Another unsung hero...a naturalist par excellence!

As I said in an earlier post, the myriad hues of India are largely due to unsung heroes (like Deepa and Ashish in Sonapani, see http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2009/11/road-less-travelled_19.html) who choose the (more difficult) path less travelled, and in so doing, leave permanent footprints. I had mentioned another such person in a post last year(http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2009/11/woods-are-lovely-dark-and-deep_09.html)on Bandipur wildlife sanctuary—the naturalist Basavanna H.S. Anyone who has met him once will not settle to go with anyone else for the jungle safari conducted by the Jungle Lodges resort. (See the previous post).

Basavanna is not just knowledgeable and experienced, but spares no effort to show visitors the smallest inhabitants of the forest. As I said in the last post, it is really not essential to sight a tiger (though some feel cheated unless they can boast of seeing one!) –a safari trip with him is immeasurably enriching. The epitome of patience and perseverance, he painstakingly takes the most difficult roads to where some animal may be seen. A more skilled driver would be difficult to find. While driving through the winding, rough and uneven tracks, Basavanna is constantly alert, looking to either side for any signs of life, while the slightest sound elicits identification/information and location of the bird or animal. His knowledge and interest are incredible. His keen eyes miss nothing, like the 5 eggs that I wrote about in the last post!

It is also amazing to see how he finds his way around the 82 square km safari area of the forest (of the total 880 sq km). Apparently, the names of the many water holes and other markings act as signposts. It was incredible how Basavanna drove us in the pitch darkness once, without the benefit of headlights. On occasion, he has had to stay inside the forest till 10.30 pm, when 2 tires have been punctured. Earlier, jeeps were fitted with walky talkies, but their use has been discontinued, as news of tiger sightings led to a congregation of all the safari vehicles near the poor animal.

During our second visit there last week, I sought out Basavanna for an informal interview to get some material for articles and children’s books. Despite his busy schedule (and he is sought out by all visitors, including VIPs!) he graciously and patiently gave me plenty of time and the most interesting information. What follows is the gist of what he told me.

Basavanna turned 27 years on April 6, and has been working with the Jungle Lodges resorts (Karnataka government) for the last seven years. His inspiration has been his uncle, who works in the forest department. Even as a school boy, he enjoyed the wild, and trekking to the nearby hills. Interestingly enough, Basavanna prefers his present employment to even a better one with the forest department, as that would restrict him to a desk job, and keep him away from the daily visits to his beloved jungle!

He learnt some basics from the 3 months Naturalist Training Program conducted by Jungle Lodges, but his vast knowledge comes from experience and reading.
Basavanna's interests are bird watching and catching snakes (from the resort premises etc) to be released in the jungle. The stick with the curved end is used for catching snakes (see 3rd photo).

Apart from driving visitors around the forest both morning and evening on safaris, Basavanna's day is full with accounts (twice a day) and all the other duties at the front desk, as he is the only person with advanced computer skills. He also writes up the daily sightings of animals (with date, locations and time) on a big board set at the entrance. Basavanna has little time for himself, and manages to go home (5 km away) only for a couple of days once in 1-2 months! His spare time is spent in reading books on wildlife, and editing his photographs. However, this is possible only during the off season (June-July) when there are few visitors. We had noticed on our earlier trip that he’s a very accomplished photographer. In fact, his photographs can be seen on http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Basavanna+H+S

Elephants are his favorite animals, as he says these big animals can teach us a lot about protecting and taking care of babies! Basavanna goes the extra mile for his favorites—sometimes buying sugarcane as treats for the elephants at the Bandipur camp!

He knows the tigers in the forest (6 adults and 11 cubs) by name, and can identify them by their stripes, as each animal has a different pattern. He has taken photos at close range of many of the magnificent creatures of the jungle in their natural habitat.

Given the opportunity, Basavanna would tackle wildlife/nature conservation in the region with a multi-pronged approach:
a) Clearing plastic (which he does while driving inside the jungle)
b) Putting up bigger signboards in all the southern languages and Hindi, in addition to the English that exists. Violations like stopping on the highway (where a board says it is dangerous to do so, in view of the elephants) and sounding the horn (though a board importunes the driver to be a silent passer) are seen all the time.
c) Effective highway patrolling to ensure these strictures are followed.
d) Encourage the planting of trees, specially the Indian beech, neem and other local specimens. His main goal is to extend the forest cover. Beech trees are good for butterflies, while banyan trees shelter birds. Neem trees purify the air
e) Stop grazing, as cattle take away the elephant’s food, forcing him to encroach on villages and causing damage to both sides. Though elephant proof trenches are made around the forests, villagers fill them with mud and encourage the cattle to stray into the forbidden areas.

Basavanna has already initiated measures with the help of a group of friends—10 teachers who teach their charges the importance of planting trees, need to stop cutting firewood in forests and cattle grazing. He hopes that they will go home and pass on the message to their parents. LPG gas is now being supplied to the villages around, so he reiterates that there should be no need for cutting firewood.

While driving on the highway, Basavanna makes it a point to stop offenders (like the ones I mentioned in the last post)—if everyone took upon himself even a little of this responsibility, the world would indeed be a safer place for animals.

When I asked why there was no awareness program at the resort, he said that they ran into trouble when a parent complained that with his wealthy background, it was demeaning for his child to collect plastic packets to clear litter! If this is the attitude of the so called “educated” class responsible for passing on wrong values to the next generation, the future is in serious jeopardy. There are funny sides too—like a visitor asking why lions could not be seen in Bandipur!!

I think Basavanna was amused when I asked him if he ever got fed up or wanted to leave the place—clearly feelings unknown to him! The external trappings of success or lack of them do not seem to bother him. Despite being sought out by the rich and famous, Basavanna is totally unassuming and humble. Many a lesson can be learnt from him---patience, contentment, simplicity, and above all, passionate love for nature, which transforms his work into a labor of love. The greatest testimony to this unsung hero is the relationship he forges with visitors, and the love and respect he commands from them. People like Basavanna are the only hopes to save our country from environmental degradation and extinction of wildlife.

(Read the full interview and responses to it on http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2908748/in_conversation_with_an_indian_naturalist.html?cat=16
(Watch out for interesting snippets garnered from the interview in the next post--http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/snippets-from-bandipur_19.html).