Lets Join Hands Together to Make Green Bidar

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:02]It was 1994 for the first time I came to this small tiny place.

[00:00:08]Uh it was uh it was a small tent that we were staying in. But I never realized that this will be one of my prime destination for several of my personal growth in terms of environment educator or a forest educator. I never even realized that this place has been would have been more inspiring or more motivational or more catalyst [music] in my career. In fact when I came here I mean I was mesmerized by the forest [music] forest type over here and the trekking and other things and after the graduation then I joined as a environmental educator. Maybe uh uh this place would [music] have played a major role in shaping me as an scientist come environmental educator.

[00:00:54]And uh I realized the importance of educating people and the first place that I chose was this ki in fact and this kulgi when I started getting the children over here nobody knew about this place honestly telling nobody when I used to when I used to tell a lot of people that we'll go to dandel they used to laugh at me they would rather ask me all the time but never realized never knew many never knew this when I started promoting this nature education >> [music] >> camp at this Kali Tiger Reserve. Earlier it was called as Ganderi Wild and NC National Park. Uh it become so popular that within 2 to 3 years it became one of the popular destination for the Bangaloreians to come around here. And more exciting to me was that every time that I came here uh these children not only experience the forest forest ecosystem the hospitality of these local people over here. Thanks to a lot of forest officers who really supported me in uh pursuing this uh uh journey.

[00:01:56][music] In fact uh I have great memories. I want to share a couple of things. You know the food that we eat. I think there's [music] a lady called I don't think uh many officers including my own people we still cherish that food even after 30 years we come here just to have her food over here and of course the hospital several staff are putting stuff here is amazing that we never forget to me it was one Mr. Papu an amazing environ educator in a sense he's a localite [music] have been staying in the forest he would narrate the entire journey and the history of this particular places telling about [music] many trees many incidences he knew every bit of it okay he was a watcher uh in department and uh he used to trick along even he was in late 60s he used to trick all along this Naguri valley and terate everything used to mimic several animals which my children and teachers really [music] enjoyed it actually. So even today they remember of course he's not there. My tribute I I owe great tribute to him for shaping me as an environmental educator. He inspiring me to be an educator. It's been almost now 30 plus years that I've been doing and education um both working locally, nationally, internationally, working with education department, developing several books, curriculum, several of those things and there's also a place which I would attribute [music] uh that inspired me to have a nature education camp for rural children.

[00:03:44]Managed to get the urban children over [music] here. uh the rural children used to stand outside and look at these people which used to go I mean that hurted me a lot and [music] the small proceeds or earnings that I got it from uh this urban I mean camps used to do free camps then we showcased the department saying that you know these camps should also be done to the poor people to poor world children so that's how uh we did lot of such programs [music] and expert sees uh today we have a one of the finest program of forest department called Chenner Radashna. It originated from this particular kgi. So this ki has got attributed a lot in envir [music] education in Karnataka for which I credit a lot to the staff here and more more importantly the forest department officials and the department who supported encouraging to have this educational program over here. It's an amazing journey.

[00:04:41][music] Conservation of forest, wildlife, nature that we are talking today is in fact turns out to be conversation on life itself.

[00:05:02]Why should we conserve forest? No common man on the street when you ask whether forest and wildlife has to be conserved he says yes sir forest has to be conserved then you ask simply why sir from forest gives us clean air clean water and some even say it regulate climate how the good then you ask a simple question receives more rain and Bunnipur what do you say oh sir goautila sir I will not leave you with that puzzle by the end of this presentation I will empower you to answer this question so let's deep dive into this uh very important topic forest is a living ecosystem life on this earth is 3.5 billion years old now life survived for so long not because of any one dominant species humans It is because of a powerful phenomenon called diversity that is biodiversity.

[00:06:11]When you visit forest you see trees, shrub, herb, climbers, insects, birds, snakes, fungi, algae and y number of innumerable species which are not visible to naked eye. An estimate says there are nearly 10 million life fors on this earth. And these 10 million life forms interact among themselves in thousand different ways. Predator, prey, decomposer, pollinator, scavenger, many known and many unknown interactions.

[00:06:45]This diversity of life and innumerable interactions among them creates web. And this is a solid bedrock of life.

[00:06:56]Life survived on this earth because of this bedrock of web of life and helps life also to survive shocks handle unforeseen threats over millions of years. So when next time when we say forest it is not woodlord it is a living ecosystem. Okay then some of you sitting here sir the forest forest is required for many life forms. I as a life form sitting in this you know living in this cozy AC you know room why should I have forest friends you'll be surprised health of the forest is directly proportional directly related to health of the people sitting here let me elaborate this malaria is one of the deadliest disease humankind has ever faced which has taken more lives than all wars put together.

