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World after 5th Extinction In this issue: Featured Topic : Save our Sky, save ozone layer. Editorial : Holocene Story Room : Adipoli Keralam – Arnab Basu
World Ozone Day is celebrated every year on 16th September since 1995. This Day marks the importance of Ozone layer and its role in the environment. The United Nations General Assembly has designated this Day to reflect the adoption of Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer. There are numerous activities and programs organized to spread awareness about the global phenomenon of Ozone layer depletion. All member nations of the Montreal protocol took this opportunity and seriously proceed forward at their national level in accordance with the aims and objectives of Montreal protocol. The theme for the 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Convention and 21st International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer for year 2015 is “30 Years of Healing the Ozone Together.˝ The theme is supported by the slogan “Ozone: All there is between you and UV.˝ In 1985, scientists startled the world with an ominous discovery. While monitoring the stratosphere over Antarctica, they discovered a hole in the earth's ozone layer. By 1987, the hole had increased to the size of the continental U.S. Last winter, scientists found evidence of the same destructive process at work in the Arctic's stratosphere. Worldwide deterioration of the ozone shield had begun and was progressing at an alarming rate. The destruction of the ozone shield is linked to chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, one million tons of which are released annually around the world. These chemicals serve as the coolants in our air conditioners and refrigerators, the foaming agents in our Styrofoam packaging and insulation, the storylands used to sanitize our surgical instruments, and the solvents used to clean scores of electrical components. Each of these products releases CFCs into the atmosphere. Once free, the CFCs float up to the ozone layer and remain there for 75 to 100 years, destroying the ozone molecules. 1 | Page
Coming next : Our voyage Brief Itinerary of Exploration Series – II, Hiking in Highland. Theme Poster - Cohabitation
In 1987, international concern over the effect of CFCs on the ozone layer led to the signing of a treaty calling for a 50% cut in the production and consumption of CFCs by 1999. This past May, representatives from 86 countries voiced their support for a total ban on their use. But in the wake of mounting evidence of the destructive capacities of CFCs, environmentalists have called for an immediate and total ban on the use of ozone-depleting chemicals for the sake of future generations. Industry, on the other hand, opposes such a drastic step, arguing that time is needed to develop substitutes for the chemicals. Do man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) destroy the ozone layer? On this 30th anniversary of the beginning of the ozone depletion debate,
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it is revealing to review the techniques the skeptics used in the CFC-ozone depletion issue over the past 30 years. All of them have parallels in the current global warming debate. DuPont, which made 1/4 of the world's CFCs, spent millions of dollars running full-page newspaper advertisements defending CFCs in 1975, claiming there was no proof that CFCs were harming the ozone layer. Chairman Scorer of DuPont commented that the ozone depletion theory was "a science fiction tale...a load of rubbish...utter nonsense." (Chemical Week, 16 July 1975). There is overwhelming scientific evidence that man-made chemicals are destroying the ozone layer -- Nobel prizes have already been awarded for the research. Rush Limbaugh argues that humans are safe, because volcanic chlorine has been working on the ozone layer longer than man-made chlorine, and yet we're still here. But this argument is false. Volcanic chlorine is water soluble, and rained harmlessly out of the atmosphere. Human CFCs are insoluble, and can therefore rise to the ozone layer where they can do their damage. There are no longer any skeptics left at NASA, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or the World Meteorological Organization. In fact, the three scientists who first sounded the alarm in the early 80s -- F. Sherwood Rowland, Paul Crutzen and Mario Molina -- received the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work. In a 1984 interview in The New Yorker, Rowland concluded, "Nothing will be done about this problem until there is further evidence that a significant loss of ozone has occurred. Unfortunately, this means that if there is a disaster in the making in the stratosphere we are probably not going to avoid it." These prophetic words were proved true the very next year with the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. Luckily, it appears that serious damage to the planet was averted with the swift implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Unfortunately, it appears that we have not learned our lesson from the past 30 years' experience with the ozone-CFC debate. Once again, we find a theory that has wide support in the scientific community being attacked by a handful of skeptics, publishing outside of the peer-reviewed scientific literature, their voices greatly amplified by the public relations machines of powerful corporations and politicians sympathetic to them. The skeptics have trotted out the same bag of tricks used in the CFC-ozone depletion debate, this time to delay any response to the threat of global warming. And once again, it will likely take a disaster to change things--unless we wise up to their tricks.
