Western Ghats Calling: November 2017

Monday, November 27, 2017

The endless Latha

..with Latha on the sidelines of the historic Kotagiri meeting.
(Pic: Vinay Aditya)

For most of those 42 hours on the train, I had kept thinking about 'Madhu' whom I had never met. In my thoughts I had imagined her to be a young 'mallu' with curly hair washed in coconut oil. No sooner I had alighted at Thrissur on my first ever visit to Kerala in 2002, I had looked around for the elusive young lady on the platform. Not spotting 'her' among those who had come to receive me, I could not hold myself from asking my hosts Latha and Unnikrishnan about 'madhu', whose name had featured as the third host in the invite. What followed was a riot of laughter, as they had instead pointed towards their colleague Mr Madhu-sudan*.

Laughter, it is said, is the shortest distance between two people, and we had shortened it further in our first meeting itself. Latha and Unni lived their life to the fullest, enjoying every moment of their activists' identity. I was lucky to have had their presence at several 'water' events within the country, and abroad. 'Laughter' was the signature tune of our friendship. Without their untiring contributions, we (me, Pandu and Kalanand) could not have revived the historic Save Western Ghats Movement (of the mid-80s). What followed (the Gadgil Committee) thereafter is history. Need it be said that Latha had played a stellar role in all the public hearings that the Committee conducted through the region. She stood true to her name - Latha Anantha - the endless Latha!

I'm indeed privileged to have drawn the attention of the Ashoka Fellowship towards her untiring efforts to save the Chalakudy river from yet another dam at Athirapally. I had pushed hard for the fellowship to be bestowed on the couple, Unni being the silent Buddha behind all that Latha could accomplish, and proving on the contrary that 'behind every successful woman there is a man'. Latha used to read zodiac signs, and I would often find her checking up with Unni about her interpretations. They don't make couple like this anymore!

In all my visits to Kerala, Latha and Unni had given me an unconditional company. After her winning the first bout against cancer, we did meet in Calicut in early 2015 during first of the inter-faith dialogues we had planned across the region. But her situation had deteriorated thereafter, and the news of her inevitable departure had seemed a matter of time. When I had got a message from Unni at around 10 PM on the night of Nov 15, 2017, I had prayed that she dies only on Nov 16. The reason I had wanted her to depart on Nov 16 was that that is the day I was born. So, as long as I'm alive I'll remember her. That's how she helped define our sweet and sour friendship of over 15 years.

(My sincere apologies to Madhu and Sreeja, who are now a happily married couple.)

Save Western Ghats Movement (SWGM)

SWGM has an unpleasant history. Hailed by India Today as one of the finest post-independence environmental movement, the mid-1980s march along the pristine 'ghats' had to wither away on account of internal squabbling between the organizers. Between 2006 till 2008, Sudhirendar Sharma got an opportunity to travel across the region to capture the latent energy among diverse actors to reignite the past. Together with Pandurang Hegde, who carried the painful memories of the past, the Save Western Ghats Movement of the 80's was revived at Peaceful Society in Goa in 2009. Peaceful Society (led by Kalanand Mani) had played stellar role in anchoring the SWGM in 1988.

SWGM Conferences

Three important congregations of activists, researchers, scientists, artists, politicians and thinkers have been organised since 2009 under the aegis of Save Western Ghats Movement - an informal platform of civil society actors. While the first, in 2009 in Ponda (Goa) revived the erstwhile movement of the mid-80's, the second in Kotagiri (Tamilnadu) in 2010 was major milestone as it led to the setting-up of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel by the Ministry of Environment & Forests. The third congregation at Moodbidri (Karnataka) in 2011 reiterated civil society commitment to conserve the ghats whatever be the outcome of the panel.

Sussegad

Sussegad, meaning `easygoing’, is often associated with the Goans but it does extend to other areas along the Western Ghats, notably hilly parts of Karnataka. Mellowed down by the warmth of the Sun, the coolness of the rains and the wisdom of the green hills, people in these parts of the Western Ghats are known for their simplicity and hospitality. Accommodating as they are, sussegad lends a distinct cultural identity to these people.

When the world elsewhere is racing against materialistic greed, sussegad provides the much desired calming effect. Gandhi used to say: `there is more to life than speed.’ People in the ghats seem to have imbibed that spirit from time immemorial. Being laid back and stealing siesta time during each afternoon may seem out of place for an average outsider but for people here it is an accepted practice that renders them inherent strength – of being in harmony with self, society and nature. It seems sussegad could be for the good of the entire society. Any takers!

Open House

By definition, activists are an interesting bunch of people with high octane levels. At the heart of activism lies the unflinching desire to bring the world on its feet. Unilaterally focussed, immensely committed and socially driven, activists have struggled to carve out a niche for themselves in the shrinking social space. Yet, they enjoy the patronage of the state and its cronies. Had there not been the state with its dubious designs, the breed called activists would not have existed? Wonder, who then is the real activist?

Do you agree with this notion?

All About Frogs

Pictorial Guide to Frogs and Toads of the Western Ghats has been published to help students, researchers, forest managers, photographers and general public in identifying a species in the field along with its status, ecology and distribution. Simultaneously it also aims at bringing awareness about amphibians among general public. This book covers 73 species of 156 frogs and toads recorded from the Western Ghats as of date. Written by Dr. KV Gururaja, the book is available through: http://shop.gubbilabs.in.