The News desk at CLN decided to publish Appanna Ajja’s response to The Ecocide article as a separate post – his knowledge and commentary always brings out hidden gems of information that connect the dots.
Kodagu’s legendary dense forests underwent seismic changes with the large scale cultivation of Coffee by the British. Substantial tracts of Bamboo Forests were decimated along with the clearance of dense jungle, especially by British and Scottish planters.
After the fresh clearance of jungles for coffee cultivation took place, the second wave of timber extraction was the result of the purchase of Consolidated Coffee by Tata Coffee. Thereafter, the commercial extraction of timber by planters became common practice.
Appanna Ajja provides an insight into the timber extraction business – something that went against the Cultural ethos of the Kodavas. It was a superstitious belief that anyone who profiteered from the indiscriminate felling of trees never thrived. Sadly this has turned out to be true in many instances.
CLN hopes to raise the awareness through these articles towards the need to regenerate our forests and infuse the Community’s consciousness towards all environmentally sensitive issues. Readers views and contributions through articles are most welcome. – CLN Newsdesk
RESPONSE TO ECOCIDE
Read the article published in Coffeeland News together with the comments of the readers. Subject being ECOCIDE or destruction of environment by so-called civilized people!
The article is an eye opener and awakens the lovers of Nature. The inhabitants of Kodagu – Kodavas are worshippers of Mother Nature. I recall that the axing and felling of many kinds of trees were forbidden before Circa 1943-44. Also, I very well remember, the illegal activities of timber mafia started in erstwhile Coorg in Circa 1944-45.
Of course, when extensive coffee cultivation started in AD 1870-80, deforestation started. But it was limited to certain areas of Kodagu, especially the Bamboo forests.
Timber felling and transportation by Kerala merchants with the support of local officers started in Coorg in 1944-45. We, the school boys were very happy to see new roads, Jeeps, Lorries, tamed elephants. In my village more than 2600 acres of dense forest became like a sports field. The merchants were offering money to the owners of the land to obtain permission to construct roads through their land.
One incident I recall from 1954:
One timber merchant of Siddapura took 53 Acres of land from a prominent planter in my village. After cutting and transporting trees from his land, he extended activities in the nearby forest land known as ‘Kapucad’. He felled trees in more than hundred acres.
Then I was a primary school teacher. About half a dozen young men of the village asked me to write an article and publish it in “Kodagu Weekly”. The Article was published is due course of time.
After two days, the DFO, the merchant and two other forest officers came to my village and summoned four of my friends in a very honorable manner and took them to Madikeri (I avoided going as I was a teacher), by a Jeep. They were directly taken to “Bouver Bungalow”, now the same Bungalow is known as “Sudarshan Guest House”.
A sumptuous lunch with drinks was served to them and they were made to sign an application written in English. They were each given Rs 50/- and sent back in a Jeep. They were excited because it was the first time they entered into the “Bouver Bungalow”.
There are several such incidents. Whom does one blame here?
We boast that we are civilized people. But at the same time, we are marching towards complete destruction, converting our sacred land in to barren areas and undermining our age-old culture.
