The title of this blog may seem similar -many of you must have already seen this in many places particularly with a strong focus of a section of the society (however miniscule they may be) on tigers and wildlife. But Rathindranath Das (Wild Rathin his facebook name) wants to carry with him the message “Save Tigers Save Forests” to those who can help to save our National Animal- the villagers, the forest staff and the school children who literally co-exists with the tiger!! “It is not easy but it is achieveable” he remarks in between taking a sip at the cup of tea as we discussed about his upcoming campaign.
“I believe with children and youth lies the main responsibility of saving the tigers, I interact with them , tell them stories, hear from them and that’s how I want to spread the message” -his eyes lit up.
But does it have an impact? Well he tells the story of a 7 year old boy from Mount Abu who used to hunt rabbits and eat. As heard Rathin speak about wildlife , the boy stood up and pledged never to hunt again -he was so moved. He said he would spread the message to his family and friends. Today one small boy has stood up -tomorrow there would be tens and hundreds Rathin believes. Little drops of water make an ocean they say-!!
Picture: Rathin at various schools during his previous campaigns
The Journey
With the intention of creating awareness about Tiger Conservation among the general population, Rathin plans to undertake a global bike tour across 13 countries promoting the theme “SAVE TIGERS”. Through this unique campaign (first of its kind ever attempted), he intends to visit around 500 schools and interact with the children and youth to create social awareness about Tiger Conservation.
In his own words ” I believe with children and youth lies the main responsibility of saving the tigers which have lost about 97% of its original habitats around the world. It is critical to create awareness among global population particularly the next generation about the criticality of tiger conservation” .
Indeed with an estimated 3880 odd tigers (as per WWF) left in the wild, we are staring at a grim situation in the near future with important landscapes being doomed by mining, dams, infrastructure encroachments and so on. Tigers are the apex predators which help to maintain a balance in the ecosystem. If we are able to conserve the tigers we will be successful in conserving the forests which would go a long way in preserving a sustainable environment for the future generations to come.
PCCF of WestBengal Mr Ravi Kant Sinha has already extended support for this campaign.(Letter snapshot provided below)
PLAN OF ACTION: Journey to commence from first week of September , 2018 and comprises the following phases
Phase 1: Cover around 500 schools around the 50 Tiger Reserves in India on bike and conduct awareness campaign and team building
Phase 2: Visit the tiger habitat countries outside India in the order of Burma->Thailand->Malaysia->Laos->Indonesia->Vietnam->Cambodia*
Phase 3: Cover remaining tiger habitat countries China->Russia->Nepal->Bhutan->Bangladesh
For Phase 2 and Phase 3, Rathin intends to visit the capital cities of the countries as part of my campaign.
*Cambodia is a tiger range country (It has been already announced a zero-tiger country)
Campaign Requirements
- Bike and its associated maintenance
- Accommodation and Food arrangements at various Forest Rest Houses or property in the vicinity of the Tiger reserves within India (wherever possible) with the help of NTCA, State Forest Departments through various Range Officers and Field Directors.
- Approximately 2500 Litres of Fuel required for the journey as per estimates
SUPPORT FOR FUEL COST
While support for Bike and Accomodation is being finalized with respective parties, Rathin invites all wildlife enthusiasts and conservation minded citizens to come forward and donate at least 1 Litre of Fuel Cost each for his journey.
Can we not support him in this noble initiative? I think we can . If 2500 individuals come forward and donate 1 Litre of Fuel , we can help Rathin in this unique campaign and contribute in our own way towards Tiger Conservation!! (Please find below the Bank Account details)
He has already completed three campaigns across the country which gained media coverage, public appreciation and fulfilled its rightful purpose-
Expedition #1 – Covered 27138 Km over a span of 133 days across the Indian Mainland with a message “Save Forest Save Wildlife”. Visited and interacted with the students of 2268 schools with an aim of spreading awareness about forests and wildlife
Expedition #2– Covered 2822 Km across West Bengal and Assam to spread the message “SAVE Rhino” to make people aware that Rhino’s horn (reason for the Rhinos being poached) is not of any medicinal value. Visited 167 schools enroute to spread the message.
Expedition # 3- Covered 6021 Km across 10 states in India over a period of 26 days to spread message “We need to save our Wildlife”. Here I was accompanied by my wife and fellow wildlife enthusiast Gitanjali Dasgupta. The expedition lasted 26 days wherein they visited 232 schools to spread awareness about our wildlife heritage.
I am sure with all our support we can help him to complete the Fourth One also.
Media Coverage from Previous Campaigns-
Also attached herewith is his brief profile for your kind perusal.
PERSONAL PPOFILE
Name: Rathindranath Das
Age: 42 years
Passion:Forest and Wildlife Conservation;
Background: An innate rider with unconstrained compassion for the environment and wildlife, I have always looked for ways to contribute towards making this world a better place through valuable alliances with conscious minds across the globe.
3 Bike Campaigns (details shared above) successfully completed to generate social awareness about Wildlife and Forests across the length and breadth of India. Covered a total distance of around 36000 KM on bike as part of these campaigns interacting with students and people from 2600 schools.
If you wish to collaborate for this unique social effort and discuss further with Rathin please find below his details-
Contact Number: 8777624959 /9007544691 (both whatsapp and mobile calling)
Email Id: journeyfortiger@gmail.com
Bank Account Details for Contribution:
UCO Bank, EKTP Survey Park Branch
Account Holder: Rathindra Nath Das
Account Number: 18750110025093
IFSC Code: UCBA0001875
SAVE THE TIGERS before they are silenced forever…..
Tiger Tales of India 