For the love of nature

Stalin D grew up in the Bhandup-Nahur belt, which was then a mangrove paradise, flourishing with marine and avian wildlife. The area was surrounded by mudflats and had only 12 houses. At high tide, various kinds of fish could be spotted and the young Stalin learnt to identify many of them.

Staling graduated with a degree in science before pursuing a business management master's from Mumbai University. Four decades on, Stalin, now 50, is a key member of the NGO Vanashakti, which has tasted victory with 17 public interest litigations (PILs) it filed at various courts to save forests, wetlands, mangroves and rivers. But some regrets remain.

"I think it's fair to say that I grew up literally 'close' to nature. But as I got busy with life and responsibilities and as the city's development took root, I did not get a chance to fight for these mangroves and mudflats when they were being encroached upon," he says.

Though he was in a 9-to-5 job, while also volunteering with various environment NGOs, nature was where his heart lay. In 2007, a close encounter with an elusive leopard proved to be a turning point of sorts. "It was a 10-hour rescue operation in Thane. I was working with other wildlife experts and assisting forest officials. Towards the end of the operation, there was a moment when I was just five feet away from the leopard. I had nothing but respect for it and realised how vulnerable it was."

This incident also made him realise his desire to work full-time towards saving the environment and there has been no looking back since. Stalin quit his day job and joined hands with NGOs, focusing on the encroachment upon mangroves along the city's coast. He had to sustain his family with limited resources, but found plenty of support from them. In 2009, he found a platform to continue his work on a larger scale. "I joined Vanashakti, another NGO, and have been associated with it since then. This NGO has given me he freedom to do the kind of work that I really wanted to do regarding multiple green issues.

Stalin, a firm believer in the Indian legal framework to protect the environment, has fought several cases in a bid to save and protect the greens of not just the city, but of other states too. He battled several cases but his work was noticed when he objected to the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which was planned on hundreds of hectares of wetlands. In 2010, he fought the forest ministry over proposed mining projects in Goa and in the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor stretch, an important tiger and elephant corridor.

"In the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg stretch, the government had proposed setting up 31 mines, which meant one mine every two kilometres. Thanks to the PIL we filed against the issue, this entire stretch is now a protected area," says Stalin.

Since then, Stalin, through Vanashakti, has filed 16 PILs for saving forests, wetlands, mangroves and rivers and has got favourable orders in all instances. The latest issue that saw him take to the streets was the protest against the construction of a metro shed in the Aarey forests. He adds, "I was pleasantly surprised by the number of citizens who had come to join the protests. It was an issue that needed mass support and I am glad Mumbai didn't disappoint."

"In all these cases, it's more like a fight against the bureaucracy and the politician-builder-miner nexus. This can be dangerous most of the time. I have had two near-death experiences while I was fighting cases against mines and mangroves," Stalin says. In one instance, some people tried to attack him while he was surveying mine areas and a section of mangroves in the city but he escaped in the nick of time. His wife, he says, is always worried about his safety since he mostly files cases against powerful developers.

"Even though these cases are for the betterment of the people, it's a thankless battle. A lot of people view me as a nuisance as they think I am against the development of the city. This is a battle to protect the last fragments of biodiversity for our future generations. We owe this to them. India is the only country in the world to have all ecosystems in one land. And we are decimating it. Despite all odds, I am still continuing the battle for multiple issues.

I hope people gradually realise that it is their battle as much as it is mine," he concludes.