Within the not-so-distant previous, tribals would enterprise into the forest of the Saraipung Forest village nestled inside Assam’s Digboi space, armed with bows and arrows in quest of wildlife.
Looking was deeply embedded locally’s lifestyle – a vital technique of sustenance. Species corresponding to monkeys, squirrels, and quite a few birds have been common targets.
But, because the world developed and conservation emerged as a worldwide crucial, the winds of change discovered their option to Saraipung village. At present, the identical individuals who as soon as hunted to outlive have grow to be the very protectors of the thriving ecosystem they name dwelling.
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On the coronary heart of this transformation is a zoology professor, Rajib Tariang, whose ardour for conservation sparked a broader motion. For practically 20 years, this devoted educator has labored alongside the tribal group, steering them towards a sustainable future.
Turning into custodians of the forest
Previous to his undertaking in Saraipung village, Rajb was already engaged in a conservation consciousness programme on wildlife, particularly on mitigation within the human-elephant conflicts, different wild mammals and snakes.
Later in 2010, his conservation focus shifted in direction of Saraipung village. “I selected Saraipung village, because it’s contained in the forest space, designated as a forest village, the place I noticed round 10-15 folks coming into the forest with bows and arrows in my preliminary visits to those jungles which was use to hunt wild animals, at the moment, solely three-four forest staffs have been deputed to protect this large jungle. I stepped in to do the conservation works involving the native youths for nature camps with different contributors from the remainder of Assam.”
Recognising the potential for change, he initiated conversations round environmental stewardship, emphasising the long-term advantages of conserving wildlife.
Rajib understood one essential reality – the journey from looking to conservation required greater than harsh interdictions; it required empathy and understanding.
The professor didn’t storm in with dicta from on excessive; somewhat, he made himself a part of the group. He moved to the village for 2 months and have become a fixture of their each day life.
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“I put in an inverter on my private jeep to undertaking movies and visuals on wildlife conservation onto makeshift screens. Slowly, by means of these interactions, I helped envisage a future with a distinct legacy: these folks could possibly be protectors, not predators, of wildlife,” says Rajib.
The villagers, initially sceptical, discovered themselves intrigued by the professor’s classes. “Initially, we didn’t perceive why Rajib sir got here to our village and what his intentions have been with us. Nonetheless, steadily we learnt that his goal was solely good for us,” Sanatan Manzhi, a village resident, tells The Higher India.
Progressively, villagers noticed a possibility to interact in conservation, not merely as passive observers however as energetic contributors.
Rajib initiated academic packages specializing in butterflies, snakes, and local weather change, leveraging these to draw each home and worldwide vacationers.
Engagements like creating snake identification posters, organising consciousness packages, and educating forest workers have dramatically modified perceptions and actions regarding wildlife. By empowering native communities, Rajib helps them transcend their conventional roles, equipping them with data and expertise to thrive in a conservation-oriented financial system.
This mindset shift dramatically lowered looking actions, changing the forest right into a sanctuary somewhat than a slaughter floor.
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From hunters to hosts, bows to binoculars
Rajib additionally recognized a vital want — a sustainable various to looking that spoke to each the villagers’ hearts and their wallets. Enter eco-tourism, a novel idea to the villagers however one stuffed with potential.
Progressively, homestays emerged amid the timber, providing guests an opportunity to expertise the serenity and biodiversity that had been preserved. These homestays are constructed in conventional kinds and supply an genuine expertise of dwelling near nature.
Vacationers, together with worldwide guests, are accommodated in homestays that provide a novel native expertise. When vacationers arrive, they’re welcomed into the guts of Assamese hospitality, savouring conventional meals cooked with native greens. One notable dish is rice cooked in bamboo.
Cultural packages and conventional dances are organised, giving vacationers a glimpse into the native heritage and traditions whereas permitting villagers to share their wealthy cultural heritage immediately with guests.
