Breaking the myths about the Amazon

The Amazon rain forest is contrary to the way it was represented in Hollywood movie Anaconda. If explorer, writer and photographer Bhaskar D Krishnamurthy is to be believed, it is nice and not dangerous.

Anacondas, said he, were docile and when full and resting, people can even touch them. “It is very different from Nagarhole and Bandipur tiger reserves,” said Krishnamurthy, the author of The Fragile Forest: Inside Brazilian Amazonia, speaking at the launch of his book on Wednesday at Strand Book stall in Manipal Centre.

He said the similarity between the forests in Karnataka and Amazon was that in both places, the locals were very concerned about conservation and culturally attached to the area.

“In fact in Amazon rain forests, there are many people who stay in the forest and have no connection to the other parts of the world. There are over 20 native indigenous people living in the Amazon. But one thing different of the place is that the government there has earmarked one part of the forest exclusively for research and remains untouched,” he said.

Krishnamurthy said he had learnt a lot as a naturalist over the last six years of his work documenting the book. He added that his best moment was when he shot a photograph of a girl in the Amazon river at 5.45 am.

He said the girl, a native of the forest, all of a sudden came out of the river. The sight was so mesmerising that it reminded him of a mermaid coming out of water. The photograph remained to his best frames till date, he said.

A native of Narsipura in Cauvery, Krishnamurthy said he got attached to working in Amazon when he met a person who was on a visit to Nagarhole over six years ago. Two months later, the person invited him to Brazil to do research.

Meg Lowman, director, Nature Research Centre, who had been working with Krishnamuthy said that most people though Amazon forests were full of insects and far from the reach of people.

“It is full of life and very calm. It is the source of medicine, water, fresh air, culture and rich forest resource. Documenting data of scientists is one way of giving information for the future generation and saving the forests for the future generation,” he said.