October 2011

VANA PREMI

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Vol .12

OCTOBER - 2011

No. 10

JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED FOREST OFFICERS 49 ANDHRA PRADESH

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VANA PREMI
Vol : 12 October 2011 No.10

Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan

The Association of Retired Forest Officers, Andhra Pradesh(Regd. No. 557/1990) President : Sri. S.D. Mukherji, I.F.S. (Retd.) Tel : 23551065, 9885236493 Vice President : Sri. Krishna Bhoopal Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.) Tel : 23743774, 9866307808 Secretary : Sri K. Santokh Singh, I.F.S. (Retd.) Tel : 27962929, 9848808101 Jt. Secretary : Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Dy. C.F.(Retd.) Cum Treasurer Tel. 23342582, 9848754778

Associate Editor : Sardar Navratan Singh

Contents
1. Editorial ..................... QMK 2 2. letters to the Editor...... 3 3. Wildlife Management-Need for rethinking..................M. Kamal Naidu 4 4. Conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles in Andhra Pradesh ......................Hitesh Malhotra 9 5. The Humble 'Yanadi' .................................... A.V. Joseph 12 6. Did You Know? ......... 15 7. My experience with tour diaries ......................Surendra Pandey 16 8. Jarring Notes in Judicial Symphony .................................... J.V. Sharma 19 9. Invitation ................... 24 10. A Spiritual Piligrimage to Holy KailashManasarovar ............. Surendra K. Bali 25 11. Congratulations ........ 29 12. A jewel in the crown of north coastal A.P... ........... V. Santhaseelababu 29 13. Helping Sparrows Come Home to Nest . 31 14. The Turtles on Picnic 32 15. Bounty of Birds in Desert 33 16. Your Yearly Dementia Test 35 17. Islam and Animal Rights ...............Menaka Gandhi 36 18. Anna Hazare's Crusade Against Corruption ................ V.S. Joshi 39 19. Innovative Method of Water Supply for wild Animals .......QMK 40 20. Birthday Greetings ... S.S.S 42 21. News & Notes ........... 43 18. Obituary .................... 48

Excutive committee members

1. Sri C. Subba Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9848018796 2. Sri Sultan Mohiuddin, I.F.S.(Retd.), 9440057333 3. Sri M. Padmanabha Reddy, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9849269105 4. Sri J.V. Subba Rao, 9848486146 5. Sri A. V. Govinda Rajulu, 9440764611

Editoriral Board
1. President : Ex-Officio President of Assn. 2. Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan Tel : 40121132, 9849233624
e-mail : qamar_asima@yahoo.com

3. Associate Editor : : 4. Member : 5. Convenor :

Sardar Navratan Singh, Tel : 23340585 A.H. Qureshi, IFS (Retd.) Ex-officio Secy.of Assn

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Totla pages
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48

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EDITORIAL
Wildlife Conservation: - Wildlife Week has been celebrated in India from 2nd to 7th October every year for the last 56 years with a view to preserve the fauna of India, particularly to take urgent steps to prevent extinction of any species. The Government of India established an Indian Board for Wild Life in 1952. The Board has since been trying to arouse public consciousness in favour of wildlife preservation. In order to arouse a general awakening in the common man in favour of protection of wildlife, the IBWL decided to observe the Wildlife Week in the first week of October every year. This years i.e.2011 wildlife week is unique because there are so many campaigns. There are three major campaigns, International Year of Forests (2011), Year of the Bat(2011-2012), and the UN Decade on Biodiversity(2011-2020). Wildlife Week starts every year on Mahatma Gandhis Jayanthi, who was a staunch supporter of Ahinsa (nonviolence)throughout his life. At the turn of the 20th century, according to estimates, India probably had many thousand tigers in the wild (approximately 40000 tigers).In 2002, based on a census using the pug mark technique, this number were 3,642.As per the monitoring exercise by Wildlife Institute of India in association with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India, using camera traps, in 2008 we were left with only 1,411 tigers. This number is so small that they will be gone soon if we dont wake up to the crisis. 2 The tiger is not just a charismatic species or just another wild animal living in some far away forest. The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator which is at the apex of the food chain and keeps the population of wild ungulates in check, thereby maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed.Therefore, the presence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of the wellbeing of the ecosystem. The extinction of this top predator is an indication that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected, and neither would it exist for long thereafter. If the tigers go extinct, the entire system would collapse. For e.g. when the Dodos went extinct in Mauritius, one species of Acacia tree stopped regenerating completely. So when a species goes extinct, it leaves behind a scar, which affects the entire ecosystem. Therefore, its not just about saving a beautiful animal. It is about making sure that we live a little longer as the forests are known to provide ecological services like clean air, water, and temperature regulation etc. From time immemorial, our wildlife has been closely associated with our legendary beliefs and our folk lore, with our epics and our history. Our lives would be very much poorer without these varied forms that build up the balance of nature. Preservation of wildlife need not and does not mean the blind perpetuation of all

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species and without any limit on numbers. Wildlife preservation in fact implies active and planned wildlife management under which all forms of life would progress side by side with human progress, each in its own sphere of influence, utility and without any detriment to human interests. In the Constitution of India it is clearly stated that it is the duty of the state to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. It imposes a duty on every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife {Article 51A (g)}. Reference to the environment has also been made in the Directive Principles of State Policy as well as the Fundamental Rights. (Article 48A) The constitutional provisions are backed by a number of laws, acts, rules, and notifications, which provides for the protection and the conservation of the forests and Wildlife. Nature has assisted always in making the mankind prosperous however we are not talking about what it gives to us but it is what the human being gives back to nature in return. Is the human being really concerned for this wildlife? We are continuously destroying the forests for many reasons.The main reasons for the decline of the

wildlife is habitat destruction, continuous grazing of the cattle in the forest, annual fires, shortage of drinking water and fodder in the forest, competition between wild animals and our cattle for space, fodder and water. In the recent past we have handed over lakhs and lakhs Hectares of our forests under The Scheduled Tribes, and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006alone. The beneficiaries have encroached upon forest lands wherever the soil is good and suitable for farming, which fragmented the forest and they have occupied the habitat of the wild animals in the middle of the forest. This will create man animal conflicts which will harm both man and wild animals.If we destroy the habitat of the wild animals, including the habitat of Tigers than how can we expect the population of wild animals to improve or increase? Even after providing huge budget allocations towards wildlife conservation and sincerely performing duty by our devoted staff, have we achieved our goal?We leave it to our readers to decide whether the measures taken up by our Governments for protection of, our wild life are enough and whether our Governments have succeeded in protection of our countries wildlife? QMK

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sir, The tiger painting on the back cover of Vana premi September 2011 by the reader Mrs Y. Usha is excellent. 3 K.Mrutyumjaya Rao

Kakinada.

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WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT-NEED FOR RETHINKING

By M.Kamal Naidu
Wildlife management strictly speaking is management of a designated areas sanctuary / national park and even reserved forests----for the harmonious blend of animals and environment in healthy, continuing conditions. This would mean, and include culling of animals, if they are likely to upset the ecological balance and be the cause of decline of other animals, and the deterioration of environment. In India what we practice is not wildlife management, but only a small segment of it wildlife protection. Wildlife conservation would mean not only the animal, but also the environment protection. Therefore we are approaching wildlife management from a narrow viewpoint of protection, or at times conservation. We tend to exclude the human element from designated areas, and often tend to ignore the tribal, who form a part of the environment, and prevent them from performing their legitimate roles, which they had been carrying out for centuries for their bonafide, legitimate uses. The approach to wildlife management thus appears to be the cause of more destruction and antidevelopment. We are excluding the involvement and participation of the people for protection, conservation and management of designated areas, and from enjoying the gifts of 4 nature; rendering it as the exclusive privilege of only the wildlife manager, and often tend to get into conflict even with his fellow wildlife managers. This had been the outcome of narrow selfish outlook of the managers of wild-lifer till in the recent past. Wildlife in India has passed through a series of phases. Earlier years when there had been an abundance of wildlife as the reports state, for instance in case of tiger it was reported that 40,000 existed in beginning of century, and declined to below 1000 by 1969. Therefore till the fifties it had been an adage that a forest officer is one who has killed a tiger. This changed to one who has seen a tiger in the sixties and, one has booked a case against poacher in the seventies. This reflects the mind and trends of wildlife management towards protection attitude, and this had played its role in stabilizing the animal population in many species, and prevented the decline in many others, and saved a few from extinction. Now the question is, for how long, and for how far more are we going to exclude the people, and keep the designated areas for the exclusive managers only. Has this approach really benefited, and would it continue to do so for long. We are already hearing of the rumbling at Ranthambore, Corbett, Rajaji, Gir, etc. of the

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conflicts between Park Managers and the people. Before it gets to be too late, let us rethink on our efforts for the future from some of my observations as drawn from Kenyan Wild life National parks, their management vis--vis the tourists, its impact and the benefits. In Kenya the wildlife staff, manage only for the protection, to prevent poaching and habitat management. In the habitat management they have by experience come to understand the carrying capacity of the parks, and accordingly regulate the animal population by culling the surplus---be it the herbivore or carnivores. In carnivore they regulate the number and species like the lion if they are tending to be detrimental for the cheetah and the leopard. Recently they had culled a number of elephants when their population pressure became high in some parts of the park. Of course in most Indian conditions cattle grazing is the greatest menace in the parks, they destroy and compete with wild herbivores, and if any one of them is killed by a carnivore, the carnivore is done to death. Fortunately this is not the situation in Africa. In Kenya they believe in the adage Eco-tourist is nature friendly They believe the best way to . prevent poaching and illicit trade in wildlife is by nature education and nature appreciation, which in turns brings in more sympathy for the animals, and therefore gives more support to the field staff. In this context they believe in opening up many routes, paths and making the area very accessible. This enabled a quicker and better 5

mobility for the protective staff. They believe that with more tourists moving about the area, the chances of smugglers is proportionately reduced. In this regard, I often thoughtare we actually protecting the interiors from smuggling and poaching by not opening it up. I feel and believe that we are only living content with the thoughtwhat I do not see, I do not believe. In actual fact often the smuggling and poaching takes place in the interiors by the determined people, for the watch and ward do not go there, and they cannot go there, because of lack of communication and roads. It is another pre-conceived belief that animals like to have an undisturbed core area where they can breed and multiply. We also believe in the concept of territory of animals. When the territory concept is believed, where is the question of all the animals going to the core area only and nurture their young, and spill over into the buffer to exhibit themselves. Animals breed everywhere and anywhere, and we know that in zoos, once they are psychologically set, they breed often, at times unbelievably in the most artificial surrounding without any privacy. In this regard in Kenya I was told that there had been no decline in the breeding of animals due to human visitation stress. They believed regarding the adaptability of animals, and acceptance of large groups of people as long as they do not disturb them, and leave them alone. In one park, there was a regular army shooting range. The wildlife managers did not try to

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dislodge the army from it. The army was equally adamant not to leave the area because of the convenience of location. The wild-lifer observed that every time the range was used, the animals moved away from the site temporarily, and would come back after their exercise is over. It appears the frequency of use of the range increased, but the animals got used to the noise of firing. The wildlife warden told me soon the animals got so used to the firing that they would come back and watch the firing as something interesting. At Masai Mara Park, a part of the famous Serengeti, there are many landing strips for small 6-12 seats aircrafts, for reaching the various resorts by small planes, especially for those who could afford from the wealthy. Fortunately I was taken for an air trip from Nairobi to a strip in the Park I found as nearing to land at the strip, the zebras and antelopes never bothered on seeing the aircraft approach, and I got scared. However these on hearing the aeroplane coming to land with great noise and speed, just moved away from the strip, and immediately continued to graze unperturbed a little away around the strip. After I got down, the aircraft took off, and the animals moved back to the air-strip, as though nothing happened. A little later another aircraft came in to pick me up, and take me to Masai Mara. I noticed the same unperturbed reaction. The animals seemed to have accepted the aircraft to be some other strange animal or bird. They never bothered for this strange creature, which never harmed them. 6

They had introduced balloon safaris at Masai Mara for quite some time prior to my visit. The balloon made a lot of noise from the jets of flames. They themselves were a huge mass. It seems that initially there was a chaos among the animals, and they would run frightfully hither thither. They gradually got used to them, rather took them for granted. When I traveled in the balloon, the animals were well used to the balloon and it noise, and the Warden explained the animals accepted it as a part of their environment, for it took off every morning at a certain fixed time. There were three colorful balloons flying daily. When I looked down at them, gliding slowly at a fairly low height, I felt the animals were amused at the strange creatures, daily a different set of them of different hues and shapes in the suspended basket. I had seen motor vehicles designed to carry 8 passengers, with facilities to open the top, and view animals. There were quite a large number of these vehicles moving around, criss-crossing all over the Park. These are operated by private travel agencies from Nairobi and Mombasa. I have seen from 30-40 such vehicles operating at a time in each park, moving about all around the parks till as far away as the eyes could see, for these forests are mostly open grasslands with scattered trees. In our forest the density is high, their number is low and our animals are more secretive. This was the off-season, but during the season, more than double the number, of vehicles operate, I was told. The moment any of

