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| Buyers take their pick of colourful umbrellas with the arrival of the monsoon in Guwahati. Picture by Eastern Projections |
Can socio-cultural practices that revolve around the killing of endangered species and imperatives of conservation go together? Both Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have found an answer to this, with the introduction of innovative ideas to conserve the great Indian hornbill.
Sporting hornbill beaks on headgear has been a traditional practice among certain tribes. Arunachal Pradesh is now following the Nagaland model by encouraging villagers to use artificial fibre beaks.
The hornbill has always fascinated certain tribes of the Northeast with its beauty, grandeur and alertness. Today, the great Indian hornbill is among the most endangered species in the region, owing to the loss of its habitat and rampant slaughtering for its meat, beak and feathers, rued an NGO activist.
The situation has worsened over the last decade, said the activist. So far, five species of hornbills have been spotted in the Northeast, including the rufous-necked hornbill which is under threat of global extinction. However, not all hornbill species are found in any one particular reserve forest or wildlife sanctuary in the region.
Nature?s Beckon, an Assam-based NGO, working for biodiversity conservation, recently claimed to have spotted all the five species of hornbills inside the Dihing-Patkai rainforest in Tinsukia district, bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
Nameri National Park in Assam?s Sonitpur district and its adjoining Pakke tiger reserve in east Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh are home to four species of hornbills, including the rufous-necked hornbill, said Nameri range officer Altamas Baig.
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), has launched a special campaign in the northeastern states, emphasising the imperative of protecting the hornbill, as the bird plays an important role in dispersing seeds and helping in the growth of vegetation.
All the species of the bird, except the Oriental pied hornbill, are facing the threat of extinction in the region, conservationists said.
Unemployed youths of Meghalaya have found a new friend in the Jatropha curcas, an indigenous bio-diesel producing plant.
The Global Foundation for Eradication of poverty and Social Evils (GLOFEPSE) recently declared the plant as the key to eradicating poverty and bringing development to Meghalaya, where the plant is found in abundance.
Convenor of the foundation, Lamneimang, said the plant which is available in abundance in the state, could be used to bring about economic empowerment.
The plant is popularly known as the Physicnut, the ?indigenous plant for future wealth?, ?the best solution for eradicating poverty and social evils, replacing jhumming and improving ecology? and ?the goldmine of the rural population?.
In a bid to create awareness about the benefits of the Jatropha curcas in the state, several programmes were recently organised in the capital, Shillong, under the aegis of the GLOFEPSE.
The foundation urged all the government departments and NGOs of the state to organise similar awareness programmes at the village, district, regional and state level.
Locally known as awakega, the plant?s botanic name is derived from the Greek word jatras, meaning doctor and trophe, meaning nutrition.
The more you invest, the richer you become. This is no bank advertisement catchline.
This applies to the farmers of the Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, who have put in a lot of hard work as investment, to reap bumper harvests.
And Happa Taidong is the leader of them all. This farmer from Kengkhu village ploughed his way to a record of sorts by producing 30 quintals of paddy on a single hectare of land through jhum cultivation.
Taidong had adopted mechanised farming for jhum cultivation on three hectares and used the advantages of wet-rice cultivation on one hectare. He also cultivated varieties of paddy like Lahi, Chamnyak, Khadam and Chamlun.
Besides paddy, the farmer also cultivated maize, colocasia, cassava and millets, along with local pulses on particularly infertile land. Last year, he added tea to his list.
His sincerity and devotion were rewarded when the government paid him a subsidy of Rs 30,000 to purchase a power tiller under a macro-management programme in 2003-04. He bought it for Rs 1.1 lakh and even rented it out to other farmers at a nominal charge.
Taidong was also provided with a power sprayer at a subsidised rate. He got a subsidy of Rs 60,000 to buy a tractor last year, which he used for transportation and tilling operations.
With his income graph steadily on the rise, Taidong has become an inspiration to the poor farmers of the area, who are now convinced that agriculture is the key to success.
The persistent efforts of the agriculture department which provided high-yielding seeds, implements, fertilisers and technical knowhow seem to have finally paid off.
When words fail to convey the intended message, photographs and illustrations do the needful. But when there is a perfect combination between words and illustrations, the result is sure to be a hit.
This is what Rongmon, said to be the first comic magazine in Assam, has succeeded in achieving. After its debut in Assamese a few months ago, its growing readership forced the launch of its English version.
Now children in the region can enjoy their vacations with the English Rongmon, which hit the stands recently.
From Bhabendranath Saikia?s witty stories to renowned scholar Lakshminath Bezbaruah?s folktales, the magazine presents an enjoyable fare for children, with evocative illustrations to complement it.
Though Harry Potter is the flavour of the season, children of the state have other reasons to cheer.
?Rongmon promises to expand your mind and make it active with constructive thoughts,? is how the publishers are wooing the children.
