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Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde graced us with his presence at the Kanha Sarai Art Gallery, founded by our very own Ashish Kachwaha and his colleague Manoj Trivedi. The gallery promotes art and culture (1) of local artists and (2) about local people — the Baiga tribals, whom we serve as part of the Tiger Center community. The gallery helps visitors appreciate the soul of the region, its tribal roots and antecedents, and deepens the visitors' experience of the Tiger Reserve. The Honorable Chief Justice was presented with the above inspiring artwork, and we look forward to hearing of its future illustrious viewers and the impact it will bring, exposing our wildlife to our nation's leaders.
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Our Sewing School Principal Bebita Lakhera has been pleased to receive a new sewing machine into our school, donated by Mr. Sandeep Vyas. It is an electrical machine from Japan, powered, of course, by our solar panels at the school. We applaud all our tailoring students and look forward to seeing all their new businesses, based in these new skills and certification by Usha International. For safety reasons due to COVID-19, we had to suspend in-person classes, but we look forward to resuming our educational programs as soon as the vaccines are distributed and we can ensure the safety of our participants.
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Governor of Chattisgarh Anu Suya Bai honored the art gallery with her presence, and she was presented with an inspiring and detailed sketch of two members of the Baiga community. We are thrilled with her interest in our activities and look forward to hearing the impressions of leaders from her state who view this moving artwork.
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We are pleased to announce a medical partnership with Kiran and Satyajit Jiwanmal. They lead the Jiwanmal Hospital and are planning with us to hold semi-monthly medical camps in our community, with the desire to grow the program into a permanent medical facility.
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Blanket donations have continued, given the ongoing needs of our community members during Kanha's bitterly cold winter. We thank Krishna Daga and Sudhir Puranik for blanket donations and thank Chieftan Sonsay Baiga, Ashish Kachwaha, Rano Lakhera, Gian Singh, Kura Bai, and others for their distribution efforts.
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We were dismayed to hear that Kura Bai had been bitten by a snake. Thankfully, it was a non-poisonous wolf snake and not a highly-poisonous and similar karait. Kura Bai has now fully recovered, and the hero of the day was Ashish Kachwaha. Not only did he capture and relocate that particular snake, but he does so for our entire community on an ongoing basis. Check out our latest video of his protective efforts (guarding both community and wildlife) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ifSnv5pQA&feature=emb_logo, also available on our homepage, www.tigercenter.org (just scroll down to the videos).
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We continue with all our ongoing programs, as appropriate given COVID-19 safety precautions. To celebrate land, life, wildlife, and community, we held a picnic on our land. We thank our community for their guardianship, and we celebrate with them and you the growth of Kanha's tiger population, increased health of the ecosystem, and the growing wellbeing of our community.
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Our style of working is to bring together people from disparate backgrounds and different parts of society, integrate our lives and efforts, and do good where it matters. Nishi Mukerji, Chieftan Sonsay Baiga, Ashish Kuchwaha, and Baiga Panda Pujari Maha Singh shared tea and discussed this very approach. We celebrate what we can all create together when we come together.
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We thank you for your ongoing support and hold fast -- with you -- to our aims. Our current programs are not the end. Once the global pandemic is finished, we have business plans already in place that we envision not only supporting The Tiger Center in expanded activities, but also supporting the growth of our local economy overall.
Our first priority for expansion is healthcare. We have already partnered for regular medical camps and envision that these would grow into a permanent facility or ongoing mobile service. Another top priority is education. Primary and secondary education are part of the plan, and we envision both our healthcare and education efforts to be done in a way that can be scalable to other communities around the world.
In fact, our Golden Triangle model can be replicated around the world and has already proven itself useful. Our mission is to Help the Tiger, Help the Environment, and Help the People. Our tiger population has grown from 1,400 to nearly 6,000. On a variety of measures, the natural ecosystem is flourishing. And our people -- the community -- have received thousands of medical interventions, hundreds of blankets, vocational education, and more. None of the three can flourish without the others. Together, we all can.
We look forward to a bright and growing future, and we pray for Blessings for your best year ever in 2021!
CJ, Nishi, and the Whole Team
The Tiger Center
www.tigercenter.org
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