F News : Speaking Wild Tonight

As the camera panned across the studio floor covering the participants from an awkward angle from the top, it was obvious to anyone watching the show that each one was raring to go. The topic was obviously of great importance. Though top level officials were yet to arrive at a consensus on the way forward, the debate on what the decision must be, has reached a feverish pitch in the global arena. The decision taken by the United Forests Security Council in a few days will undoubtedly decide the future and fate of millions of lives. 

“Thank you for joining me on ‘Speaking Wild Tonight’ on the Forest News Network with me, Tiger Noswami”, roared the host in his characteristic authoritative voice. “We have with us tonight, a panel of elite members to find out whether the United Forests Security Council should continue to remain silent over the increasing number of gross violations and continued onslaughts committed by the human community on forests, wildlife and nature in general. As the high level committee consisting of members nominated by each species is still debating on the action forward, millions continue to suffer and die in the hands of merciless humans. Should we simply take it lying down? Should there be no retaliation? Are we not equals on earth? The Wildlife wants to know! During the entire program, our viewers can send in their responses through Chatter with the Hashtag #EqualEarth”. Tiger was getting into the groove.

“Our elite panel today features the beautiful, young and hybrid minister Cowsalya who heads the Government appointed Special Task Force for Cattle Empowerment. Also joining us is Leopard Shah, who is a Coach and Expert Stealth Hunter. It will be interesting to listen to the views of our Senior Statesman and Animal Resources Ministry’s Advisor Jaspreet Owl, who has kindly consented to be part of this debate. Tusker Rana, currently in his third term as Animal Welfare Minster has also joined us tonight. Last but not the least, Johnny Pug, a home bred pup and the Star of the Codafone commercial is also part of this panel to air his views on the topic.”

“Without wasting any more time, let me ask you, Cowsalya, whether the UFSC should continue to tolerate the atrocities committed to the animal community by the humans.”

Cowsalya seemed genuinely surprised at the question being thrown at her. However, she regained her composure in a split second and responded her characteristic calm and measured voice, “Mr. Noswami, I believe that the question that we should rather be focused on is how we can create a conducive environment for the humans and the animals to coexist and share resources. I don’t think we can have a constructive debate if we keep trying to find fault with the human kind. Moreover …”

Tiger Noswami pounced at the slightest scent of an opportunity, and roared, “Are you suggesting that the humans must not be faulted for the bloodbath? As a government representative, if you are going on record to say this, is this the government’s view as well? Is the allegation that the elected Animal Government is secretly hand in glove with the human community true?”

“Mr. Noswami, please calm down. That is not what I am suggesting. I am only trying to explain to you that we must focus on finding solutions rather than on blaming someone. Let me quote the experience of our kind. We have for centuries been domesticated and bred by the humans. The humans have found that we are extremely versatile and are of great utility to them. We are highly valued, respected and as a matter of fact, we are even worshipped in some parts of the world! This only goes to show that humans are not our enemies. They are simply seeking to make use of the value that we add to their lives. The benefits that the cows have received are manifold. I don’t think there are wild cows anymore! We have reached a higher level of sophistication in the society and are well respected among the animal community. We are well bred and well fed. Our infant mortality rate is nearing zero and several other metrics clearly indicate that our kind is flourishing under the careful care of the human community. As someone who has experienced the hospitality of the human kind first hand, I can vouch for the fact that the humans are actually very friendly and amicable towards the animal community. As soon as they find that there is something that you can offer to them that is potentially useful, they will start taking good care of you. Therefore, I suggest that the animal kingdom put up its best face when interacting with the humans and help them understand each of our worth.“

With a sly smile, Tiger Noswami responded, “It is interesting how you conveniently ignore the fact that your kind has been well fed and well-bred only to be butchered and served on a platter!”

Before Coswalya could force a response to his punch under the belt, Tiger moved on to ask Jaspreet Owl what his opinion was on the topic. Jaspreet, with the air of the seasoned politician and a voice that resonated across the room, replied, “It is appalling to notice that the current generation of leaders seems to attach little significance to the big picture. I have watched this forest get reduced from what was a large and free society of animals living in perfect harmony, to what it is now – a fenced, deprived and almost carefully programmed habitation. It is a fact that some of us have benefited more than others. Cowsalya is a testimony to the elite group of animals who have been successfully domesticated by the humans. However, the successful thriving of one species does not mean holistic growth or survival for the animal kingdom. Nature needs balance. We are all interlinked. I have seen several thriving species get wiped out – animals and birds alike. Water is dwindling. Hunting is becoming more and more difficult. Extinction stares at us in the face. Unless there is a strong stance taken by the UFSC in the upcoming meeting to protect the animal kingdom, I fear that all the forests will slowly but surely be transformed by the humans into fenced zoological parks which merely serve as recreation for the human kind.”