Editors’ Desk: Holocene The Holocene is the geological epoch that began after the Pleistocene at approximately 11,700 years BP and continues to the present. As Earth warmed after the Ice Age, the human population increased and early man began to change the planet forever. Pressure from the human population has had far-reaching effects on the biodiversity of the planet. Earth has undergone at least five major mass extinction events (times when at least 60 percent of extant genera became extinct within a span of no more than a few hundred thousand years.) Most people are familiar with the last mass extinction that closed the Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago and resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs. Many scientists believe we are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction event caused by ourselves. Based on population numbers required to maintain genetic viability; it is estimated that as many as 30 percent of plant and animal species may become extinct within the next 100 years. Habitat destruction is the leading cause of species extinction today. 2 | Page
Our Voyage : 1. The Last Legacy – Wild Gujarat A visit to the sole home of Asiatic Lion and Indian Wild Ass 23rd to 28th May 2015. 2. Hiking in Highlands – Wild South West Kabini – Bandipur – Munnar – Pariyar 29th Nov to 7th Dec 2015. 3. Big Five Marathon Entebani game reserve Johannesburg 26th Jun to 3rd Jul 2016. 4. The Beauty and the Beast – Return to wilderness Blackbuck national Park and Nal Sarovar. October 2016. 5. Saturn in Snow The Great Himalayan National Park. November 2016. 6. Jim Corbett National Park April 2017. 7. Himalaya – Dachigam National Parl December 2017. 8. North American Desert Sierra Madre Oriental Chihuahua Desert. May – June 2018.
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9. Eastern Himalaya – Bramputra Valley semi evergreen forest Manas–Dehang dehang-Intanki– Garo–Jigme Dorji national park. December 2018. 10. Amazon Rain Forest Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru May – June 2019. 11. Panchmari Biosphere reserve December 2019 12. Borneo Rain forest Sukau and Sepilok March – April 2020.
For Exploring Nature, our newsletter Holocene is our platform to convey our concerns on human threat to biodiversity. We will use our newsletter as a media to highlight the current local and global issues which could impact biodiversity of Mother Nature and promote awareness of biodiversity
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in alignment with our group mission of promoting awareness of different aspects of Mother Nature among people. In this newsletter our readers will get information and periodic updates on: • • • •
Recent significant discussions on biodiversity, going on across the world; Major recent research and studies on biodiversity; Biodiversity explorations planned and conducted by national and international groups as well as Exploring Nature; Information and interesting readings on wildlife photography and biodiversity modelling etc.
Extinct anthropology and culture, forgotten art and skill are also contributing factors to the survival risk of the rich but threatened biodiversity of our planet. Therefore, our coverage will not always be limited to flora and fauna. In our first exploration of Gir and Little Rann of Kutch, besides the rich flora and fauna of Gujarat, we also tried to focus on Siddi Tribe- an African tribe that is settled in the nearby town of Junagadh. We found in our exploration that the forbears of Siddi came from Africa. But they have lost any knowledge of African languages, and don't know where exactly their ancestors came from or why they settled in India. The only remnant they retain of their African lineage is their music and dance. In this issue of newsletter we tried to focus on the lost and forgotten ancient martial art of Kerala – Kalaripayat Preserving the heritage of tribal community like Siddi or ancient art of Kalaripayat is also an important aspect of protecting biodiversity of Mother Nature and Exploring Nature will always raise their voice and try to promote awareness on such issues. Keep reading our newsletter and let us know your valuable feedback and comments as you, our readers and followers together can make the change to stop the change.
29th Nov ˛15: Bangalore to Nagarahole National Park, Kabini by road (5 hours) Nagarahole Stay. 30th Nov ˛15: Two safaris: 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Nagarahole Safari, Timings: Morning 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. and Evening 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. for one hour Ride. Safari Charges Nagarahole Stay. 01st Dec ˛15: One safari: 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM and then travel from Nagarahole to Bandipur National park by road (3 hours) -Bandipur Stay. 02nd Dec ˛15: Two safaris: (Bandipur safari, from 6.30AM TO 9AM and 3.30pm to 6pm) Bandipur Stay. 03rd Dec ˛15: Bandipur to Bangalore drop and Bangalore to Munnar Volvo AC Bus/Train. 4th December Exploration in Munnar and Munnar to Thekkady. 5th, 6th and 7th December, daynight camp at Periyar Tiger trail. 7th December afternoon Thekkady to Kochi Airport.
Story Room Adipoli Keralam – A prepre-visit to the land of my enchantress before “Hiking in Highlands – Wild South West˝ Arnab Basu Forests of coconut palms, border the beaches along their whole length. The extraordinary long and springy palm leaves seem to play with the gentle breezes, and softly swaying they lend the air a gentle agitation extending a coolness up to the ocean waves that are touched by their shadows. “Images of an earthly paradise with sandy expanses lined with palms, there you have Kerala.˝ LEOUX DE FLAX, 1788
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Brief Itinerary of : Hiking in Highlands – Wild South West
An enervated explorer reached at a mystical hill station of the Nilgiri ranges in the quest for the warmth of his enchantress, whom he believed can be felt in the quietness of the Blue Mountains, in the serenity of forest of coconut palms, in the gentle breeze and the coolness of ocean of this earthly paradise. He had a firm belief that the enchantress could also be felt by his heart in every essence of this land, in the very succulent delicacy of this land cooked by the humble people at their kitchen with passion and love, in the form of world’s ancient martial arts- a gift of this land to the world and the origin of which had been buried in the mists of time.
