Save the Tiger - Teaching Selfishness to the Innocent

The Sunday gone by, the 9th of March, was being observed as a "Save The Tiger" day all across the country. Ironically, we were on our weekend holiday to Jaipur and on our way back we resolved to pay a visit to the Seriska Tiger Sanctuary in Rajasthan. All excited about watching and spending some quality time with the beautiful beings of nature, we drove down the rustic setting between Shahpura (on NH-8) and Alwar. The scene was being built up with wildlife roaming around us, starting from camels to deer to langurs on the way. But, as fate would have it, we landed up a half hour late. The counter there closes at 3:30 PM between October to March and at 4:00 PM between April to September. Entry is prohibited after that plainly because the objective is to leave the place, rightly so, before sunset. So all the excitement was met with disappointment at the counter being closed.
We reached back home at Gurgaon around 10 in the night. I was just surfing through the news channels and most of them were covering how kids were running the campaign of "Save the Tiger".
It was appalling to see how the current generation is being taught to significantly distance themselves from the word called "empathy".

The campaign was meant to bring to light the importance of saving the tiger, the national animal of India. One would have expected self respecting individuals to be showing genuine concern over the issue that the population of tigers in India. The population as per the latest tiger census is less than half of what was reported in 2001 (from 3642 to 1800)! However, it turned out to be a sadder, and deeper revelation of how the children of today are made to think.

Far from having genuine concern for the Royal animal, kids, when asked on why they feel the tiger is important, gave responses which were more self centered than concern for the animal. One kid, was taught by her science teacher in school that protecting the animal kingdom, is, in a way, essential to protect the ecosystem of the earth. Needless to say, that was the answer being rattled off her mouth! Ignorant of the fact that more than the ecosystem, the very fact that a life is to be protected is more important! Just because I am part of this ecosystem, I want to protect the tiger. What are we teaching the children today?

There was another one who wanted to protect the tiger "because tiger is our national animal and pride and if we fail to protect them, we cant show our face to the world"! Dont you sense a strong feeling of "Me, Myself, Mine" coming in the attitudes here? Another girl was singing "a song relevant to the situation", which was "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna". Yes, a song well put in the context. But one can bet anything that she would've been told to showcase her singing talent when on TV. Another "Me, Myself, Mine" coming in.

What more shame can be brought to the country than failing to have empathy for others? Today, we keep cribbing that the US is inconsiderate and likes to have its own ways. We find huge passion in discussing how our politicians are glad to pile up their own kitties without having regard for the people of the country. How passionate are we when Indians are abused by the Oz team and we keep quiet? Did we ever look into ourselves to see what we are teaching our young generation to be? Do they even know that there is something called genuine regard for others?

Of course, I am not saying that I have done my bit of saving the tiger. But, at least, if you are genuinely not doing anything to improve society, dont at least fool yourself or others into believing that you are doing something.