Anupam Sisodia’s chronicle on Mugger Man features in Sanctuary Asia
| Date :12-Jun-2019 |
Baba Sitaram Das. (Right) A crocodile resting outside the pond. (Pic by Anupam Kumar Sisodia)
By Roshan Chachane:
RAIPUR
A vividly picturesque chronicle of State’s ‘Crocodile Man’ or Babaji as the locals lovingly call Sitaram Das, a guardian of the Crocodile Park in Kotmi Sonar of Janjgir-Champa penned down by Chhattisgarh-based wildlife researcher Anupam Singh Sisodia has been published into the June 2019 edition of ‘Sanctuary Asia’, a magazine held in high regards among environment expert and conservationist fraternities. This prestigious nature and wildlife magazine has carried contributions from the likes of Salim Ali, Romulus Whittaker, Valmik Thapar etc.
Dwelling into the strikingly detailed description of the natural setting and history of Kotmi-Sonar wetlands in Janjgir-Champa district, Sisodia wrote the name Kotmi-Sonar derived from the word ‘Kot’, which means fort and Sonar means Goldsmith. Since, the area was under the influence of Sonar community, hence the name. The published story titled ‘Mugger-Man in Disguise’ takes us through a 50-year-old life journey of Baba who has devotedly served the Muggers. A 25-year-old Sitaram Das came to settle at the wetlands of Kotmi-Sonar after renunciation of his domestic life in Uttar Pradesh in 1961. He chose a Rama temple abutting a tranquil Jogia pond as his abode for the rest of his life.
Anupam also told about the incident when Baba lost his left forearm in an attempt to protect an incubating female crocodile from harassment by some mischievous kids. As Baba got too close to the already furious mugger while chasing away the hoodlums poking at her, in a flash, female Mugger snapped shut her snare-like mouth with Baba’s forehand. However, the incident was main driving force behind Forest Department notifying the area as Crocodile Park in May 2006. However, the formal inauguration of the park was done on August 23, 2008. Anupam, in the Sanctuary Asia article has highlighted this as one of its kind conservation effort while drawing a parallel with the most sought after scientific intervention practiced in the world for Mugger conservation.
Anupam says this one man effort is equivalent to most successful conservation stories of Whale Shark in Gujarat and Amur Falcons in Nagaland, notably success of Baba’s efforts has been achieved without any project cost. According to Anupam, bio-diversity rich state Chhattisgarh must identify local experts and take clues from their lifestyle which includes the most effective conservation approaches. In doing so, the most pressing conservation needs can be achieved without requirement of high financial budget.