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these vehicles sight an interesting member of the big five star attractions, the driver communicate to other vehicles, and soon the other vehicles around, rush to congregate like the vultures for a carcass, for successful viewing. In such cases I did not see the animals getting disturbed. They probably understood the vehicles and persons within were some other animals moving around in their vicinity, they probably thought these were some kind of hyenas, rushing for the kill of the lion, but keeping a safe distance for the lions to move out. The animals must have found the curiosity of the people clicking away their cameras very humorous, and so started posing for them with their young running and moving around very normally. Lions and rhinos moved between vehicles to join other group or for their comfort. They never bothered, just accepted as a part of the environment keeping a rhythmic timed movement. At one instance I counted above 80 elephants in a herd. In case of zebras and antelopes we could not count their number, for they were in hundreds and thousands. However the ostrich, giraffe, rhino, cheetah, and lion were countable. The trips are conducted thrice a day--morning 6.30 to 8.00A.M. next from 10.00A.M.to 12.00 noon, and the last trip from 4.30 to 6.30PM. No night trips are permitted. This seemed adequate to give the animals freedom to escape from the monotony of being looked upon by the drab human beings; or an escape from the annoyance of the inquisitive disgusting human beings. 7

What do all the observations boil down to? Are we not overplaying about our concepts of core area, visitor limitation, animal stress, etc. We need to re-think on these aspects, and I am sure protection with better awareness, smuggling and poaching will improve with improved mobility, and presence of visitors and naturalist in the vicinity. Regarding facilities, apart from reaching the places in the park, the best of facilities are made available to the people,likewell-furnished campus, with cottages, electricity, water, beds, and furniture etc. Cottages are generally rustic looking as seen from externally, but are 5-star inside. In the campus 5-star facilities hotels are available with swimming pools, shopping complexes, bars and restaurants, etc. I sadly missed educational publicity like availability of museum, reading materials, video and film presentations. I had suggested to the warden, but they did not seem it necessary. I did and do feeling it was a great necessity. Many visitors with whom I discussed also expressed these facilities would have been nice if provided. It was not necessary as all visitors stayed overnight, some would arrive during the day, spin around and go back in the evening. Such visitors had to pay for use of facilities like swimming pool, club, etc. Those who visited on package deals are provided these facilities with a buffet lunch soon on arrival, and ending with breakfast the next date. Drinks and mineral water are available on purchase basis.

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Daily charges with above facilities varied from $40-50 per individual, some cheaper joints are also available like tented accommodation. The park charges fairly exorbitantly for foreigners. They charge $20 for individuals, and was only half rate for kids below 12 years, while it being $3-5 depending on individual or in groups with prior permission. Apart from these, vehicles are charged $5-10 depending on size of vehicle. At one park, I even saw a large truck with tourists, built specially without any restrictions. The park dept. has a interesting mode of revenue collection, apart from gate fee, from the hotel setup. The hotels have 150-200 with 2-3 per room capacity. In Masai Mara there are a number of hotels, there being upto 5-star category. In total there is a bed capacity to accommodate1000 persons per night, and in less frequented areas for 400-500 persons. There are areas for tent and toilet facilities available. All these campuses are protected by electric fencing. The park dept. leases out the facilities with long term leases of 3 years, hence the structure were built by hotel management, and they pay rent for use of structures in the parks. This is determined by the number of overnight stayers registered, and crossed checked by gate entry registers,. The rates fixed at, $0.50, per person per night, and are revisable every three years, subject to a maximum of $0.25 at a time. 8

This makes a very big money for the park as revenue on annual basisa typical little drop of water makes a mighty ocean approach--without sounding big by saying only $0.50 per night. It general is seen that tourist are prepared to pay, but they want good facilities to stay, to go around preferably with a guide, and get the thrill of seeing animals in the wild. As regards the rules of management, they are very strict and rigid. The vehicle operators are scared to deviate from regular paths by a few meters. They are scared their organization will be black listed, and banned from operating in all the parts, for any violation of park rules, that means they will have to close down. The drivers are experienced, and function as guide, are fairly knowledgeable about the birds and animals seen. In conclusion I feel there is plenty of scope of eco-tourism in India both from view of revenues including foreign exchange and the awareness and security of wildlife, which is very much under exploited. Sky is our limit. Are we prepared for change and acceptance, instead of the hard-fast clinging on like the Dog and the Manger to close all doors in the name of animal privacy and security----not knowing the cancer that is eating away our precious wildlife from the inside to result in another SARISKA.

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CONSERVATION OF OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLES IN ANDHRA PRADESH

By Hitesh Malhotra
I feel Wildlife Management can be best defined as an art of undoing the activities of man which are directly destructive to wildlife. Wildlife was best managed when God created it. With the arrival of man on earth, there was slow and continuous occupation or destruction of niches occupied by wild animals. Sea turtles are an example which is facing severe threat of extinction from the activities of man. Turtles are designed by God to defend themselves by a protective carapace but it is in no position to defend its off spring. Turtle biology forces it to lay its eggs in sand and about 60 days of incubation period makes it impossible to defend its eggs on sand and the female turtle is forced to leave the eggs on their own after laying. As a measure of continuing these species, nature has given huge capacity to the turtles to lay eggs. Each female lays anywhere between 100 to 200 eggs in one go in a sand pit and cover it with sand to provide the protection. Even if some of these eggs are poached by the Natural enemies some off springs will be produced to continue the species. 9 Man not only unnecessarily kills turtles while fishing, he also poaches on its eggs. Even some animals associated with man like dogs and rats also poach on unprotected eggs of turtles. Because of these activities of man the probability of a turtle hatchlings surviving and reaching the sea has reduced to almost zero in most of the beaches in India. Almost entire coastline of India has enough presence of man to see that turtle hatchlings don't reach the sea. Added to this the number of turtles caught in fishing nets in the sea are increasing many folds as most fishermen don't use the TED or Turtle Excluding Device when they go for fishing in the seas. With no fresh blood added and older turtles dying in the fishing nets the population of turtles are bound to go down. I am quite sure if a study of turtle populations in Indian seas is carried out we will end up in getting very high average age of turtles like that of forest officers in A.P. State. No wonder the Govt. of India has placed these turtles in most protected list. We cannot change the biology of the turtles and with this biology the survival of turtles in nature appears to be very difficult. In this scenario the wild lifers have taken up the conservation of

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turtles. The same biology of turtles has been made use by the wildlifers to undo the destruction which man has caused to the existence of turtles. It is the huge clutch size which may ultimately come to the rescue of the turtles with the intervention of wildlife managers. If the nests are protected we can ensure that all the hatchlings reach sea thus ensuring a much higher percentage of survival for turtles than what is possible in the best natural scenario. Survival with good care could reach very close to 100% also. In Orissa where there is mass nesting of turtles the wildlifers only protect the turtle nests and after hatching the young ones travel towards the sea on their own. In Andhra Pradesh there is sporadic nesting all along the A.P. Coast. A few years back sporadic efforts started by one N.G.O. call TREE FOUNDATION in Southern coast of Andhra Pradesh. With the help of this N.G.O. we trained some of our staff in conservation of turtles. Our efforts were slow and unorganized till Mr.A.K.Sinha, IFS, Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Management, Eluru got interested in this work during a turtle conservation workshop which he attended. After the workshop while touring his areas he came across an island near Sacramento where he found lot of destroyed eggs and signs of dead turtles. He decided to take up organized turtle conservation in that area and investigate other areas where similar 10

activity could be taken up. In localities where nesting activity was more in a small locality in situ protection of nests was done. In-situ means that nests were kept where the turtle laid the eggs. Only a dog and rat proof fence was erected around the nest. Date of nesting was recorded on the nest and the whole area was kept under a close watch by the Protection Watchers and our staff. The watch was kept day and night. The protection watchers were selected from the local people who were earlier involved in egg poaching activities. Rat poison was used to control the rats. Rats emerge immediately after the mother turtle leaves after laying the eggs. There is a characteristic smell for sometimes after the eggs are laid. This vanishes after sometime and after this animals missed or ignored the nest but man does not leave even older nests. In places where very little nesting takes place and nests are very far from one another, ex-situ conservation was followed. Ex-situ means such nests were shifted to a protected place in an insitu conservation area where base camps were established for day and night protection of the nests. Following statistics are important as some useful results can be drawn. The result of 2009-10 season is as follows:

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Period of Sea turtle Conservation Number of eggs collected Total expenditure incurred The results of 2010-11 are : Sl.No Name of the Division 1 1 2 3 2 WLM, Eluru WLM, Rajahmundry Total No.of Eggs Collected 3 32852 6723 39575

: : :

11-02-2010 to 28-04-2010 2019 (only ex-situ conservation was taken up) 1023 Rs.1,21,500/-.

Number of hatchlings released into sea :

No.of Turtle Nests 4 294 58 352

No.of In-situ Nests 5 34 1094 1128

No.of Hatchlings Released into sea 6 23726 131008 154734

Inferences drawn Krishna District 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. Turtle nesting is sporadic as there is very little in-situ conservation. Average number of eggs per nest 32852/294 = 112. Peak nesting is 22nd February to March 5th. % survival is 50.66% Sacramento is having the status of mass nesting. 1094 in-situ nests against 34 ex-situ nests. Average number of eggs per nest is 6723/58 = 116. Peak release time is 1st April to 7th April. % survival 154734/199407 = 77.6%

East Godavari

This even in best natural conditions may not go beyond 15 to 20%. End result of Eluru wildlife Conservator's conservation effort during 2010-11 is that 1,54,734 Olive Ridley Turtle hatchlings were released into the sea which without his effort would have been either spoiled or would have become food of some predators or human beings. This way our people have undone the destructive work of several years which man had been doing for quite some time. Three cheers for the great effort by the protection watchers, wildlife staff under the able leadership of Sri A.K.Sinha, I.F.S. I hope that this programme will be expanded in the coming years to all other areas where we have such a possibility. 11

(Please see last cover page for photo)

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THE HUMBLE YANADI

By A.V. Joseph
I was on my usual field visit to Bakarapeta range in Chittor east division accompanied by the Divisional Forest Officer and Forest Range Officer. We were on a mission of providing permanent water source for wildlife in Devarakonda area of Bakarapeta range. Devarakonda is a beautiful valley located on the Southern slope of the Tirumala hills forming the part of Sri Venkateshwara National Park. Though the valley had excellent vegetation and cover, it had no permanent water source for the wildlife. It was not that there are no forest streams to drain the rain water and form permanent puddles and ponds, but the geological structure of the area was such that the quartz and shale stones with their large fissures could barely hold the moisture for a few months after which the area becomes bone dry. The lack of natural stream or spring in Devarakonda intrigued me to no end and even the search of the old Survey of India sheet maps of the area yielded no useful data in locating a perennial spring. It was in such a situation that we were bent upon providing atleast an artificial pond so that wildlife in that area can quench their thirst and the excellent natural forest habitat can be inhabited by the wild denizens. In this deep contemplation we reached the end of Devarakonda village and were on the fringe of 12 the forest. Just as we reached the periphery of the village, out darted a tribal man from the forest carrying a gunny bag load slung on his left shoulder and perched on his head was a bundle of green bamboos. It was the green bamboos that first caught the eye and we hailed the tribal to halt and enquired as to who was the purchaser of the green bamboo. The tribal a Yenadi made no attempt to run and escape but on the other hand was very cooperative and shared the details of the purchasers of the green bamboo in the village. The next item that caught the eye was the gunny bag and I was curious in knowing its contents. I asked the Forest Range Officer to find out what was in the gunny bag and he flipped it over. Out popped a small dead animal which turned out to be a mouse deer. The minute the Forest Range Officer saw the dead deer body he flung his arms and landed a few quick blows on the hapless Yenadi. More than rage I was surprised to see the Houdini Act of the Yenadi producing a dead mouse deer from the gunny bag. I was more interested in its, origin, location, the mode of capture, etc. The Yenadi was a medium built person, dark complexioned and he was wearing a dhoti folded in the middle, tied to his waist. In spite of the hostile reception he received from us he was

