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

Amazing creations by Sunita Dhairyam!

One can only marvel at the skill, talent and effort of this immensely talented artist and conservationist, who has dedicated her life for the welfare of the villagers and wildlife of Bandipur. These are glimpses of the paintings on the cottage walls of the Jungle Lodges resort cottages and products on sale (to finance her projects) at the Souvenir shop .

Snippets from Basavanna at Bandipur...

As I mentioned in the last post, I garnered some interesting snippets from my conversation with the naturalist Basavanna H.S (http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/another-unsung-heroa-naturalist-par.html)

Here is a random compilation of the interesting information:

The Bandipur park has 12 gates, and 20-25 vehicles with visitors enter every day. They have to register when coming in and sign out at the end, to regulate the number of vehicles and ensure that all are out when the gates close at 6.30 pm. Each resort has permission for 3-4 vehicles. Private vehicles are not allowed entry into the forest, so these are left near the reception center and visitors are taken in the forest jeeps.

There are many water holes in the park, with their names written on boards. “Katte” means “water hole” in Kannada. Basavanna says he uses these to find his way about in the jungle.

Round, red marks on some trees indicate the divisions marked for the tiger census conducted last year, which takes place every two years. Volunteers are given accommodation by the forest department, which also imparts basic training in recognizing scat and pug marks to track tigers. Another method used is a camera trap; cameras are fitted on two sides to capture the image of a tiger passing through its regular paths.

There are 6 adult tigers and 11 cubs in the forest, and each one has a different pattern of stripes, by which it is recognized. Two of the tigers in Bandipur: Gauri and Agastyaare supposed to be the most comfortable with humans around, and Basavanna has shot vivid images of both of them at close range. See them at http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Basavanna+H+S

Hungry elephants often stray into human habitation, to be often hurt. In early times in villages, a rope would be strung up, coated with chilly powder, tobacco and any waste oil, as this combination gave off a smell to deter elephants.

Forest fires are man made and common during January and March, so patrols on foot or manning the watch towers spot and report fires to the department. As soon as an alarm is raised, the forest department personnel rush to the spot to arrest them. Tribals from nearby areas are recruited specially for these 3 months. Forest fires are started to collect firewood, and allow fresh grass to sprout as food for cattle.
The tribals (sometimes driven by poverty and frustration at not being employed) have an innovative method to start forest fires. They tie the rat snake (the fastest snake in the forest), pour kerosense on it and set it alight—killing the snake, burning many acres of land, and with it, birds, eggs and insects.

Some elephants have one tusk, as the other may have been broken in a fight. An elephant is not born with one tusk, as some believe.

The greed of human beings is unmatched. Once, some visitors fed a chital, while others lifted its baby into the car and drove off. Fortunately, a witness alerted the forest department, and the baby was rescued after a long chase. People are known to have offered Rs 10,000 to poachers/villagers to kill a tiger.

According to Basavanna, the practice of sighting tigers from elephant back (as in Corbett park or Ranthambore) is an unhealthy one for both animals. Fortunately, it is not possible in Bandipur, which has a number of wild elephants. The inhumane practice of elephant (joy) rides has been discontinued in Bandipur, as the elephant camp is near the main road and elephants attracted too many visitors driving along the highway. In Kerala, elephants are treated as god, and used only as temple elephants. There is an elephant camp in Bandipur, where they are fed with ragi balls and bananas, and sometimes baby corn and sugarcane! They are also given an oil massage before a bath in the water hole, and checked weekly by a vet. They go to the forest at 6.30 pm, and return to the camp around 10 am. Jaiprakash, one of the camp elephants, will participate in the famous Dussehra procession in Mysore this year. Initially 2 elephants were trained, and since calves are born every 2 years, the number has increased.

Elephants are not dangerous, (except at certain times in the year/life cycle) as long as one does not get out of the vehicle. There are solar fences along the edge of the forest to track elephants that wander off and bring them back with a mild shock! When there is a calf in a herd, the mother stays close to it, while the “aunt” makes a “mock charge” to scare away intruding humans. According to Basavanna, it is a serious charge when the elephant curls its trunk inwards. This is among his most memorable experiences in the jungle, the details of which I shall get on my next visit and post!! There is also an elephant which demonstrates her displeasure of human intruders by throwing stones at the vehicles!!

The elephant has a small hole between the ear and the eye, and this is used to insert a small iron ring to hold the stick used by the mahout to give instructions.

There is a camp house in the forest for the officers and guards of the anti-poaching department. Apart from tiger poaching, poachers cut down rosewood and teakwood, as expensive material for furniture. Basavanna routinely takes extra provisions for them of his own accord.

Chitals come outside the forest boundary around 6.30 pm to avoid the night predators, and then go back to the jungle in the morning!

There are 29 dhole in the forest, 11 adults and 18 pups.

It is not advisable to wear white in the forest--the colors should match with those of the jungle.

A 40 year old lady named Sunni Dhairyam has painted the pictures on the cottage walls—the elephant in the cottage we stayed in took her 3 months to finish! (See photo) Basavanna was full of admiration for the yeoman service she does in the surrounding areas—-for humans and animals alike. I hope to meet her some day!