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October 2006 — March 2007, Vol. V, No.2

Thematic Area: Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India

From the ENVIS Desk

C.P.R. EnviRonmEntal EduCation CEntRE

ECO-HERITAGE.COMENVIS Newsletter

The ENVIS Centre on Conservation of Ecological

Heritage and Sacred Sites of India at C.P.R.

Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) was

conferred the Best ENVIS Centre Award 2006 at the

National Workshop of ENVIS Centres – 2006, held

at Shimla from October 12-14, 2006. The bi-annual

award instituted by the Ministry of Environment &

Forests, carries a silver trophy of the ENVIS logo, a

certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/-.

Our sincere thanks to the ENVIS Secretariat and

the members of the Selection Committee for selecting

our centre as the Best ENVIS Centre.

The current issue of the ENVIS newsletter

incorporates the regular features namely ‘In-Focus’

and ‘News in View’.

We invite constructive feedback from our browsers and readers. Any information related to research, publication or opinion on the above mentioned theme is welcome.

Dr. Nanditha Krishna, Director, CPREEC receiving theaward from Shri. Ashok Thakur, I.F.S., Principal Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh

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ENVIS Newsletter Vol. V, No. 2

In his article Right over Rights, G. Babu Jayakumar (New Sunday Express, January 14) has made some fantastic statements about jallikattu, identifying it with Tamil culture and history, and raising all sorts of issues. It is worth examining them.

What is “Tamil culture and history”? According to the Oxford dictionary, culture is either “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively” or “intellectual development” or “the customs, civilisation, and achievements of a particular time or people”. Culture is defined by the state of human development and not language or religion: Stone Age culture, Bronze Age culture and so on. Jallikattu belongs to a Paleolithic period when man fought animals with bare hands as he tried to domesticate them. There is nothing intellectual or cultural about fighting bulls. Then, there is the taint of history. True, jallikattu is mentioned in Sangam literature and has probably been practiced for a long time. But neither history nor culture is static. The former records past events, the latter defines the age. If we want to go back to the past, then let us throw off our cholis, practice caste and polygamy, stop using electricity and other modcons.

He calls it the culture of the subalterns. Jallikattu bulls are owned by rich landlords who let the animals lose on the poor subalterns, while they bet on the result. Their sons do not join in. Then, how many educated subalterns take part? None. It is the poor and disposable subalterns who, well-primed with liquor, take on the bulls in the hope of earning some money. If you care for the oppressed, then this is a form of exploitation. Prevention is better than cure, and prevention of jallikattu is better than provision of ambulances for the injured. Subalterns need education and jobs, not jallikattu which merely keeps them backward. His final coup about the female preference to “choose their husbands based on their valour proven at the annual jallikattu” is out of novels and films. How many women do you know who were married this way? The novels and films also describe how the animals are force-fed liquor. Why is that not mentioned?

Of animals and animal behaviour

He wants a proper monitoring mechanism to medically examine the bulls to prevent their imbibing alcohol. Is he aware of the number of laws and rules governing the transportation of animals for slaughter, the way they should be fed, slaughtered and so on? Not a single law is followed in our corrupt country. Dowry and child marriage are banned, yet both continue with impunity. Bos indicus is a natural vegetarian. Television pictures showed the bulls force fed with eggs, even though they resisted. Feeding it non-vegetarian food is extremely damaging to its digestive system, unlike that of the dog which is a certified omnivore. I have between ten and fifteen “pure Indian” dogs at any one time, brought up on vegetarian food, and each has lived to between fifteen and twenty years, a ripe old age for a dog in spite of the lack of air conditioned kennels and meat for their canine teeth.

Do animal lovers object to dog (and other pet) shows, to the methods employed by trainers of pedigree (and police) dogs and to the milk of cows? Yes we do object to all these and more, and if Mr. Jayakumar would read the number of articles that appear on the subject or had attended the recent Asia for Animals Conference at Chennai, he would have learned about the cruelties involved in training dogs and other animals for entertainment, he would have eaten delicious vegan food and learned about other cruelties that are perpetrated on animals. Every religion speaks of compassion to both man and animal and Thiruvalluvar, the symbol of Tamil “culture”, repeatedly extols compassion to all creatures and condemns cruelties towards animals. Religion is a barometer of culture, but vested interests misuse it, threatening villagers with dire consequences if they give up old practices. Once upon a time, it was believed that human sacrifice was essential and could alone prevent “divine wrath”. When Shaivas and Jainas in ancient Tamilagam held public religious debates, the losing Jainas were impaled alive. Can these cruelties be justified in the name of religion or culture?