“Woah Woah Woah! Hold on there!”, interrupted Johnny Pug. “Though I completely respect the elderly gentleman’s experience, I believe that he has just gone bonkers! He’s predicting Armageddon and doomsday! Let me tell you that all this ‘extinction’ business is just a huge conspiracy theory spread across by the previous generation of animals, in order to try and alienate the current generation of animals from the humans. These are the guys who actually believe that dinosaurs and mammoths existed! I’ve lived all my life among the humans…”

“Which is still less than half my age”, Jaspreet butted in.

“My father too!”, Johnny added with a smirk.

“Still less than my age. You dogs don’t live very long lives, you know? Probably for good reason”, scoffed Jaspreet.

“Better to live short and happy lives than to live long and gloomy ones, I say”, barked Johnny.

“One minute, just one minute, Gentlemen! Let’s not get into personal attacks here”, Tiger intervened. “Tonight the animal kingdom wants to know about its future. The animal kingdom needs to know what lies ahead. Is it cooperation and coexistence with humans, or is it war to determine the survival of the fittest? The animal kingdom demands an answer!”, Tiger continued to roar without even stopping to catch his breath.

Johnny Pug took the opportunity to continue his point. “As I was saying, I have lived my entire life among humans. I have been part of several of their entertainment initiatives and I am treated like a star wherever I go. And let me tell you that the demand for pups like us has gone up several fold simply because of my participation in their Codafone commercial. The population of our breed has actually gone up, thanks to the support and demand of the human kind! To my breed, I am a hero! I must agree with the pretty lady here that as long as you can offer something useful to the humans, it can even be something intangible, like loyalty, or love, we can coexist peacefully. The ‘wild’ animals are simply resistant to change. They give too much emphasis to natural habitat and food cycle and all that crap. That is the reason they find themselves at the crossroads between survival and extinction!” concluded Johnny, his eyes meeting Cowsalya’s at several critical moments during his narrative.

“Mammoths DID exist!” trumpeted Tusker Rana, his deafening voice shaking up even the roaring Tiger Noswami. “We have long memories and we have learnt to treasure our history and tradition. It has been handed over from one generation to the next in a very careful fashion and hence we know that mammoths are not a myth, but a very real species. They are our ancestors, and I shall not silently watch a mumbling mutt dismiss our history as myth!” Tusker raged with emotion. Though Johnny wanted to disagree, the sheer enormity of his opponent forced him to swallow his words.

Tusker continued, “We the elephants are at a critical juncture in our history. We are uniquely qualified to speak from the perspective of the humans and from the perspective of the animal kingdom as we have been attempting to coexist with the humans for the past few generations.“

“You guys cannot even decide among yourselves whether you want to be domesticated or not. Some of you choose to be domesticated by humans while many of you rebel and choose to roam free in the forest. Sure, your species is in a unique position, but not in the way you described it. I see indecisiveness, not introspection” pounced Leopard Shah, sensing an opportunity to join the debate.

Slamming the desk heavily with his trunk, Tusker responded with a deafening thud “With all due respect, your mouth runs faster than your mind does, Mr. Shah”.

“Let me make my point. Our attempts to coexist with humans has not been a total success. They neither totally harm us, nor are the completely benevolent towards us. What Cowsalya and Johnny described as coexistence, is simply a distorted description of reality. In reality, humans merely exploit the animals that attempt to integrate with their kind. We are never treated as equals, though birth, life and death are common events in all our lives. For generations, we have been exploited for our physical strength, and for our ivory tusks. They do not even let us mate with our women in peace. From time to time, we have had to show them what we are capable of, just to remind them that they have us under complete control.

I am just surprised that we are getting blinded by the physical comforts that they offer for some of us like timely food, and shelter from the sun and rain. Ultimately, the cows are bred for their milk, meat and skin, the dogs for the security of the human kind and the elephants for their physical strength. And for those of us who choose to remain in the wild, like Tiger and Leopard, we all know how they are hunted merely for human entertainment and fashion!” roared Tusker passionately.

Jaspreet Owl nodded in quiet agreement. Cowsalya and Johnny were lost for words, not because of a lack of vocabulary, but due to the sheer authority and respect that Tusker Rana commanded through his size and voice.