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The place from where the quest for his enchantress started is one of the most seductive and enchanting land of, Munnar (Kerala) which is situated at the confluence of three mountain streams Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. Located at 1600 M above sea level, this was once the summer resort of the erstwhile British Government in South India. Sprawling tea plantations, picture book towns, winding lanes made Munnar a unique experience. Munnar is essentially a tea town letting you feel the sweet aroma of your beloved with every touch of cool breeze. As the morning started to unfold, the explorer sensed the serene start of the day as an indication of the transcendental presence of his enchantress around him. The explorer was craving to get a chance to go outside and experience that heavenly feeling more intensely. The explorer could not resist himself and came out from his night-stay quite early in the morning to experience the beauty of this mystic land which made him realize the magical presence of his enchantress around him. In the morning quietness, he hoped to get a feel of his enchantress and started trekking and thus reached a location which gave him a very mesmerizing view of Munnar which justified his chase for his enchantress to this music land. The hills around made him realize the calmness and strength of his enchantress, the beauty of the tea gardens matched with the beauty of her which was so soothing to his eyes and natural beauty of sky line made him realize the warmth of her heart. The breathtaking view from Valley...misty clouds made the view even more mesmerizing...now all the explorer needed was a high intensity hill run to get the adrenaline flow right from his head through veins down his feet. That was how he could feel his union with his enchantress in this misty mountain. She was there swaying bang on the turn overlooking the valley.....the explorer heard the wet sound of her footsteps on grass of the valley and saw her kohl-black hair tumbled over her shoulders. She was not far…..it was just needed to remove the curtains of comfortability wrapped over explorer’s body and mind to reach her and culminate the union. The explorer started running, he gauged his optimal sprint distance and took a short sprint followed by a long sprint. In a span of one hour seventeen minutes forty seven seconds he ascended three hundred twenty six meters to reach an altitude of 1364 meters and finally after covering a distance of 10.3 km, when he was at the risk of getting all misty-eyed on him, he completed the hill and had a rocky-esque feeling of victory, and this made him realize that he was close to her, he could smell her….. Just the natural seductive sweet odour of her 4 | Page
body and her hair. It could not be described in words but can only be felt. But it was clean, a soft fragrance... and her hair... the smell of her hair was close...... The enchantress was still swaying softly, she stopped, didn’t look back. But her body language was stern and rigid, which stopped him. “You are not yet ready to conquer me!˝ was uttered by the enchantress in a quite, gentle but flat voice. Explorer was worn-out by then and on his last legs, asked while catching his breath, “Can we at least run together?˝ “I will let you know!˝ and she disappeared. In the afternoon, explorer found himself fortunate to be treated with Sadhya, meaning banquet in Malayalam (Malayalam: , Sanskrit: , Sagdhiḥ), which is a variety of pure vegetarian dishes traditionally served on a banana leaf in this mystic land of Kerala. Explorer felt the command from her enchantress to be seated cross-legged on mats to experience this heavenly food with his right hand, without cutlery. The fingers were cupped to form a ladle. The 24-28 dishes of Sadhya which were plain boiled rice, served along with other dishes collectively called Kootan (കൂട്ടാന്) which included curries like
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Parippu, Sambar, Rasam, Pulisseri and others like Kaalan, Avial, Thoran, Olan, Pachadi, Mango pickle, Naranga curry, as well as Papadum, Banana, plain Yogurt or Buttermilk, and plantain chips, made him realize the simplicity of the life which his enchantress must have lived for so long. The 'Kootan' were made with different vegetables and had different flavours. The traditional dessert called Payasam served at the end of the meal was of three different kind. The sweetness of which made him wonder the sweet voice of his enchantress. Explorer was in utmost ecstasy with the heavenly taste and aroma of the food served to him at this mystic land.
