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Journalism of Courage
With the advent of summer comes the usual bane of Himachal Pradesh — forest fires, both triggered by natural and man-made causes — leading to widespread damage to the flora and fauna. With several forest fires already being reported and as the state forest department readies for the battle ahead, a forest guard in state came up with a question. What if the animals and birds, who become victims to such fires, could speak about their agony.
With this thought in mind, Munil Dhiman came up with a song to motivate people to refrain from setting fire to forests.
“Aag la-lal jungla nu naa bejubana marro, saa vi okhai ayone nai, na apna aap bigaro. Aasi che-channdai haan, daso sada ki kasoor, bache sade jhulass gai nai, kain udda gai koso duur. (Don’t kill innocent creatures while burning the forests; in the end, there will be no air left to breathe. Don’t destroy your today. What is our fault when we live peacefully in the forests? Many of our children are killed in forest fires, while others fly miles away),” goes the song titled ‘Jungla Di Aag’.
Dhiman released the four-minute, thirty-seven second-long song in Punjabi on Friday, after a a formal approval by the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department.
Dhiman has not only sung the song, he has also set it to music. Posted in the Chowri Forest Range within the Chamba Forest Circle of Dalhousie division, Dhiman says, “The entire forest department is working on methods to prevent fires during the summer months. Major efforts are being made, including training hundreds of volunteers, Van Mitras (Forest Friends), and others. I, personally, believe that without people’s participation — especially by encouraging the youth — we cannot tackle this problem. And what better way to do this than through a song highlighting the plight of innocent creatures who can’t speak our language?”
“This song, comprising four stanzas, was penned by Balvir Singh, a relative of one of my friends in Una district. I have written one stanza. I also composed the music. The song has been sung from the perspective of innocent animals and birds, who suffer the most during massive fires. Humans can relocate, but the animals and birds do not have that option,” Dhiman added.
Asked why he chose Punjabi over any of the Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, he said, “There are over a dozen Pahari dialects in the state, but Punjabi is the language closest to most of them and is the most popular among the youth, who are our primary target”.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Chamba, Rajneesh Mahajan, said, “This is the first time that an employee of the forest department has made an attempt to raise awareness about the adverse effects of forest fires from the perspective of innocent creatures. The song is one of many efforts being made to educate people against setting forest fires. We all contributed to releasing this song, and we appreciate the initiative taken by our forest guard”. Dhiman has no formal training in music. His father used to sing devotional songs at religious events. Dhiman joined the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department in 2015. Meanwhile, his song ‘Jungla Di Aag’ had over 3,200 views on YouTube in less than 48 hours of its release.
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