Man must evolve from one stage to a higher one. Once upon a time, Brahmins were the greatest sacrificers of animals. Faced by opposition from the Upanishadic rishis, Buddha and Mahavira, they gave up sacrifice and became vegetarians. Once upon a time, our ancestors hunted animals and survived

by Dr. Nanditha Krishna

ENVIS Newsletter CPREEC, Chennai

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Exhibition on Sacred Animals of India

An exhibition “Sacred Animals of India” was held at

the CPREEC campus from January 18 till February

03, 2007. Conservation of endangered and sacred

animals like tiger, elephant, etc. was reiterated in the

exhibition through attractive panels and multimedia

presentation. The exhibition was open to school

students and the general public. Painting and Essay

Writing Competitions were held for school students

based on the exhibition theme.

The exhibition was earlier put up at the International

Conference – Asia for Animals 2007- held at the GRT

Convention Centre in Chennai from January 10 – 12

and attended by delegates from all over the world.

on raw meat. Then they developed technologies for growing food. Human evolution has been a development of the mind. Should we condemn the Buddha because he was an elitist prince who preached ahimsa and stopped animal sacrifice? If some cultural practices are cruel, they must be stopped. Cruelty is cruel - neither elitist nor popular.

The racing driver and cricketer have the right to choose their profession. The bull cannot choose where he will live, whether he wants to eat meat or drink alcohol, whether he wants chilli powder and chemicals rubbed on his anus and genitals, whether he wants to fight or not, or whether he wants to live or be slaughtered for somebody’s enjoyment of a beef steak. Man has a choice and should exercise it to prevent harming another. It is arguments like those for bullfighting that justified the mass killing of Jews in Germany and other genocides.

Mr Jayakumar will be unhappy to know that the famous Barcelona bullring in Spain is about to close down, and that the people of Catalonia (the main

centre of bullfighting) have voted to end the cruel “sport”. What will the Spanish king do - resign from the EU? Tamilians are educated and sophisticated, and barbarism and cruelty sit ill on their shoulders. After all, it was Thiruvalluvar, in 200 B.C., who said “Diverse are the teachings of the religions of the world, but in all will be found that compassion is that which gives men spiritual deliverance. Hold on to it.”

Courtesy: The New Sunday Express, Jan. 21, 2007

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ENVIS Newsletter Vol. V, No. 2

In India, rivers have been conferred divine status and have been worshipped since ancient times. Most are regarded as manifestations of Goddesses. It is believed that a holy dip in the rivers washes away all the sins. Hence, millions of people take a dip in the rivers, especially during festivals and events such as the kumbha mela.

Hailed as the world’s largest human gathering, the Kumbha mela (the urn fair) is a Hindu pilgrimage that occurs four times every twelve years. The mela, which lasts for about 45 days, rotates among four locations –

• the banks of the river Godavari in Nasik

• the banks of river Shipra in Ujjain

• the banks of river Ganga in Haridwar and

• Triveni Sangam at Prayag (old Sanskrit name for Allahabad).

The Prayag Kumbha is the biggest and the most auspicious of all the kumbhas. This is because at Sangam, which means confluence in Hindi, the sacred rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet the mythical Saraswati, believed to be flowing beneath the earth’s surface. This year the Kumbha was held at Allahabad between January 03 and February 26. It was the Ardh Kumbha, held in the sixth year following the Maha Kumbha. The festival attracted millions of pilgrims from all over the country as well as from abroad.

Legend & Mythology

Legends trace the origin of the Kumbha Mela to the Vedic times. Once the devas (Gods) and the asuras (Demons) churned the Ksheersagara (Ocean of Milk) to retrieve amrita – the nectar of immortality, using the Mount Mandara as a fulcrum and the serpent Vasuki as the churning rope. When the Kumbha containing the amrita appeared, the demons ran away with it and were chased by the Gods. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years), the devas and the asuras fought for the possession of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, drops of amrita fell at four places – Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The Kumbha mela is observed at these four locations where the nectar fell.

