I was initially not going to pen a blog on Wildlife Conservation, despite receiving a notification from Saevus Wildlife India; the reason : any article on so important and yet excusive a topic as this one has to come from the heart for it to be even remotely effective. I was not feeling the inspiration, the reason for the post; without that inspiration – no point in even participating, and being ineffectual. I had no wish to degrade the stellar efforts of conservationists by penning something uninspirational… and then… suddenly, from the deep recesses of my mind echoed a memory, a memory that will remain with me for as long as I live… the distinctive and unforgettably plaintive “kaiyon, kaiyon”… The Call Of The Peacock…
Birds I
have heard aplenty; from the bulbul to the sparrow; but the call of the peacock…
that is special; very, very special to me as an individual. I lived for a full 4 years among a dozen,
maybe more, free peacocks; they would strut around on the parapet of my rather
large balcony, or play and strut around in the mango groves surrounding my
residence… and every single day I would be treated to the fabulous and awesome
call of the peacock. I tried listening to it on a youtube video – and you
know something? No comparison; you have to feel, hear and experience The Call
Of The Peacock, a free-spirited and free peacock, to truly appreciate the
wonder of the Call Of The Peacock…
And
then, I noticed that the Peacock is endangered {low risk}… and I recalled the
memory of the only time in all those years I saw a peacock dancing and
displaying its lovely beauty; a video is no comparison… I cannot
explain it; the magic of the opportune moment as I was walking home from
School, and chanced upon the peacock cannot be forgotten… Oh, for seeing that
beauty and purity in the wild and free once again… just once more… and there it was : my inspiration for this
post… which is why I call this article, “The
Call Of The Peacock”!
I can
give any number of reasons for the peacock’s importance : from Religion to
Culture, but I wont. If I state religion, then it means that we conserve only
the limited organisms that have religious relevance as it is commonly
understood. Separate matter that Sanaatan Dharm specifically teaches
conservation and protection of all beings. Similar is the case for culture; but
to me, the biggest reason : if these living beings, God’s lovely creations,
were to vanish, we would be missing something truly wondrous, lovely and
fantabulous.
Just
think of a world where the only place you can hear The Call Of The Peacock is a
youtube video… sad, a very sad place indeed! It is an experience, as the
plaintive call echoes across the homes, woods and the environment, leaving in
its wake a momentary vacancy, a hanging tantalizing moment of sheer silence… of,
for listening to that “Kaiyoooo---n!” once more in the wild, as I did in
Gwalior, the campus of my Aunts’ College… and for the period once again, when
the peacock would strut around everywhere, fearless and confident that it is
safe…
MOVING
ON…
Conservation
of wildlife isn’t just about the lions and the tigers of this world; everything
is connected. Scientifically speaking we need to conserve for the perfectly
selfish reason that for us to survive, we need to keep the ecological balance;
you might say, what’s one more species when so many thousands have vanished?
True, perfectly true. Just one thing : please identify that one single species,
and the place where we stop. It will always be, what’s one species more or
less? Until that fateful day when we will all remember that lovely Agatha
Christie Novel : And Then There Were None…
Not all
of you will identify with scientific reasons; not all of you will identify with
the peacock; you have to have lived that experience to understand the pull of
the dance, and sheer power of The Call Of The Peacock. But all of us would have
had some memorable interaction with nature : even if it is in your morning
walk. Even if it is with the lumbering Elephant, the image of The Lord Ganesh… or
even the Scary Cobra {To us, the Cobra is
the Naag – which we worship on Nagpanchami}. Pray tell, what use is a Nagpanchami
prayer if there are no Naags around? Is that anyway to show respect for the
very image of whom we worship?
I hate
to take recourse to Religion, but all adherents of Sanaatan Dharm are requested
to recall whom we worship. Most, if not all, Gods we worship explicitly include
associations with Animals or Birds, from the Mooshak of Lord Ganesh, to even
the Peacock, who is associated with Goddess Laxmi if I am not wrong. And if we
are not doing anything to protect them – or doing our utmost to not cause any
further damage, or even try and maintain and improve the situation within practical
bounds, what does that say of us as a people?
But I
digress; let me not take recourse to religious imagery exclusively. Think of
the wonder of The Blackbuck – and those sweeping horns and elegant horns; if
you have seen that sight; if you have been lucky enough to spot the beauty of the
Blackbuck in the freedom of a national park, you are a lucky person. The
Blackbuck does not have any brute strength – but just as The Peacock symbolizes
beauty and purity, to my eyes The Blackbuck symbolizes sheer elegance, grace,
demeanor and speed. The elegance of the Blackbuck can teach us how to live, and that we don’t need
brute power – but rather, we should be having Grace, Elegance, Demeanor and
Blinding Speed of reaction…
Again,
that is a sight to be experienced, not in a zoo, not in a video – but live. You
have to feel that confidence, that grace and let it percolate into your being;
you have to let yourself go into the moment, dissolve into your environ and
your surroundings, and live that moment… let it become a cherished memory; you
have to love that moment, and if you do, if you can let yourself go and immerse
yourself – you will get a treasure trove of fabulous memories, and a lifetime’s
worth of practical lessons, all just from watching the grace of the Blackbuck… or
listening to The Call Of The Peacock…
Or indeed,
the immovable and staid movement of The Elephant. If the Peacock can teach us
purity and beauty, if the blackbuck can teach us grace, speed and elegance –
The Elephant can teach us to be staid and immovable; permanent – just as our
land and our history. In each Indian City I have lived in – The Elephant has
been a permanent visitor, and I have spotted Elephants in each city. Sadly, I
am yet to experience the Elephant in the wild, as a free spirit; unlike the
Blackbuck and The Peacock, both of which I have been extremely lucky to have
experienced.
But The
Asiatic Elephant, to call it by its right name? Never. Not even once; the only
memories I hold of it is the captive animal, in chains, or as a tamed animal –
not a free spirit, not a wild and roaming huge creature of the environment; the
juxtaposition of the two free experiences - Peacock and Blackbuck, as compared to The
Elephant in its captivity holds a big lesson for me. But more pertinent, if
there are no Elephants, it wont make a difference to us – {what’s one more, isn’t
it?} – but it will take some small bit of the uniqueness out of our cities, and
some small part of the charm out of our nation…
One - The Blackbuck, from The Wild; one – The Peacock,
which has lived among humans for years, just requiring a wooded area for the
sustenance of the birds; and one- a
captive, yet which adds infinite charm to our cities. Three examples, from three experiences from three divergent walks of
life. If these weren’t there, there would not be much of a material
difference to me immediately; but somewhere, somehow, my life would have had a lot less charm in it, and some memories, cherished memories
would not have taken place… good
enough reason for me to start caring a whole lot more for the environment, and
the endangered species. I want my son to have the same experiences and joys
that I did as a growing child…
Sad part
is, in the modern concrete jungle, these experiences have now all but vanished,
like…
The
Call Of The Peacock…
I am participating in the Save the Species contest for the book “Capturing Wildlife Moments in India” in association with Saevus Wildlife India, read the reviews for the book ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments in India’ here
Comments
Post a Comment