When Anguish is Anticipated from All

Value of Co-existence and Harmony

Three female elephants have been found dead in north Chhattisgarh- in less than three days- leading the forest department to suspect they were poisoned as all three carcasses had foam at the mouth. The more painful fact about the dead tuskers is that two of the dead elephants were pregnant. During post-mortem it was found that the elephants had charred skin inside their mouth, congested lungs and intestinal haemorrhage. All are indicative that the three consumed something toxic and poisonous.

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On May 27, a pregnant elephant in Palakkad, Kerala, was reportedly fed a fruit stuffed with firecrackers. Despite its agony, it chose to die quietly, harming none.

The recent brutal killing of a pregnant elephant has shocked many but the more appalling is that the incident is not a crime committed for the first time neither it will be curbed so easily. Moreover, it has uncovered other instances of cruelty towards animals and the ugly realities of the human intervention into wildlife. It’s quite evident that such heinous acts towards these gentle creatures are grave repercussions of human-animal conflicts, erupting often across the country, triggered by deforestation, habitat loss and unplanned expansion and urbanization. The shrinking of natural habitat has resulted in elephants and other wild animals venturing into human territories, leading to casualties on both sides. To save their crops from collapse and destruction by these pachyderms, farmers often use brutal methods like fireworks, poison and electrocuted fences.

The more abominable is that poachers are hell-bent on involving local villagers to poison the water bodies in the path of elephant herds to try to kill tuskers.

In a country, like India where ‘Gajanana’, the elephant-headed is an epitome of fulfillment of one’s desires, attainment of wealth, prosperity and surmounting all the hurdles and roadblocks in one’s ways to success, elephants are being treated so vilely. 

Here are a few facts:

• India has about 27000 wild elephants. It has been reported that explosive-laden fruits, electric fences and crude bombs are used to keep away these pachyderms from eating farm produce.

• There are over 3000 elephants in captivity in India. From tourism to agricultural labour, logging and participation in weddings and religious rituals, elephants are used in multiple forms of work.

• Captive elephants are often kept standing for hours, chained or shackled, with even spikes embedded in their ankles.

• Young calf elephants are separated from their mothers and beaten and starved into submission.

• Many elephants work over 20 hours a day, exposed to heat, noise pollution, crowds, firecrackers, unhygienic conditions and dangerous transportation.

• In 2018, Raju, a captive elephant, forced to beg by his owner, was rescued by Wildlife SOS which found Raju starved, beaten, chained and wounded by metal spikes in his feet. Having suffered such cruelty for 50 years, Raju wept upon his rescue.

The brutal death of the Jumbo, stirred the country and the perpetrators were condemned by all walks of life but will this sudden flow and flood of anguish and condemnation suffice to restrain such atrocities against animals in future? No, not really, unless we control the excessive economies of demands so that human intervention can be extenuated in tuskers’ natural habitats.  Can we understand the value of co-existence and harmony among all living beings? How could the politicians (though laced with their insinuations on the horrible death of the elephant) oversee that parts of an elephant sanctuary in Assam were handed over to coal mining – less than two months ago? How the stakeholders can be so indifferent towards wildlife protection?  

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The anguish is anticipated from all on such cruelty against animals and we strongly feel a need to inspire a wider learning experience, with both systemic reforms and individual changes. We must be more responsible towards the environment and more mindful about our own needs. Our patterns of consumption are causing the increasing intrusion of humans into natural spaces which is a growing threat to sustain our ecosystem as well as the ecological balance. If it persists for little longer, the day is not far when we will remain confined in the miasma of utter despondency of losing many precious life forms on this beautiful planet.  We need to understand that every animal has unique identity and importance of its own. 

We must respect their space - and their right to live.

Never To Advise Adolescents

Social Media Trends Affecting Teenagers 

#BoisLockerRoom, a sensational social media post which took toll on a class XII boy’s life in Gurugram, was no other than a quintessential of mob justice done by some teenagers. As #BoisLockerRoom unravelled, a 17-year-old girl shared on Instagram an alleged incident of sexual assault two years back. The boy, an aspiring class XII student, was trolled and humiliated as the girl’s post went viral and the same night i.e. May 4, 2020 he jumped from his 11th- floor flat in a DLF-5 condominium, Gurgaon.

This incident clearly shows the rampant use of social media and its vilest forms for cyber bullying by teens which is unfortunately quite common and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, lower self-esteem and tragically suicide. Trolling and online harassment took a young, precious life. How can social media disclosures be allowed without the burden of proof ? It’s really horrifying how teenagers abuse and harass their targets using social media platforms. Many innocents take extreme steps as they can’t face such humiliating situations.

                                                                         

These days children make confession groups on social media accounts to reveal their personal feelings for someone, failing to realize the consequences and understand how confessions can be ‘social’ or ‘public’? As the Gurugram incident reveals a life-threatening mindset of today’s teenagers that neither the boy nor the girl chose their parents to open up themselves and share their ordeal. The girl knocked the door of Social Media Court to seek quick justice rather than speaking to her family and the boy also didn’t prefer to talk to his parents but decided to kill him. The vulnerability of teens has become a grave issue and because of their impulsive natures, they are at risk of sharing intimate photos or highly personal stories which can result in being bullied or even blackmailed. The other big danger that comes from teenagers communicating more indirectly is that it has gotten easier to be cruel. “They text all sorts of things that you would never in a million years contemplate saying to anyone’s face.” says Dr. Donna Wick, a Clinical and Developmental Psychologist.

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Role of Parents:

A significant thing that every parent should concern about is to structure their psychological and emotional framework around the most fundamental fact that they are the most valuable living force for present as well as future.

 

Being a responsible parent it’s your duty to set reasonable limits for the usage of social media. Encourage a bedtime routine and keep all the cellphones and tablets out of teens’ bedrooms. Set an example by following these rules yourself as children don’t follow what is said, they follow what they observe. Let your teen know that you will be regularly monitoring his/her social media accounts and talk about your social media habits. Remind your teen that social media is full of unrealistic images. Teach your child that everything that glitters is not gold. Give them this assurance that their well-being is the only treasure of your life not their scholastic or co-scholastic achievements.

How Important Are You?

As the title suggests that this blog is not meant to advise adolescents; (I know you don’t like advices and preachy sentences😃) let me make it very clear that this blog is a message from society to all of you.

Dear Teenager, living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you. You were like that as a child, weren’t you? You were so happy and chirpy with the things and people around you. So I am not talking about taking you beyond, I am just talking about starting at the square one of your life. Why you have mortgaged your happiness, peace and love to the external situations? What if the mobile phone that you use is not as expensive and cool as your friends’? What if you haven’t scored as high as your classmates? What if your life is not as luxurious and lavish as your peers’? The most important thing is you are the best in your own way and you can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life. So, do what you want to do in your life, being in reverence with the life, being in love with your LIFE.