Dandakaranyam - Once a Forest / May 2008
    The Original Tribes - Koyas & Konda Reddys          
               
HomeBioInterviewsPaintingsPhotographyWritingsPhoto Journals DocumentariesFilmsBlogContacts   We had journeyed into the Forests near Puchikunta, once called the Dandakaranyam. Known for their impenetrable thickness, they used to occupy my childhood fancies as places where demons lurked. We found, however, members of the Konda Reddy and Koya Tribes. The elders appeared reticent, perhaps suspicious of outsiders, but the younger generation had assimilated considerably into the "outside" world.   Konda Reddy Family   Bucchamma (daughter) & Veera Reddy (Father)  
             
  Koya girl with family   Koya Women   Native Dwelling Bamboo Cutter   Rooser Scarifice  
                 
  An Infusion of Outsiders - Day & Night          
                 
  There is an uneasy co-existence between those who have traditionally lived in the Forest and those who live outside but come daily to log for wood and bamboo. The forest dwellers would never harm their Forest - they've valued their heritage for centuries, but the real issue now is the pressue from human population growth and its consumptive pattern. Worse yet, Forest officials who ought to protect the land, turn a blind eye to it's pillage.   Illegal Logging using Bullock carts   Logs being carted out of the Park  
                 
  Logger on Bicycle   Logs strapped to Bicycle   Raiders come in Tractors at Night   Wood used for Fencing  
                 
  The Bare Hills - Slashed and Burnt          
                 
  When I asked Veera Reddy (one of the elderly Konda Reddys - visible on the Top Right Corner of this page) how long logging had been going on, "for several decades" he replied. "We used to have trees several yards wide in girth," he said, stretching his arms to indicate their gigantic size. "But now, you hardly see ones that are more than a foot across." Slash and Burn is common practice now, but although it encourages fesh growth of plantings, it is devastating for wildlife.   Hills are decimated   Spindly Trees  
             
  Tree with its branches recently cut   Larger trees have all been logged   Burning by outsiders to clear the undergrowth   Charred landscapes  
                 
  Litter & Pilfer - A Quarry on Forest Land          
                 
  When I noticed the people we were travelling with discarding paper plates around Veera Reddy's hut, I couldn't help but wonder: If a fews hours of interaction could have such an impact, what of a lifetime or two's worth? The next day at Puligundam - a waterfall pouring through a ravine where a tiger had supposedly fallen and died, we saw more of the same. The worst however, was the sight of an entire quarry on Forest land while we journed onto Bhadrachalam.   Out own team litters paperplates   Illegal Quarrying  
                 
  Illegal Quarrying   Rock being Quarried   LIttering in Puligundam   Littering in what was once remote forest  
                 
  Bamboo Cutting - An Unending Raid          
                 
  Although some bamboo cutting is allowed by the Forest Dept. much of it is illegal. Nearby villagers journey in on bicycles, spending several hours in back breaking work: chopping, slicing, binding and carting bundles down steep hills for mostly local consumption. There is no question that these people are poor and that they depend on the forest for income. The question, however is, given the size and scale of the activity, is it sustainable?   Bamboo cutters at work   Splitting a Bamboo calls for Skill  
                 
  Preparing for Transport   Bamboo strips used as ties   Bicycles wait for owners working in the hills above   Men coming down the hillslopes  
                 
  A Tiny Little Haven - On the Brink of Vanishing          
                 
 

I noticed a small group of Forest Ants building a nest around Figs. They were busy in their task, completely oblivious of me or of the goings on around them.

I guess they were saving their fruit for a later day - for their children perhaps.

  Forest Ants build their nest in a Fig Tree   A nest for the Future. Will it survive?  
                 
                 
                 
                   
© Rajnesh Domalpalli , 2008