Just off the bustling Faridabad-Gurgaon highway, lies a
quaint little village yet untouched by the blighting arms of development. This
village, Manger, is nestled in a vast expanse of uninterrupted green that has
for generations been venerated and conserved by its village folk as a sacred
grove blessed by the local deity. The villagers themselves don't allow logging
in the forest, making it one of the last surviving woods in the Aravalli
foothill.
For the last two decades, however, this forest has been in
danger of becoming the proverbial beehive of real estate activity, which is
threatening its very existence. A new documentary titled The Lost Forest critically
examines the recent man-nature conflict in Mangerbani (the forest
of Manger
Director Ishani Dutta, who has worked extensively on the
natural resources of Haryana, explains how till the 1970s, the forest was under
community ownership of the Panchayat. "But for some mysterious reasons,
the entire forest got privatised between 1970 and 1985. The villagers were
persuaded to sell off their shares and as of today, the forest land is
available for re-sale to the highest bidder," she says.
The filmmaker feels the grove is too close for comfort to
the fast growing neighborhood of Delhi ,
Gurgaon and Faridabad .
"Hard-pressed for space, these neighbourhoods are devouring the remaining
green zones to fulfill their urban ambitions. For these real estate developers
and corporates, there is big money to be made here," she adds.
The film explains how the land's commercial value was too
much to ignore even for the state government. "Haryana government went
against the Union government directives, which clarified that non-agricultural
land cannot be transformed into agricultural land without clearance. Things
were done arbitrarily, which is why there are many grey areas in the
matter," says environmental activist Chetan Agarwal.
If
Mangerbani dies, the entire ecosystem of the area will die, and with it a
tradition of conservation that has been kept alive for centuries — Ishani Dutta, Director
Author Pradip Krishen concurs and adds that it's important
to protect this bio-reserve because Mangerbani's ecosystem is fragile, yet
unique. "Here, one can find vegetation that is capable of surviving the
harsh and dry climate conditions of the region," he says. "The forest
is home to dhau, a habitat specialist tree that grows on steep rocks. No tree
species can grow in such an inhospitable environment and if dhau is destroyed,
these hills will become barren."
Not only this, Mangerbani is also regarded as the last
unfragmented habitat for wild-life in this area. Sightings of leopards, striped
hyenas, wild hare, porcupines, partridges, nilgai, jackal, mongooses and rare
birds like the large-billed leaf warbler, have been reported in the region.
"If the Bani dies, the entire ecosystem will die, and
with it a tradition of conservation that has been kept alive for thousands of
years," says Dutta. "Not only will these unique trees and rare
animals lose their last shelter, neighbouring habitats will lose their source
of fresh air and clean water. It already seems like a lost forest; a forest
that isn't there."
Sunil, a resident of the village, puts quiet succinctly when
he says, "Construction can happen anywhere, but where will we find another
sacred grove conserved by tradition and faith for centuries. Where will they
find another Mangarbani?"
PAWANPREET KAUR
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