Where angels fear to tread........

I had ended one of my earlier posts, http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/snippets-from-bandipur_19.html
with a wish “I hope to meet her someday”! My wish came true last week, when thanks to Basavanna (my regular readers know him as our good friend and finest naturalist in Bandipur) I finally met Sunita Dhairyam, popularly known as Sunni. We drove through some rough village roads and non-existent ones over fields to reach her artistically designed house, (amidst scenic surroundings) in Mangala village, Bandipur. We were welcomed by the concerted barks of eight dogs of all sizes and breeds—and later heard that they were all abandoned and found a loving home with her. The petite and attractive lady who greeted us warmly seemed so unassuming that though I had heard of her achievements from Basavanna, hearing the details from her strengthened my belief that our country is full of unsung heroes/heroines who make a difference, quietly, simply because of their passion and commitment to a cause/causes. A lone woman fighting all odds single handedly, Sunita has truly reached “where angels fear to tread”--I honestly cannot think of another person that I know who has done what she has. A humanitarian, wildlife lover, conservationist and immensely talented artist are just some of the terms that describe her, but what is even greater are her courage, determination and passion to fulfill her dreams. Many of us may have the passion or urge to do something, but not the courage or grit to follow through

This is her story in brief.

She had a passion for the wild from childhood, and her immense artistic talent is God gifted, without any formal training. Her aunt is a wildlife photographer, while her grandmother was a wildlife artist in Bangalore. Sunita lived in Zambia as a child, returned to school in hometown Bangalore, then Shimla and college at Delhi. Back to Bangalore and a short stint at Kabini River Lodge (also a Jungle Lodges resort) before leaving for US. Ten interesting years there, as a freelance artist working on murals in diverse locations like the Stillwater theater in Minnesota, and the Bilibong sports bar in Bloomington, near Minneapolis. The latter being a center for the Hmong community (from S.E. Asia), there was a popular weekend farmers’ market, which allowed Sunita to display her creativity with items like hand painted wine glass sets!

In 1995, she returned to India, and in September, bought land in Mangala village, Bandipur, then one of the haunts of the infamous brigand Veerapan. Then began a long and ardous struggle to build on it and establish herself in a man’s world (and the journey continues!) due to her own determination and her mother’s encouragement. Thanks to the support of officials of the forest department, she took up odd painting assignments while overseeing the building of a room to live in. For a whole year, there was no electricity or running water, but she did not give up, despite the hostility of some (even prominent) people around. She also took up the paintings in the Bandipur Safari Lodges cottages (under Jungle Lodges & Resorts)—actually, this was my first introduction to her! Since we stayed in the elephant cottage (see photo) painted by her, (with matching motifs on the linen and curtains) I asked Basavanna about the artist and was astounded by what he told me, and requested him to fix a meeting with her on my next visit.
The tiger, leopard and gaur cottages are equally impressive. Incidentally, the elephant took 3 months to be completed, difficult as it was to work intermittently, only when there were no guests. It was also an ardous task, considering the height and size of the wall---the outline of the elephant was done earlier, and the details filled in later, while the background was done free hand. A close up of the painting leaves one incredulous and speechless! Sunita spent two years completing the paintings for Jungle Lodges. (see http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-creations-by-sunita-dhairyam.html

In 2006, she set up the Mariamma Charitable Trust, with Shree Devi and (Late) Dr. A.R.Pai (who had earlier set up a free clinic with Sunita's help under their organization Ammembal Medical Charities).

Her work now encompasses a number of areas, the main thrust being the improvement of the lives of the villagers around (from 15 “dung” villages, including 7 tribal hamlets), conservation and minimizing man-animal conflict, so common in areas close to forests like the Bandipur National park. The trust compensates villagers for any loss suffered from wild animals, to discourage them from harming the animals. She hopes to provide facilities and build a community that will live in harmony with and respect the rights of animals. Apart from providing medical aid to the villagers, Sunita seeks to empower and uplift youngsters by helping poor students to get an education. She tries to raise awareness of sustainable living for farmers, and hopes that more solar fences will prevent the human-elephant conflict that results in fatalities for both.

Twice a year, she undertakes immunization (at a huge cost) of rural dogs for birth control and to prevent the spread of diseases like rabies. This serves a twofold purpose: prevent the growth of numbers of village dogs, and lessen the impact of their diseases on wildlife. The number of dogs attended to during the last drive was 93! She is helped in this venture by IPAN (Indian project for animals and nature), who have trained personnel like dog catchers.

Sunita has employed a local boy to help her in the administration, and has the unstinting support and admiration of the people around, which allows her to carry on successfully despite the lack of support and even hostility of vested parties in the area. A sad comment on our society!

Sunita decided to use her innate skills to design and sell products to finance her projects, and so Temple Tree Designs was born in 2006. She conceives a product from start to finish, with the first sketches to the final product manufactured in Tirupur, near Coimbatore. (This indomitable lady has even spent 3 months in a factory learning the ropes!) Today she has a vast range of artistic products (with wildlife motifs)—t shirts, jackets, key chains, jackets, mugs, durees, table mat sets etc, and is now launching towels. These are available (along with items like photos and paintings by local artists) at the Souvenir shop near the Bandipur Forest Reception center. (see photos and http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-creations-by-sunita-dhairyam.html

Sunita works out of a pretty little “office” which bears the unmistakable stamp of her creativity and passion. As we sat sipping coffee in her artistically decorated little veranda with a scenic view, and listened to Sunita’s experiences (with one of her dogs happily nuzzling up to her!) I realized that whatever I say will fall far short of what she has achieved, single handedly, with incredible passion, grit and perseverance, choosing the path less taken in favor of a comfortable life anywhere else in the world. We can do our bit by not just admiring her, but giving support in whatever little way we can., for it is only people like her who champion the cause of the marginalized population and voiceless animals, both of which are integral to the fabric of our lives.

Look for details of Sunita’s work and other background information on the site
www.templetreedesigns.com

This post is also under
http://makeadifference-nita.blogspot.com/
http://makeadifference-nita.blogspot.com/2010/08/lone-womans-campaign-for-man-and.html