 “Coexistence with humans is possible only within certain clearly defined boundaries.  Any breach of the boundary will result in heavy losses to either side. Have you not been watching the news? The humans have been slowly encroaching into the forests and building their bunkers and razing our lands. When we innocently walk back into our former territory and panic at the sight of all the destruction, we get hunted! The encroachers treat us like encroachers! We all know that the boundaries of the forests have been shrinking rapidly and there is lesser space for all of us. Our resources are dwindling and our folks are dying. If we let this continue, soon, the human kind, without even realizing that we are also an integral part of the great wheel of nature, will wipe us off the face of the earth! True, some of the species willing to completely surrender to them may survive, but bear in mind that once they discover a replacement for what you can offer, you will be discarded without mercy, just like how we were discarded, and often killed, after they invented those huge metal machines.”, Tusker Rana added, now clearly getting emotional.

Tiger Noswami could not afford to give so much screen time for his panel. It was his show after all! He found the perfect opportunity in an incoming phone call. “We have a special guest joining this discussion from the Amazing forest. Can we put her through, please?” Tiger instructed his crew.

“Hello. Can you hear me?”, a feminine voice so pleasant, that even the rickety telephone line could not distort, could be heard.  “Yes madam, we can hear you clearly. Please go ahead”, asserted Tiger who did not want to waste airtime on his show. 

“I belong to a rare species of trees native to the Amazing Forest. I have been watching the show and wanted to put forth my two cents.” It wasn’t clear whether everyone was keen to listen to her, or whether they were simply enchanted by the pleasant voice, but silence ensued.

“You have all been talking exclusively about the animal kingdom. However, you have forgotten the fact that the entire animal kingdom, which as a matter of fact includes the humans, is purely dependent on the forest for its survival. Every blade of grass, every leaf and every fruit that is borne by the trees and even the very air that we breathe out, is essential for the survival of all life on this planet. It is nature’s design that one life has to be taken for another to survive – from the smallest beetle, to the largest cows, from the smallest blade of grass, to the largest fruit a tree can bear.  However, when one species decides to take over and dominate the rest, and creates an imbalance in the design, it leads to the destruction of several species, which in turn starts a chain of destruction. The humans, though they seem to have realized this, don’t seem to have grasped the gravity of the situation. For some odd reason, they seem to believe that planting a sapling in one part of the world will compensate for the uprooting of a hundred year old tree in another part of earth – shows how naïve they are about how nature works.

We, the trees, have only been of benefit to animal kind from time immemorial. The humans have used us greatly. We offer them protection from the forces of nature, we offer them food, we offer them the air they breathe, and we offer every bit of our body for their comfort and survival. They have flourished so much, simply because we offered ourselves unconditionally and without resistance. But do you notice that we suffer the most in order for them to survive? Do you notice that now our very survival is now under threat? Do you realize that the humans don’t seem to have realized that without us, they cannot survive? Do you not see that they seem to care about the survival of the countless other species that depend on our survival? They do not realize that with every tree that they bring down, they are marching faster towards their own doom.“

There was an uneasy and deafening silence that filled the newsroom when the unnamed tree took a moment to catch her breath. Tiger was not used to silence on his shows. This is not how it is meant to be. But even he found himself short of words considering the weight of the argument. He somehow managed to mumble, “So what is it that you suggest the UFSC decide at the meeting tomorrow?” The entire newsroom crew watched in dumbstruck silence at how Tiger, who always maintained control over his panel, was inadvertently transferring his airtime and control on the show to this anonymous caller from the Amazing Forest.

“I would like to see the UFSC unanimously decide to start a non-cooperation movement towards the human kind. I would like for all domesticated animals to stop providing what they now unconditionally offer to the humans. It is a well-known and time tested fact that only when something is lost will its true value be realized.

Let’s stop giving them the milk to drink, stop giving them the love and protection they take for granted, stop bearing fruits and vegetables that they so fondly consume but let us continue to give them the air to breathe, for without it they would die. Let’s join hands and leave their bunkers and march into the forest. They do not have the power to bring us all back. They may choose to kill us in order to stop us. But soon, they will realize that they cannot survive without our support. Let them realize that their very survival depends on respecting and protecting the boundaries of nature, and that they are not beyond nature. Let them also realize once and for all, that they cannot incessantly consume nature’s gifts to satisfy their greed and uncontrolled growth. Let them realize that we are as much a part of nature as they are and that destroying any of us, will only lead to the destruction of their own kind. That, I believe, is what the UFSC must decide to do tomorrow.” The telephone line was abruptly disconnected.

All his life, Tiger Noswami grew up thinking that the louder and faster he speaks, the more powerful he is perceived to be. The voice from the Amazing Forest turned his opinion upside down. He regained in composure to conclude, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe that the silence in the room after that phone call is a sign of agreement with the caller’s opinion. Should the UFSC decide to boycott the support offered to human community? Please text us your response to 56767 with the hashtag EqualEarth on Chatter and let the animal kingdom know what your take is on this sensitive issue.”