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Enchantress appeared again in the flavours of sumptuous food. Explorer could feel the sunshine and all the freshness of vegetables served to him as he always feels when he sees her smile. He could see beautiful smile…..the wide smile…..which showed her happiness by realizing the acceptance of her simple life by the him. And her exquisite eyes, reflected the soul that resides within her. Her expressive eyes again enquired, “Which dish did you like the most?˝ “This Sadhya is like you, one cannot dislike anything of this banquet, similar to your flawless self˝ – replied explorer. The wide shiny smile became sardonic. Same soft voice replied, “You didn’t like anything!˝ This very sarcastic comment made him realize that as per the old saying the reason for including so many dishes in the Sadhya was to ensure that the diners would like at least two or three dishes. As the explorer was folding the banana leaf and closed it towards him after finishing his meal, She suddenly disappeared. A far cry from nowhere resonated, “You didn’t like anything about me, and it was a short-lived admiration!˝ This made him wonder the reason for the sudden annoyance of his beloved. Someone from the crowd gathered around him said “in Sadhya - the meals were served on Banana leaf and folded and closed once the meal was finished. Folding of leaf towards diner meant a signal to the cooks that it needed improvement. Folding the leaf away from diner would signified - complete satisfaction with the food.˝ The disembodied voice was heard again, “Go and find your eternal peace first, then only you can unite with your enchantress. You do not know how to express your inner self, it needs lot of mental strength, go and get that first!˝ Someone said again to the perplexed and bewildered explorer to go and discover a tradition which belong to the land of his enchantress and currently buried in the mists of time. He was advised to learn Kalaripayat, which is a complete discipline that combines physical training, mental tasks, and self-discipline, but forgotten in modern world. As the explorer came to know that Kalaripayat, is one of the most ancient Eastern martial arts: This is not only a martial art; it is above all a state of mind, a way of life. Kalaripayat is based on a science of breathing, which is a very important aspect of this art. After years of practice, it allows control over the essential organs of the human body (such as heart, stomach, and kidneys), leading to a flexibility of body and mind. Deep and silent breathing can lead to a “state of ecstasy˝. Arising first in India, Kalaripayat later influenced the martial arts practices of China and Japan in those places where spiritual influences prevailed. At the end of seventeenth century Kalaripayat was declared illegal by the British, due to doubt in part to the fact that in 1800, the English Colonel A. Westley fought warriors of the caste known as Nair’s who were skilled in the art of Kalaripayat ---- and he did not emerge victorious! Although it remained banned until India’s independence in 1947, its practice and traditions 5 | Page
were secretly rescued and preserved by several masters. Today Kalaripayat exists only in the province of Kerala, and is completely unknown in other region of India or in the world. Having fallen into complete oblivion, Kalaripayat is now experiencing a renaissance through the influence and encouragement of a few masters and because of interest from the international community, which is gradually learning about its many sides. Explorer decided to master this art to gain strength of both body and mind so that he can bear the pain for not being able to convince his enchantress of his eagerness to unite with her. In the evening explorer started his journey to Punarjani Traditional Village, to witness a Kalaripayat performance and educate himself of this fascinating art. During the performance, two men came face to face, the fight began, each man with a saber in the right hand. Their only clothing was the traditional Indian loincloth. Their black pupils shined with an intense brilliance, they almost seemed to be hallucinating. With each movement, light shined from their dark skin and their oil-covered bodies gave the scene an unreal quality. Shield in the left hand, they circled very slowly, each one was never averting his gaze. The crowd held its breath. Suddenly, one of the warriors threw himself at his adversary, striking down his saber. The second man parried that first blow and immediately retaliated. An insane, almost wild engagement ensured. Blows rained from all sides with incredible rapidity and with unimaginable violence. Handling saber and shield without the slightest hesitation, the two opponents were living proof that their dexterity was based on long years of practice. The sound of metal on metal punctuated their martial ballet like a death knell. Apart from saber and shield battle, there were also demonstration of Kayyamkali (free hand battle), battle with long and short sticks, spears and jumping through fire rings. Finally the demonstration was over. This reminded the explorer of a similar
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situation where the explorer locks his eyes with that of his enchantress and awaits for her next instruction. The explorer realized that by asking him to know about Kalaripayat, his enchantress has motivated him to possess a more strong body and character, so that he can become more human. It encouraged respect for tradition and it allowed one to use peace as a weapon. He was bemused with the thought of how beauty can be so simple, which one can only find in this province of Kerala, the land of his enchantress. People say simplicity is the best sophistication, the enchantress of this land depicts that so perfectly. It was time for the explorer to call off his exploration. Every time explorer comes to this mystic land in search of his enchantress, all his competitiveness, violence and aggression he possesses because of the need of his profession and high intensity activities, always get subdued by an eternal peace....the eternal peace his enchantress asked him to explore. The disembodied voice echoed again for the last time, “Explorer, you are searching for the extraordinary, but you have forgot to make the ordinary extraordinary!˝ The explorer could not unite with his enchantress, but he felt rejuvenated while returning home. The quest will be on……. “Hike in Highlands – Wild South West˝
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For Team Exploring Nature : Logo Credit : Arijit Das Majumder Title Design : Arijit Das Majumder Saikat Chakraborty Editors Desk : Dwaipayan Ghosh Arnab Basu
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Theme Poster
:: “Cohabitation˝ by Saikat Chakraborty ::
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