be a small company or corporate like AA’s or even in the home also! So, I am sure there will be some Aachhe Din for urban planning of the country as well as states & cities like Pune. But before that lets see what’s ground reality (read as, hurdles in doing this) as first & foremost hurdle is our population of one fifty plus crore & the disparity in these numbers as home is a costliest product & any urban planning of the city revolves around the need of the homes & this we have failed to understand that’s why we have failed in making planned cities till now! We all need homes but only few of us are able to fulfil our need on this front in the legal way, this is the biggest problem in the execution of planned cities. One more aspect is already urbanization is our future (again thanks to 150 crore population) & by 2050 nearly 50% of our country’s population will be living in cities or Metros is a prediction & why this is happening, the answer is assured Roti, Kapada aur Makan which villages has failed to offer to the masses & that is why everybody is running towards the cities.

And what’s scene on these three fronts, just to give an analogy to understand the challenges on the front of Makan i.e., Home, here is a comparison…  If a rich man in this city (Pune for e.g.) is hungry, then he can go to Marriott or Conrad type five star hotel. If a higher middle class man is hungry, he can go to any decent outlet in the food mall of Pavilion or Phoenix mall. If a middle class man is hungry, he has the option of going to some Shetty or Thali serving hotel. A class three category man i.e., some peon or constable or driver is hungry then he can get food at joints serving budget food such as limited thali types. If a poor man (read as labour or daily wage worker) is hungry, he has the option of many street-food serving joints for e.g. Puri Bhaji or even Wada Paw! And, all these eating (read as hunger solutions) options are available legally i.e. these food options are available by paying money officially & you get a receipt which every law accepts, right! The story is the same on the front of Kapada i.e., clothing as right from International Brands to local tailor or even good quality second hand readymade clothes, for every class of society clothing option is available or else we would have faced nude marches by now, right? So, the first two basic living or survival needs of the society have been taken care i.e., Roti & Kapda, & that’s a success for which our govt has to be congratulated!

Now look at the scene on the home need front in Pune (For e.g.), a rich man can buy a home anywhere in any posh location with his money, no problem. A higher middle-class man can find a home with some adjustment & bank loan support at some decent location in this city. A middle-class man has to struggle for his life time to find a sizable home even of 2bhk anywhere at good location & has to settle for 1bhk or has to move out of city limit or has to stay in rental home all the time so either he ends up paying home loan instalment for his life or rent, making a permanent hole in his pocket for a basic home. A class four working man won't ever get a home in city like Pune as in his earning not even one room is possible anywhere near so he has to settle for fringe area that home or slum in Pune city (ample of them are there) or illegal home (flat) which eventually gets regularised by the Mai Baap State govt & live under stress till that happens at the mercy of local corporator! And a poor or daily wage class man’s life is worse than a street dog as he has to adjust anywhere, he gets to sleep with his family, he has no choice on the home need front!

Hon PM sir, accept our (we all) this failure first, on the Makan front, as then only we will be able to find a way to make Well-Planned City, because the numbers of families in later three classes is in millions & its these people’s need for home is driving every planning to failure when its urban planning aspect of the city! With your govt’s policy of making homes cheaper there are tons of FSI/TDR/Paid FSI/ TOD or whatever you call to build but where is the land suitable for consuming this FSI, is the question you have to ask your planners. Of-late every alternate building in central Pune has come for redevelopment making ample of homes available in the central part of city but have you seen the price figures of these homes , all are above one crore magic mark & how many can afford this price, has anybody thought of it? All the profits are being enjoyed by the landlords, govt agencies itself & some part by builder (if he is smart enough) & needless to say facilitators in this entire building process (I am sure you understand what I meant by facilitators) but what benefit is passed on to the end buyer of citizen, who is having any control on this? And the outcome is, most of the real needy home buyers have to move out of the city or take solace in slums or illegal homes in the city. And thanks to poor public transport all these people have to buy their own vehicles to commute for their roji roti which is ion city (again unplanned) making them spend more for fuel in these vehicles & choking the ever encroached city roads! PM Sir, with due respect to your vision for well planned city, let me tell you no vision is of any use unless it has backed up with a strict & well monitored action plan which is missing from every city & town of this State & Country, making every city a big chaos or traffic, slums & garbage!

If you (read as your “bhakt gan”) do not believe me then take example of planning authority’s mess in Pune itself. For the last three decades tussle has been going about merging villages in PMC & finally when it is done then also two villages have been demerged (reason unknown) & yet we are unable to finalize development plan of these merged villages as well which rules to be applied & how! In all these delays one can understand that some time is needed but how much time is some time, nobody has any answer or will to find this answer & who is paying for all the delay in basic planning things, not any individual but the entire city is going to pay for this or say already paying! Why can’t there be a fixed time for finalizing development plan of any town or city & why cant right from the top there is a system which will monitor the execution of city’s DP, have you ever asked this question to your so called Sarkari Babus or Town Planners who decides all such policies related to the city, & if you have then can you please share the answer or their solution please?  As well why cannot you rope in our “AA” Corporates to spend for affordable housing by allotting them pieces of land just the way MIDC does for the industries & build thousands of homes on all four sides of Pune as trial case & lease it out to the needy class three class four & daily wages people as then only the core of city will be free for planned development, why nobody thinks on these lines at least for once! The reason is, nobody wants in reality, to make housing affordable to all the classes of the society or else how the big money will remain in only a few pockets, is the truth & this is the main reason behind failure of the dream named Well Planned Cities, in our country!