“As we are running short of time, this is Tiger Noswami signing off…”

“But I don’t agree with ..”, barked Johnny Pug.

“Thank you for joining us on Forest News’ Speaking Wild Tonight Mr. Pug. Good night everybody” declared Tiger as the lights and microphones in the studio went out.

Dear Leslee Udwin...

I once watched a documentary on HIV and AIDS, when it was starting to take center-stage on the world health agenda.  

The documentary focused on the life (or death) of a particular individual affected by the deadly virus. It went on to describe in excruciating detail how the virus destroys the body’s immune system. It provided microscopic detail on how the body became more and more vulnerable to persistent attacks by foreign bodies, and how with each attack, the victim’s body was slowly but surely heading towards imminent death. There was plenty of emotional content – the parents described the aspirations of the particular individual, attitude towards life and how he had been an outstanding individual till the virus took over his body. The doctors described in vivid and graphic detail how each of his bodily functions started failing him, and the impact of each such failing. The documentary, began, and ended with the death of the individual, who succumbed to the HIV. There were even some medical personnel who commented that since he got affected by the virus due to his mistake, he probably deserved it.

By the end of the hour long film, I felt sick to the stomach. The film offered no hope. It threw no light on how the virus could be contracted by an individual or how one can protect himself from contracting the virus. It offered no insights into ongoing medical research or any treatments that are being attempted at curing someone of this deadly virus. It had no information or case studies of survivors. It simply gave an intricate account of how the virus kills, and narrated in gruesome and graphic detail, the heartbreaking death of a victim of this killer virus.

That is exactly how I felt after watching your documentary.

Your documentary offers no hope. What insight did you expect by interviewing the rapist without even questioning to analyze his core mindset? While it gave enough air time for the psychopath who committed this heinous crime to justify his actions, it never even attempted to understand what made his think that way. While it gave enough emphasis on the details of how the girl was mutilated, it offered no significant information into the changes in law that being debated and brought about following this incident. While it does show how nasty a sick minded individual can get, given an opportunity, it throws no light on the millions of people who are taking to the streets and fighting for change. There are hundreds of individuals in India who have been actively on the field studying rape, the victims, the offenders, the judicial system and the support system for the victims, none of which has found its way into your film. No analysis of causes, but extravagant presentation of the crime – isn’t that slightly lopsided reporting?

To draw an analogy from the HIV documentary, it is not the HIV or the destruction it causes to the body that defines life; life is but the millions of other cells that are fighting for survival, to overcome the cancerous cells affecting normal life. The surest sign of life is the urge to fight and survive beyond all adversity. I do not deny that several such viruses exist in our society, but I would like to bring to your notice that once a body gets a disease, you do not discard it. You try to heal it. It is the time when the body must be protected, nourished and supported, so that it can fight on and survive the onslaught. That, I believe, is what is happening in India. India has come alive, and is trying to address the issue. Nirbhaya’s death shall not go in vain.

I was surprised that you cleverly titled the documentary as, ‘India’s daughter’. It would probably have been more suitable if you had titled it, ‘A detailed study into the psychopathic mind of a rapist killer accused in the Nirbhaya case’. The fact that you invested two years of your life so far away from your family and home, in an alien nation, to create such a lopsided documentary astounds me. As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. You, as the creator of this documentary, with the pen in hand, had the power to use it to bring change, or to create chaos. What do you think you have done? Did you consider yourself a reporter, or a movie maker while making this film? What was your desired outcome? Did you consider the potential impacts and interpretations especially since you offered no insight?

Before you start labeling me as a nationalistic jingoist, or accusing me of turning a blind eye to the nature of the crime, let me clarify a few things.

1. I am outraged at the nature of the crime and furious at the beasts that committed it.
2. I do not think anything justifies the actions committed by those individuals on that fateful night.
3. I want the highest punishment executed on these individuals so that it acts as a deterrent for anyone intending to commit such a crime in future.
4. I do not think that your documentary must be banned. It must be broadcast along with a documentary showing the parts you missed out, the parts that I’ve mentioned in my previous paragraphs. It is important for three reasons

• Everyone in this country must learn to look at events from different perspectives – yours being one.
• Everyone in this country must be free to express their opinions without fear of retaliation.
• Everyone in this country must know what a poorly analyzed and biased documentary looks like, and how sensationalism often sells better than substance.

To conclude, thank you for making the documentary. I hope that the star studded premiere went well. In my humble opinion, your documentary is just opportunistic, exploitative and since it doesn't present the complete picture, is also misleading. In short, a necessary evil.