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very cooperative and explained in detail the trapping technique adopted by him. I did not buy his story of finding a mouse deer in the waterless landscape of Devarakonda forests and I was sure that he had killed the animal in the Tirumala forests and had carried it by foot and brought it to the village. I challenged him to show me a single wild animal in Devarakonda forests which does not have any perennial water source! He took the challenge immediately and stated that within a trekking distance of 2 K.Ms. there is a natural spring and further beyond after a steep climb at a distance of 10 K.Ms. or so is the habitat of mouse deer. The local Forest Beat Officer was very confident that there cannot be any water in that area as he knew the patch of forest very well and this was his second tenure in the same beat. We accepted the first challenge in finding the water source. The Yenadi lead us from the front and barefooted as he was, effortlessly took the undulating climb to the water hole. We were shod in Hunters boot and stumbled along the uneven path but the Yenadi with unshod feet, ambled at a steady pace pausing now and then to let us catch up with his lead. After a good stiff walk of 2 hours the Yenadi gestured that we had reached near the water hole and now we have to take a diversion and do a steep climb of 250mts traversing rocky boulders and a steep slope. I had half a mind that all our efforts will be 13

fruitless and was getting prepared to shield the Yenadi from the volatile Forest Range Officer who will not mind landing a further couple of blows for the fruitless walk. As the Yenadi promised we climbed to a rocky outcrop and hey! Presto there was the natural spring with bubbling water coming out of the rocky outcrop. The water was crystal clear and the Yenadi quenched his thirst and his eyes had the gleam of a victorious man who had triumphed in telling the truth. Now that he had shown the water hole my next doubt was how the wild animals could reach the steep spot which we better shod humans in Hunters boot could scarcely reach the place with great difficulty! He made me observe the rocky floor and there were the scratch mark made by the hooves of the wild herbivores, boars and sambar deer in their daily pursuit to quench their thirst. He explained to me that the Chousinga a small built, lithe animal with sharp hooves could easily negotiate the terrain. Other bigger herbivores and wild pigs with their soft soled hoof can climb the rocky surface easily. It was a practical education in field and my respect for the field knowledge of the Yenadi grew gradually. Since the first mystery was unravelled we began in search of solving the second mystery in locating the habitat of the mouse deer. The second leg of the journey was very strenuous and took us a full five hours of steady walk and

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through the forests. Throughout the trekking, the Yenadi was explaining the technique of identifying the habitat of the mouse deer, whether it is in use or not by the animal and after confirming the use by the animal, how to tempt the animal by providing dainty forest morsels and finally laying a trap to capture and kill the animal. The entire process of exposition was a scientific treatise on the behaviour, nature and habits of the mouse deer which no book on earth has ever been recorded in such fine details as has been observed by the Yenadis passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, the hunting skills acquired not for sport nor for commercial exploitation but for their very survival and for filling the stomach with food. The Yenadi explained that mouse deer are partial in their preference to a habitat covered with bamboo clumps. They are very solitary animal and generally a pair comes together for mating or a mother and a fawn are found together. The mouse deer follow a beaten track of path and regularly use the same path for their daily perambulation in search for forage. In their locomotion the animals leave small spoor mark on the ground, which are the only tell-tale signs of the presence of the animal in a locality. The Yenadi scouts and look for these spoor marks left by the mouse deer in their daily movement and to confirm the use of the area by the animal he erases the signs from the ground and checks back the next day for fresh spoor marks. On confirmation of the presence of the animal the 14

Yenadi proceeds to the next step of baiting the animal by spreading tasty morsels of food preferred by the mouse deer and watches whether it is consumed by the animal or not. Each step is carefully chosen and executed by the Yenadi whose primordial hunting genes comes to its fullest expression On the hunt for the quarry. Like human beings who have a sweet tooth for rasagolla the mouse deer fait accompli is the humble gooseberry called Usirikai (Emblica officinalis) locally. Initially the gooseberry is strewn around the place frequented by the animal along with a handful of a variety of titbits. The temptation of the gooseberry is so strong that the mouse deer consumes it with no qualms. Once the animal takes to eating the gooseberry the Yenadi proceeds to the next stage of erecting the bait cum trap wherein the gooseberry is firmly tied with forest fibres to a joy stick contraption on the ground while just above the bait are piled huge rocks balanced by a basket like platform to a log inter-connected to the joy stick. Along with the baited gooseberry (tied with plant fibre) are strewn loose gooseberries which the animal can consumes freely. Once the animal nibbles the baited gooseberry and tugs at it, the entire mechanism gets activated and the pile of rocks balanced above gets triggered to fall on the unsuspecting animal at one go, killing it instantaneously by breaking its neck and crushing its ribs. This local trap mechanism is so infallible and effective that even forest boars are

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killed in a similar fashion by the Koyas and Konda Reddies of the Eastern Ghats. The Yenadi showed me the spot where the bait was set with the collapsed pile of rocks and baited gooseberry. He also showed me the spoor signs of mouse deer which is so small and dainty looking that only an expert can spot and interpret it. All my doubts and misgivings of the presence of the mouse deer in that locality cleared away. Since the mission was over the long trudge back to the village commenced. My admiration of the innocent Yenadi grew by leaps and bounds and I pitied his fate as he will be arrested and a wildlife case slapped against him for trapping

and killing a Schedule-I listed animal in a National Park under the Wildlife Protection Act. I prayed that the Forest Range Officer should prepare a weak case so that the Yenadi will be acquitted and not put behind bars. Before departing from the spot, I gave orders to the Forest Range Officer that on completion of the wildlife case the Yenadi should be engaged as wildlife watcher to assist the forest personnel in wildlife protection works as he knew the jungle and the wildlife better than any forest officer I had come across in life. I salute the unknown Yenadi who taught me that day simple wildlife facts which surpassed the training I had received.

DID YOU KNOW ?

1. European Mud Olympics:- Over 500 contestants, from all over Europe, gathered at the Brunsbttel dike, near Hamburg, Germany, for the 7th edition of the Mud Olympics. The event is unique on the North Sea coast, and features different wacky games, like mud football, mud volleyball, tug of war, or the eel relay race, all of which involved getting covered in mud, of course. And since playing in mud is apparently one of the most fun activities known to man, the 2011 European Mud Olympics drew in contestants from Italy, Switzerland, Belgium or Denmark, all looking to have a good time. Prizes were awarded for winning the wacky events, as well as for the best team name, best team fans, or the funniest competing team. The good thing is participants to the Mud Olympics 15 were not only fighting for themselves, but also for a good cause: the proceedings, over 100,000 euro, will be donated to the Schleswig-Holstein Cancer Society. 2. The Worlds first portable Church:- Parish Church of Emmaus (Emmaus-Kirche) , built 750 years ago and located in the German village Hoyersdorf (Heuersdorf ) , will now have to find another place for prayer. Building weighing 660 tons will be carried entirely on a special platform in the nearby town of Bourne (Borna), which is located 12 km from the previous location. This decision was made in connection with coal mining, which is under the church. Projections of the date of the final move 31 October. The cost of transportation will be around 3 million euros.

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MY EXPERIENCE WITH TOUR DIARIES

By Surendra Pandey
There is a practice in Forest Department to obtain the tour diaries from the field level officers. This practice is on weekly basis for the front line staff and fortnightly basis for the officers up to Divisional Forest Officers and practice take shape of monthly D.O letters for the Conservator of Forests. I also used to be a regular writer of tour diaries and submitting to the Conservator of Forests/PCCF. Writing of these diaries and DOs that too in time during my period was treated as a mean to compute the performance or a mean to correlate performance (as it is tangible and something real). People, who have not written diaries /DOs or submitted these in an epic form, once in one or two years, performed better than the regulars. The same illusion of concreteness of having control through diaries is still there. Usually we are in business of laughing at our predecessors, but hardly have we realized that someone will laugh at our beliefs in the near future. We are sure what is written in the diaries of our front line staff, most often everything is normal. I also believe that any extra information does not add usefulness to our knowledge. I am holding this conversation without a subject with all of you is such an act. There is dramatic increase 16 in the speed of decline in the availability of time with people like you, still I request, this article to be gone through. Because this type of single observation will not impact you total and I am sure, writing of tour diaries and D.O letters may continue business as usual. It was a pleasant evening when I was valuing my presence here on this planet which is a consequential low probability occurrence, usually I tend to forget. I had taken a decision to dispose off one old box in my house, which was occupying precious space. Before disposing the box, it became essential to clear out all its contents, useful or otherwise. My copies of tour diaries and D.O Letters were one such big bundle. These have brought a powerful olfactory nostalgia; these had a physical embodiment, a smell and a time warp for me. These diaries were written without knowing what was going to happen next. I hardly got remarks from my Senior Officers, except it is lacking details or too much details were given. Probably they also might have not gone through these papers by abiding to the old rule that read books are far less valuable than unread ones and I was always thankful to them. I knew diary provide indelible facts recorded more or less immediately, we feel connected to everything we feel worth connecting to.

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I have mirthlessly torn out these diaries (my copies), which I started writing since my joining the State during 1985 and keeping till the date as fond remembrance. On the date I tore down each fortnightly diary with some vengeance. These tore papers; I gave to my maid servant which she sold away for Rs.40. Subsequently she told, she could purchase some Onions & potatoes from the amount. She was probably very happy first time with me. What a worth these diaries were at last. Most probably these papers will be used for recycling and protect the Environment in limited way. Before tearing these diaries, for about 10 minutes, I ruminated on their usefulness even for historical remembrance and even I asked opinion of my wife on the course of action which I was going to take. There was her role in these diaries too, while writing these diaries, number of times she had provided tea etc. As probably she was preoccupied, she seemed to be listening without hearing, and looking without seeing into these papers and for what she was laughing at. These diaries included official events in my working as Probationer in Anantapur and Chittoor District, Sub-Divisional Forest Officer, Kunavaram, Divisional Forest Officer, Anantapur, Guntur, Karimnagar (E), Nizamabad and Conservator Nizamabad. My experiences of my formative years, working under great Foresters like Mr.K.P.Muniswamy,IFS, Sri C.Siva Shankar Reddy,IFS, Sri C.MadhkarRaj,IFS, Sri P.K.Sharma,IFS, 17

Sri B.Murlikrishna IFS, Sri M.V.PrakashRao,IFS& Sri Rajesh Mittal,IFS was really rewarding. These diaries included contents like visit to nurseries, plantations (successful or otherwise), saving the people from flood in Kunavaram, after affects of flood, night patrolling either going after Charcoal Lorries in Anantapur or Sandalwood Lorries in Chittoor and Guntur or Teak timber in Karimnagar and Nizamabad or bullock carts in Karimnagar. These also included details of Beat inspections, enumeration of trees felled, conducting surprise checks of saw mills and their seizures followed with court cases, unearthing of fake permits from saw mills and reports on them, accompanying senior Officers to the fields and their opinions on the way protection of forests can be done, requesting the Government for allotting one battalion of special police for helping in protection of forests, crossing the way of naxalites, chasing bullock carts loaded with Teak and their seizures, conducting Beedi leaf collections spread over in more than 100 khallas, attending 20 Points and District Development Committee meetings, pursuing villagers to form VSS and their lack of faith in us, supervisory officer for Prajala Vaddaku Palana details of Neeru-Meeru , joining campaign for Social Forestry and awareness generation for wildlife and Environment and advices to staff which were followed most of the time. These also included the works carried out for conservation of water and one such attempt in Yacharam ( Kamareddy)

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getting the best village/VSS award Jalayagnam from the Government of A.P in the form of citation and cash incentive of Rs.50000. These diaries also had details of disappearing forests and bare concerns of the People who were living in and around the forests areas. These were also having details how and where my colleagues like Forest Beat Officers, Forest Section Officers, Forest Range Officers and SubDivisional Forest Officers have made great and painful efforts to achieve the targets with whom I had opportunities to work. My Sub DFO like Sri Venkaiah (Late), Sri ChiranjeeviChowdhary, Sri Ilu Singh Meru , Sri Lohitsyadu, Forest Range Officer Sri Ramdas, Sri P.V.Krishnala Reddy, Sri A.Subramanyam, Sri Tirupati Reddy, Sri S.Mallaiah, Sri Gangaram (Late) have taken great pains in performing the role. The discussions I had with these staff during midnights on the roads while in waiting for suspected movement of Red Sander or Teak is now of good memory, even sometimes these discussion were containing mix of fear (other side if armed or if they are extremists). I am not sure how many of us believe, tour diaries are statistically significant. I believe, it is taken as normal. Senior officers shall spend more time reading these. We are having a normative idea that average is normal. If tour diaries are written in average manner without pointing to any major 18

(adverse) event/forecast, it was taken as normal. But facts were in deviance from the average. I also got a thought, whether it was a wasteful exercise (writing these diaries) of laboring under a delusion, a mistake that often happened with us through excess of imagination. All the faculties of my mind were irresistibly bent in one direction to prove that these papers are now worthless and hence to be destroyed. Even as official records in the respective Divisions and Circle Offices might have been closed and destroyed after two years. In these diaries usually we know and over emphasize what has been done but we try to forget what has to be done. These diaries /Dos shall reflect on what has to be done. All the concerned shall strive to comply & achieve if they can do it otherwise opt for other alternative. Any how the world we have in our mind is different from the one operating outside. Ultimately to hit a nail on the head, I felt in heart of heart, whether it was a misapplication wherein diaries were used as a tool to count only their date of submission instead of utilizing their contents to support the system. Whether it was a miscarriage of the application of improvement? If you read this article, how it matters because no action is anticipated and business as usual continues. I thank you for your time and reading this paper.

