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Wildbuzz: The Prince of pure waters
The Shivalik foothills have clean water bodies that are relatively free from pollution, but the Siswan dam is facing pollution due to dumping and littering. British artist Sophie Green uses her hyper-realistic art to raise funds for wildlife conservation.
The rains that shower the Shivalik foothills leave in their wake welcoming pools of pure, sweet water. Since pollution levels and garbage dumping in the foothills have not reached epidemic levels as compared to the urbanised plains south of the foothills, the water bodies here are relatively free from the scourge. The water is so clean that if poured into a traditional earthen pitcher or “ghara”, the silt will settle soon enough and clear water will reign supreme above.
The string of major and minor check-dams in the foothills hold perennial sources of freshwater used for irrigation and by multitudes of wild creatures. Farmers, who receive irrigation water on a rotational basis from the dams, swear by the quality of the water enriched with minerals and markedly more nourishing for crops than groundwater extracted from hundreds of feet below.
However, the looming concern for these water bodies is exemplified by what is happening to a prominent one, the Siswan dam, which is coming under the shadow of pollution due to dumping from the Siswan-Baddi highway, waste discharges from the tourist hub perched on the dam’s embankment and sustained littering by all manner of visitors to the dam’s backwaters. It is a moot question as to how long these pristine water bodies will survive the onslaught of a burgeoning population, practice of villagers to dump wastes at “convenient” spots, and absence of government infrastructure for disposal of wastes from foothill villages.
At a small pool filled with virginal waters, I came across a huge Indian bullfrog immersed in it with the winter sun glinting and warming the waters. The water so transparent that I could discern with a naked eye the beautiful mosaic that adorned the bullfrog’s skin underwater and each sediment at the pool’s bottom. It was as if the bullfrog was clinging in thin air to a side of the pool — so still and clear was the water.
The bullfrog gazed back at me bravely but with a bit of a wary eye as I took photos with my smartphone. I wondered, how long before the bullfrog’s serene sojourn would lapse into pollution’s apocalypse?
Princess of wildlife art
British artist Sophie Green not only blends a charming personality with exquisite artwork, but also displays a deep commitment to the cause of wildlife conservation. An award-winning wildlife artist whose works were showcased at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Green sells her paintings and donates a part or the full proceeds to conservation organisations. Her hyper-realistic art led National Geographic to describe it as a bridge between “photography and reality” and that her “portraits invite the viewer to stand eye to eye with some of the world’s most endangered animals”. Two of her paintings, of a famous chimpanzee, Wanda, associated with Jane Goodall, and of an African elephant, fetched $24,000 each and the full proceeds were donated by her.
Green nurtures a noble, gentle heart. Her art aims at giving a voice to the mute, powerless creatures whose homes have steadily been annexed by humanity and they are left fighting an unequal battle as the collateral damages of “development” and “civilisation’s march”. As a child, Green had been afflicted for some years with an anxiety disorder that rendered her mute outside her home. From those tender years, the troubled child had sought refuge in the world of Nature.
Her thoughtful comment seeks to draw our empathy for creatures beyond voyeuristic wildlife safaris and pretty bird pictures: “It is impossible to admire the beauty of the natural world without also reflecting on its vulnerability”. As an inspirational figure, Green seeks to encourage others to make a difference to our planet which is in a dire situation. And, by any means, such as “donating time, money, making lifestyle changes or educating others”.
