Dhani Dhani-22nd may
On my first day in C.P.S.W, I got to know about a project they are doing in dhani and manglajodi on wildlife conservation and eco tourism, two villages near tangi in orissa and I got to know how they are planning to make it a eco tourist place, create livelihood for people in the villages and make people aware of forest and wildlife conservation.
So I was quite excited to work for it. I went to dhani the very same day. It was actually quite hot. I went with Dr.Pankaj and Mr.Param and some officials of CPDO. As we moved out of bhubaneshwar, the roads were even better and the scenery was beautiful. We reached there in an hour. It was around 2. Dhani is a hill, with villages around it. It’s a very small place. The village seemed empty. It was a summer afternoon. So in orissa, after lunch, people go to sleep and then go back to work. The work for the project had started. The information centre was being constructed. Some area had been cleaned for the bamboo huts.
Then we went to see the ashok jhara. Well, that was beautiful. The road hasn’t been made. So we had to go on foot. And the 1st thing which came to my mind when I saw that place was peace and beauty. It was totally quiet. The trail had deer footprints. There were dried leaves on the trail and around that place. Lovely mango and bamboo tress. You could actually smell those mango tress. There were thorny bamboo trees. It was very green and there were shrubs everywhere, it must have rained recently. There were things like lizards moving on the dried leaves, so it was creepy.
The ashok jhara had less water but with the monsoons coming, it will surely be full. It’s a closed waterbody and people are not allowed to fish generally. People do take water from it for farming purposes. It has got a watch tower for birds. Some of the most beautiful birds are supposed to be seen here. I was lucky enough to see a white kingfisher that day. There were birds which just touched the water and flew away. It was a calm and quiet afternoon. All you could hear were the birds chirping and the silent waterbody dazzling with the suns rays. There are trails to reach the hilltop. It’s a thick dense forest. It is actually an amazing place for birdwatchers and people who like to see forests and feel nature in its raw form. This place is so fresh and completely untouched. People just don’t know that such a beautiful place exists. Nature lovers just go to chilka as it’s a well known tourist place. But this too is beautiful.
This place just needs some help as the people here are generally uneducated. If we just help them a little, I’m sure tourists and the localites will love this place. There is so much to explore here, so much to learn from this place. One can actually spend hours, days, months , finding out this place. Nature lovers love to explore and find out the new sites as they want to find out nature’s secrets. Birds and animals find out such places on their own. Unlike humans they don’t need to advertise a place so that others would come and enjoy the place. It was a great experience.
So after seeing around, we went to the information centre area. There was a meeting there. women from five villages who had formed the panchamauja were meeting the officials from CPDO. As I mentioned before, it’s a summer afternoon in orissa, people had gone to sleep after lunch. So the meeting which was scheduled for 2 finally started at 4 and that too with very few women. Slowly, more and more women started coming. The senior official was trying to make them realise how strong and capable they are and how they can do so much to help themselves. He told them that he would give them training on raising chicken which would help them raise their income. There are a lot of social issues there. What I saw there, was this huge divide between the upper and the lower castes. I actually saw it. They were sitting separately. After telling them a lot and the sarpanch’s request, they decided to sit on the same tarpaulin but that too seeing to it that they are not touching each other! Such is life there. To bring about a big change there, people have to change their ways. They have to start thinking big. They have to start dreaming and they have to know that they are the owners of their land and they are ones who have to look after that place. They have to take its responsibility. They really should not neglect it.
Infact, it’s unbelievable to know, but the poachers in dhani have converted themselves to forest protectors which is a great thing. They know the forest totally well and they have amazing potential to be forest guides. They aren’t that well educated but they know everything about forests and birds. This place has such great potential. It’s just lack of education that they don’t realise its importance. How would they know that it’s high time we start doing things from saving earth unless they are educated. These people must be helped.
So we got out of there at around 6. the journey back was even more beautiful, with the fine cloudy weather and the wind blowing. After seeing that place, I get this feeling to actually work for it, and make an effort to help them in whatever way I can.
