The Communist Tiger…

Oh! when I think about my long-suffering race
For weary centuries; despised, oppressed

Enslaved and lynched, denied a forest place
In the great lifeline of the Indian west

And in the black land disinherited
Robbed in the ancient country of our birth

My heart goes sick with hate, becomes as lead
For this, my race, that has no home on earth

Then from the deep dark depths of my soul, I cry
To the avenging angel to consume

The human world of wonders utterly
Let it be swallowed by in earth’s vast womb

Or upward rolled as sacrificial smoke
To liberate my brethen from its yoke

- Anonymous -

A Communist tiger, we called her.. female cub of the tigress, now popularly known as Sharmili; owing to her shyness in the presence of human-kind and the tendency to hide behind bamboo in the presence of humans.

”Communist” for two reasons - The first is obviously the stripe pattern representing the hammer and sickle, the emblem of mainstream communist parties across the globe above the left eye. But more importantly the second as we see her as the archetype of the general proletarian struggle of tigers living in the buffer zone to prove themselves equals with the ones in the core protected areas of tiger reserves.

Bold this family was, although both the mother (Sharmili) and father (Khali) are exactly an antithesis to the very word "bold". In fact, we missed the mother sometime earlier... She was right with the cubs when the first vehicle carrying that specimen with bazookan shutter-pieces arrived. She quickly disappeared at first sight.

But her cubs keenly entertained their audience. Perhaps it is the curiosity of one-year olds, that keeps them hanging around humans. It is although entirely interesting to watch them, particularly the male's behavior closely. He behaves like an adult, rubbing himself against every tree trunk he can find, like he lords over his domain already.

Their future, however, is a not so bright one - Tigers cubs turning transient this side, generally head towards forests closer to the Padmapur mines and sometimes come in conflict with humans, resulting in fatalities on both sides. The ever-increasing population of tigers around these areas, particularly the buffer zones, in adding tremendous pressure to the shrinking tiger habitat, which is also interspersed with villages and mines.

The legal framework did prevent part of these lands from turning into mines. However, the increase in land available of forestation is never linear to the ever-growing population. Hence, by propensities - the risk of the tigers from these parts surviving into a strongly breeding population of a long duration is low. However, whole numbers are a reverse indication to this logic.

While an explosive population seems good for now, a long-term stabilization program needs to be strategized for - with measures for afforestation, community farmlands conversions, co-existence coaching, and where possible - relocation of both, humans and tigers.

Until then, blood will spill on the red mud tracks of these tiger lands…

04 May 2016, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Chandrapur, Maharashtra