Editor,
The special article “Is the VPP the Christian version of BJP” (ST March 14, 2024) raises many important points. Mixing religion and politics can lead to division within society. And more so in Meghalaya which is in the words of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru is “a microscopic society” which today constitutes a mere 0.23% of the total population of the country. Different religious groups may clash over policies, values and rights. When religious beliefs become political mandates, it can lead to discrimination against minority groups or those with different beliefs.
Dogmatic religious views may hinder scientific advancement, social reforms, and progressive policies. Throughout history, religio-political alliances have fuelled wars, persecution and violence. When religious institutions gain political power, secularism (the separation of religious institutions and state) weakens. Examples: Countries where religious leaders hold political power (theocracies) often face challenges in balancing religious and civic interests. In democratic systems, religious voting blocs can sway elections based on specific religious issues. Religious lobbying can impact legislation on topics like abortion, LGBTQ+rights, and education. The impact of mixing religion and politics depends on context, historical factors and the balance between individual rights and collective well-being. Albert Einstein made an interesting and rational statement 14 months before he died in February 1954 that rings in the ears and memory of educated and discerning citizens and that statement is, ‘If God created the world, his primary concern was certainly not to make its understanding easy for us.’
Yours etc.,
VK Lyngdoh,
Via email
Man-animal conflict at its peak
Editor,
Kokila Mahato was asleep in her two-storey mud house in Dhekipura village, 11km from Jhargram town in West Bengal on December 29, last year, when an elephant barged into the house. According to her elder son, Prafulla Mahato, the elephant first broke a window and looked for something inside with its trunk. After failing to take anything out through the window, it broke down the door and took out his mother at about 3 a.m. There was no time to rescue her as she was trampled within two minutes.
A villager said an elephant had rammed into the same house the previous year and grabbed two bags of paddy. A forester with working experience in the elephant zone of Jungle Mahal said that the same elephant could have raided the house again, remembering it as a source of food. Nilanjana Das Chatterjee who has done research on human – animal conflict said, “The government must ensure a proper elephant habitat and natural sources of food.” On the same day, Tara Tamang (55) was grazing cows in the Nagarkata area of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal when a wild elephant came out of the Dayna forest and chased her. She failed to outrun the animal and was killed.
In November last year, Budheswar Adhikary (65), Ananda Pramanik (61), Rekha Rani Roy (68) and Jayanti Sarkar (48) were killed by elephants when they were working in the fields in Cooch Behar, West Bengal. Last month, elephant attacks caused three deaths in three weeks in Kerala’s Wayanad.
If the victims were elephants instead of being poor human beings, their deaths would have evoked much more public sympathy all-over the country. Avni, a man-eater tigress, is said to have killed 13 humans at the Pandharkawanda – Relagaon forest of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra during the period from 2016 to 2018. Avni could not be caught alive despite serious efforts and had to be killed in November 2018. After its death it got much more public sympathy than what each of its victims got after their deaths. Even a contempt petition was filed in court against Maharashtra officials for rewarding people who had killed Avni.
A couple of years ago, Norwegian authorities faced criticism for their move to kill a walrus. But what the Director General of Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, Frank Bakke-Jensen said in response needs to be followed in India. He said, “We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence.” This shows their higher regard for human life. It is definitely one of the reasons why Norway remains either at the first or second position in the Human Development Index year after year.
Animals get access to those poor people who have to work in the open air to produce food so that all of us can eat, who have to graze cows so that all of us can drink milk. It is really perplexing that their deaths evoke little public sympathy. The struggle of the villagers who have been trying to survive amid frequent attacks of elephants and other wild animals does not find a place in popular movies and in popular discourse.
I cannot stand animal slaughter. It makes me sick. But I love animals as much as I hate a callous attitude towards poor villagers. There is no quarrel between the love for our poor workers and the love for animals. However, the latter cannot justify the absence of the former. Authorities should see to it that elephants have enough natural sources of food in their habitat round the year. There should be effective fencing so that no elephant or other wild animal can break it to enter a village.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata,