Kaziranga frequently makes headline but for the wrong reason. Poaching, flood and apathy of authorities to take sustainable and effective measures have always been highlighted clouding hope for change in the national sanctuary. Despite all these, journalist-turned-author DileepChandan, in his latest book Ballad of Kaziranga sees light at the end of tunnel. His fiction, set in Kaziranga, ends on a positive note.
Chandan, who devoted over five years to this novel, says, Ballad of Kaziranga is an attempt on my part to speak about not just the problems wildlife sanctuaries world over are facing today but also to highlight the work the state agencies and voluntary organisations are doing to preserve these sanctuaries. Kaziranga happens to be a small piece, an important one though, in the world-wide scenario.”
In his career as a journalist over 32 years, Chandan has intensively reported on the wildlife sanctuary. “I was always curious about Kaziranga. But there were so many things which Icould not express in my news reports. I took six years (to research on the place) though I did not stay there continuously. Also, I have so many friends there in the administration and police (who helped in the research). Then I took two and a half years to write the book,” the author, who has 18 books to his credit, told The Shillong Times over phone from Guwahati.
Chandan knew the importance of putting Kaziranga as the backdrop in his novel.
“Kaziranga is every Assamese’s pride and joy. My novel is not just about the wild life and rhino poaching, but a complete picture of the life of the people living in and around Kaziranga, their culture, the life and problems of the forest guards, natural calamities like flood which Kaziranga faces almost every year and the struggle of the wild animals for their survival. And of course, not to forget its history. Hope this novel will be able to generate awareness about Kaziranga among people,” a press statement quoted Chandan as saying.
The book is originally in Assamese and has been translated by Parbina Rashid.
A discussion on the deep secrets of Kaziranga, which makes up the subject of Chandan’s book, was heldat Chandigarh Literature Festival 2018 on November 3. The author, Rashid and critic Maninder Sidhu Were the speakers.
“Probably I would have never known the real Kaziranga, had I not chanced upon DileepChandan’s novel Kazirangar Ballad, which hooked me, not to just read it from cover to cover but to translate it so that the treasure this book contains reaches a wider section,” says Rashid, a senior journalist with The Tribune, Chandigarh, who hails from Assam and is now settled in Chandigarh.
Kaziranga has an interesting history. In 1904, Mary Curzon, the wife of Viceroy Lord Curzon, came to Kaziranga to see the world famous one-horned rhino. Despite spending several days, she could not find a single rhino.
Disappointed, she pestered her husband to preserve the one-horned rhino by declaring Kaziranga a reserved forest. After a few months, on June 5, 1905, steps were taken to preserve this 232-square km of forest area as a reserved forest. This national park, now, is not just a hub of one-horn rhinos and a plethora of flora and fauna but also the source of geopolitik.
Ballad of Kaziranga, with 26 chapters, sings a tune which is happy, intriguing and sad but never for a moment allows the reader to lose hope.
That is the beauty of Chandan’s narratives, which blend facts seamlessly with fiction, making Kaziranga very real, very contemporary, very relatable.
Chandan told The Shillong Times that there is no protagonist in the story and nature is an important character.
“What I wanted portray is that there are many people, including several government officials, who are working towards bettering the situation and save Kaziranga. Hence the positivity in the story,” the author said when asked why he is so hopeful about a solution in the long run.
But when it comes to ground reality, the award-winning author said none of the governments has so far taken this issue up seriously. “This is a national park and Assam’s pride. So there has to be a proper strategy to save it. The problems, like poaching, can be tackled through correct measures,” the author said.
The story unfolds with Guwahati-based builder AmalDuara planning to open a resort inKaziranga. He includes his cousin Arunabh, a journalist by profession and Arunabh’s childhood friend Rishi, a musician, in his mission. He has one more person to see him through his venture, his best friend from college Hridayanada, who is a range officer with the Forest Department and posted inKaziranga.
As the four diverse characters get united with the sole aim to build the resort, events happen; stories unfold. Rhinoceros poaching, internal politics, illegal encroachment of forest land, problems of the villagers in and around, attack on the wild and attack by the wild, natural calamities, daring raids by forest guards, political intervention and amidst all this chaos, germinates a beautiful love story.
Chandan said the book is a humble attempt to make people aware of the problems in Kaziranga. “A novel is another way to getting people’s attention a particular issue. I have also tried to do the same. I hope the book attracts more young readers so that they too know about the goings-on. I also feel that more books should be written on Kaziranga as well as other environmental issues,” he added.
Chandan is a popular novelist and writer in Assamese language. Till now he has published 18 books on various facets of society and the North East. Among them one is a biography and another collection of essays on his experiences in journalism.
For his latest novel Kazirangar Ballad, he has been awarded with the Sayed Abdul Malik Literary Award in Assam.
His first novel was on ‘Majuli’ which went into third editions with several thousand copies. This novel deals with the problems of the biggest river-island in the world. His other novels are based on issues that have been plaguing North-east, including insurgency and history. Another novel of his, ‘JanosaPahori Gola’, which is based on the archaeological history of Assam has been well received. He is now busy with research work for his next novel.
~ By Our Reporter