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JARRING NOTES IN JUDICIAL SYMPHONY

By J. V. Sharma
There is an article by Mr. T. R. Andhyarujina, a wellknown senior advocate of Supreme Court titled Premier High Court at 150 published in The Hindu dated 25th August 2011. It is about Bombay High Court on the eve of its completion of 150 years existence. The High Court started functioning from 14th August 1862. The construction of the magnificent Gothic-style building which houses the High Court was started in 1873 and completed in time to begin its sittings from 10th January 1879. Of the information provided by the author in the article, a few incidents stand out for their importance. Firstly, it is said that the building cost the exchequer a mere Rs. 16,44,528. Assuming that the materials and labour was cheap and the money value was high in those days, the cost of construction must be considered as low. The accounting was so perfect as to give out the expenditure figure to even the last three digits. What will be more surprising to the present generation is the final cost was well below the estimated cost! The second fact of great historical importance is, besides a galaxy of several English judges, the High Court had the distinction of having Indian 19 judges of erudition and broad and liberal thinking like BadruddinTyabji, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Telang, Chandravarkar, M. C. Chagla, Hiralal Kania etc. In an instance cited by the author, BadruddinTyabji paid a moving tribute to his brother judge Ranade on his death quoting lines of Urfi, the court poet of Emperor Jehangir: Live thy life in such a manner that, on thy death, the Mussalman may wash thy body with sacred waters of Zamzamat at Mecca and Hindu may burn it on the holy ghats of Kashi. How noble and tolerant were that generation! As for the lawyers who made the High Court proud, the list can be endless. Suffice it to mention stalwarts like Bhulabhai Desai, K. M. Munshi, M. R. Jayakar, Sir Dinshah Mulla, M. A. Jinnah, Sir Jamshedji Kanga, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, H. M. Seervai, M. C. Setalvad, S. H. Kapadia, C. K. Daphtary, N. A. Palkiwala and N. P. Engineer of the past era. Each one is a legend. Another interesting fact cited is the famous trial of Lokamanya Balagangadhar Tilak in 1909 for seditious writing. When the jury returned the verdict of guilty and he was sentenced to six years in jail, he said the famous words All that I wish to say is that, inspite of the verdict of the jury; I still

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maintain that I am innocent. There are higher powers that rule the destinies of men and nations; and I think, it may be the will of Providence that the cause I represent may be benefited more by my suffering than by my pen and tongue It is no . surprise that these words are inscribed at the entrance of the Central Court. The author also mentioned of comical figures of monkey judges and fox advocates wearing lawyers bands with one eye blind-folded peeping from the top of pillars blended with the architecture of the building. He attributed it to be the mischievous handiwork of a disgruntled sub-contractor, a Parsi, who avenged himself on law and justice by libelling the lawyers and judges of the High Court. The existence of the comical figures being a verifiable fact even now, it is too naive to ascribe it to a non-descript sub-contractor as the work in question was a part of architecture based on approved drawings and diligent execution. There is no way it could miss the watchful eyes of the authorities in charge of the work. The symbolism of the comical figures is perhaps a truthful depiction of the grey area of the system, to caution to posterity that despite all the sanctity attached to law and justice, there is the possibility of existence of lesser mortals even among the judges and lawyers. One eye blindfolded may be conveying that there could be deliberate infractions in dispensation of justice. 20

While fox advocates do not spring any surprises, the monkey judges may need some explanation. Does it mean to convey that their behaviour is not always stable and dignified? Mercifully, the comic figures were only few in numbers to denote that the judicial indiscretions were only an exception than common. If we are to go by present day standards, it may become necessary to display monkey judges and fox advocates in architecture more prominently and on a larger scale, for the construction new court buildings. While celebration of occasions like completion of time slabs and like Silver Jubilee, Golden Jubilee, etc. of such great institutions serve as milestones to recall all the excellent traditions evolved over long periods to serve as guidance for future, they should also be the occasions for introspection to see whether there had been any grey areas which need attention and rectification. After all, evolution is nothing but a continuous quest for improvement. It also implies that the effort should always be to strive for better life and better values and healthier environment, figuratively as well as factually. There is a common belief in the country that of all the institutions of public domain, the judiciary is the best. We have any number of examples where the judiciary rose to occasion to reassure the people that they could bank on judiciary even when all other organs of the State fail to deliver. It is really gratifying that the judiciary

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had earned the confidence of the people and they consider it the most potent force to ensure the rule of law. There is also an obligation on the judiciary, unlike for other organs, to be 100% perfect in its working and the same should also be seen to be so. This is the acid test the judiciary has to contend with. Even as the judiciary remains the tallest among all other sister organs of the State, it is being increasingly criticized these days for various reasons. A very senior Chief Justice of a High Court, who had also been cleared for elevation to Supreme Court, has been stopped midway on allegations. Another senior judge of a High Court is currently going through impeachment proceedings and the Rajya Sabha had already held him guilty. He has since resigned as a Judge and his resignation has been accepted by the President of India to save blues in LokSabha. A very senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a former Union Minister of Law stood up in Apex Court and told the Chief Justice of India that a sizeable number of his predecessors were corrupt and the statement remains un-rebutted till day. Cases which have come out into public domain may be few but sly comments against judges are a common experience at most of the places. This being the position in respect of higher judiciary, it can only be worse in the case of lower judiciary. Advocates are the most important component of the legal framework, next only to the judges, 21

in dispensation of justice. They are expected to help the Courts in the process to ensure that the truth is vindicated. But the image they hold in public eye is something different. More than 90% of the litigants I had spoken to have no kind words for the advocates. General feeling, whether expressed or not, is that the judiciary, by and large, is insensitive and the advocates are heartless. This puts the litigants permanently at the receiving end making their position unenviable. They can neither stay away from knocking at the doors of judiciary nor be comfortable with the process of litigation. In olden days when approaching the Court itself was difficult, the elders used to advise their children not to approach the courts for justice and to settle the disputes by compromise. To add emphasis, they used to ironically explain that the winner in a court case will be a loser and the litigant who lost the case is as good as dead. The perils of seeking judicial relief were so obvious even in the past. However sophisticatedly the author tried to explain away the architecture of monkey judges and fox advocates, it is not that difficult to understand the reason behind it. One point on which everyone agrees is that there is drastic erosion in values of life in general. The degradation in ethics during the past 150 years must have been obviously phenomenal. Only some upright judges and some dutiful

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lawyers serve as sentinels of legal field and it is their fruits of labour that keeps its flag flying. Else, the language normally heard in legal circles is: The judge on Admission Bench is strict. We will file it after the new man comes. The present judge is against granting bail or any interim relief. Let us wait for a liberal judge. Let us not push the case for early disposal. The judge is harsh. Better to wait for a good judge. It is better to engage an advocate of high stature. Lesser mortals cannot make impression on the judge. Such and such advocate carries lot of weight with judge. And such and similar refrains.

from the bar if there is anything to learn and decide his course of action without fear or favour and bias or prejudice. The judge unfortunately is a loner. A judge thus has to sacrifice many personal liberties, comforts and pleasures to make it appear that he is a judge and above all, he has to be free from the burden of conscience. As for the advocates who are expected to help judges enrich the judicial ambience, the emphasis appears to be to win the cases at any cost than the means adopted to win them. Sometime ago, we had seen the unpleasant spectacle of the lawyers going into agitation mode to protest against a law made to simplify the procedure and expedite disposal of cases. It would be an encouraging and welcome sight to see the lawyers being role model of ideal citizens so that the common man can emulate.

Such comments are worrisome. These impressions point out to the rot the legal system is afflicted with. A judge is expected to be a judge nothing more and nothing less. Adjectives like good, bad, harsh, liberal, considerate etc. are certainly not compliments to a judge. Granting adjournment on frivolous grounds is as bad of refusing a genuine request for another date. Being liberal is as bad as being harsh. Favourable disposition towards a particular advocate is as bad as being hostile to some. What all is required in a judge is; he should be well conversant with law; he must have the patience to hear and learn 22

The credibility of judiciary takes the maximum beating for delayed justice. While we are never tired of parroting that justice delayed is justice denied, our approach gives out an unmistaken impression of only denying the justice as it is delayed invariably in every case. The stock explanation is dearth of courts and paucity of judges. They say the backlog is so heavy that it takes decades for cases to become ripe for adjudication and the Courts are helpless. Very often the discussion stops at this point of huge pendency and does not somehow extend to explore why such unduly large number of cases

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came to be filed and which of them are in the much frequented areas of litigation. It may be possible to reduce litigation to some extent by addressing causative factors and limiting its scope. For example, the State is the biggest litigant. Cant the State design its character and functioning to create a situation where there will be no need for the Citizen or the State to enter into compulsive litigation? Another distressing aspect is the insensitivity towards the importance and urgency of the matter under scrutiny. The bench and the bar, very often than not, behave alike in this aspect. Innocent litigants are baffled at the way the cases receive attention of the court. Some cases are heard with unbelievable urgency while many others gather dust for years and decades. I mention below two typical illustrations to drive home the point: (a) A & B are husband and wife married in

litigation fearing judicial delay is not right in that it amounts to compromising on justice. If seeking justice from courts also becomes hazardous, what is the choice before the citizen? Right to life in Part III of the Constitution also means life with dignity and without fetters. Provision of reasonable restriction cannot be applicable in the instant case as the matter is in judicial domain and it is its responsibility to discriminate urgency and administer justice. The courts should devise a mechanism to keep tab on this aspect instead of waiting for the litigants to invite attention through mention and expedite petitions. What is the remedy available to the victims of the delay? If the Courts say after a decade and half that A and B should live together, will it be fair and practicable? As against this, surprisingly some cases receive unusual expeditious attention. (b) A approaches the Court for issue of directions to B, a Government officer in respect of a matter within his domain. The Court passes an interim direction which B says would render the entire litigation infructuous. The judge admonishes B orally and threatens to arrest him for contempt. B had to approach higher Court and obtain a stay. Issues that come for consideration here is whether it is proper for the court to grant the relief sought as main prayer in the form of an interim direction, giving finality to the dispute under adjudication and secondly 23

1992. B deserted her husband in 1995 and is living separately. A approached the Court for divorce in 1999 and the Family Court granted judicial separation instead of divorce in 2002. Decree for divorce was granted by the Family Court in 2004. B preferred an appeal with the High Court and the case is pending. In all, it is 12 years the matter is pending before one court or the other. 12 precious years of the litigants life in prime youth is already spent in litigation and the loss is irreparable. Staying away from

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the harassment and hardship meted out to the officer for no fault on his part. The models presented above smack of some inherent deficiency in the system and the manner it is addressed. These models portray that the monkey judges and fox advocates depicted in the architecture of Bombay High Court is no fluke or accident. There is reason to believe that a message was sought to be conveyed to posterity to warn of possible aberrations or fallibility in the judicial system, its commitment to the high moral ground notwithstanding. All those persons, architects, sculptors, the judges, the bar and the

Government of the day, deserve accolades for their vision, magnanimity and courage to permit depiction of weaknesses without any ego or vanity. It took 150 years for the country contemplate follow-up action to such aberrations in the form of Judicial Accountability Bill which is in the offing, if at all it contains the measures to tackle the deteriorating values. (NOTE: The views expressed in this article are the views of the author and he takes full responsibility for them. The Journal or its management are not responsible for the same. Author)

INVITATION
The Association of Retired Forest Officers, Andhra Pradesh, Congratulates the following Forest Officers, who are retiring from service on attaining the age of super- annuation on the dates mentioned against their names and cordially invites them to join the Association of Retired Forest Officers to keep in touch with their old colleagues and to keep themselves occupied. Name of SFSOfficer 1. Sri M.Parvatheesham Naidu 2. Sri U.Govinda Rao Sri. K. Santokh Singh, Secretary Date of Retirement 31/10/2011 31/10/2011 Mobile Number. 9848808101

