A forest fit for God

ldquoAre you a believerrdquoSaili Palande Datar poses an arresting question as we make our way to Mulshi near Pune city The historian and ecologist will soon guide us through twosacred groves in the areamdashdevrai as theyrsquore called in Maharashtra These tracts of ldquovirginrdquo forest land are revered and protected by local communities who believe that they are presided over by deities like Waghjai devi ldquoIf you were to ask lsquoWhat would flora and fauna look like if there was little to no human interferencersquo the answer could possibly be found in a devrairdquo Palande Datar announces ldquoIt is the site of unhindered growth of trees plants shrubs herbs orchids fungusmdashall of which occupy their own nichesrdquoAs we cross a narrow highway and wander into the first devrai we are hit by a palpable drop in temperature Leaves rustle under our feet and hundreds of cicadas burst into song it is nearly impossible to hear the cars passing by mere feet away We may not be believers in the conventional sense but the magic of such a sacred grove cannot be shrugged offIn a number of devrais vermillionstreaked rock idols are now being replaced with concretised templesDevrais are regarded as successful case studies of community conservation efforts To this day in many groves individuals desist from using up the natural resources available The result Biodiversity hotspots nurtured across generations using traditional knowledge ldquoComplexity and closeknit connections make ecosystems more resilient and stronger Devrais are good examples of what we should strive for for human survivalrdquo says Palande Datar These groves could be marked out by ancestors for a variety of reasons the protection of a stream or the safeguarding of an antivenom producing plant Changing norms of community and faith have meant that the rules are now being changed in some groves resources like honey and deadwood are collected sometimes sustainably but oftentimes notFor centuries local communities have perpetuated conservation practices through oral traditions With the arrival of British naturalists and more significantly the work of ecologist Madhav Gadgil and botanist VD Vartak began the formal study of these hotspots While the legendary duo studied about 233 devrais there are varying estimations of the total number of devrais in the state and every passing year brings worrying updates about their destructionIt was when she undertook opencircuit treks 20 years ago that Palande Datar currently a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter first came across devrais which instantly fuelled her curiosity Pointing to an orangeandbrown Forest Calotis lounging on a tree branch and handing us fallen figs the Indologist tells us about her plans for a day trip to these groves in Mulshi on April 21 in collaboration with Punersquos Rupa Rahul Bajaj Centre For Environment And ArtThe jagged trunk of a tirphal tree Those who ldquoregrowrdquo manmade groves on barren land study climatic zones and the flora in them to curate a list of species to put togetherWhile some may be hundreds of years old others can be surprisingly young says Palande Datar ldquoMaintaining a grove across generations is not easy Itrsquos like a living treasure out in the openmdashmany would like to have a piece of itrdquo the academic says of these ldquorelic forestsrdquo Piece by piece devrais are indeed being lost to history research by wildlife conservationist Erach Bharucha suggests that as of 2014 40 per cent of sacred groves in Mulshi were threatenedmdasha truth as jagged as the trunk of the tirphal tree Indian Sichuan peppercorn Through conversations with those who have documented devrais and those who attempt to regrow them midday pieces together a picture of present concerns and future hopesThe more remote the area the stronger the local communityrsquos connection to the sacred groverdquo says Sachin Punekar ldquoThis is unlike the groves located close to highways and other development projectsrdquo Punekar is the founderpresident of Biospheres an organisation that engaged in an indepth investigation into devrais from 2016 to 2018 in collaboration with the State Forest Department Through explorations in the Sahyadri and Konkan regions he took a magnifying glass not only to the biota living beings in the groves but also their cultural setupsmdashthe beliefs and taboos associated with them as well as the customs and rituals practisedWhat emerged from Biospherersquos investigations was a change in the way local communities see their sacred groves ldquoIn the past there was an umbilical bond between nature and those who resided in itrdquo says Punekar ldquoThat bond is lost today owing to factors like migration to cities weakening young peoplersquos attachment to naturerdquo The way that festivals and rituals were once observed in sacred groves too has changed and diluted as villagers drift away from traditionA Forest Calotis spotted at Mulshirsquos Waghjai devrai Matters of ownership complicate the conversation around grovesrsquo protection they are spread across privately owned land and protected forestsWhere old temples were once covered in moss and ferns now typical concrete structures have come up in their placemdasha consequence of not just eroding values but also a lack of recognition in policy and law of sacred grovesrsquo distinct identity Within the fine print about land use in India therersquos no category where such groves fit perfectly rues Palande Datar ldquoConservation reserves community reserves biodiversity heritage sitemdashthese are some of the terms that can be applied to grovesrdquo she says as bulbuls chatter away in the distanceExperts say that matters of ownership complicate their preservation and conservation there is a lack of clarity about where the buck should stop ldquoSome groves are in protected areasmdashas part of sanctuariesmdashwhich makes forest departments their custodians But many groves are located on private or nazul governmentowned landrdquo says Punekar who cites the Biological Diversity Act 2002 which mandates the formation of biodiversity management committees to nurture and protect sacred groves that fall under their jurisdictionConsultations with devrai dwellers and capacitybuilding initiatives could go a long way in lengthening the lifespan of groves ldquoGovernment takeover of land is not the solution The original stakeholders should adopt a joint ownership approach to undertake vital tasks like documenting flora and