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.

The men who keeps your Tigers

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In the age where it is a compulsive fad, too glam and to too hepp to profuse of tiger conservation... in this very world lives these men scoffing of poachers gun powders, braving forest fire and occasional wild life aggression there is no protagonist hep conservation theory here- just commitment and the livelihood strands that they cling on to for nothing more then mare pittance doled out by the forest department – the arrival of even that pay packs has no fixed date either- waiting for more then three months or even six months before the lay their hands on the pay register. They are the first in line ears eyes and defense in the forest management, toiling beyond their primary duties, life of an Anti Poaching Watcher (APW) is a wrenching tirade and dribbling sweat shop treatments on a normal day they trudge minimum of around 20 km to mind their beats ( forest tracts divided into small areas for easy managements) apart from monitoring the beats they double up as fire watchers, on occasion of fire flares up they have to dig trenches and fire lines to contain the fire from spreading. The APW force is drawn mostly from the indigenous native menfolk who are well versed with the terrain and surroundings more over the department leverages the local knowledge base and intelligence in turn providing them small employment window (mostly on Temporary roles) for these predominant herders and farm hands.

Featured here:

Bhojan crossing the stream near Shanda Mattam Anaikatti ~ a 46 year native Irulan is father of three and belongs the the Segur Division Forest Circle on the Temporary roles for more then 12 years now (finally got inducted). Attacked by Sloth Bear once – escaped with a ripped shoulders bones and broken arm was in the Gudalur Government Hospital for more then three months. Snarled by Tigers, Chased by Elephants umpteen number of times. “He has chased wild Elephants” at least once, as far as I have seen with my own eyes. Believe me. Waiting to see his daughter graduate from the College in Coimbatore.

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The Mysore Halla

Shrubby tropical expanse with the River Moyar (not seen) cradled
in the valley below, uniquely named the Mysore Halla.
near Shanda Mattam Sigur Ghats NBR.