Go4BioDiv Booklet 2012

Manjari Roy, 27West Bengal, Sundarbans - IndiaThe Sundarbans, which is India’s only coastal World Heritage site, has aspecial significance for me. I am a trained forester and my field assistant,Ranjitda, native to Sundarbans, is 64 years old. Poverty and illiteracy hadforced him to work as a fisherman for the past 40 years. Two of his unclesand one of his sons in law have been devoured by the tiger. The 2009cyclone, Aila, destroyed acres of paddy field where even today the salinesoil is still a major impediment to rice cultivation. Ranjitda’s house andfield were also destroyed during the cyclone. Yet, such hardships have noteffaced the smile from his face. He feels no rancour towards the tiger forwhat happened to his family; instead he insists that it was after all theywho had trespassed in the tiger country. He feels that it is only due to theferocious nature of the tiger, the mangrove forest still survives, otherwisehad it not been for these natural barriers, the cyclone would have claimedhis family’s lives as well. The respect and love he feels towards thetiger and the forest is extremely poignant. To me, Ranjitda is the face ofSundarbans; he represents what most people in these areas endure.35