[00:07:55]What is the drug for malaria? You may say quinine tablet. Next question is where did quinine come from?

[00:08:04]It is from bark of a small tree called sincona.

[00:08:08]If syna bark was not there your quinine would not have been here. So many so many lives would have been lost. That is only one example. Aspirin that we take every day painkiller is from a willow tree.

[00:08:23]Taxol the drug that used in cancer is from utri cristine which is used against leukemia is from a small plant called periwinkle.

[00:08:36]If you simply google out nearly 25% of modern medicine has their origin back to forest.

[00:08:46]Then you may ask why did forest give so many medicines for us? Who are when I am not carrying forest? Why forest is caring me?

[00:08:57]Friends, simple answer is for forest.

[00:09:00]You and me are also one life form.

[00:09:03]Mother earth we are also one life form.

[00:09:06]Even though you don't care the it cares you. Forest is a laboratory of life where uh life continuously upgrade its survivability over millions of years by a simple equation called survival of the fittest and evolution.

[00:09:29]Evolution is small changes in nature that improves the survivability of the all life forms and thereby it throws lot of solutions and many of those solutions which we might be using to you know improve our health or other things. So now at least few of those who are taking drugs will will appreciate okay for other fortunate few who are not taking drugs as an let's get into the other dimensions of forest friends uh let me you know recollect all of you with the the turning point in the history of India that is green revolution what is green revolution when country was facing shortage of food when food has to be rationed among citizens.

[00:10:21]Okay. What was required was increase food production and increase food productivity.

[00:10:28]The then high yielding varieties had one some small problem. These varieties were tall succulent.

[00:10:37]The more fertilizer or nutrients you give they grow tall and they fall off because of their own weight.

[00:10:45]Now what was required was simply convert them into dwarf and robust varieties.

[00:10:52]When that is the problem where is the solution? Solution is in nature. You just go back in the forest and then search where is my solution. If your intention is clear and if your objective is true, you get solution there. small tiny gene DG from dwarf dwarf and robust rice RHT1 reduced height one gene again dwarf and robust gene in wheat varieties these two plants were living insignificant for thousands of years or what millions of years in forest nobody had valued them but scientists found that character and we had the biotechnology and then it was plant breeding technology ology transferred these characters or genes to our high yielding varieties and there is a solution. My tall succulent high yielding variety became dwarf robust new variety called kalan sona and sonalika now I can give any amount of fertilizer reinputs and you get more food the country's food problem was solved just imagine had anybody fixed royalty for this gene now for 50 years 1 billion population 365 days for Every day you put 100 rupees that is the value of that insignificant gene or plant that was living in wild. You will not have so many zeros to put that valuation. So that is the value of forest. Okay. Now forest is solving my health. Forest is solving my food problem. Today I'm fine with all those things. Why should I need forest? My third question to all of you is what is the biggest problem today?

[00:12:47]Everybody will see on the ground that's s pollution.

[00:12:51]Pollution is the biggest problem today.

[00:12:54]What is pollution to do with forest?

[00:12:57]Forest has no pollution friends. Exactly. That is why I'm raising this issue. Why do forest has no pollution?

[00:13:06]Now it is simply because see every activity whether it is anthropogenic or industry has a product and a byproduct.

[00:13:19]If the quantity and toxicity of the byproduct increases the assimilative capacity of the nature then it turns out to be a pollutant and manifest as pollution.

[00:13:32]Now Bangalore has only one life form.

[00:13:35]Bandipur has millions of life forms.

[00:13:38]There is no pollution there.

[00:13:41]Nature has found a simple formula where metabolic waste of one life form becomes raw material for the second life form.

[00:13:51]Metabolic waste of second life form becomes the raw material for third life form. The cycle goes till the metabolic waste of young life form is the raw material for first life form.

[00:14:08]Now every waste is being used circulated. There is no waste. There is no pollution.

[00:14:14]How simply how beautifully it has managed pollution for millions of years.

[00:14:20]We human beings had we understood this simple formula that nature is putting before us during our industrial revolution and embarked on industrial diversification along with industrial revolution today we would not have pollution problem before us. So had we understood this principle of you know recyclability from forest and simply adopted industrial diversification alongside industrial revolution today we would not have been in this mess of pollution. So forest is a is a university of knowledge. It's only for us to see how we should learn from it.

