Nepal’s Chitwan Park is a rich biosphere with virgin forests, a variety of wildlife and Tharu tribes who recycle elephant dung to make paper, writes Chitra Ramaswamy
Next time you use the words “white elephant” in a disparaging manner, think twice. Turns out elephant poop makes better paper than the pulp of a tree and could go a long way in contributing to a green world. Or so Om Rizal, one of the few hundreds of artisans involved in making the paper at Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, would have you believe.
Simply put, roughly eight kg of paper is obtained from 10 kg of dung! Rizal narrates the process. “An elephant eats about 250 kg of food, mainly rice, digests only 50 per cent of this and produces around 50 kg of dung a day, much of which is fibre, useful in making handcrafted paper. A third of the process of making paper is completed in the belly of the elephant and the resulting fibrous dung that is 100 per cent bacteria-free, is then washed and boiled for five hours, following which it is bleached, spun and cut. The processed dung is then cast into spherical balls of equal size and sifted evenly into frames, dried in the sun and then smoothened over with sand paper. The readied paper is then crafted as writing and drawing paper and making several artifacts including lanterns, notebooks, jewel boxes, visiting cards, card holders, photo frames et al.”
The Elephant Project in Chitwan, is generating jobs and adding to the incomes of marginalised locals. At the same time, it is helping create a cleaner environment, by making productive use of waste. This, however, is not an innovation; the Tharu tribals are known for their “eco-friendly” culture ever since nature was the only religion around. Their residence, food, clothing, art, religion, economy, etc, are based on nature and maintaining an ecological balance.
We get our first taste of the Tharu spirit of co-existence at the resort where we check in to ease out after the drive. All resorts lie on the main street of Sauraha village, roughly two km from the park. While we warm up to the ambient sounds provided by unseen birds and buzzing bees, we are a trifle apprehensive about the beehives on trees that shade our rooms and on the ceilings of our corridors as well. Our fears are soon put to rest by an amused staff who profess that bees are rather harmless creatures and sting you only when you tease them.
Tharus are friendly by nature and every individual has a best friend treating him or her as a real brother and sister. A man’s best male friend is called his meet or dilba, and the woman’s best female friend is called her sangan. Because the Tharus lived in isolation in malarial swamps until the recent use of DDT, they developed a strong sense of hygiene, keeping their houses well-spaced, neatly arranged and lighted. Tharus sweep their houses twice or thrice a day and the household ash and refuse are dumped near the cattle shed or in fields. They believe in shamans who use traditional Buddhist medicine for cures. And while they are gradually assimilating themselves into the mainstream, they are preserving a slice of their culture as tribal exotica has museum value and yields enough returns to chase their dreams.
Chitwan, at the foot of the Himalayas, is one of the few remaining vestiges of the Terai region, pristine and unspoilt by tourist onslaught, and it once extended over the foothills of India and Nepal. It was established in 1973 with the objective of preserving a unique ecosystem and was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984. Bahadur, our guide, we realise, is a good story teller with an expressive voice that enables us to visualise the tales and facts he reels out. The waters of the Rapti, Narayani and Reu, encircle the park on its northern and western fringes while the Churia and Someshwar Hills cascade down its eastern and southern periphery. The Chitwan Valley, Bahadur continues, had been the happy hunting ground for the Rana kings and their guests until the 1950s. Around 1963, the area south of the Rapti was earmarked as a rhinoceros sanctuary and cordoned off from hunting. Within the next few years, King Mahendra approved the creation of a reserve and since then it has been attracting tourists and visitors by the droves. The park itself is home to seven world class resorts run by concessionaire. Unfortunately, we could not book ourselves into any of these.
We then go for an elephant safari. Though the park is home to over 50 mammalian and 450 avian species, as with most sanctuaries and nature parks, we’d be lucky if we are able to spot half-a-dozen species in a day, our guide says. A pair of rhinos comes easy to us, grunting their affections for each other, as a sure-footed Janki, our elephant, blazes her way through a narrow ledge across the backwaters where they have apparently come for a drink and a swim. Size matters as the two freeze to a stillness in Janki’s presence, feeling trapped and nowhere to go. A couple of jackals and wild cocks cross our paths, a group of cheetal makes a quick retreat, a solitary sambar dares to lock eyes with us while the birds let out loud whooping calls, proclaiming their presence from the dense perch above. At the end of two hours, we are content, having seen more jungle dwellers than we could ever imagine. On our return to the village, I get the opportunity to “drive.” In other words, I sit on the elephant’s neck and spur him ever so gently, whispering sweet nothings into his ear at the behest of the mahout. Needless to say, I am happy to finally alight on solid ground.
Copyright: Exotica, the wellness and lifestyle magazine from The Pioneer Group, available in all rooms of select five-star hotel chains across the country