fauna and establishing boundaries and mapsrdquo says Palande Datar ldquoThat willingness is conspicuously absentrdquoThe fear that was once associated with devrais and their presiding deities is now fading changing local communitiesrsquo sense of belonging to themQuite unlike conventional ecotourism initiatives the Rupa Rahul Bajaj Centrersquos day trip is an example of how city dwellers can be made aware of the secrets that are unearthed when one scratches the surface ldquoExperiencing such a space firsthand allows people to recognise what makes devrais distinct from plantations or botanical gardensrdquo says the centrersquos head Dhanashree Paranjpe ldquoThe presence of an expert lets visitors into the nuances of the sacred grove and the details they may not have noticed by themselvesrdquoThe long cool shadows cast by Maharashtrarsquos traditional devrais may be gradually waning but some have devised ways to ensure that they do not become a relic of the past Though environmental stakeholders have differing opinions about their value arguing that they are ldquoplantationsrdquo organisations in the state have embarked on projects to ldquoreplantrdquo and establish new groves in barren spaces in a bid to increase forest coverldquoThe lsquomulrsquo or virgin sacred grove cannot be fashioned by man it is naturersquos creation This is why we term our projects lsquomanmade devraisrsquordquo says Raghunath Dhole cofounder of the Devrai Foundation After a dedicated study of groves and the species of flora that grow in them his team began drawing up plantation plans for individuals who dreamt about setting up their own devrais they even threw in free saplings to help start this verdant journey ldquoAn arearsquos ecology is determined by the climatic zone it falls in Our curation of species is guided by this science and we know wersquove picked correctly when we see them flourishingrdquo says Dhole who is an alumnus of the Ecological Society of IndiaSaili Palande Datar Indologist and ecologistThe Foundation has catalysed the bloom of over 300 green patches in Maharashtra and its neighbouring states Some projects have featured a humble 41 species across 55 trees while others assumed an ambitious scale The one in Chambli Purandar is spread over 15 acres with 6000 trees and 80 species ldquoOur work in Sangamner where we planted one lakh trees began about 20 years ago As of today about 70 per cent of those trees have survived and the water table has risen by 10 feetrdquo Dhole says with pride Part of the Devrai Foundationrsquos outreach involves tracking the progress of their projectsThe young and old in the local community who reside near the grove are educated about the flora contained within it as well as the ways in which they can use it ldquoTheyrsquore encouraged to build a positive relationship with the devrai to recognise its value as a place where events like birthdays and anniversaries can be celebrated amid nature in an ecofriendly mannerrdquo Dhole explains ldquoBecause itrsquos a manmade devrai and not a natural heritage site houses or temples can be built within its territory to foster familiarity and positive attachmentsrdquo If the grove acts as the backdrop for precious childhood memories it will help young adults feel a connection to nature says the Vice President of the Maharashtra Vruksha SanvardhiniSimilarly Sahyadri Devraimdashset up in 2016mdashsprings into action when groups of people or gram panchayats nominate empty tracts of land in their villages to be transformed into sacred groves This approach builds on founder Sayaji Shindersquos early experiments in afforestation His colleagues describe the Sakharwadiborn actor and environmental activist as a ldquotrue village and farm manrdquomdashdriven to replace twice as many trees as the number that are felledThe organisation boasts of over 29 projects across Maharashtramdashin districts such as Yavatmal Sangli Solapur and Latur where thousands of trees have been nourished In its efforts to replant devrais it has relied on expert inputs from plant taxonomists biologist who groups organisms ito categories like Chandrakant B Salunkhe and SR Yadav ldquoItrsquos like bringing a child into the worldrdquo says Tushar Desai a senior leader in the organisation ldquoThe planting of the trees and shrubbery is only the first step Ensuring a consistent supply of water protecting them is the challengerdquoA thousand trees can be planted and entire forests can be plotted but the intangiblemdashan abiding belief in the divinity of a sacred grovemdashcannot simply be conjured up even by the most devoted naturalists and policy experts Crucial to their preservation is reinstilling a sense of belonging and faith in the local communities ldquoThe fear that these groves once evoked is slowly fading awayrdquo observes Palande Datar ldquoThere is some disillusionment about matters of faith The divinity of an idol may be recognised but newer generations may wonder what sacredness has to do with a tree a leaf or a streamrdquoTragically devrai dwellers are the first to face the brunt of their shrinking presence ldquoSacred groves are the last hope for the ecology of many rural areasrdquo warns Punekar ldquoOnce upon a time they were connected to the larger forest surrounding them Today they appear as lsquoislandsrsquo Perhaps what is needed is a Jungle Jodo Abhiyaanmdashto save whatever remains of these grovesrdquoInside the devrai the supernatural is a composite identity As Palande Datar puts it ldquoTe devacha raan nahiye te raanach dev aahe it is not Godrsquos forest the forest itself is godlyrdquo Initially the reigning deity in the devrai would not even be marked with a rock or idol painted vermillionIn search of the sacred thinspInside the devrai the supernatural is a composite identity As Palande Datar puts it ldquoTe devacha raan nahiye te raanach dev aahe it is not Godrsquos forest the forest itself is godlyrdquo Initially the reigning deity in the devrai would not even be marked with a rock or idol painted vermillion thinspThe deity is not always benevolent it can be malevolent too there are consequences for endangering the devrai or consecrating it This includes being cursed and turning into a creeper thinspIt isnrsquot just celestial beings who find a place in devrais deities can also take the form of a revered ancestor like a forefather who fought off a tiger or an anthropomorphised animal or insect like the termite queenmdasha symbol of everlasting fertility and continuity embedded in the Earth