[00:15:09]It is not a wood lot.

[00:15:12][clears throat] Then you know yes it is taking care of my health it is taking care of my food and it is also teaching me something then what the young boys and girls sitting here it's okay past present is taken care what is for my future does forest has something for my future friends in fact if you see the potential requirement of forest for future I want to highlight one thing here nature had set one rule where genes are transmitted transferred within species.

[00:15:48]There is only intra speeies transfer of genes. It is the law set by nature for itself.

[00:15:56]These genes are transferred by reproduction, recombination, mutation kind of a things. But we human beings have broken this barrier set by nature.

[00:16:07]Today the power of biotechnology I can transfer genes across species.

[00:16:15]I can transfer BT gene from baselinesis to a cotton plant and get insect resistance.

[00:16:24]I can transfer GFP gene from jellyfish to any organism and make it biomedical maging for diagnetic purposes. So and so even human insulin gene is transferred to E.coli for mass production of insulin that so many people are using today.

[00:16:44]That is the potential that we have. But this potential can only be realized only when we have genes.

[00:16:54]Still we can only transfer genes. We cannot create genes because these genes are created in nature by process of evolution that is taking not thousands millions of years and I don't think we have millions of years to really create genes then we can use biotechnology to transfer genes. So unless otherwise I protect my forest, protect my gene library, I will not be able to realize potentials of biotechnology and then address or solve the problems that humankind might face today or tomorrow.

[00:17:32]This is the holistic you know value of forest. It is not simple wood lot.

[00:17:39]Unfortunately we common man has narrowed down their argument of forest is wood lot. No it is you know it gives you so much of services for us. Fine when it is doing so much for me where do we stand today? Are we taking care of it?

[00:18:01]You will be surprised to know I'm giving pictures you know stats of Karnataka and which is same for the whole country.

[00:18:09]80% of the geographical area is inhabited by one species. I need not say who now 20% is forest. Oh, you might say 20% okay.

[00:18:23]But this 20% forest is also being used by one species for timber for firewood for minor forest produce for grazing you know recently was in in all over the place for grazing. So I'm taking that reference. So even that 20% is also not free from these disturbances.

[00:18:48]Only 20% of the 20 hectare effectively 4% 4 hectare out of 100 hectare is today notified as protected area or wildlife area where human interferencees disturbance should not be there and nature should evolve without human interference.

[00:19:11]But the reality is even in that 4%.

[00:19:17]People are there. Ali Tiger Reserve has 2,000 families. Nagara Tiger Reserve has around 1,800 families. BRT tiger reserve has another 1500 families. So they are there.

[00:19:32]Uh it's okay. These families for thousands of years were living simple life and their sync with nature. There was not much of disturbance because of their lifestyle to the forest. But we civilized human beings in our pursuit to urbanize the tribal inhabitants in the forest are threatening the very fabric of forest. fabric of life and urbanizing virgin forest can lead to catastrophic consequences.

[00:20:23]uh there has to be a know widescale public uh understanding of comprehensive value of forest so that habitations wilderness there can be a safe boundary between these two where humans also can live and forest and wildlife also can live and this is possible uh when I was director Kali tiger reserve I put forth this you know thought process with everybody. In fact uh sometimes the tribals living in forest by giving them infrastructure their poverty will not be alleviated.

[00:21:05]We should understand these two things alleviation of poverty and life. These two are two different things. There cannot be creation of employment opportunities inside deep forest. So without employment opportunities they cannot have economic upliftment.

[00:21:22]Without economic upliftment their poverty cannot be elevated. But by intervening all this you know civil structures roads that kind of a thing.

[00:21:33]The disturbance that that can they can create in only this 4% of the forest is is catastrophic.

[00:21:40]Nearly 500 families and it's a continuous process. Ifed families were brought from the deep jungle into mainstream of the society where now they get all facilities that you want I are you know expected to get alongside we will be creating inviate areas for forest nature to evolve without human interferences and preserve biodiversity genetic diversity ity, knowledge, wisdom that will grow up for humankind to evolve and then humankind to help. In fact, many of the countries today when for it revolution, we lot talk of rare earth materials. The country which holds rare earth metals will become powerhouse of IT industry. Similarly, the country who holds the genetic library will become the powerhouse of beauty revolution and uh we have all the opportunities of powerhousing beauty revolution and be a country of the future provided we really understand the 360deree view of the forest and conserve it and then we all should make wish and resolve to make it happen. Thank you one [music]