Episode 22: nirvano vaDhyathe vyaaGro nirvyaaGro Chidhyathe vanam | thasmaadvyaaGro vanam rakSheth vanam vyaaGram cha paalayeth ||
निर्वनो वध्यते व्याघ्रो निर्व्याघ्रो छिद्यते वनम् ।तस्माद्व्याघ्रो वनं रक्षेत् वनं व्याघ्रं च पालयेत् ॥nirvano vaDhyathe vyaaGro nirvyaaGro Chidhyathe vanam |thasmaadvyaaGro vanam rakSheth vanam vyaaGram cha paalayeth ||Meaning: The tiger is dead without a forest. The forest is destroyed without a tiger. Thus, the tiger protects the forest and the forest too sustains the tiger.In this episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini and Madhavi Nadig discuss the interdependence of everything in nature.We Indians are fascinated by our native Bengal tiger, also our national animal.Of the 9 subspecies of tigers, 3 are extinct. Through sustained conservation efforts, India is home to the most tigers in the world.The white tigers in Bannerghatta National Park are individuals expressing a recessive gene.As Asian animals, tigers get a lot of prominence in the folklore of these countries. They were not part of Europe, Africa or the Americas.The markings on each tiger are unique and used to track their activities.It’s said that tigers attack humans from the back. Hence people in Sunderbans wear human-faced masks on the back of their heads in an attempt to fool them.Millennials grew up watching the antics of Mowgli and his wolf family in the Jungle Book series on Doordarshan. As kids, they feared or hated Sher Khan, the wilful tiger.In the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon series, Calvin’s best friend and partner-in-crime is Hobbes—a tiger that's alive and kicking. But when anyone else enters the picture, Hobbes transforms into a mere stuffed toy.Does Goddess Durga ride a tiger or a lion? The debate continues. But Goddess Durga controls the wildest of the cats and the most brutal among beasts.Since tigers live in forests while lions inhabit grasslands, their territories don’t overlap. Thus, there is no conflict—each cat is the master of its territory.The Disney movie The Lion King explains the circle of life beautifully in a conversation between Mufasa, the Lion King, and Simba, his young cub.Farmers extirpated wolves from Yellowstone National Park in the US. Many decades later, conservationists reintroduced wolves. This is a case study showing the unforeseen ways in which a top predator supports its ecosystem.In a circular economy, by design, there is minimal waste and pollution, things are used, transformed and reused for as long as possible, and natural systems are regenerated.Many UN member nations have adopted the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They aim to improve living conditions on our planet by 2030.As individuals, we can repair our clothes, gadgets and appliances, invest in reusable products and transform broken items into something usable, becoming more sustainable.By transforming flowers used for puja into agarbattis, Phool is tackling a part of the land and water pollution problem.The song “The Circle of Life” from the Lion King movie has a beautiful message for all of us—“You should never take more than you give.”What are the sustainable habits you practice? Please share them as suggestions to all of us.@susambhashanam on Instagram & YouTubeMusic: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/