Day 20 : Ancestral wisdom
I was walking down the road in haste. A few snakes crossed me. Waiting patiently on the edge of the road, I knew that I was in their territory. The monkeys looked me in awe when they tried to figure out within themselves who this man with two legs and two wheels was! Shabbir Bhai was waiting for me at the creek. I was 4 hours late. Damu Dalipkar, a local man from Kelshi had arranged me a boat which would take me across the creek from Velas to Kelshi. The distance of 5 minutes across the creek could have cost me an entire day if I were to take the longer road.
Jagannath Dalipkar, the man within the family where I stayed last night, had become a friend by now. He walked with me all the way to the top of the hill to show me the abandoned site where they mined bauxite. A tiny whitish material found within this laterite, had destroyed the landscape beyond repair. Ashapura Mining Corporation, who mined much more than what they were allowed, blasted this land every other day. What was supposed to be a 30 year contract- where they were only allowed to mine 3 tons per year, was mined only within a few years. In its hay day, the company mined 3 tons a month, say the villagers. This bauxite was then crushed into smaller pieces and brought down to the creek— where Shabbir bhai was now waiting for me. There a trailer would load up these minerals and transport it to the bigger vessel which would be anchored some distance from these shallow waters. These ships sailed all the way to Europe to provide this bauxite to the factories who would extract the ore and then use it to create aluminium. This was then used in making airplanes, space flights and cars. This tiny white material which helped man to fly in space, raged many wars within the village and ended families and friendships that had held strong for decades. Why would those companies think of these people, living on the other end of the world? Have we ever thought of these villagers when we fly in these airplanes built with aluminium? No, right?
“These people don’t die in peace. Their future generations pay the price for their wrongdoings,” Jagannath uncle said as he silently watched the ground which was illuminated by the full moon.
“Most of the people who were involved during the mining are now dead,” he said, “They carried diseases. Their houses stand abandoned, waiting for years, still hoping that someone would come to open them and live within its walls. We were all called idiots back then when we resisted this company. The village finally came together to oust this company. When they were gone, we found out that they hadn’t paid 90 crores in taxes and the damage they did to the land was beyond repair. The government got the royalty, the businesspeople got their share. The ministers got their cut. But what did we get as a village? Nothing.. The clause within the mining agreement says, that the mining company should fill up the mined land with soil and then plant trees which were already present in that area. They have to keep track of the progress of these trees till their contract ends, but none of that was done.”
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The Dalipkar family used to live where the sand had taken over the shore. The village itself was a few kilometres closer to the sea— that’s how much the sea has conquered the land. Their rice fields are now part of the sandy beach. Every new port, every new island, every wall within the sea to house ships, is an invitation for the sea to rise even higher. They don’t pay the price for this increased water level, these villagers do.
This creek has seen a lot and so has Shabbir bhai who has been working on it for ages. When I reached the creek, he looked at me with agony. “I am waiting here for hours, son. I haven’t had breakfast even.”
I knew I was late, but Jagannath uncle had told me that it won’t be an issue. I thought several times of calling Shabbir bhai but without any network it was impossible to do so myself.
I apologised and diverted his attention.
“Are you from this village?” I asked.
I know people can only stay angry for a while. Their anger passes away as soon as they see the other person approaching them with love.
We spoke of the hills which were bought by the rick people from Pune.
“They all buy the land and cut it down. They don’t realise that their actions against nature are the reason why we have unusual rains. They don’t realise that this causes changes in the seasons. The winters are less colder. On top of that, they don’t even come and stay here. The villagers too don’t understand that this land is all you have. Once its gone, its gone forever. The only people who will survive this madness are the ones who won’t sell their lands,” he spoke while pushing his bamboo stick deep in the waters to drag the boat further ahead.
I was watching the seagulls in the distance. They were soaking in the sun. The mangroves had spread their roots in all directions. Waves were crashing on them, each time they touched them, they were gentled by the stillness of these mangroves.
I kept thinking, how does Shabbir bhai and Jagannath uncle, average uneducated villagers, who roved boats and milked cows, knew more about the ecological damage that was coming their way? And yet, the so-called educated masses coming to these villages, buying land based on their excessive wealth not understand what they are doing to the land?
Now I know the answer, the sole reason this happens, is because these people do not have the patience to listen to the rhythms that these konkani villagers dance to. They force themselves on nature, rather than letting nature dance to its tune. They don’t listen to the ancestral wisdom filled within each and everyone who has become one with this land. That is the reason behind this mess. We need to listen to the generational wisdom. If we want to live here, we should honour the traditional values, the ecological sense that these villagers have developed. We need to develop new models of development; ones which are not clamping down the nature, but the ones which are in tune with nature. Can we do this?
I am hopeful that we can, if we all come together…
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