Chat Archives

Chat on "Black Necked Cranes - symbol of the rising Green Consciousness" dated May 15, 2011 Susan Sharma: Welcome to IWC chat on "Black necked cranes-Symbol of the rising green consciousness Susan Sharma: welcome Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Thank you and a very good evening to you too Susan Sharma: Tell us how you got interested in the black necked cranes Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: well,I appear to have some sort of karmic connection with the black necked cranes Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: I found that the concept of the black necked crane kept crossing my life trajectories Susan Sharma: Why the BNC and not say Sarus cranes which are more commonly seen Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: well I am beginning to think the black necked cranes chose me to paint them! Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Thats on a philosophical plane but I saw a lovely presentation on them by a wwf coordinator,Pankaj Chandan who was working on their conservation Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: that was what got me interested in them in more recent years Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: but my association with them began at the age of ten when I first visited Ladakh and learnt about them Susan Sharma: The second part of the chat topic is intriguing-can you explain more? Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Subsequently my dad Maj Gen G D Bakshi while he was posted in Kashmir wrote a series of poems on them Susan Sharma: welcome mithra Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: He had by then seen a lot of death and dying and percieved in the migration of the birds an analogy with the transmigration of the soul a j mithra: Good evening Susan and everyone here Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: hello! a j mithra: Hi purnima a j mithra: purnima Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: hi a.j. a j mithra: keep going i'm listening.. Dont want to break the flow of ur conversation Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: :),yes ofcourse Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: I found immense solace in dad's poems of the indestructibility of the spirit ,especially for i worried about his safety Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Slowly,the birds acquired almost a totemic significance. Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: I learnt that the locals in Ladakh see them as symbols of good luck,prosperity,longevity of life and fidelity Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Hello! a j mithra: should we not let the locals take care of them a j mithra: as u said the locals see them different a j mithra: we see them as mere wildlife a j mithra: but they see them as longevity of life.. Susan Sharma: The locals are encouraged to protect. Recently WWF awarded a prize to a local. Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Exactly what I was saying.the locals have been sensitized to the birds by WWF's efforts a j mithra: nice work.. but it isnt the same everywhere Shashi Kant Sharma: Hi! I am newtothis-what mes black crane iconic to green consciousness a j mithra: the government should make it mandatory that foresters dont harass locals under the pretext of protecting forests Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: if this sensitivity extends and is shared by a larger no.of ppl a j mithra: that is the need of the hour Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: the crane becomes a symbol for a larger issue - the issue of being sensitive to our envirnment Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: it becomes a symbol which sensitizes us to the need to nurture and protect the environment a j mithra: can we take the population of birds as the indicator of environmental standard? Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: just as the tiger became a symbol for the threat of the extinction of a species and growing awareness to work on their conservation Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: these endangered species have the potential to beome icons Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: icons of a larger theme-that of greater kinship with nature n environment Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: for the threat of their extinction is just one of the many repercussions of man's carelesness towards his environment Shashi Kant Sharma: What is the myth connecting BNC to Ldk? Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: The BNC are found in Ladakh,Bhutan and China and I am aware that atleast in Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: Bhutan and Ladakh the locals over a period of time view them as auspicious beings Susan Sharma: I have seen your BNC paintngs exhibition. They touch the soul, especially when you read the descriptions Susan Sharma: Is there a website where you have put up your paintings? Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: in Bhutan it is popularly believed that the cranes before they migrate circle a famous monastary before leaving as if seeking permission Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: no,I have'nt put them up on a website Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: i do intend exhibiting them more though Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: thank you,susan those are ver kind words for an artist to hear for that is what keeps one motivated Susan Sharma: Your father's poems are published? Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: yes,the book is titled 'Dances with the Cranes' and is published by pilgrims publications Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: they make a very interesting read Susan Sharma: Thanks. Susan Sharma: "Ladakh adventure" by Deepak Dalal has info on BNC for the common man. Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: will have a look at that.a lot of the literature i read on them was by wwf. Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: the people working for their conservation are very passionate Susan Sharma: Thank you Purnima for bringing to our chat room some of the passion for black necked cranes Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: the pleasure was entirely mine.it's always lovely to interact with ppl whose green consiousness is aroused Susan Sharma: as soon as we close the chat room, the transcript will be on the site and we hope more people will read it. Susan Sharma: Thank you all participants Purnima Bakshi Kanwar: that would be great.thank you everybody Susan Sharma: If there are no questions, I will close the caht room.

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