For further details they may contact the following Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Jt.Secretary Mobile Number. 9848754778 Crossed Cheque for Rs.2000/= drawn in favor of The Association of Retired Forest Officers may be sent to the undersigned towards Life Membership of Association P.UPENDER REDDY Jt.Secretary cum Treasurer Quarter No.2/B , P.S.Nagar, Hyderabad-500 057 24

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A SPIRITUAL PILIGRIMAGE TO HOLY KAILASH-MANASAROVAR

By Surendra K.Bali
The waters of the Manasarovar are like pearls.Whosoever touches the soil of the Manasarovar, or bathes in the lake,shall enter Brahmas paradise; And whosoever who drinks of its water, shall enter Shivas heaven and be cleansed of the sins of a hundred lifetimes. (From the Ramayana Saga) INTRODUCTION: Mount Kailash and are in Tibet-China. TREKKING: It is arduous at an altitude ranging from 4000 metres(mts) to 5000 mts. The yatri is to be physically and mentally fit for this strenuous journey. It is not unusual that the doctors of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Uttaranchal State Government are continuously monitoring the fitness of the Yatris as they trek towards a higher altitude. PLANNING AND ACCLIMITASTION: The yatra is planned in such a way that the Yatri starting from Dharachula(India)base camp located on the bank of Kali River, prepares the Yatri for acclimatization for trek at the higher altitudes step by step. Whereas the actual trekking, on foot starts from Mangti(2240 mts) to Gala(2048mts) and then to Budhi(2740mts) and to Gunji(3500mts). Before getting into Tibet we had to cross over Lipulekh Pass (5344 mts=17,600ft.). Prior to this passover there are two halting places at Kalapani(2740mts) and Nabidang(3987mts). At these places administrative formalities like checking of passports are completed by the Indian government authorities. All these part of 25

Manasarovar, the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvatia pilgrimage is not only a life time experience but a fulfillment of a life-time dream. So it was during the spiritual pilgrimage to KailashManasarovar-2004, sponsored by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA),GOI, New Delhi who are the only official tour operator from Indian Territory. A short description of the yatra will not be out of place, before the yatri actually embarks on this yatra. DURATION AND FORMALITIES: The Yatra duration is of total 27 days, and another four days are spend at Delhi for undergoing medical tests for your cardiovascular and respiratory fitness, briefing by MEA, GOI, collection of Visa and foreign exchange. Approximately 13 days the yatriis in the Indian Territory and the rest 14 days

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Indian Himalayas are covered by trek so that the Yatri is acclimatized to the higher altitude conditions in these parts of the mountains. There is small field hospital of ITBP who check up all the medical parameters of the yatris before they crossover to Tibet. IN CHINA/TIBET: From Lipulekh pass we cross over to Tibet by trek and by road with the support of the Chinese authorities and reach to the government guest house at Taklokot(4000mts) and camp there for completing the formalities of passport checking and getting the Chinese currencies and exchange of US dollars. From Taklokhot the real journey starts for Mansarovar and Mt. Kailash. It takes another 14 days for return journey to India. The journey is covered by road as well as by foot. Now the average altitude of trekking is around 4000mts going to the highest Dolma pass(5550mts).The trekking is very arduous and is to be performed by Yak/pony,as well on foot. From Taklokot the entire batch of Yatris go by bus to Qihu from where the yatris split into two batches. One of this batch takes the circumambulation (Parikarma) of the

coldest area during the trek. On way to Darchen we also crossed the Rakshaktal. SOME FIELD EXPERIENCES: Lipelukh pass, as we crossed early in the morning, it suddenly started raining along with a heavy snow fall. We had to cross the snow cover to the depth of 1 meter and the weather became extremely bad due to snowing.We all crossed the pass with the support of Tibetan officials before we could go to the waiting bus on way to Taklokot. The entire road tract was bumpy because as such there were no roads except these big boulders. However the landscape in Tibet was tranquil with grandeur of holiness. Derapugh: Beforeparikarma of Mt. Kailash we had a camp at Derapugh(16,700 ft.), here also we faced heavy snowfall and rains. This is the nearest point in the parikarma, where we can get close, clear and complete view of Holy Kailash. After a steep ascend by Yak/pony we could reach Dolma LA pass from where trekking is on only foot because of presence of glaciers and the rugged terrain. Mount Kailash: From Dolma LA pass the Holy Kailash stood before as a great Silver Mountain in all its austere grandeur. It is the home of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The scripture say that it is the holiest of the holy and was unapproachable even to Gods liken Indra and Siddhas like Kapila. It is the place of pilgrimage even for Lord Vishnu. The mountain stood close to us and blessed us 26

Manasarovar lake by bus and the other batch goes to Darchen(5182mts) for parikarma of Mt. Kailash.which takes another 2-3 days. The most difficult part of parikarma of Mt. Kailash is before crossing the Dolama LA pass, we had to camp at Deraphug which is the

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with a clear and a delightful darshan, as if to offer us a hearty welcome. Mt. Kailash is 45 km in circumference at its foot and rises high into the air like a tapering tower and its crest covered with snow. It is a beautiful mass of granite, standing like a gem set in the middle of chain of mountains. Mansarovar lake:The lake is 75 km in circumference and perfectly circular in shape, on all sides it is surrounded by snow clad mountains. The water in the lake is sheet of glass, plain and pure. No contamination by mud or dirt. The shore is covered with small stones which glitter like so many precious gems in the water.

At its corner of the lake stand eight monasteries occupied by holy Lamas, who spend their entire lives in penance. Tibet: Tibet is a plateau and is very beautiful and all sites are delight to watch. Here women work more tireously then the men. Hard labor is required to eke out livings in this unfertile region. The flat table plateau is a barren trek without a touch of greenery anywhere. Note: Humbly request you to see the journey photos at the website:http://goo.gl/b7G8y I will be covering the other unforgettable experiences in my next article in the forthcoming issue.

CONGRATULATIONS
The following Forest Range officers are promoted as Assistant Conservator of Forest. Vana Premi congratulates them and wishes all the best for their future career.(Editor) 1. T.SrinivasaRao. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. B.DhanajayaRao Ch.Shiviah E.Subrahmanyam V.POPrabhakarRao S.Venkateshwarlu S.MadhavaRao A.Venkateshwarlu K.Ravinder V.Anjaneyulu N.KhaderVali P.KrishnamaChary M.GuruPrabhakar P.Sagar R.Srinivasa Reddy N.V.Sivaram Prasad 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. A.Srinivasulu G.P Anand K.Damodar Reddy N.KondalRao C.Vajra Reddy A.Rama Murthy V.SrihariGopal M.RajaRamana Reddy B.VenkateshwarRao Ch.Nagabhushanam G.Srinivasulu A. Chandrasekhar R.HanamanthaRao C.SridharRao P.Dhanaraj P.AshokRao Md.Zaheer Ahmed P.Ramulu.

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A JEWEL IN THE CROWN OF NORTH COASTAL A.P

By V. Santhaseelababu
Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, located at Visakhapatnam The City of Destiny- is definitely a jewel in the crown of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Spread over 625 Acres of natural forest, the eastern Ghats overlooking the Zoo on the shores of Bay of Bengal, this abode of wildlife presents the visitors a spectacular impression of visiting the wild animals in their natural habitats. The establishing of the Zoo was designed from the year 1972 and went on till 1977 under the able stewardship of Late Mr. T. Ramakrishna who was the Curator and the Architect of this prestigious Zoo for the entire period of 5 years and was inaugurated on 19th May 1977 by Mr. Ibrahim Ali Ansari, the then Minister for Forests and Wakfs. Today the Zoo has about 800 animals and birds which live in open and in natural surroundings. About 32 species of Mammals, 44 species of Birds and 10 species of Reptiles are sheltered here. The latest addition is an Aquarium named MeenaLokam with about 45 species of rare Fishes like Piranha, Gold fish, Rainbow fish, Tiger barb, Flower horn etc. It is also proposed to add marine animals like Coelenterates, Mollusks, Sea anemones, Corals 28 etc. in to this aquarium. Most of the inmates of the zoo are either by birth in this zoo or brought from other zoos or rescued animals. The highlights of the zoo are the white Tigers which are 5 adults named Sirish, Kumari, Giri, Vani, and Veena and the recently born 4 cubs which are yet to be named. There are 7 magnificent Royal Bengal Tigers which form the prime attractions of this zoo. Out of them 2 are Krishna and Rani which are the parents of the existing population. 2 Lions by name Azam and Lakshmi are also available here. There are 5 Panthers in this zoo out of which 2 were rescued locally and are kept here only. The exotic large cat exhibited here is the Jaguar. The Hippopotamus couple has given birth to a Hippo calf which is one year old now.. The small carnivores like Jackal, Hyena, Wolf, Jungle Cat, Small Indian Civet and the Wild Dogs are also seen. Among the herbivores are the Indian Elephant, Barking Deer, Sambhar, Spotted Deer and Hog Deer. Antelopes like Neelgai, Chowsingha, Black bucks are accommodated in large open moat enclosures. The Indian Porcupine is among the Rodents.

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In the Primates section we can see the Common Langurs, Macaques and Baboons represented by Rhesus, Bonnet, Golden Rhesus, Stump tailed Macaques and Olive Baboons. The Reptiles consist of Water Monitor Lizard, Common Monitor, the Indian Crocodiles Muggar, Gharial and Estuarine Crocodiles and the snakes,like Indian Python, Cobra and Rat snake, and Star Tortoises and Terrapins are also seen. The Aviary consists of Red Jungle Fowl, Grey Jungle Fowl, Patridges, Rose ringed Parakeet, Pelicans, Cranes, Ibis, Herons, Storks, Sulphur crested cockatoo, Goffins cockatoo, various love birds and Budgerigar, Silver Pheasant, Golden Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Ring necked Pheasant, Lady Amherst Pheasant and Red Spur fowl and white Peafowl. It is very common that Panthers very often stray in to the human habitations at Visakhapatnam due to the proximity of the Reserved Forest to the city. Forest Department initiated timely action and the Panthers have been rescued many a times. Most of them have been let off in the thick jungles of Rampachodavaram and Maredumilli except 2 of them which are retained here itself. Sloth Bears were rescued and a Bison from Rajahmundry was also rescued. Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is selected by the Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi, as a coordinating zoo for conservation and breeding the Asiatic wild dogs (Dholes) Cuonalpinus in 29

captivity. At present there are 5 adults and 4 young ones. The Chennai zoo and Tirupati zoo are the associate zoos for this purpose. The zoo has an Animal Rescue Center (The Old age Home of Animals) for the Lions and Tigers that have been rescued from various Circus companies. Here the center houses 31 Lions and 12 Tigers. This Rescue Center is considered to be the best center in the country maintained and managed for the big cats. Most of the animals kept here are above 17 years of age and due to the special care taken on the initiative of the Central Zoo Authority, their longevity is increased and they are looking very healthy. An area of 37 Acres was acquired for establishing a Marine Land Complex comprising of various sections of Dolphinarium, Sirenians, Pinnepedia, Turtles and Crocodiles, Aviary, Aquarium, Invertebrates, Mangroves, Research Laboratory & Hospital, and Education & Interpretation. The main idea behind this is to adopt an ex-situ conservation programme of endangered fauna of Bay of Bengal like Dolphins, Dugongs, Sea Turtles, Fishes, Marine Birds and other invertebrates. Also to develop conservation and education programme on Marine Ecosystem and its fauna, for the local people and especially the students. The project of Marine Land Complex was originally conceived in the year 1977 and the Govt. of India had approved the proposal for setting it up at Visakhapatnam

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Coast. The project could not be commenced till now due to various reasons. Since the Zoo Authority of A.P is formed now, it is hoped that the Project will come through shortly. A scheme for adoption of the animals in this zoo is formulated and there is a good response from the local Industries, Institutions and individuals at Visakhapatnam. Govt. of India had extended Income Tax exemption for the amounts spent on the adoption of the animals and the donations given to the Zoo under section 80-G (5) of I.T. Act 1961 and 12 AA, 1(B) of I.T. Act 1961. The White Tiger Sirish is adopted by Sri Prakash School for an amount of Rs. 1.00 Lakh, The H.P.C.L. had adopted two Tigers by paying an amount of Rs. 4.80 Lakhs and the Elephant is adopted by V.I.E.T.S, an Educational Institution, at a cost of Rs. 3.60 Lakhs. The animals like Ghariyal, Peacocks and other birds are adopted by many individuals. The Zoo is annually visited, on an average, by about 5.70 Lakhs of visitors and the gate revenue is about Rs. 1.00 Crore per annum. The amenities provided include Foot paths, Rachabandas (Under tree sit- outs), Safe drinking water facility, provision of Dust Bins, Pagodas, a well-organized canteen etc. A Toy train is provided for having a quick glimpse of the location of the various enclosures of animals and 2 Battery operated cars are available to take the visitors to the animals at the moats 30

and enclosures. The enclosures and moats are provided with live hedges and standoff barriers to see that the visitors do not go to the proximity of the animals and does not tease or feed them. Education and the outreach programme has been the priority of the zoo. Bioscope (Environment Education Centre) is being set up in the zoo to promote awareness regarding the Environmental deterioration, Biodiversity loss, Wildlife conservation etc. Several educational programmes include snake awareness, bird watching, preparation of checklist of free ranging fauna and floral biodiversity of Eastern Ghats. The Centre also displays specimens, samples, photographs, message boards etc. Different competitions for children like nature and wildlife photography, painting, tree identification, quiz, essay writing, elocution competitions are organized on the occasions of World Sparrow Day ( 20th March), World Environment Day (5th June) and VanyaPraniSaptah (1st week of October). Wildlife related movie clips, documents and presentations are displayed in this Centre. Authors note: The Author profoundly thanks Mr. G. Ramalingam, Dy.C.F,& Curator, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam for his cooperation and help in providing necessary information about the Zoo for writing this article on the eve of Vanyaprani Sapthaha.

