In the early 20th century, Kaziranga National Park did not look like it does now.
British naturalist and tea planter Edward Pritchard Gee, who lived and worked in Assam, had described it as being filled with “swamps and leeches”.
But today, it’s a wildlife success story, home to the endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros, swamp deer, large elephants, and a high density of tigers.
And one figure who was instrumental in this transformation is Mahi Chandra Miri.
Mahi would spend many evenings keenly observing the forested land, which in those days was a game sanctuary notorious for poaching.
The minute he spotted miscreants, he’d rush on elephant back to catch them.
Kaziranga was proposed as a reserve forest in 1905 after Mary Curzon, wife of Lord Curzon, failed to spot a rhinoceros during her visit. But by 1938, rampant hunting threatened its very existence.
This is where Mahi Miri played a role. His efforts to transform Kaziranga from a neglected wilderness into a world-renowned conservation landmark are notable.
Born in 1903, Mahi had a penchant for nature since his childhood. In 1929, he, along with officer Madhab Bhattacharjee, was selected for the Imperial Forest Service.
The duo was sent to Rangoon for training in the Forest College there. This was followed by a posting in Guwahati as an Extra Assistant Conservator of Forest.
Mahi played a role in clearing out hundreds of poacher camps, often putting his own life at stake.
He was a people’s person; when the Karbi-Anglong area in Assam was flooded in 1939, Mahi chose to stay back and assist the locals.
This is also how he contracted Black Fever, which later took his life at the young age of 36 in 1939.
Mahi passed away at an early age. But his legacy lives on in the landscape of Kaziranga, a dream he channelled all his efforts into.
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