Belief, faith, trust, hope, call it by any name, but when it is shattered, the undulating feeling that is bringing you down like a great white devouring you in the middle of deluge is beyond description. No one ever wants to take life seriously only because everybody is afraid of failures. The result is no one even makes an attempt to dowhat their heart wants.
image:http://adrianhoe.com/adrianhoe/category/photography/animals/
The fear for failure and pain and the innate Indian mind and nature of being contended with what is at hand always makes us the fully fledged laggard. A Scrat, a smilodon, a mammoth and a sloth have so far entertained us in three parts. I do not know how many of us who actually watched the movie ever realized the importance and the seriousness of the message that was intended in the form of cartoons. If there is one reality that struck me real hard in the continuous process called realization, that is, the proponents of “I want to live this moment, I do not worry about past or future” are such hypocrites that they are the progenitors of all problems.
X in 2000, +2 in 2002, +4 in 2006, and +4 in 2010 (positively). 2010 is still taking me somewhere but all my life I have always prepared myself for future. And now……..I am working to produce a fuel that will replace the fossil fuels. Reason: Future use. All the way, the past and future governs everything in present. Past frames your mind for future and together these two govern the present.
Despite being declared as the national animal of India and even after the launch of Project Tiger, their number is dwindling. Ignoring the past about the tigers and avoiding the future of tigers have leaded us to the number 1411. I am not going to bring down the statistics on how many tigers are alive or the demographics of their distribution or the history of their extinction. There is overwhelming information available in the internet.
Personally, (this is not an attention grabbing or a time profiling statement but) Tiger is my favorite. The grace, elegance and the killer instinct have always attracted me. And more importantly, Tiger is not a social animal, a loner. It does not live in groups. It defines its territory. It is a very shy animal. The territorial claim of the tigers is very large compared to other animals.
The next stage had us read Stockton’s “The Lady or the Tiger" in probably 7th standard (vague memories) and the brilliant poetry by Blake, Tyger. The Bengal Tiger also plays an important role in the booker prize winning “Life of Pi”. The tiger is the next main character in the book after Pi Patel. Being brought up in a conservative, ultra right orthodox family, I witnessed the tigers in the wall hanging photos, roaring behind goddess Durga and Lord Ayyappa. Only with Ayyappa you find an ambush of tigers and not anywhere else.
Personally, I declare myself the greatest fan of Calvin and Hobbes among the million others.
There are many who choose tiger to represent their creations and products (I am not encouraging separatism, west or south). There is no other animal that has affected me so much. The only other animal I admire is a horse.
But, at this juncture we are as helpless just like the tigers to save them from extinction.
The different reasons that can be attributed to decreasing tiger population:
Poaching.
Poaching is being cited as the reason for the large decrease in tiger population. The tigers were being poached for their skin because people looked for beauty in the striped rugs, wall hangings and fur coats. Though these are banned nowadays, there are weirder reasons they are being hunted down for. They are being hunted down for medicinal reasons in many parts of Asia. Tiger bone apparently seems to have medicinal values and this business brings a lot of revenues for the economies involved.
Habitat loss.
Population of India increased by millions and there is need for space for so many people to make a living. Bangladesh is also a densely populated country. Also, the population of Vietnam doubled. All these are the natural places abounding in tiger habitat. The destruction of their habitat eventually does not give enough room for their free movement.
Also as the tiger roams outside its boundaries (set by humans), it is shot dead in cities or poisoned in villages as it is a potential threat.
Habitat loss also occurs in India due to monsoon rains and flooding in sunderbans.
The absence of strict laws and the abundance of corrupt officials, like in any other case have also contributed to failure of any projects or movements aimed at protecting these beautiful creatures.
The media, in the most malignant form in India does not do a lot in this issue other than occasional articles on social columns. There are ads on some of them without any motive and it is just like the obituary column mourning for the death of Tigers without any fruitful action.
Well, the media might be waiting for one of the Khans to shoot a tiger. I am sure then,
Tiger will be reinstated as the National animal atleast in words.
The off shoots -on shoots, separatists-unionists, right wing-left wing and even the wingless, all these don’t ever want to tread this path. Blue cross is intent on cringing about just horses and bulls’ getting hurt in movies but no one is seeking a solution to the problem of dwindling tiger population.
Well, nothing that is labeled as national was/is ever looked upon with pride
What is a Lotus? A KG kid might as well start answering that Lotus is an extinct flower whose designs can be seen in old buildings as concrete.
Other than that, now, it can at times be seen in swarms and stagnant ditches.
Let us come to the prime example, hockey. What fraction of Indians follow hockey? And how many, in action and not in words appreciate the game? I am not answering that.
My suggestion would be to remove the label. Tiger is not our national animal anymore. Let donkey be the national animal. I was reading somewhere recently, how talented the donkey is. Or let us put the burden of national animal on goats or dogs. They are everywhere in India. Why Tiger, if we are doing nothing to protect them?
On a more serious note, with the present scenario and keeping the future in mind (it is going to get worse), Tigers cannot make it in wild or in sanctuaries. Tigers can be protected only in captivity. With the big stick in our hands, we humans can mimic their habitat inside a cage……a big may one may be. Captive breeding is probably the answer holding the key to Tiger’s survival. Someone has to pay the penalty for what has happened till now.
If I am allowed to make a choice, I would pay the penalty myself rather than asking the others, tigers to pay for it.