Environment Education
EducationWorld October 04 | EducationWorld
Unique natural wonders of OrissaBittu SahgalA brisk wind anointed me with a mist of sea spray as I stood gazing outward at the lake that stretched to the distant horizon. Overhead a flock of cotton teal made their way towards the water, landing splashily less than 30 metres from where I stood. A host of other water birds had already taken up positions and were busy diving for fish, molluscs and other ‚Ëœgoodies‚ that nature has thoughtfully provided for them. And when a white-bellied sea eagle flew overhead, I saw a whole retinue of birds take to the air. The lakeshore was sandy, but here and there tall grasses and bushes provided both cover and food for uncounted creatures.It was winter and I was in Chilka, India‚s largest brackish water lake (900 sq km) arguably one of the Asia‚s finest wildlife refuges that supports an incredible diversity of marine life, including millions of migratory waterfowl and the most playful dolphins imaginable. It felt good to be alive.Earlier I had met with a man whom I desperately miss today, the late Banka Behari Das, who defended Orissa‚s natural heritage to the day he died. “Orissa was made by the Gods for the Gods. Look how we are abusing this bounty. I wonder whether we deserved such gifts. Promise me you will protect this land after I have gone.” Of course I made that promise. And today I work with people like Biswajit Mohanty and Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Preservation Society of India and with scientists such as Bivash Pandav, to defend Orissa‚s vast forests, shining seas and its amazingly rich wetlands like Barkul that support a whole range of avians including Asian openbill storks and flamingoes. One of the best ways I know to make people fall in love with nature is to encourage them to visit our wildernesses. Teachers can do this so easily ‚ school trips, projects that help kids explore wildlife refuges and even poetry and essay competitions with themes involving parks and sanctuaries.Chilka is just one of many stunning wildlife refuges in Orissa. A relatively short drive from Kolkata via Kharagpur, for instance, brings you to that other ‚Ëœheaven on earth‚, Simlipal. A 2,750 sq km tiger reserve, this dense forest also protects elephants and a bewildering diversity of forest birds and plants that has yet to be fully catalogued. Located in the Chota Nagpur plateau, it was once a shikargarh, or hunting preserve, of the Maharajas of Mayurbhanj, but now enjoys total protection. These forests, experts tell us, actually help control the climate of Central India by tempering the impact of the monsoons and by encouraging rivers to flow all year round. It‚s not easy to see tigers here, but no one comes away after a stay at one of the resthouses at Chahala, Joranda, Nawana, or Barhepani without some gripping tale or other to tell. At night you will be regaled by the sounds of alarm calls as chital (spotted deer) warn all creatures…