The Forest Martyrs Day is commemorated every year on 10th November. It is an occasion to salute the spirited foresters who laid down their lives while protecting the forest ecosystems of our country. It is on this day in the year 1991 that we lost a brave Indian Forest Service Officer Mr. P. Srinivas, who was beheaded by the notorious forest offender Veerappan in the forests of Gopinatham in Karnataka.
My day started with a visit to ITMR Blood Bank on Road No. 1 Banjara Hills, where the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ram Mohan was quite helpful in accepting donation of my blood. It is just 300 ml comprising of 20% of the total blood volume in the human body and it would be recouped within 24 hours. A healthy human being can donate blood atleast once in 3 months. This is a RENEWABLE resoure and can go a long way in saving a few lives. So let us all make this a regular habbit.
The commemoration event was held at the Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad with the Forest Minister and the PCCF being present. On my request Mr. Raghuram CEO of MOHAN Foundation was kind enough to send his team to set up a kiosk at the zoo so as to sensitise people about the need for organ donation. I signed a pledge for donating body organs - while cornea donation is quite common, it is a revealation to note that other organs can also be harvested but only in those cases where a patient is declared as BRAIN DEAD. One can take out liver, pancreas, heart, heart valves, kidneys, etc which would be literally giving a new lease of life to many other suffering people. Was surprised to note that the leading supreme court lawyer Ms. Rani Jethmalini is also a recepient of kidney and liver transplants and she survived miraculously when she was in ICU in London, as at the last minute somebody was kind enough to donate Liver to her. There is a lot that every human can still do to make this world a better place to live even after their death. This is true immortality. Let us promote organ donation in a big way. As of now hardly 0.5% of the deaths in hospitals is declared as BRAIN DEAD, as against more than 5% that happen. Doctors are reluctant to declare a patient brain dead. Probably more sensitisation programs are needed to the medical fraternity duly supported by a legal and policy framework. Iam willing to spare some of my time for this cause.
On this occasion I sent a REQUEST TO ALL NATURE LOVERS to do their bit to show solidarity to the efforts made by these brave green soldiers. Response has been pretty encouraging. I for one have gifted 3 CFL, apart from donating blood and pledging for organ donation. Sent SMS to more than 30 friends urging them to cut down their monthly electricity bills by 10% and do their bit in reducing the contribution of greenhouse gases to global warming.
My Salute to all the untiring foresters of the country who are struggling against heavy odds in protecting and preserving the green cover of this country for posterity. My special tribute to Srinivas who displayed bravery beyond call of duty before sacrificing his life on this day in the year 1991. My heart also goes to the family of Mr. Rajamouli, a brave green soldier who was discharing his duties on a sunday in July 2001 at a forest checkpost in Eturnagaram of Warangal district, when he perished in the naxalite attack on the nearby police station. I did all I can to reduce the misery of the family by ensuring that several benefits from the Government reach the family, but alas one can not really compensate for the loss of a family member.
May his soul rest in peace !!
Raghuveer
10th November 2009
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That is a great effort Raghuveer. Indeed the foresters have been at the forefront of environmental conservation in India, yet their efforts and capabilities are seen and recognised at the local level only. There is hardly any recognition of their contribution/ potential in the field of environment at the national/ state/ international level, which has been the sole domain of only a handful few in India who have very zealously guarded their territory. My most sincere wish that we would be able to break into this bastion very soon, and do some REAL GOOD as you are doing with initiatives like Forest Martyrs Day.
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