29 July,2010 07:29 AM IST | | Soma Das
Photographer Yogesh Kardile's website amazingsahyadri.com hopes to keep alive the Sahyadris with its one lakh-strong photo gallery, eco-friendly tours, documentaries and voluntary work in the region
For centuries, the Sahyadris have sent conquerors, nature lovers and trekkers into a tizzy, with its vertigo-inducing peaks, rugged topography, lush ghats, local culture and dialects that vary every few miles. But this region is also one of the world's most endangered hotspots thanks to rampant commercialisation, waste left behind by tourists and apathy by the authorities. A website called amazingsahyadri.com has stepped in to preserve the area and empower its locals.
Wide Angle Lens
This photographer's love affair with the Western Ghats started a decade ago when he would bunk college lectures for treks. By then, Shivaji's fortsu00a0 had caught his fancy. "I worked as a security guard to afford the Rs 750 needed to buy my first camera. Since then, I've been clicking photos of rare plants, endangered animals, tribal culture and amazing landscapes," he says.
Today, his database boasts of over one lakh photographs of the Sahyadris. The site is divided into 21 categories including wildlife, birds, butterflies, insects, plants, beaches, rocks, forts, children, farm life, celebration and adventure.
He rues the fact that people are unaware of the region's unbelievable diversity. "There are unknown martial arts, rare tiger sightings, giant squirrels, leopards, pythons and wild boars as well as plants like the purple-coloured Karvi, which blossoms after seven years and dies immediately after that."
The job comes with its risks. "I narrowly escaped being devoured by tigers while I tried to capture them on camera. Leeches are also a menace; they suck your blood. You don't even realise it as it is painless," he adds.
Tribals from the remote Pethechiwadi village, opposite Harishchandragad, which is surrounded by a river on three sides. Belonging to the Thacker community, they are fair skinned and light-eyed, possibly a result of cross breeding with the British.
Find your calling
Kardile also shoots documentaries on the region's biodiversity and is on the lookout for corporate sponsorships and volunteers for their activities. Another feature is its customised eco-tours for urban dwellers to Tapola and Bhandardara. "We have trained villagers as tour guides to make them self-sufficient," he adds. Around 70% of the money earned from various causes goes to villages to build schools and libraries.
The packages on offer are customised depending on your kind of getaway. It includes stays by the lakeside, valley, forest, farm, tribal hut,u00a0 tent or grassland, savouring local organic food, candle light dinners by the lakeside, boating, watching tribal dances, trekking, photography and rock climbing.
u00a0
The emphasis is to spend time with villagers and get a first-hand feel of rural life. "These tours help generate money, stop migration and save land from deforestation a small step that can go a long way," signs off Kardile.
Did you know?
> The Sahyadris are one of the world's ten hottest biodiversity hotspots
> It has over 5,000 varieties of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species and 179 amphibian species
> 325 globally threatened species are found in the Western Ghats
> The Sahyadris boast of 350 forts, 150 of which were built by Shivaji over 35 years
LOG ON TO: www.amazingsahyadri.com;
EMAIL: yogeshkardile@gmail.com;
CALL: 09423790958 / 09423792883