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HELPING SPARROWS COME HOME TO NEST

COIMBATORE: For Fiona Desimon, a student of CMS Matriculation Higher Secondary School at Ganapathy in Coimbatore, 'homework' holds a different meaning these days. She is one among 26 students who are currently working on a novel project- that of protecting house sparrows, a species facing extinction. Feeding cans and nests adorn the front yards of their houses as they go about the business of trying to get the house sparrows to nest. "We selected 26 students from a particular area. The school has joined hands with Anaikattybased Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) for this unique project. They aim to bring back the species to the neighbourhood by creating a natural habitat for them at their houses. "Till some years ago, I could spot many sparrows around my house. But the numbers have really dwindled. We hardly see any sparrows these days,'' says Fiona Desimon, a class 8 student and an avid bird lover. "The awareness programme conducted by SACON helped us understand the problem and it was really sad to know that their population is dwindling day by day. By putting up the nest and feeding cans, we can help the sparrows increase in numbers,'' she added. Joseph Reginald, a research scholar at SACON, 31 "The destruction of nests and rapid urbanisation are the reason for the extinction of birds in cities,'' said R Kumar Moorthy, another class 8 student and a resident of Ganapathy. According to him, rapid urbanisation and increasing pollution is spelling doom for the small ubiquitous sparrow, which was earlier found in large numbers in the city. "The root cause of the disappearance of these birds is massive development work which leads to the cutting of trees and mangroves. Pollution too compounds the problem," he said. These students will distribute bird feeders to others in the locality free of cost at the later stage,'' said Suresh Kumar, coordinator for the project in the school. said the students would be taken to various places in city to understand sparrow behaviour and habitat. "During our study, we found 15 places in the city with a substantial sparrow population. Of these, we selected Ganapathy Ma Nagar and Walayar for our project. The students will distribute nests and feeding can to houses in these areas," Joseph said.

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"Sparrows have been dwindling mainly due to lack of food and nesting sites. Modern buildings do not provide crevices and nooks for the sparrow to nest. Also, sparrow fledglings feed exclusively on insects for the first 15 days," Josephs explains. However, the insect population too is on the decline due to lack of native plants and other vegetation in urban areas, he added. The students have been provided with nest and cans to feed the sparrows. The student will put up these in the front yards of their houses. The bird feeders are designed to store food grains such as millets and broken rice. These feeders can be hung in balconies of houses, office windows and building compounds.

"One feeder can feed up to 100 sparrows and the device can last for almost eight years," Joseph said adding that once the birds identify the source of food, they will keep coming back and bring other birds as well. M Bhuvaneshwaran, another student, said that birds should have to find a place of their own to live. These birds built their nests in the houses or trees and coexist with people. However, direction less development craze has killed their habitat and people are least bothered about it. It is important to create awareness and it an opportunity for us to do that, he added. (Souce Internet with thanks)

THE TURTLES ON PICNIC

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtle being naturally slow about things took 7 months to prepare for their outing finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second month of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last. For about six weeks they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket and completed the arrangements, Then they came to know that they have forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtle, the little turtle whined,cried and wobbled 32 in his shell. He agreeed to go on one condition that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left. Three months passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five months, six month.... Then on the seventh month of his absence the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting,See I knew you wouldnt wait. Now I am not going to get the salt . MORAL: Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we do not do anything ourselves.

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BOUNTY OF BIRDS IN DESERT

By N. Shiva Kumar
K eoladeo National Park is an exceptional World Heritage site located 200 K.ms from Delhi in the desert State of Rajasthan. It is more commonly called Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary but the locals simply utter the word Ghana, meaning dense forest. Until recently this hotspot used to be the Mecca for birdwatchers from across the world. Today this status has diminished a little even though the foreign tourist arrivals to India showed a remarkable increase of over five million in 2010. As an avid birdwatcher one can vouch that this 29-sq.km. is an ecological storehouse where drama in real life can be encountered at every turn you take, every move you make. Apparently the blend of many marshlands, grasslands and woodlands of Bharatpur bird sanctuary seem to have a unique attraction to both Indian and foreign birds. An astounding 370plus species of birds have been catalogued in this spectacular sanctuary. What is that attracts thousands of bundles of feathers and considered one of the best marshes for birds in the world? It is also described as one of the most magical places for bird watching. According to experts, it's the concoction of aquatic life in conjunction with moist earth that cultivates plenty of snails, tadpoles and frogs, beetles, crustaceans, molluscs and multitude of microorganisms. 33 About 70 years ago fun with the gun was a pastime and on any given day 2000 to 4000 ducks were slaughtered in the name of sport. This figure was meagre when compared to the millions of ducks that converged in the lush wetlands of Bharatpur. Members of the royal family armed with shotguns took pot-shots at the flying ducks that arrived in the winter season from distant lands. While the birds came into tropical India to escape the bitter cold from the northern hemisphere, royal folk basking in the warm winter sun gleefully brought down the flying birds with rapid bullets. If that was not enough, many servants dutifully gathered dead ducks and assembled them in rows, not merely to be counted but also proudly posing for photographs. Duck shooting is a difficult sport but when the numbers are large any shot fired in the air was certain to bring down a few birds. This fun-fury unleashed in the bygone era is fortunately no more in vogue because killing wildlife is prohibited today. This paradise for birds was declared a sanctuary in 1956, elevated to National Park in 1982 and finally declared as World Heritage Site in 1985. After the last sighting of the rare Siberian crane in 2004 in Bharatpur marshes, regular clientele from aboard who are accomplished ornithologists have stopped coming. It was a

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quirk of luck that one happened to photograph the last pair of Siberian cranes that visited India and now there are none. Prime nesting sites Come September and copious rain and water triggers nesting for resident birds. On a recent visit, herons, cormorants, egrets and storks were all competing for prime nesting sites. Open-bill storks and painted storks nesting close to each other caused constant bickering and it was a delight to see them quarrel. In the coming months, on show will be an assortment of performances in the process of building nests, mating, egg laying, brooding, hatching, feeding the young and finally the art of flying. For four months, until December this live concert will take place and then it will be time for large number of migratory birds to arrive in hordes. The Bharatpur Bird Park heavily depends on sufficient supply of water for its flat patchwork of marshes artificially created in the 1850s. This intricate water system is still maintained by a system of canals and dykes. Water is fed into the marshes twice a year from flood waters of the Gambir and Banganga rivers, which are impounded by a small dam called Ajan Bund. However in recent times, the local farmers demanding more water have put the bird sanctuary in jeopardy. Inadequate monsoons have not helped the cause; hence there is paucity of water in some seasons. In September first week, ten solar systems worth Rs.one crore have started functioning with bore wells to pump out 34

water and help fill the marshland with adequate water. Hopefully this will sustain the wonderful wetlands. Late Salim Ali, the father of Indian ornithology, was happiest here in Bharatpur, amidst nature, making copious notes on bird behaviour. For those who are not aware, this is one of the world's best documented wetland ecosystems. Many species have been painstakingly studied by researchers for their ecological and morphological virtues to understand the magical mechanisms of nature at work. Though the sanctuary is mostly known for a variety of wild birds, there is also plenty of flora and fauna like smbhar deer, neelgai antelopes, large pythons, jackals, hyenas, mongooses etc. Bharatpur bird sanctuary is the only natural reserve in the country where the maximum numbers of options are available to explore wildlife. Rambling or simply lingering in the sanctuary is exceptionally conducive both for the casual visitor and the keen observer. However one can hire a Tonga, cycle rickshaw, a bicycle, a battery operated bus or even the official gypsy used by the field staff. Another unique way is to go in slow motion on the placid waters in a boat. The best way of course is just to amble and ramble at will with binoculars and cameras shooting birds. Bharatpur is best visited from October to February when the weather is mild and accommodating. (Source The Hindu with thanks)

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YOUR YEARLY DEMENTIA TEST

It's that time of year to take our annual senior citizen* test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of intelligence. Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer. OK, relax, clear your mind and begin. 1. What do you put in a toaster? Answer: 'Bread.' If you said 'toast,' give up now and do something else. Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, bread, go to Question 2.. 2. Say 'silk ' five times. Now spell 'silk..' What do cows drink? Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is overstressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3 3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a greenhouse made from? Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said 'green bricks,' why the hell are you still 35 reading these??? If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4. 4. Its twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany.) Anyway, during the flight, two engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane fatally crashes smack in the middle of 'no man's land' between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany, West Germany, or no man's land'? Answer: You don't bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, 'You don't bury survivors', proceed to the next question. 5. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales. In London, 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon, two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, three people get off and five people get on. In Carmarthen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven. What is the age of the bus driver? Answer: Oh, for crying out loud!Don't you remember your own age? It was YOU!! (Souce Internet with thanks)

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ISLAM AND ANIMAL RIGHTS

By Menaka Gandhi
Dr. Kristen Stilt is an Islamic scholar in Egypt. While visiting India she came to see me. She has written a book about Islam and animals, endorsed by Dr. Professor Abd Allah Mabrook Al-Najjar, Professor of Sharia and Law Member of the Council of Islamic Research at the Al Azhar University. He says Dr. Stilts book is excellent in its scientific content, accurate from the perspective of Islamic law, and beneficial. She writes, In my studies of Islamic law, I have always been impressed by the extensive rules that require humans to treat animals kindly and with mercy. These rules are wide-ranging, and include significant protections for work animals like horses and donkeys, requirements that slaughtering be done in as merciful a way as possible, and commands to treat dogs and cats kindly. The position on animal welfare within Islamic law is an excellent example of compassion and concern for those who depend on others for their care. Islamic legal protection of animal welfare is truly a model for everyone. This is an important statement because very few Muslims in India treat animals well. Every birdseller, poacher, dog breeder, tangawalla (horsecart puller) and butcher of animals, from chicken to cows and buffaloes, turns out to be a Muslim. The point is not that they do it the Hindus are no angels either but that they believe that their religion sanctifies cruelty to animals. They abhor 36 dogs and even educated Muslims who visit me make a racket if one of my dogs goes near them. They beat horses and donkeys to death, run illegal animal markets from Crawford Market in Mumbai to Jamia Masjid in Delhi, Hathi Bagan in Kolkata, Meerut Bird Market and Nakhas Market in Lucknow. When the Ministry of Environment tried to make pet shop rules, they received protest letters only from Muslim animal breeders and illegal pet shop associations. Muslims should understand the amazing range of animal welfare that is required by Islamic law. Islam is based on the principles of kindness, mercy, compassion, justice, and doing good works. These principles are seen throughout the texts of the religion the Quran and the Hadith or examples of the Prophet as well as in Islamic history. The Prophet was kind and compassionate to all creatures. IbnMasud reported: We were traveling with the Prophet and he stepped off to the side when we saw a small bird with her two babies, and we took them. The mother bird came over and began fluttering in the direction of the Prophet. He said, Who made her miserable by taking her two babies? Return them to her. When the Prophet explained the importance of kindness we returned the baby bird. Cruelty to animals is strongly condemned in the Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet and

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punishments are provided for it. Most of the Sahih Hadith collections have Abdullah Ibn Umars report, The Prophet cursed the one who treated animals harshly. Al-Asqalani specified that The cursing indicates that the action is prohibited. Whoever treats harshly a living being and then does not repent, God will treat him just as harshly on judgment day. Abdullah Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet said: A woman went to hell because of a cat that she confined and did not feed or allow to feed.

years ago Cairo, a flourishing city, had shelters reserved for the needs of animals. Muslims in Egypt established watering troughs for animals adjacent to schools and mosques, and endowed trusts to provide care to animals owned and stray alike. When people died they left money for troughs to be made in their memory, such as the trough of the madrassa of Um Sultan al-Ashraf Shaban and the trough of the madrassa of Amir Aytmish al-Bajasi. Historians document that Sultans, Amirs, and

Kindness to animals brings a reward to the kind person. According to Abu Hurayra: The Prophet said that there was a man who was traveling and he became very thirsty. So he found a well and descended into it and drank, then exited, when he saw a dog panting and eating the ground from his thirst. The man said: This dog has reached a level of thirst that I almost reached, and so he descended into the well and filled his shoe with water and provided the water to the dog. God thanked the man and forgave him of all his sins. The men listening to this story said: O Prophet, will we be rewarded for assisting animals? The Prophet said There is the possibility for a reward for helping each living being. In another Hadith, even a prostitute was forgiven for her sins for her act of giving water to a thirsty dog. Compassion for animals is a basic part of Islamic law, history and culture. The Muslims established the first animal welfare organization and animal shelters and Islamic history shows that animal welfare was an exalted Islamic value. A thousand 37

others established endowments to provide food for stray animals, such as cats and dogs. The English orientalist Edward William Lane reports that the Chief Judge of Egypt in 1835 told him that the Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Baybars established an endowment to provide food for stray cats. If the endowment was not producing enough revenue, the Judge would contribute his own funds. The Ottoman Amir in Egypt, Kutkhuda, established a pious endowment to distribute food to stray dogs and cats each day. Many Hadiths state that humans have a duty to treat donkeys, horses and camels properly and to respect the work they perform. According to SahilIbn al-Handhala: The Prophet passed by a camel whose stomach was taut from hunger, and he said: Fear God regarding your treatment of these animals, who cannot speak from themselves. Ride them properly, and feed them properly. Other Hadith express how personally angered the Prophet was by neglect of animals.

