Located in the Aarey Milk Colony of Mumbai, adjacent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (the world's largest urban protected area), are a series of tiny hamlets called 'padas.' These are the homes of the indigenous tribal communities of Mumbai or 'Adivasis,' people who have called the place home for thousands of years. Unlike the rest of the city with its sky-high buildings and sprawling slums, these hamlets are an otherworldly place. Enveloped in greenery and thriving with all forms of wildlife, these places are the epitome of being at one with Nature. But what is most incredible is the fact that wild leopards also call this area home, sharing space with the human inhabitants of these hamlets. Last year in December, I had the fortune of visiting the home of Prakash Bhoir from the Warli tribal community in one such hamlet called Kelti Pada.
"People think we tribals are poor and in need of development. But we do not think so. Look around this place. We live amid so many trees. We have plenty of fresh air to breathe. People in the rest of the city have cats and dogs as their companions, but here we live with leopards. How can we be poor?" claimed Prakash Bhoir, a local Adivasi leader who also holds a job in the city's municipal corporation, as he showed me around his beautiful home.
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National Parks Of India
India is blessed with a rich tapestry of biodiversity that is both a natural heritage and a national treasure. The concept of national parks in the country traces back to the late 19th century when the importance of conserving wildlife began to take root in the consciousness of the colonial administration. The first national park in India, Hailey National Park (now known as Rajaji National Park), was established in 1936, marking a historic commitment to wildlife conservation. The post-independence era saw an exponential increase in protected areas, primarily driven by a need to conserve India’s unique flora and fauna threatened by rampant industrialization and urbanization.
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