[Reader-list] mt belated posting03

[nilanjanb at 123india.com]

Posting 03
Bazar gives hazar options: I knew two kids from
Kalikapur one of whom is a 12-year boy, Mithun, who
works as a helping hand to a fish cleaner in a local
market. He was my key connection for identifying other
kids. Sheela, a young lady of around 25years who was
married at the age of 17 or 18 and was rejected by her
husband after a few months of her marriage. Sheela
collects milk packs and delivers those to a few
families including mine in Purba Diganta. She rears
cows, rams, hens, in the empty lands and fields in and
around Purba Diganta and nearby places beside the
By-pass. Sheela was a very important contact I had at
the beginning of the study. Her house which is still a
mud house is at the last point of Purba diganta or
another way that’s actually the first house of
Kalikapur if you approach Kalikapur from  Purba
Diganta. Sheela took active initiative in recommending
me to the families in Kalikapur for our data
collection. Later on she had also accompanied our field
team. With the help of Mithun I was able to find out
three other kids within two days who all have very good
knowledge about the bioresources in their surroundings.
Bhim, a 13 year old boy is the most knowledgeable one
among them, especially about the medicinal plants. Bhim
has inherited this knowledge mostly from his
grandfather. His grandfather used to treat people in
the locality using medicinal herbs. Shanu, is another
13 year old kid who is quite knowledgeable about
various usages of available plants. He also knows a lot
about behaviours of different species of birds seen in
the localities. Gwaja, a 10 year old boy, is quite an
energetic one who also knows a lot about medicinal
plants. Bhola, same age as Gwaja also knows a lot about
birds. Shyamali, a 11 year old girl and Bhim’s 10 years
old sister Buri had also joined the group. These two,
particularly Shyamali, knows a lot about the medicinal
plants and edibles herbs, leafs, and shrubs in and
around Kalikapur. These two girls are the only regular
school goers in our kid’s group from Kalikapur. As per
my plan I have tried to form another group comprising
of the kids who have computer knowledge and finally I
could gather two to join the group. Teerna, my nephew,
now 11 year old and studying in seventh standard, was
an obvious choice for me. Rimli, 14 now, who studies in
the ninth standard has also agreed to join the group.
In the first two trips we were accompanied by Silanjan
Bhattacharya, an ecologist and a teacher, who works in
the field of human ecology and has considerable
experience of biodiversity documentation in different
areas of West Bengal.  
We have identified a few spots mainly, for our first
round of sample collection/survey in Kalikapur. The key
factors behind choosing those spots were,

1.	Strategic positioning in correlation with the urban
locality to show the contrast-
•	a roadside stretch along the road bordering Purba
Diganta and Kalikapur which goes towards the By-pass.
•	The dense mini forest zone behind Ananya the only and
one beauty parlour, of Kalikapur was another location.

2.	In and around the water bodies, functioning as well
as dried up ones-
•	The pond owned by Kartk Paik, which has a sort of
community pond status as it’s being used by the people
for various purposes- from bathing to immersion of
idols. 
•	Canal, small pond, beside the By-pass, where an
open-air restaurant has come up recently. 
•	Pukurkhol, the dried up pond behind Bhim and Shanu’s
house..

3.	Concentration of original vegetation with number of
indigenous trees- 
•	The central concentration of old trees at Baruipara.

4.	Identifying unique traditional/ adopted biodiversity
related practices- 
•	A stretch along with the vegetable garden developed
and maintained by Bhim and his family beside the canal
which flows parallel to the road in the northern end of
Kalikapur.    

We took photographs of all the locations.