350 million years ago the world’s oldest fold mountain system were formed which goes by the name Aravali ranges. The term Aravlai means “Line of Peaks” in Sanskrit. The ranges stretch from Delhi to Rajasthan to Gujrat. In the western part of Rajasthan, there is a river known as Jawai found near the city Sumerpur. Surprisingly Jawai river and its surrounding mountains have turned out to be such a wonderful place that along with people, even leopards inhabited the place. Leopards are one of the 5 big cats of the wild and are usually very rare to find. However, in Jawai, sighting a leopard is very easy. The reason being that a small area of just 50 KM2 has around 50-60 leopards in it. That means that it is almost guaranteed that a leopard will be sighted when they come out of their caves. However the beauty of Jawai does not only lie in this. Jawai has way more to offer than what meets the eye.
The People of Jawai
Let’s start with the people of Jawai. The area around Jawai is rural. There are around 5-10 villages around the river but the river provides water for more than 1100 villages. The villages are very traditional and still follow the old ways of society. Although each village has a sarpanch, everyone listens to the Thakur which is a position passed down in one family from a long time. Among the people there are different social standings and tribes. The first common type of people found are the Rabaris. The rabaris are the people who take cows, buffaloes and sheeps grazing on the hills. In the village each house has cows and buffaloes at the very least. Every house pays the rabari a certain amount every day in exchange for taking their cattle grazing. Per month an average rabari would earn around ₹5000 to ₹8000. The second type of people are the farmers. Generally farmers either work in the land of landlords or in their own land passed on in their families. The Garasia’s are outsiders that came and settled in these villages and they usually do farming. Lastly there are the fairly rich landlords. These people usually work outside of the village. Usually in Sumerpur which is 45 minutes away from their home. Although everyone wants to become rich, the people of the village are all very respectful to others and follow their traditions that were passed down very closely. In a city today one would find multiple people from various backgrounds but they would all be living the same lifestyle to a certain extent. That is not the case over here though. Each group of individuals in Jawai are different to others and have their own way of contributing to the village. It is really fascinating to see how there are still some places who hold on to those values that today many of us have lost.
The Flora and Fauna of Jawai
Another aspect of the Jawai is the environment. Jawai is a tropical dry deciduous forest with a spectacular river flowing through that creates a paradise for all the animals. The place has big open lands, hills, caves, trees, water bodies and almost everything that most animals would want. Some of the animals found over there are Wolf, Chinkara, Hyena, Sloth bears, jungle cat etc. Since Jawai has a river it has also attracted reptiles like Crocodiles, Cobra, Indian Krait and starred tortoises. Lastly Jawai also has an amazing bird population with birds such as Kingfishers, Lapwings, Saras Crane, Storks and Darter among some 250 bird species. Thus the diversity of Jawai has no limits. Along with the river and forest, there is an amazing range of hills. The hills that are found in this place are also unique. Over time with wind and water pressure the shapes of the hill changed. Today the hills have multiple entrances and exits which make it perfect for animals. They can use these entrances and exits to come in and out from any place for multiple purposes. Furthermore they have air pockets through which a gust of air comes which keeps the cave ventilated. All of these things really suit animals but the animal that this suits the most is the Leopard.
Leopards have been present in Jawai since the beginning of the formation of the hills. When the villagers were asked how long the leopards have been present for, they said that the leopards have been there from even before their great grandfathers. Although Jawai is a gem in itself, the leopards just give it an extra shine that makes it perfect. Well after reading this one might ask why they never heard about Jawai before this then? Well it’s simple. It’s because leopards were a normal part of the villagers and so they never told anyone about it. The ones who marketed this place were outsiders. Big channels like Discovery Channel made a documentary about Jawai. What caught their attention is the fact that Leopards defied the natural laws that are usually believed in. Firstly Leopards are shy solitary animals but in Jawai the Leopards sit together in a leap. Leap is the collective noun for leopards but that is rarely used and jawai is one of those rare instances. Secondly, though shy, leopards are still one of the 5 big cats who are ferocious but in the long history of Jawai, no leopard has attacked humans. Leopards have steered clear from humans and vice versa.
The relation between Humans and Leopards
In Jawai Leopards and humans are known to co-exist peacefully. There are two possible reasons for that. First is the religious aspect. Leopards are considered the vehicle of gods which is why no one tries to trouble the leopards. The second reason is the circadian rhythm of nature. The active hours and dormant hours of Leopards and humans are completely opposite which is why their interaction is less. While humans work in the day, leopards rest whereas when humans rest the cat starts its hunt. The two time periods where the time periods of leopards and humans overlap is early morning and the sun sets. Sometimes when Leopards don’t have any food they even come down to the village and take some cows. When asked about how they feel, they said, “They are ferocious animals, what can we do to them? Furthermore we use their land to graze our livestock so it’s fine if they take one or two animals.” Thus with human tolerance and adjusting to each other leopards and humans have learnt to live together peacefully. These same leopards that were so peaceful until now have also made this place a tourist attraction. Initially it was all going good. However eventually things started to change. There is an intruder who has now come into the peaceful yet diverse lives of the animals and humans. This intrusion is destroying the beauty of Jawai and if nothing is done then this newly evolved caterpillar will die even before it becomes a butterfly that can bring forth a storm.