And if all this is not enough then the local govts’ of all the States (Maharashtra is front runner) are hell bend on regularizing the so-called illegal constructions as that they seem is easiest & safest way to make housing affordable but, in that process, entire city becomes a dust bean, is a fact about which nobody cares except you, is what I feel! Because, first you (read as, the Govt) make wrong policies, then you execute these policies in delayed time as well in the wrong ways & then as these policies don't allow the common man to get his home in his budget you turn a blind eye towards the illegal settlements. And then you regularize these illegal settlements may they be on the lands which are reserved for roads or gardens or hospitals or hills or water bodies under the name of basic needs of housing & then you cry for inability to make Well Planned Cities, wow, just wow, we are as a system on the front or urban planning! As all these encroachments which do not contribute a single rupee for city revenues is a two-edged curse for Well Planned Cities. One is, they make losses to the city by not paying any tax or premium in any form to the city civic body as well this adds burden on the pockets of the law abiding citizens living in so called legal homes. And second is most of these homes (slums/ settlements) are on public reservation lands making the city’s so called delayed planning to go for the toss as never these lands are going to get developed for the purpose we have reserved them for!

So, Hon PM Sir, keeping all due respect for your vision of the Well-Planned Cities, like RERA, form a separate cell, dept or whatever with the help of some rational & dedicated minds & have an action plan in place. We can start from Pune city as a model run (as anyways enough brains are here for that, lol) as we can’t take trial on all the cities at a time so first make one model city, so that the path will be followed by others (just a hope). Or else, you only have said Well Planned Cities are our country’s only future but what if this future never gets into existence; rather, what you have not said, is more important is what I feel & high time if we care for our future, right? Will be happy to assist in any form on this front, as I too care for my city’s future!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at You Tube link below..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2023/01/defining-good-home-real-estate-in-2023.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/

Trumpets of "The Elephant Whisperers"!

 

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“I have spent hours and hours watching elephants, and to come to understand what emotional creatures they are...it's not just a species facing extinction, it's massive individual suffering.” … Mike Bond

“Elephants command attention. But their size is not what makes the heart skip a beat. It's how they walk with the world's weight on their shoulders, sensitive, noble, their hearts pulsing and as wide open as the great grey leaves that are their ears. MoFos used to say that an elephant never forgets and until this very moment, I hadn't understood what that really meant” … Kira Jane Buxton

Kira Jane Buxton's debut novel, Hollow Kingdom, was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humour, the Audie Awards, and the Washington State Book Awards, and was named a best book of 2019 by NPR, Book Riot. Mike Bond is an American novelist, ecologist, war and human rights journalist, and poet. Bond has been called the "master of the existential thriller" by the BBC and "one of the 21st Century's most exciting authors" by The Washington Times. And the common factor between their both writings is elephants, especially above two quotes & you must have guessed right as the sharing is about elephants though in the form of movie, (documentary, technically speaking) which is talk of the Nation & the World, i.e. The Elephant Whisperer & its young director/creator Ms Kartiki Gonslanwils. By now we all must have read a lot as usual about the journey & the director as well producers of the movie which was available on OTT (Netflix) for last six months but it went for Oscar Nomination & viewership increased in multiples & it won the Black Beauty & suddenly the movie is in most viewed list, no wonder as that’s how human mentality works! We run behind the success & eventually makes the successful person (or movie) more successful, so be it!

I have watched the movie in parts not because I knew it had gone to the Oscars but because I usually watch everything related to nature (wildlife) on Netflix as I love forests in every form. TEW (The Elephant Whisperers short form I made), is not exactly a wildlife film but it’s closer to my heart because it speaks about the bond between wildlife & humans. On this subject many movies are there right from the blockbuster Life of Pai to Two Brothers (both on Tiger) as well some great Disney hits (who else) with man animal bonding & Hindi movies also are their which revolves around Elephant (how can we forget Hathi Mere Sathi with Super Star Rajesh Khanna at his prime in it) but TEW is not exactly a movie or created or writers imagined script, its real-life story of a couple Bomman & Bellie from Tamil Nādu State. The movie is about this couple which works at elephant camp in Mudumalai forest & which must be the only of its kind establishment where injured elephants are treated as well orphan elephant’s cubs are taken care & then later let them out free in the forests only when forest dept. feels they are fit enough to survive on their own! Raghu & Ammu are two such elephants which are at the center of the movie & how Bomann-Bellie takes care of these two elephant cubs & strike a bond with them is the base of the script, that’s all! And along with this the movie takes us around the forests of Nilgiris where Bomann & Bellie are stationed or natives, they actually grew up as part of the forests. Many will say what’s big deal, hundreds of such stories happens all around the forests & I won’t disagree, what is special about the TEW is, not some great wildlife photography or acting or action sequence, rather there is nothing special about it & that is the strength of this movie, as its approaches you with the simplest & pure form of story-telling, in such a way that you become part of that story, that’s the true success of TEW!