The initiative didn’t merely change perceptions; it provided tangible financial advantages. “Incomes rose as villagers opened their houses to guests looking forward to an genuine expertise amidst the luxurious greens of Saraipung,” says Rajib.
The homestays have been developed and maintained by the villagers who’ve been skilled to cater to vacationers. Rajib shares that Saraipung village contains about 106 households, with a inhabitants between 300 and 400 folks. “Past the direct eco-tourism contributors, many locally contribute by getting ready meals, sustaining homestays, and fascinating guests in cultural packages,” he provides.
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Sanatan, who runs a homestay in Saraipung village, says: “Up to now, the villagers of Saraipung have been engaged in looking actions. After I was younger, I’d usually accompany the opposite villagers on looking journeys. Rajib sir enlightened us on the adverse impacts of looking and launched us to various technique of sustenance. He incessantly confirmed us brief movies on conservation and evem took us to Kaziranga Nationwide Park to deepen our understanding of wildlife, conservation, and eco-friendly livelihoods corresponding to operating homestays.”
“Now, I host vacationers from world wide, together with France, Israel, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka, Assam, and Gujarat. We put together and serve them native tribal cuisines corresponding to fish dishes and leafy greens like dhekia (fiddlehead ferns in Assamese). My homestay, which I constructed myself utilizing bamboo and dirt, affords lodging at Rs 1,500 per day,” he provides.
With help from vacationer guides, Sanatan is ready to entice visitors to his village. Though the monsoon season has at present paused his companies, the final guests arrived in March. Regardless of these pauses, operating a homestay stays a viable technique of livelihood for him. “Final season, I earned as much as Rs 20,000. Previous to operating the homestay, I labored as a each day wage labourer in tea gardens, incomes merely Rs 200 a day. His efforts have really remodeled our lives for the higher,” he mentions.
In the meantime, 15 native youths have been skilled as vacationer guides who’re educated concerning the native biodiversity, particularly birds, butterflies, and mammals. These guides supply excursions and share native pure historical past with vacationers, enhancing their expertise.
Gokul Tanti (32), a former taxi driver, has been working as a vacationer information in his village for the previous decade. He shares, “My grandfather tells me that native villagers have been engaged in looking animals within the forest. I’ve grown up seeing such incidents within the village. Nonetheless, I went on to do a driving job.”
“I turned to vacationer information work after studying about it from Rajib sir. Our area sees a growth in tourism for 5 months from November to March. Final season, I had the pleasure of guiding over 30 vacationers. I’d take them on nature trails and bird-watching adventures. Most of our guests are PhD college students from close by universities who’re eager to check native natural world.”
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“We additionally introduce them to our tribal dance varieties and delicacies, which I really get pleasure from. This has grow to be a profitable supply of earnings for us, as I earn Rs 1,500 per day as a vacationer information. Throughout the remainder of the yr, when tourism slows down in the course of the monsoon season, I concentrate on farming,” he provides.
Rajib mentions that these vacationer guides are very gifted as they’ve grown up observing the biodiversity of the area. “So that they know a lot concerning the birds than I do know. They’re even higher birder than me,” says the zoology professor with satisfaction.
Via these initiatives, wildlife populations started to rebound, and a way of satisfaction took root among the many villagers. The place as soon as the bow and arrow reigned, now stood binoculars and guidebooks as villagers realized to thrive as guides and ambassadors of their pure heritage.
“At present, the village additionally boasts plastic-free standing, supported by native initiatives corresponding to eco-brick manufacturing and vermiculture,” shares Rajib.
From monitoring wildlife for meals to monitoring their requires eco-tourists, this group has cast a path of hope and sustainability. “By offering instruments, schooling, and alternatives, actual and lasting change is achievable,” he provides.
Rajib’s aspirations don’t halt at Saraipung. He envisages a broader utility of comparable transformative processes throughout different villages.
All pictures courtesy: Rajib Tariang.