Book Review: Queens Of Forest

 A forest officer was sitting down to have dinner when his wife complained of a sting between her toes. When he checked, he found that she had been bitten by a common Krait, one of the most venomous snakes in India. He bundled her into a vehicle and took her to the nearest primary health care centre, where they directed her to the nearest rural hospital which was an hour away. After receiving treatment, and recovering completely, she started asking questions- what would happen if someone from the frontline staff was bitten by a snake; would they be able to access the prompt treatment that she received? This snake bite incident set the ground for Deepali Atul Deokar to set up the Exploring Womanhood Foundation which works for frontline staff and their families working on nature conservation.

“Queens of Forest” is a collection of real life stories of the strength, dedication, challenges, resilience and unwavering commitment of the forest officer wife. The book contains 24 stories written by forest officers on their wife, without who’s unwavering support, they could not have discharged their duties. The life of a forest rangers’ wife is not easy. The initial postings are all in remote areas which lack even basic amenities, and the nature of the job is such that they are often left alone for long periods. Since the job of a forest ranger takes them deep into the forest, the wives are often not able to contact their spouses, which can be stressful because in addition to the danger from wild animals, the forest rangers could also find themselves in danger from poachers or Naxalites. They also have to deal with frequent transfers, and in discharging their caregiving duties they are often separated from their spouses for long periods.

What come across through all the stories is the strength displayed by the wives of forest rangers and how they continue to support their husband against all odds. While very few of them have independent careers (a few gave up their careers to become full time wives and mothers), almost all of them go beyond the line of duty to support their husbands professionally. Many of them work for the betterment of indigenous people and the families of frontline staff, and others are actively involved in creating awareness about nature conservation and in bringing up orphaned animals. Unfortunately, such support is rarely quantified, and it is good to have a book where the role played by the wives of forest officers is properly acknowledged and cherished.

The other significant issue that comes out in each of the stories is the fact that it is taken for granted that the women will discharge the primary responsibility of caregiving of older parents, housekeeping and childrearing. This is the case in most households, but this labour is rarely recognised, much less acknowledged. By getting the forest officials to write about their wives, the editor forces them to introspect on the role played by their wives in their professional success.

The account written by Hemant B. Kamdi is particularly significant. He is a rare man who shoulders a part of the household responsibilities, but over time he found that his lighthearted comments about being a ‘superior homemaker’ were being misconstrued into accusing his wife of being lazy. He found that despite being a working woman, his wife was being measured against the standards set for a full time housewife, which is extremely unfair. Also, he admits that his “involvement was largely for conspicuous activities which (he) enjoyed”, and that he shared photographs and videos of his activities on social media and gained “appreciation and credit”. Meanwhile, his wife “mutely contributed to do the mundane jobs which when unrecognised by others.” To have a man speak of the issue of the invisible labour performed by women is always more impactful than to have women speak of it.

Though the book is a tribute to the wives of the forest officers, it would have been wonderful if there were more details on the challenges faced by the forest department. From battling against poaching and deforestation, to managing man-animal conflicts and Naxalite activities, the life of forest officials is full of challenges. Unfortunately, most city dwellers do not have much information on the many (often counterintuitive) issues involved in forest conversation, and this book could have touched on those areas more.

“Queens of Forest” is meant to celebrate the wives of forest officials, who in their own way are also at the forefront of nature conservation. It reminds us of the love and commitment that goes into preserving nature for future generations.