The Indian Forest Service is a committed force of officials, specialists and field units that work in tough conditions and terrain to protect India’s wild spaces and sylvan assets. The foresters have to work with local communities to ensure a fair balance between the needs of conservation and local human populations so that resentment does not arise against wildlife and conservation projects. The Tendu patta collection is one such arrangement wherein Non Timber Forest Produce in the form of the Tendu leaf is harvested from the fringes of the arid forest areas of Rajasthan and provided to local contractors who hire villagers to process the leaves to make bidis. The leaves are wrapped around tobacco to make the Indian local cigarette known as a bidi. These days, the labour community is profoundly affected by COVID-19. In an assessment by ILO Worldwide, two billion people work in the informal sector (mostly in developing economies) and are particularly at risk. In addition to the threat to public health, the economic and social disruption threatens the livelihoods and well-being of millions of people. The plight of migratory labour is being covered across various media platforms. The Government machinery had to play a crucial role in not only combating the outbreak, but also ensuring the safety of individuals and the sustainability of employment generation. And as per the need of the hour, the Forest department is determined to put in extra effort to bring back the economy of rural and marginal communities. In one such effort in Jhalawar and other parts of Rajasthan, the forest department came forward and opened doors for the employment of local communities by engaging them in Tendu leaf collection. Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) leaf is considered the most suitable wrapper on account of the ease with which it can be rolled and its wide availability. Also known as the Coromandel Ebony, this is a flowering tree native to India and Sri Lanka, with hard, dry bark and the source of the Tendu leaf. Leaves of many other plants also find use as Bidi wrappers in different parts of the country but the texture, flavour and workability of Diospyros leaves are unmatched. The majority of collection in Jhalawar used to done by merchants from Tonk, Karauli, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. A majority of specialised labour also came from their native places, for this purpose. This excellent example of government – Forest department and local peoples’ partnership is the sort of win-win solution that we need to see more of in India, so that conservation imperatives and human needs can be effectively balanced. We bring you this excellent story by Hemant Singh, DCF Jhalawar, under the stewardship of Ms. Shruti Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in the Forest Department of Rajasthan state. This footage is part of the broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest HD and 4K collection from South Asia. The collection comprises of 150, 00
