After shooing away the local timber mafia, the tribal communities of Raigad's Chinchwadi village have pledged to conserve and worship the 8.5-acre deciduous forest, now christened as ‘Tata Chi Vanrai’. The Pardhi and Thakar Adivasi tribes have joined forces with NGO Waghoba Foundation for the green cause. The forest is home to around 3,000 native trees, including mango, jamun, mahua, teak and more.
On Friday, people from both the tribes inaugurated the community-based conservation initiative, which aims at preserving the woods standing between Neral and Bhimashankar. During the naming ceremony for the forest, a totem of 'waghoba' or leopard, the protector deity of forest tribes, was also installed and the entry point christened as ‘Waghoba Chowk’.
The forest has been named as ‘Tata Chi Vanrai’ as a tribute to late Vitthal Janu Ambo Pardhi, who was nicknamed Tata. In his lifetime, he had vowed to fight the timber mafia, said his nephew Daulat. The Pardhi family has been looking after the jungle for six generations, battling the timber mafia all the way. Daulat recounted, “Around three months ago, a local timber mafia was trying to clear the forest, but we consistently opposed it. Ultimately, the mafia decided to leave. It was not because we were strong enough but maybe the mafia found another place. Anyways, it was a victory for us!”
He further said that no leopard or tiger was spotted in nearly three decades, thanks to afforestation. However, owing to the illegal axing of trees, a leopard was recently seen strolling. “We believe that it’s a hint for us to respect the forest till our last breath,” said Daulat.
Sanjiv Valsan, founder of Waghoba Foundation which works with indigenous and urban communities for environmental conservation, said that they plan to “re-wild” the jungle. “The forest used to be very thick and went all the way to the tiger reserve in the Bhimashankar national park. However, the builder and timber mafias broke it into pieces. Now, just a small patch is left. Inspiring the local communities to preserve the forest is a small step but the bigger idea is to rejoin the broken links,” he added.