Nothing dramatic happens in the entire forty minutes of the movie except how Raghu & Ammu come into the life of Raghu & Bellie & their journey together of some six to seven years, that’s all. But it’s this journey on the background of the   Nilgiris Hills colourful forests & the bond getting developed between the elephant cubs & human couple & the narration of this journey in the sincerest voice of Bomann (with subtitles) hits you to the hilt, that’s the success of TEW! An elephant, though is a much common sight in many parts of our country yet hundreds of elephants die in man-animal conflict as well humans too, die in it & because of the huge size (and appetite) the elephants need a lot more space (food & water too) for their survival & with our ever increasing population (and greed) that is becoming difficult for the elephants. And unless humans don’t accommodate elephants as their family the species will go extinct, this message has been given as the simplest form of communication, is the strength of TEW! And the message may be for elephants as they are core of the movie but its applicable for every wildlife creature or say entire eco-system & an eyeopener for human race, is the key factor in getting TEW a well-deserved Oscar. No wonder post getting Oscar, immediately Chief Minister of Tamil Nādu called Raghu & belliie & honoured them with cash reward for their service as well suddenly the elephant camp at Mudumalai has become attraction for tourists to click seven year old Raghu & Ammu (the elephants featured in the film), sad fact is it took an Oscar to make our own country realize the importance of the work Bomman & Bellie were doing since decades following family tradition fighting against all odds, even the forest dept itself! As well funds have been granted to this elephant camp by the govt is also a news, great hypocrites we really are as a society!

Just to explain how difficult the job of Bomman & Bellie of raising or say caretaker of elephants is, as funding is always a problem & no insurance or any such thing at their aid in case of any physical injury. Do mind, an elephant is an emotional animal & given its ten times size & strength in comparison to humans, an angry elephant cub also can be a danger to care taker’s life or his or her near & dear one’s lives! Interesting fact about the deaths of the humans which has happened even from the domestic elephants, is of their handlers, as mood-swinging or anger the first soft target of such elephants is their caretaker or the handler! Irony is, exactly five years back in the month of Oscars i.e. March 18, we have witnessed elephant’s anger & the victim was Nagarahole Tiger Park’s (which is in the same region of TEW story) field director S. Maniknanda, an IFS officer, who got killed in the elephant attack when his team has gone to check a forest fire where an elephant herd was stationed! Now you can imagine, a trained top rank forest officer with all possible protection, even he can get killed by the elephant & here Bomman & Bellie are just lowest rank forest labours, risking their lives of taking care of elephants which are victims of trauma such as losing their mother as well their own injuries caused due to human interference. And elephants have sharp memories, they do not forget the cause of their sufferings easily, mind it! Best part is the way Bomman & Bellie have accepted this tough (hard) life of living with elephants in such an easy & casual way as at times their own siblings have kept aside to give attention to the elephant cubs & this also they share in a very candid way!

Full marks to Ms Kartiki Gonsalnwils, Director of the movie, which in few of the shots or say frames makes us understand the bond between Bomman & Bellie & the elephants or say makes us know the devotion with which this couple has taken up the job of elephant’s care takers. In one shot Raghu tells us how you should handle or feel the elephant infant as it's actually like raising your own kids, “touch them”, Raghu says as the elephants can feel your touch & they respond to that touch & give them ample of time. In another shot Bellie was shown telling her kids bedtime story ion her mud thatched hut while Raghu the elephant cubs jealously shown wandering around the hut as it feels that sibling rivalry regarding the kids of Bomman & Bellie, this part has come wonderful & natural as its such small details & moments which has made the TEW to get Oscar, is what my opinion! One more aspect is with the ease Boamman & Bellie has accepted the hardships or facts of their lives & without any regrets & complaints about adversities in their job, this aspect is the best lesson the movie gives to the world (not just the audience). As in a world where people don’t care about their own parents or blood relations here is a couple which go out of their every limit & cares as well give affection to some orphan elephant cubs, this is what being human means, is what our society needs to tell & TEW delivers that message in the loudest voice yet silently!

At the concluding lines of the movie, the camera moves over few kids bathing a young elephant & Raghu’s voice in the background says, this is what my forefather did for ages & this is what I myself & Bellie got old doing & this is what I want our kids also to do i.e., love the elephants & grow with them together, & the movie ends on this note! TEW may be the story of some lucky elephant cubs which got right help but it's applicable to the entire wildlife around us which needs many such Bommans & Bellies as that will be a real tribute of the Oscar it has got as well of the entire TEW team’s efforts! On the Oscar stage, Kartiki Gonslanwils accepted the award with these words which will be carved (read as, should be) on the minds of every human being, she said, “I am standing here to speak about the sacred bond between nature & the humans. I am standing in the honour of humanity & for all the species with whom we share coexistence on this earth”! Amen, Ms Kartiki, till there are Bommans & Bellies & people like you to tell the world their stories, there is a Hope, is all I can think of & thankful to you all!

--

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

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