A conservator of conservators
Kallu ji, a smile face man
who is the owner of a kiosk which is located at Ranthambhore Road opposite of DFO office. It is a well known tea stall
for nature guides, drivers and Indian regular tourists of Ranthambhore
National Park. So, it is a place like a junction where nature guides and
drivers stay here for a Chusky (a sip
of cup of tea). It is really a last point where the nature guides and the drivers
take break for a while and be ready toward a safari. After the game drive, usually
the nature guides and the drives come back here again and get relax with a cup
of tea, smoking etc and share their game dives’s experiences with their colleagues,
then to go home. Therefore, it is a very popular
kiosk of Ranthambhore for a daily routine discussion about game drive. That’s why; mostly the nature guides and the drivers are regular visitors of it while the
park is closed.
So, as my regular trip,
on date of 21 July, 2013 in morning, I came here with my senior colleague,
nature guide Shiv raj Meena after collecting the money from door to door of the
nature guides’ home for nature guide who slipped out from running canter while
he was doing his job as a nature guide. Due to an accident, he got head
injuring. To know more him, please click his story.a story of nature guide
Therefore, I was a
little bit disappointed with a few nature guides who don’t cooperate with a
kind act. When I was having a cup of
tea while kallu ji joined me and asked about Pankaj Mittal’s health. As I was
ready to go, Kallu ji put a note of 500 hundred at my palm for that guide. I
was really surprised to see his kindness because he was the first person who
came forward to help for the nature guides except the nature guides. From 17 March, 2013, he has been on
bed rest as advised by doctor. He has been unable to work and still on the bed.
Not a single person from the forest department, NGO, Hotelier and travel agent
even met him formally to know his health while they spent lots of money for the
name of conservation of wild life. But, nobody care of him either the forest
department or other organizations. So, it was very touching moments for me
because some one feels real pain of a nature guide, While I felt that he is a
conservator of conservators. No
doubt, all nature guides play a main role in the task of conservation. But,
nobody care of them even forest department. That is the main reason that all the nature guides
have been working since 1993 but still depend only on the fees of tourists and waiting
for their basic needs like insurance, medical policy etc. .But, the forest
department & state government both are always silent on our basic
requirements. How can the nature guides survive God knows? But it is true that
nobody ever try to understand the real poor conditions of the nature guides. Meanwhile,
a person like Kallu ji feels pain of a guide, it is really appreciable. I really don’t know when the people will awake up
to understand our problems. But, It is true fact that if the nature guides can’t survive,
how the tiger can survive. After all, all the nature guides do monitory of the tigers.
Without monitory it is too hard. Thank
you very much Kallu ji for your a kind act.
Have a nice day & take care
Best of luck………..
Nature Guide, Shard Ranthambhore, President RNGA