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According to Abdullah IbnJafirAbiTalib: The Prophet went into a garden of a man and there was a camel. When the Prophet saw the camel he felt compassion and his eyes shed tears. The Prophet went up to the camel and stroked him between his ears, and the camel calmed down. The Prophet then said: Who is the owner of this camel? A boy from the ansar came and said, He is mine, Prophet. The Prophet said: Dont you fear God with regard to this animal, whom God has given to you? For the camel complained to me that you starve him and work him endlessly. The Prophet even chastised his wife Aisha for her treatment of a camel she was riding: Aisha rode a camel and she began to struggle with him. The Prophet said: You are obligated to be kind. Many Hadith explain how to treat animals who are carrying you or your goods: God is kind and loves and desires kindness. If you ride an animal, descend and allow it to rest at an appropriate site. You should provide the animal rest at night, because the animal is the one covering the trail, and needs a resting place for living beings. The muhtasib in medieval texts was the official responsible for public laws and overburdening or mistreating pack animals was treated as a violation of Islamic law. The muhtasibs powers were to punish abusers such as the transporters who stop with goods in the market without unloading the goods from the backs of the pack animals because if the animals stand with the goods on them it causes pain to them, and that is torture to them. 38

In the law manual of IbnBassam, It is also necessary that the animals loads and burdens are proportional to their strength and ability, and they should not have put upon them a load that will injure them, and they should not be driven quickly while carrying loads, nor prodded with strong prods. The people responsible for them should have the fear of God in them when it comes to providing food for their animals and they should be fed sufficiently according to their work, and whoever violates these rules should be punished. Good treatment of animals can result in a reward from God. According to Abu Hurayra, the Prophet said: Giving a horse food or water is the source of a reward. When the Prophet was asked about the reward that can result from the kind treatment of donkeys, the Prophet referred to the Quranic verse 99:7-8: Whoever does good equivalent to the weight of an atom shall see it; whoever does evil equivalent to the weight of an atom will see it. Maneka Gandhi is a six time Member of Parliament and ex-minister for Environment, Social Justice and Culture, Chairperson of the largest animal welfare organization in Asia People for Animals, and the author of entomological dictionaries including Hindu Names and Muslim Names published by Penguin. Web: www.peopleforanimalsindia.org Email: gandhim@nic.in

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ANNA HAZARE'S CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

By V.S. Joshi
Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption was an epoch making event in the Indian politics since after the similar mass movement of India's independence led by Mahatma Gandhi during third and fourth decade of last century. The national fervor generated across the length and breadth of country right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Mumbai to Kolkata during this unique agitation was simply overwhelming.The so called middle class intelligentsia of the country, that so far used to be only the silent spectators getting ringside view of the political events and airing the endless impotent opinions, had spontaneously hit the streets with white caps bearing 'I am Anna Hazare' captions. Even the student community was not lagging behind. The unequivocal support rendered without any reservations by the electronic media of the country during this agitation was unparalleled. It was a stunning site to watch. This event certainly gave vent to the citizen's deep rooted ire against the most corrupt politicians, irrespective of their party affiliations, of our country. It was first time that the highest law making constitutional body the country was made to take serious cognizance of all of Anna's most legitimate demands on this proposed LokpalBill. The touching message delivered by Anna while giving up his twelve day old fast on 28th this month was a master piece of this simpleton's views on the much discussed Lokpal Bill. He had very rightly proclaimed that he is determined to continue his crusade now in the shape of electoral reforms like right to reject the unsuitable candidates and also to recall them if not found of any worth after getting elected. As undoubtedly elections are the very source of breeding corruption in the country. The sudden emergence of Anna on Indian political canvass was like an angry young man depicted by Amitabh Bacchan in Bollywood during seventies of 20th century. I still recollect my lively interaction with Anna Hazare at Ralegaonsiddi, his native village where he initiated his experiments of total village ecodevelopment, during 1996 when I had an occasion to visit this place in connection with the evaluation of Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Vrikshmaitra Awards. He had really transformed his once almost barren village into an eco-friendly prospering entity. After inspiring other villagers in Maharashtra to fallow his suit, he changed tracks and started his crusade against corruption. Ironically enough, Anna Hazare's long drawn movement started with his exposing corruption in the Social Forestry Directorate of Maharashtra that resulted into initiation of departmental enquiries against the seventeen officers. Hats off to Anna Hazare's sincere and single handed efforts in leading movements of national importance. Let everybody make a resolve on this occasion to wholeheartedly participate in his endeavor instead of 'Aap ladho hum tumhare sathhai' attitude usually displayed by many. At least now there is an idol to fill up the vacuum felt badly so far.

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INNOVATIVE METHOD OF WATER SUPPLY FOR WILD ANIMALS

By Qamar Mohammad Khan
The office bearers of, Association of Retired Forest Officers of A.P. and the editor Vana Premi received invitations from the World Wide Fund for Nature to attend the inauguration of a water tank at Farhabad on 12th of September. We were told that the water is pumped in to the overhead tank by a solar pump. We all decided to attend the inauguration as the transport was also provided by the WWF. Farhabad a sleepy village with only three huts, in Nagarjunasagar Srisailam tiger reserve is situated at a distance of about 18 kilometres from Mannanur which is the Range headquarters and about 165 K.ms. from Hyderabad. Farhabad is on the plateau, and was a Shikargah (Hunting grounds) of Nizam of Hyderabad where few buildings were constructed in the midst of the thick forests for the stay of royal family members who were visiting Farhabad for hunting. These buildings have now collapsed. The elevation of this area is about 1800 ft. above mean sea level. During the Nizams period the wild animals including tigers were found in large numbers in this area which is evident from the fact that it was the hunting ground of Nizam. The rainfall was good and throughout the year drinking water was available for wild animals. With the change of 40 climate, the scanty rainfall, grazing of large number of cattle, annual fires, and competition between wild animals and cattle for fodder and water, the wild animals also felt the shortage of water during the summer and due to this the wild animals started migrating to the other places where water is available during the summer. The perennial water sources are generally located in the valleys which attract most of the wildlife during summer season and the plateaus suffer from acute scarcity of water. Due to the scarcity of water wild animals in the region start visiting villages looking for water sources leading to man animal conflicts. This was surveyed by the World Wide Fund for Nature and identified few permanent water sources like streams and wells which can supply water to the wild animals throughout the year. There is an open, well near Farhabad village, which is adjoining to a stream and though in this well water is available throughout the year, but it is not possible for the wild animals to utilize this water. The stream gets dried up during the summer and there will be no water for the wild animals. WWF-India with the support of Core Logic &As are Trust, Pragati Resorts & Meadows in association with Andhra Pradesh Forest

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Department and Meera & Ceiko Pumps, installed the first solar deep well pumping system at Farahabad. The Solar Based Deep Well Pumping System consists of a DC submersible pump and has been installed inside the well mentioned above in Farahabad. The pump with the help of solar energy will pump up water to a 5000 liters capacity overhead tank installed on a 33 ft. high tower with a total head of 38 ft. The solar panel is fitted on top of the overhead tank. Water will be stored in this tank and the overflow water will be discharged to a few water holes which get dried up during the summer, through 2 G.I. pipes. The water will also be utilized for watering and developing fodder plots for the herbivores like Nilgai, Cheetal, Barking Deer, and Sambar which live in good numbers in and around Farhabad of Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve area. The system also has the capacity to recharge solar lanterns, and Cell phone batteries of the staff. With the help of a battery, which will get charged by the solar panel and with an inverter it can also be used to run television sets and computers including laptop. The solar pump has a capacity to draw up to 20,000 liters of water, in 6 hours (the maximum duration of active sunlight available in a day). The company which supplied solar pumpset assured that the pump set will work trouble free for next 20 years. 41

Provision has also been made for an outlet to fill water tankers as well as a tap for the resident Chenchu families to collect water for drinking purposes in summer when water is not found nearby. The Forest Department in association with WWF-India has got plans to install a portable water filter fixed to the tap for providing safe and pure drinking water to the Chenchu tribe of the area. Perhaps this is the innovative and only of its kind in the entire country, which pumps and supplies water to the wild animals and human beings in a place where there is no electricity supply Vana Premi congratulates, WWF, Forest Department, and all other partners who took active part in erecting the solar pump for water supply for the wild animals and Chenchus, the local tribe and wish all the best. Vana Premi also wishes that they should think of erecting many more such solar pumps in the areas where water is not available during the summer to wild animals as well as to the local tribes in our state. We thank profusely WWF, Mr. Anil Kumar Chairman, Mrs. Fareeda Thampal Director, and all other staff of the WWF who invited the retired Forest officers, ex Directors of WWF and made all the arrangements for our transport, and arranged very good sumptuous lunch in serene environment.

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Birthday Greetings
We wish the following born on the dates mentioned

A very Happy Birth Day

S.No. Name of the member Sarva Sri 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. A.Rasheed Khan T.Krishna Murthy L.Lohith Reddy M.Narayan Rao C.Pratap Reddy V.Ranga Rao R.K.Rao C.Subba Rao K.Jagan Mohan Rao Sarva Sri 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Dr.Harish Chandra Misra 07-10-1955 C.P.Vinod Kumar Lokesh Jaiswal Dr.G.Narsaiah Y.Madhusudan Reddy D.Nagabhushanam 21-10-1963 22-10-1963 24-10-1957 04-11-1963 05-11-1955 D.O.B. 06-10-1937 07-10-1926 08-10-1931 10-10-1932 17-10-1934 20-10-1945 20-10-1935 24-10-1943 05-11-1941 D.O.B. D.O.B. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. A.Laxman P.Ramesh M.Ashok Kumar D.Sudhakar Reddy B.M.Swamydas Aijaz Ahmed E.N.Srinivasulu K.Appala Narasimha Chary 10-10-1058 10-10-1959 13-10-1965 14-10-1966 24-10-1954 30-10-1956 30-10-1954 03-11-1961

N.Venkat Ram Narsaiah 20-10-1954

S.No. Name of the I.F.S. Oficer

S.No. Name of the S.F.S. Oficer Sarva Sri 1. 2. 3.

