Wisdom of the wild: Lessons from an 89-year-old environmentalist | A N Yellappa Reddy | TEDxABBS

Key Concepts

• Francis Bacon philosophy
• Mother Nature as a maid servant
• Ethics and truth in bureaucracy
• Traditional forestry vs. conservation
• Enrichment planting
• Non-timber forest products (NTFPs)
• Slaughter tapping
• Tree Protection Act
• Co-gentrics industry
• Ramchandra Rao (Guru)
• Vanadur (Forest as a provider)
• Crown of botanical settings
• Naga Pushba tree
• Eco-therapy park
• Jan Kamal ethnobotanical parks
• Dharma
• Supreme Court judgment on tree cutting

Humanity's Relationship with Nature: A Philosophical Critique The speaker begins by highlighting humanity's complex and often problematic relationship with nature. He notes that humans create problems, then claim to solve them, often patenting these "solutions." In contrast, nature possesses inherent, excellent solutions and offers "secret blessings." However, since the 13th-14th century, humanity has largely adopted Francis Bacon's philosophy, treating Mother Nature as a "maid servant," a practice that regrettably continues even today.

Personal Journey and Ethical Foundations As a bureaucrat for six decades, the speaker encountered numerous incidents, some painful, others a source of pride. His decisions were consistently guided by ethics and truth, rejecting the traditional, exploitative forestry practices. He committed to "not hurt mother nature," standing firm with integrity despite political pressure. Born into a farmer's family in Arguri village (now urban Bangalore) in the 1950s, he developed an "intimate bondage with mother nature." His village of 400-500 people lived as "one organic unit," fostering mutual support and respect. His selection to the Indian Forest Service was celebrated by two innocent villagers, who, despite knowing nothing of the world or forests, instilled in him a "deep sense of moral responsibility and social commitment," a "seed of ethics sown" that remains with him. His wife also served as a "pillar of strength" and an "ethical compass." He recounts an instance where, while working in the Chief Minister's constituency, he was offered a BDA site in Koramangala. His wife advised against it, stating, "If you do that you will be under the obligation," reinforcing his commitment to an uncompromised life dedicated to family values and his job.

Professional Career and Innovative Conservation The speaker worked under four Chief Ministers for 15-16 years, never seeking transfers. His honesty led to his selection, and three CMs granted him full freedom to implement innovative forestry techniques focused on conservation. Key initiatives included:

• Ban on Green Tree Cutting: He strictly banned the cutting of green trees in his jurisdiction, focusing instead on "enrichment planting."
• Protection of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs): He took a firm decision to ban "slaughter tapping" of non-timber yielding species like almati, cinnamon, malis, and macar bark, which were being exploited by contractors for products like incense sticks. He successfully convinced the Chief Minister with "facts and figures."
• Confronting Forest Destruction: When asked about the status of Karnataka's forests, he directly told the Chief Minister, "You are looting the forest... for firewood, timber, industrial wood."
• Introduction of the Tree Protection Act: During a trip to Bisur with the Chief Minister, he showed a beautifully growing stand of sandalwood trees near Arvitu, explaining he had only provided "fire protection and grazing protection." This inspired the CM to announce a "Tree Protection Act" to the press in Mysore, despite initial public resistance. The CM underscored the urgency, stating, "there will not be fuel to burn the dead body in our country at the rate of destruction."
• Reforestation Efforts: He was assigned to Uttar district, where "lacks of acres of the forest have been deforested" and "hills after hills was burning." As a DFO in Honsur, he initiated "mechanized plantations" for enrichment planting.
• Mentoring Tulsi: He discovered and mentored a tribal daily wage worker named Tulsi, who possessed an extraordinary ability to discern the "genetic makeup of a seed by holding a seed," discarding inferior ones. She was later awarded Padma Shri for this unique knowledge.

Post-Retirement and Transformative Mindset His career took a turn when he was "forced to resign" due to his opposition to the "co-gentrics industry," which he identified as an "obsolete industry" that would cause "acid rains and fly ash" and harm the Western Ghats. This industry was later exposed as "fake." This period led to a "U-turn" in his life after coming into contact with his guru, Ramchandra Rao. His guru taught him the concept of "Vanadur" – that a forest is not merely a "jungle" but a universal provider, supplying "everything to everybody from ant to elephant and from whale to fish." He has since written several articles on this concept. He shared with his guru the idea of the "crown of botanical settings in the womb of Western Ghats," describing the diversity of "five tiles above the ground and five tiles below the ground" (invisible and visible worlds). He took his guru to Taravari, a unique setting connecting various state forests and rivers, where he showed him a "giant tree called iron of India," the Naga Pushba tree, which his guru "embraced." His post-retirement initiatives focused on inclusivity and vulnerable sections of society:

• Jaravana at Bangalore University Campus: An initiative he established.
• Eco-therapy Park: Experiments with "special children" yielded "theopatic impacts" and immense satisfaction, as documented by his son.
• Jan Kamal Ethnobotanical Parks: Inspired by the unacknowledged contributions of scientist Jan Kamal, he is now creating these parks.
• Buddhist Monastery at Malupe: Over 1.5 decades, the adjacent Nagia forest, an elephant habitat, transformed into a safe haven where elephants come to drink water and feed on established bamboo plantations, demonstrating their "extraordinarily intelligent" behavior.

Current Engagements and Legacy For the last 1.5 decades, he has been actively engaged in promoting environmental values through "new age media, podcasts, films, music, theater, talks, and articles in regional media." He has authored "several books and environmental issues and topics for the young generations." He emphasizes "dharma" as a guiding light for future generations to protect "Vanadur." He cites a recent "excellent, classical" Supreme Court judgment stating that the court "will not hesitate to put them in the jail" if anyone "intentionally plan[s] to cut trees." As a tangible legacy, he created a "Vanadur in Lalbagh" where "dead and fallen trees" were planted, including "all endangered or ET species, rare endangered 13 species," which remarkably attained a height of "25 to 30 ft within one year."

Synthesis/Conclusion The speaker's life journey exemplifies a profound commitment to environmental ethics and conservation. From his humble beginnings and deep connection to nature, he rose through the bureaucracy, challenging exploitative practices and implementing innovative, nature-centric solutions. His post-retirement phase, influenced by his guru, transformed his understanding of forests into "Vanadur" – a holistic provider. Through his advocacy, writings, and practical initiatives like eco-therapy parks and the Lalbagh Vanadur, he continues to inspire a shift towards respecting Mother Nature, guided by "dharma" and supported by legal frameworks, ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.