Page 95 - CelebrationsSpring2020

granted the rest of the world just by being itself, and by graciously offering its native resources.
But the air of Kali River Rapids carries something more sinister just beyond the riverbend. Just when we think that we are at the peak of solace, we hear the biting growl of chainsaws. Their rumble disturbs the even quality of the air and threatens the equilibrium of the elements in the forest. Soon, a gray haze materializes, penetrating the clarity of our view, and the odor of smoke burns in our nose and mouth. The loggers that Manisha Gurung warned us about are poisoning our air with their greed as they cut down trees and burn brush.
Fire
Just like its fellow elements, fire can be both a life- giving and destructive force. People must contain fire and manipulate it wisely. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, when man learned to tame the blazes, they also learned to warm themselves in the cold, brighten the dark for hunting, and cook the animals they captured. When humans recklessly apply their knowledge of how to use the elements, however, they turn on the very entity that has allowed them to advance.
The Tetak Logging Company’s use of fire to clear wood and foliage in Anandapur guarantees the permanent removal of the natural inhabitants of the forest – not only the trees themselves, but the animals and people who live amongst them. Fire takes away life for good. Our Kali River Rapids raft brings us face to face with this reality, taking us past enormous piles of trunks and branches, all charred and smoking, and underneath a timber bridge glowing red with burning embers. Our breath catches in our throats as we look up to find that fiery felled tree encroaching on our space, pressing down, instead of the wide-open blue sky that we ascended into at the start of our journey. The fire pulses from inside the trunk, perhaps in anger or protest. The problem of deforestation is no longer a distant one. It does not happen in some other part of the world – it happens here and now. The Imagineers are situating us in the path of destruction by fire, a suffocating and irreversible fate, so that we stay educated and awake.
But fire also means passion. It means enthusiasm and determination. Before we climb aboard our raft, we take note of a flier hanging in the township: “STOP! Tetak Logging Company. Hear what can be done at Atavika Station No. 12 Thursday evening.” The voices of the Anandapur people
are rising up against the injustices against their land, and sending out a call to action. Atavika Station No. 12 serves as a community center of sorts, a gathering place for the villagers in Anandapur who want to fan the fire of protest within themselves. Applied in a productive way, “fire” can lead to crucial change.
Earth
Thenotionof“earth”emergesinvariousformsthroughout Kali River Rapids. Of course, our most familiar association with earth is the soil, packed with nutrients that enhance the robustness of the world’s plants and trees. Only in soil can plants and trees burrow their roots and grow. Humans also need solid “ground” in which to “plant” their roots in order to feel secure and stable – to find equilibrium in life. Some ground themselves in their faith, some in community, others in nature.
We spot a collection of Buddhist statues nestled in overgrown grass outside of Tiger Temple. A couple of them are broken, indicating that an act of carelessness has desecrated them. Most likely, Tetak Logging Company has set off a landslide with their manipulative tactics, excavating dirt and leaving it to wash down the hills when the rain falls or the river overflows. In this scenario, because of the ignorance of humans, the earth ends up acting against itself, and against the villagers’ attempts to pay homage to superior beings while remaining in the mortal realm. The Buddhist statues are supposed to give the people of Anandapur access to the divine. Here, the sharing of human and universal soul has suffered from cruel interruption.
On the other hand, Mr. Panika is using the “earthly,” or materialistic, resources that he has to generate income for the village. He markets Asian platters, figurines, doorknockers, and other “antiks” to tourists so that he and the township of Anandapur can continue to survive. The well, rocking chair toy, and bicycle in the clearing in the yard near the shop remind us that Mr. Panika must take care of a family, and that this family cannot rely on faith alone to make a living.
In the end, we know nature would persevere without people...but people would struggle to carry on without nature. After our raft plummets down that 20-foot slope on the Chakranadi River, we ride through a canyon, tall stretches of warm-colored rock enclosing us in a space that we cannot escape. At this point in our journey, we can be
Photo © Tim Foster
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