“The Kattunayakans, for example, a traditional hunter-gatherer tribe, would never plant a cash crop like bananas, since ‘elephants would eat it, of course’. They think it’s perfectly natural for elephants to come through their land and eat whatever they find. But for many of the newer immigrants into the region this is completely unacceptable, and they think elephants are a huge problem. Such nuances are frequently lost on biologists, conservationists and the media.” – Tarsh Thekaekara (Director, Shola Trust) in “Can elephants and humans live together?” (The Guardian, 6 March 2017)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/06/can-elephants-and-humans-live-together
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=22634
Deepor Beel is a wetland situated in Assam inhabited mostly by tribal people along with their distinct folklore and practices. One thousand and two hundred families of 14 indigenous villages around Deepor Beel depend directly or indirectly on the wetland’s natural resources for their livelihood. The main inhabitants around the Deepor Beel site are the … Read more
Tarsh Thekaekara, New Delhi, Sun Jul 15 2012 I grew up in a small town on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, cradled in the Nilgiri hills. I now work as a conservationist in the same area. Gudalur sits at the start of the mountains, at the edge of the Mudumalai Reserve. Till about … Read more
The forest in Shanthi Teacher’s classroom Priti David, Ruralindiaonline.org May 23, 2018 | To read the full story or view a slideshow, click here | View on Instagram >> The forest enters the classroom at Vidyodaya School, Gudalur, when ‘Shanthi Teacher’ starts the mathematics session. Adivasi children, mostly nine-year-olds in this class, scurry outside, climbing … Read more
Achuthsankar S. Nair | To read the full story, click here >> Unlike city residents who pollute the water, tribal communities upstream revere the river History is often the story of kings, ministers, chieftains and landlords. The story of ordinary human beings who also lived around them at the same time is very often not … Read more
India has for thousands of years revered and worshipped all natural resources, flora and fauna. And the elephant has a special place in Indian mythology | Read the full article by Dia Mirza in the Times of India >> We now live in an India that has 17% of the world’s population while occupying 2.61% … Read more