The Ardh Kumbha at Prayagby Lalitha Ramadurai

In focus

The Ceremonial Dip at the Sangam

The Kumbha includes many religious activities including yagnas, bhajans, religious discourses and feeding of the sadhus and the poor. The most important ritual however, is the ceremonial dip at Sangam. Hindus believe that a dip in the sacred waters of river Ganga on the auspicious day of new moon (Amavasya) will cleanse them of all their sins and would also ensure salvation (moksha) from the cycle of birth and death.

Ecological Concerns

Pressure on public utilities - The pilgrims who flock to the city stay in make-shift tents on the sandy banks of the two rivers. Congregation of such large crowds at a single location puts enormous pressure on the city’s civic amenities and sanitation.

Water Pollution due to mass bathing - While in the earlier days, the ritual of bathing in the river Ganga meant physical and spiritual cleanliness, today millions of people bathing at one spot causes various environmental problems. Various studies have shown that the water quality is severely affected by mass bathing. The BOD and the fecal coliform counts get usually elevated during such rituals, posing health hazards not only to the people taking the dip but also entire populations downstream, who might use the river as a source for drinking or other purposes.

Picture courtesy: http://www.geocities.com/siddhaashram/KumbhaMelaUjjain1992.htm

ENVIS Newsletter CPREEC, Chennai

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Date BOD Faecal Coliform mg/l MNP / 100ml

07.01.2007 4.9 8.0 x 103

09.01.2007 4.0 3.4 x 103

11.01.2007 3.2 2.2 x 103

13.01.2007 4.1 2.3 x 103

14.01.2007* 5.2 7.0 x 103

17.01.2007 3.0 8.0 x 102

18.01.2007 2.7 8.0 x 102

19.01.2007* 6.2 1.4 x 104

21.01.2007 - 1.7 x 103

23.01.2007* 5.3 3.0 x 103

*14th, 19th and 23rd were important bathing dates during

ardh kumbha 2007

(Data source: http://www.cpcb.nic.in/Allahabad(ardh-kumbh)_2007.htm)

Conclusion

Although the Kumbha reiterates the ancient Hindu philosophy of nature worship, the worship has just become a ritual today. People travel miles to pay homage to the sacred rivers. However, later they pollute the very rivers that they revere. They use soaps and shampoos, throw garbage – floral offerings, discarded clothes, plastics, etc. – and sometimes even urinate / defecate in the sacred waters.

The recent ardha kumbha saw sadhus and religious leaders getting sensitized about the increasing pollution levels in the Ganges. But it is important for all to understand that industrial effluents and sewage alone should not to be blamed for degradation. Religion and present day ritualistic practices also have a big hand.

References:

http://ardhkumbh.up.nic.in/

http://www.cpcb.nic.in

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela

Seated on a pedastal, oh lord!

You appear so forlorn

Are you too, domesticated?

Me –from the woods wild

You- from the heaven

Now- both of us godforsaken!

Victory you bestow ever

Ivory i am hunted for, ever

Liberate me my master

From poachers, unkind mahouts

Unaware public, excruciating agony

Lead me to my abode

Where trunks are on the wane

Never will i return

To the wild of humans!

Trumpet Pleaby Radhaa.N

Picture Courtesy: “Gods in Chains” by Rhea Ghosh

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ENVIS Newsletter Vol. V, No. 2

C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre

1, Eldams Road, Alwarpet, Chennai - 600 018, Tamil Nadu, India.

Phone: 044 - 24346526 / 24337023 Fax: 91 - 044 - 24320756

E-mail: cpreec@vsnl.com Website: www.cpreec.org

Release of the book on the “Ecological Traditions of

Karnataka” on December 9, 2006 by Shri. B. Basappa,

Director General, Environmental Management and

Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), Bangalore, Shri

Arali Nagaraj, Director, The Karnataka Judicial

Academy. The book contains research papers

presented at the seminar on the same theme.

Book Release

Our Books on Eco-Heritage