On my first day in C.P.S.W, I got to know about a project they are doing in dhani and manglajodi on wildlife conservation and eco tourism, two villages near tangi in orissa and I got to know how they are planning to make it a eco tourist place, create livelihood for people in the villages and make people aware of forest and wildlife conservation.
So I was quite excited to work for it. I went to dhani the very same day. It was actually quite hot. I went with Dr.Pankaj and Mr.Param and some officials of CPDO. As we moved out of bhubaneshwar, the roads were even better and the scenery was beautiful. We reached there in an hour. It was around 2. Dhani is a hill, with villages around it. It’s a very small place. The village seemed empty. It was a summer afternoon. So in orissa, after lunch, people go to sleep and then go back to work. The work for the project had started. The information centre was being constructed. Some area had been cleaned for the bamboo huts.
Then we went to see the ashok jhara. Well, that was beautiful. The road hasn’t been made. So we had to go on foot. And the 1st thing which came to my mind when I saw that place was peace and beauty. It was totally quiet. The trail had deer footprints. There were dried leaves on the trail and around that place. Lovely mango and bamboo tress. You could actually smell those mango tress. There were thorny bamboo trees. It was very green and there were shrubs everywhere, it must have rained recently. There were things like lizards moving on the dried leaves, so it was creepy.
The ashok jhara had less water but with the monsoons coming, it will surely be full. It’s a closed waterbody and people are not allowed to fish generally. People do take water from it for farming purposes. It has got a watch tower for birds. Some of the most beautiful birds are supposed to be seen here. I was lucky enough to see a white kingfisher that day. There were birds which just touched the water and flew away. It was a calm and quiet afternoon. All you could hear were the birds chirping and the silent waterbody dazzling with the suns rays. There are trails to reach the hilltop. It’s a thick dense forest. It is actually an amazing place for birdwatchers and people who like to see forests and feel nature in its raw form. This place is so fresh and completely untouched. People just don’t know that such a beautiful place exists. Nature lovers just go to chilka as it’s a well known tourist place. But this too is beautiful.
This place just needs some help as the people here are generally uneducated. If we just help them a little, I’m sure tourists and the localites will love this place. There is so much to explore here, so much to learn from this place. One can actually spend hours, days, months , finding out this place. Nature lovers love to explore and find out the new sites as they want to find out nature’s secrets. Birds and animals find out such places on their own. Unlike humans they don’t need to advertise a place so that others would come and enjoy the place. It was a great experience.
So after seeing around, we went to the information centre area. There was a meeting there. women from five villages who had formed the panchamauja were meeting the officials from CPDO. As I mentioned before, it’s a summer afternoon in orissa, people had gone to sleep after lunch. So the meeting which was scheduled for 2 finally started at 4 and that too with very few women. Slowly, more and more women started coming. The senior official was trying to make them realise how strong and capable they are and how they can do so much to help themselves. He told them that he would give them training on raising chicken which would help them raise their income. There are a lot of social issues there. What I saw there, was this huge divide between the upper and the lower castes. I actually saw it. They were sitting separately. After telling them a lot and the sarpanch’s request, they decided to sit on the same tarpaulin but that too seeing to it that they are not touching each other! Such is life there. To bring about a big change there, people have to change their ways. They have to start thinking big. They have to start dreaming and they have to know that they are the owners of their land and they are ones who have to look after that place. They have to take its responsibility. They really should not neglect it.
Infact, it’s unbelievable to know, but the poachers in dhani have converted themselves to forest protectors which is a great thing. They know the forest totally well and they have amazing potential to be forest guides. They aren’t that well educated but they know everything about forests and birds. This place has such great potential. It’s just lack of education that they don’t realise its importance. How would they know that it’s high time we start doing things from saving earth unless they are educated. These people must be helped.
So we got out of there at around 6. the journey back was even more beautiful, with the fine cloudy weather and the wind blowing. After seeing that place, I get this feeling to actually work for it, and make an effort to help them in whatever way I can.
Good write up but too long for busy people to read. Keep it simpler and shorter (KISS)
ReplyDeletehi there, can you plz mail me the lacation of dhani..-i can't find it on gmap...i was thinking of going there with some of my friends...so here is my mail id jwnjyti.snpti@gmail.com....waiting for ur rply...
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