What are we? [Speech delivered on the World Wildlife Day 2021 Celebration @TNFA, Coimbatore]

 

The day before World Wildlife Day. 

"Every trainee has to participate in at least one event". 

"Zara, come, join us in debate". 

            "I can't be the only person shying away. So, if all trainees have to participate, maybe I can join Vijay and Divya"... I was thinking. I walked up to the House Tutor and told her that I wanted to give a speech. I couldn't answer her when she asked me what my topic was. I couldn't reply to the organizer, too, as I didn't know what I was going to talk about. 

I totally agree with one of the senior officers - "I think he wrote this from his heart".

I'm sure many of you can write a ten-time-better-speech than this one. But I believe that the messages I wanted to convey to the authority and to my fellow trainees have not been properly articulated. May you kindly read this and extract the gist of whatever is embedded here.

World Wildlife Day

03.03.2021

What are we?

 

 

Vanakkum

 

Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart”.

           

Who are we?

Well, the correct question we need to ask ourselves is – What are we?

 

Are we humans?

Or, are we animals?

 

Other creatures do not speak any language, but they communicate far better than human beings do.

Perhaps humans talk too much, but listen too little.

 

 

So, what are we?

Are we elephants?

Gigantic, glorious and ferocious it seems to be, but is chained to a chain that it can easily break off from.

 

Are we ants, then?

Small, tender and inconspicuous, but is one of the most organized species, and the species that can never be tamed.

 

Are we human beings who do not have the courage to speak up even when seeing things falling apart?

Or, are we those humans who babble non-stop and never learn when to stay quiet?

 

Are we domesticated dogs that are waiting only to be fed?

Maybe we should become stray dogs and survive with whatever is within our reach.

Or, maybe we should stand tall, fight for our rights the way tigers fight for their territories.

 

If a person can name all 51 tiger reserves of India, but is unaware of how a person sitting next to him is feeling, how is he better than those bats that fly across this campus every evening, and return home the next morning? They know where they go, and never forget their way home.

 

Some people have strayed off, wandered away and wavered by greed for money, hungry for fame and crave for power.

 

 

So, what characteristics can justify our being?

Many animals are caged, and locked away in zoos.

But we have never seen them stop flourishing, have we?

While at the same time, are we among those who have all the time and world to explore, but are incapable of making use of the opportunities, people who have prisoned themselves in their minds?

 

But then, we have decided to be an eagle: The one that is not weakened by the swindling activities – the dishonest moves; we have decided to become the one who surpasses all hardships just like an eagle that flies above the cloud to avoid rain.

It never allows itself to be drenched.

 

We are similar to kumkis in one way.

We will be there when we are needed.

We are also akin to peafowls.

People do not bother to take heed of their beauty when they are in abundance.

The kinder we are to people, the easier we will be taken for granted.

 

 

So, what are we?

We are animals. We do not devour unnecessarily.

We are human beings. We move away from where life is not valued.

We are Foresters; we will not leave any stone unturned in the process of protecting the lives of other creatures of the forest.

We are Forest Rangers; we will not only safeguard wildlife through acts and laws, facts and figures, but also with pure heart and soul.

 

And, who are we?

We are animals; prior to being human beings. We must approach the need of the hour.

We are human beings; prior to being officers. We must bend low to blend in to the community that we will be working with. But we will not stoop low to injustices.

 

We are animals that are still learning to become better human beings, to finally become better Foresters.

 

We are the voice of the voiceless.