Thru Masinagudi Ah ?

Cow in the evening sun. Masinagudi 

In the recent days Masinigudi and its surrounding area have come in to limelight for all reasons that be good for good and bad for bad? Humm now how else can one classify the issues that is daunting this biome in general and the people in particular, above all if I try to concise or do a synopsis of all that comprehends this region for a small post in my blog it is no less an absurdity as I have always been inclined towards the social ecology rather then inviolate core area school of thoughts.

It was last month or so a hearing committee as directed by the Madras High Court had a sitting in the Segur range (on the Masinagudi – Ooty state highway) to receive objections and grievance related to the recently published Map demarcating the proposed Elephant Corridor,     

There has always been high emotional over runs, on relocations issues, I like to draw similarities on relocation exodus of River Narmada, as the height of the Tehri Dam was raised the Tehri Valley natives had to relocate, it was opposed tooth and nail, but then it was the might of the pro development envisioned government vs. the will of indigenous mountain people , they cited loss of habitat, loss of diversity and so no but it reached the deaf ear, the govt went ahead with its plans to raise the height of the dam, haven’t heard since then of the plight of those relocated, the relocations is a painful social engineering especially if it is natives and indigenous people to be shifted out of their roots be it for development or for conservation they pay an hefty price, in the realms of social ecology man is an integral part of the ecosystem but in the current circumstances it is difficult to aggregate the harmonious check and balances, be it in the human settlements or these biome pockets getting overburdened with prey or predator populations. There will be more man wildlife conflicts as the spillover happens from either side.

The name derived from the Temple of Masaniamman this sleepy village became the cynosure for all wannabe wildlife socializers conservationist and shutterbugs, well that includes me too :(  hanging around on the street waysides flashing those sleeveless, camouflages and khakis.  Dousing oneself on chais, last minute shampoo soap spontaneities,  Masinagudi has always charmed me from my early ages I have been excited to be here though it might be for mare stopover on the Masinagudi bazaar for its earthiness for its acute wafts of cow dung as you enter this typified village unlike the once we are used to in the upper part of the Nilgiris.