M.Parvatheesham Naidu 06-10-1953 U.Govinda Rao A.L.Pandu Rao 08-10-1953 10-10-1954

S.S.S
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NEWS AND NOTES

1.Plant that Blooms only once in hundred years:- The Queen of the Andes has a regal presence, towering up to 40 feet (12 meters) in its mountain habitats of Peru and Bolivia, this exotic plant blooms for a few weeks before it dies. Queen of the Andes plants are found only harsh conditions in Peru and Bolivia at altitudes between 9,800 and 15,750 feet (3,000 and 4,800 meters). Conditions here are so barren that the plant needs time to build up the resources with which it produces the flowering and reproduces. That's why its so slow and takes 80 to 100 years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the plant as endangered, due to habitat loss and declining genetic diversity. For now Peru hosts about 800,000 plants, while Bolivia has 35,000 - but these numbers are decreasing, according to the IUCN. Puyaraimondii is rivalled only by members of the Ceroxylon palm genus as the most spectacular high-Andean plant. It occurs in often very isolated and usually small populations from Peru to Bolivia. Communities frequently number a few hundred individuals or less, but can range up to perhaps 30,000 plants in Paso Winchus as well as in Cashapampa, Pachacoto and sector Carpa, Huascarn National Park, Huaraz, which is probably Perus best known location. Populations reach 10,000 in Rodeo, Arani province, Bolivias largest population which may 43 represent one third that countrys plants. In Titankayoc in southern Perus Ayacucho, however, there is an extraordinary site of several thousand hectares which contains, depending on source, an estimated 250,000 to at least 450,000 plants. With this arguable anomaly, the plants sporadic and scattered distribution and extreme genetic homogeneity, detailed below, suggest the vestigial remains of a species in decline. Outside its habitat, there appear to be no more than two dozen mainly small specimens in perhaps half a dozen botanical gardens. The plant is monocarpic and in habitat seeds only once in about 80 years or more before dying. Although a mature Puya will produce 812 million seeds and viability is usually good, inclement montane conditions at the time of dispersal, which may inter alia affect pollinating insects, can result in few if any germinations. Moreover, seeds in less than ideal conditions can begin to lose germinating ability after a few months and are also susceptible to dampingoff. Because of these factors, a century-old plant may not reproduce at all and will, botanically, have lived in vain. This risk is exacerbated by global warming whose effects on Perus glaciers are well established. Climate change may already be impairing Puyaraimondiis ability to flower. In the wild, these plants seem to be exceedingly choosy about where they grow. Their seeds are

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very small and by design easily wind-blown. Yet even in undisturbed locations P. raimondii can limit itself to one small spot although edafic, topographic and microclimatic conditions in the surrounding area appear identical. The species is officially considered endangered in Peru (Law No 043- 2006-AG). But in practical terms this means little, if anything and only the countrys best-known rodales (Puya communities) benefit from some protection. Elsewhere, the plant can be the object of hostility and large stones are often thrown at them, lodging for years among the leaves. Cattle roam unfettered among many colonies which are not being regenerated because the animals either trample or may eat juveniles. In other sites, fires are set to create pasture land or the thorny leaves are burnt to facilitate access to the trunks' starch which becomes cattle fodder. Pith removal, of course, kills the plant. Compounding all these issues, there is exceedingly little genetic variety within existing populations. A genomic DNA analysis of the genetic structure of eight populations (including the huge one at Titankayoc) representative of P. raimondii in Peru detected just 14 genotypes in 160 plants. Only a few of the 217 AFLP marker loci screened were polymorphic and four populations were completely monomorphic. Less than 4% of the total genomic variation was within populations and genetic similarity among populations was as high as 98.3%. Flow cytometry of seed nuclear DNA content and 44

RAPD marker segregation analysis of progeny plantlets demonstrated that the extremely uniform genome of these populations is not compatible with agamospermy but the result of inbreeding. Many Rodales have disappeared only recently, as proved by vernacular Puya names still in local use. Even though fully fitted to its harsh environment, P. raimondii lacks sufficient variability in its genome and, possibly also phenotype variability to allow it to adapt to both anthropic pressure and present climate change
(Please see last cover page for photo)

2. Annual General Body Meeting of TN Association of Retired Forest Officers:- The V AGBM was held on 24.08.2011 under the chairmanship of Shri A.M. Mahmood Hussain,IFS (Rtd.). The General Secretary Shri V.Sambasivam presented the Annual Report of the Association for 2010-2011. It was brought to the notice of the General Meeting that on the recommendation of the PCCF Shri Gautam Dey, the Government agreed to give on rent the vacant research building in the Guindy National Park to the Association. Shri A.M. Mahmood Hussain commended the effort made by Anna Hazare in his village by increasing 70 acs of land to 2000 acs of cultivable land by conserving rain water. He stressed the need to fight against the Tribal Act 2006. A book on reminiscences of Retired Forest Officers compiled by Shri V. Samabasivam was released. Shri T.V. Rangarajan highlighted the activities of the Association of Retired Forest Officers of AP. Including

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publication

of

the

monthly

magazine

(overdose) for females. 4. Power from waste: Vivekananda Kendra shows the way:-The town Panchayat is today powered by the biogas-generated electricity Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu is an

VanaPremi. Shri S. Kondas authored a book on the International Biodiversity Year 2011 and it was received with a thunderous ovation. (Contributed by Sri K. Buchiram Reddy) 3. World Suicide Prevention Day is an awareness day observed on September 10 every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world. The observance is sponsored and endorsed by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The theme in 2011 is Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies. SUICIDE FACTS: One million people in the world die each year as a result of suicide. Females attempt suicide four times more often than males but males succeed three times more often than females making the overall suicide rate to be 75% for men and 25% of women. 1 in 65,000 children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide each year. 95% of suicide victims have a psychiatric disorder. Alcohol and drugs are 36% and 16% factors respectively for all suicide victims. According to WHO report, depression is the #1 disability in the world. Worldwide, the most common method of suicide is hanging for males and poisoning 45

internationally renowned tourist destination. Though the town itself houses a modest population of just 12,345 in about 400 households, it generates a huge volume of waste mainly kitchen waste from various hotels and restaurants. An NGO from Kanyakumari called Vivekananda Kendra ( Vk- nardep) built a solid waste management shed at the town panchayat for collecting and processing the entire waste for feeding into a bio-gas plant. The Kendra constructed the biogas plant (of 100 cubic metre volume) a floating drum like device attached to a designed biogas engines that are in turn connected to specially designed control panels. Effective disposing The solid waste management shed of the Panchayat is today powered by the biogasgenerated-electricity. Once the plant started functioning, the panchayat disposed a lot of waste in a constructive way using this plant. The hygiene of the surroundings also improved, says the Kendra secretary G.Vasudeo. Scientists from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore and officials from

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Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) visited the project and recommended it for subsidy from the Government.

by stray dogs, he says. Vicious cycle Effectively tackling this problem becomes

Every kilowatt of energy produced through such renewable energy sources is eligible for subsidy. This village panchayat generates about 10 Kilowatts of electricity from its organic kitchen waste thereby becoming eligible for subsidy worth Rs 4 lakh, says Mr.Vasudeo. Once a small town or village becomes a popular tourist place, almost the entire livelihood of that place starts depending on its tourism industry. Increased waste generation and absence of effective solutions to tackle it affect the health of the people and also hits tourist flow. Sadly, today urban tourist centres as well as cities are becoming a hub of food waste being dumped in the kitchen backyards, he adds. Waste generation A typical major tourist or pilgrimage centre generates 10-35 tonnes of waste per day, higher than the per capita in urban areas.Such a problem needs to be tackled innovatively both technologically and socially, that too on a war footing.

imperative as it remains a vicious cycle. The challenge of converting the waste into wealth at Mamallapuram is a joint effort of a Chennai based NGO, Hand in Hand', which, along with Vivekananda Kendra set up a large Biomethanation plant from their Natural resources development project. The Kendra has been doing research and field work in this area for the last 10 years and is credited for developing low volume biomethanation plants that are suitable for both urban and rural households. In addition to this the Kendra also developed a bio-gas slurry based agro-inputs package and made the dissemination of this technology more efficient. Collection We started collecting kitchen and vegetable wastes from the town Panchayat and collected more than 550 kg to 600 kg of kitchen wastes for feeding the plant, adds Mr.Vasudeo. Thus a unique combination of governmental

Disposing of waste, particularly kitchen waste, poses a big problem everywhere. Often the sight of accumulated garbage heaps at road corners and in open grounds and fields becomes a nuisance for the residents. These rubbish heaps become a breeding ground for many infections and are frequented 46

agencies, voluntary organisations, and sustainable energy technologists made a tourist centre in the present globalised environment more ecologically healthy and economically vibrant. For more details and visit readers can contact

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Mr.G.Vasudeo, Secretary, Vivekananda Kendra NARDEP, Kanyakumari - 629 702, Tamil Nadu, e.mail : vknardep@gmail.com, website: vknardep.org, phone 04652- 246296.( Source The Hindu with thanks) 5. Onam- The harvest festival of Kerala: Onam is the biggest festival in the Indian state of Kerala. Onam Festival falls during the Malayali month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali. Carnival of Onam lasts for ten days and brings out the best of Kerala culture and tradition. Intricately decorated Pookalam, ambrosial Onasadya, breathtaking Snake Boat Race and exotic Kaikottikali dance are some of the most remarkable features of Onam - the harvest festival in Kerala. (Please see last cover page for photo) 6. Tiger in "love triangle" kills mate at Texas zoo:-EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - A female tiger has killed her mate at a West Texas zoo, authorities said on Friday, in a rare attack that came after months of simmering jealousy in a feline love triangle. hree-year-old Malayan tiger Seri killed 6-yearold Wzui at about 4 p.m. on Thursday in an enclosure at El Paso Zoo, zoo spokeswoman Karla Martinez said on Friday, As soon as the incident was reported, zookeepers closed the tiger exhibit and veterinary staff was called. They examined Wzui, and found he was dead. 47

"Tragic incidents such as this are not unheard of but we don't consider this common," zoo Director Steve Marshall said. Marshall described the deceased tiger as very down to earth and loving and said it would "be greatly missed." Malayan tigers are a critically endangered species, with just 500 or so of the animals remaining in the wilds of Thailand and Malaysia, according to the World Wide Fund For Nature. Both Seri and Wzui were on loan from other zoos as part of the American Zoo Association's Species Survival Plan to aid in their conservation through captive breeding. Marshall said keepers had not observed any signs of aggression leading up to the attack, and that the two cats had been seen playing affectionately at the exhibit earlier in the day. However, in June, zoo authorities reported what they called a "tiger love triangle" between Seri, Wzui and a 15-year-old female called Meli, who was transferred to El Paso from a zoo in Fresno, California, in 2001. "The male tiger Wzui likes both females, but the two females don't like each other," the zoo said in a press release dated June 14. "The girls are jealous of each other," collections Supervisor Griselda Martinez said. Staffs expect that another tiger will be transferred to the El Paso Zoo to replace Wzui for breeding purposes.

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OBITUARY
Sri K. Sudhakar Reddy 17-9-1950-22-08-2011
Sri K.Sudhakar Reddy retired Asst.Conservator of Forests left for heavenly abode on 22nd of August 2011 in a gruesome road accident at the age of 61 years. Sri Sudhakar Reddy was born on 17th September,1950 and was brought up in the old city of Hyderabad(Aliabad).He was the 2nd among 5 children of Sri Kasula Ramakrishna Reddy & Smt. Andalamma. He had his early education in old city and completed H.S.C. from Mufeed-Ul-Anam High School, Hyderabad in 1965 and after completing B. Sc 1st year; he joined Southern Forest Rangers College Coimbatore in the year 1968 & passed out in October 1970 with Higher Certificate. Thus he joined the forest service at a very young age of 18 years and served the department for a very long period of 40 years with distinction. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in 1972 & was promoted to the cadre of Asst.Conservator of Forests in the year 1986. He served the department in various capacities as Forest Range Officer, Sub-DFO & Divisional Forest Officer to the utmost satisfaction of superiors and subordinates as well. He married Smt. Anuradha Reddy in the year 1972 and was blessed with (5) daughters. Four Daughters are married and settled well. The Youngest Daughter, who performed last rites of Mr.Reddy, is yet to be married. He earned most prestigious award of MUKHYAMANTRI VANA SHOURYA PATHAKAM for the year 2001-02 for exemplary work carried out in protecting the forests as the DFO wild life Management Division Jannaram of Aliabad District. Mr.Reddy earned his distinction in the department as the best sports person and was awarded Second Prize in the WORLD POWER LIFTING CHAMPIONSHIP competition held in NEWZEALAND in the year 1991. He was awarded FIRST prize in Power Lifting & Weight Lifting Championship of All India Forest Sports meets held in Hyderabad in 1993, Bhuvaneshwar in 1994, Nagpur in 2001 and Gold medal in 2007 at Jaipur. He was also awarded medals for Best March Past & won many medals in Badminton competitions. He is survived by his wife, five daughters, Grand Children, friends, relatives & Colleagues. Mr. Reddy was known for his amiability and was very popular among his friends and collegues. He leaves behind many mourners beyond his family among blood relatives and a legion of admiring friends. May his noble sole rest in peace. 48

P. Upender Reddy

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For details please see page no. 11

For details please see page no. 44

For details please see page no. 44

For details please see page no. 47

Registered with RNI R.No. Apeng/2002.2185 Postal Regn. No.HSE-743/2009-11

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If Undelivered, Please return to : Editor : VANA PREMI Office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Aranya Bhavan, 49 5th Floor, Room No. 514, Saifabad, Hyderabad - 500 004, A.P.