A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: At his residence in Mulai Kathoni on Tuesday, India’s ‘Forest Man’ and Padma Shri awardee Jadav Payeng released an innovative book titled ‘Oronyor Pora Judhokshetraloi Gui’ (Monitor Lizard: From Forest to Battlefield). The book, written by Assam’s prominent environmental writer, environmental photographer, and conservation organizer Girimallika Saikia, presents in a popular and accessible manner a detailed account of various scientific research, folk beliefs, superstitions, illegal trade, and medieval practices related to the neglected and exploited wild species, the monitor lizard, which lives all around us.
While unveiling the book, Jadav Payeng highlighted the importance of every living being in the ecosystem and appreciated such efforts for monitor lizard conservation, extending his best wishes to the author.
It is noteworthy that before the formal release of the book, the first-ever monograph on monitor lizards published in any Indian regional language, Dr Shreya Bhattacharya, a scientist at the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, University of Malaysia Sarawak, and a specialist member of the IUCN Monitor Lizard Specialist Group, conveyed her congratulations through a video message. In her message, she stated that the book, which successfully simplifies a complex subject into an accessible form, has already been presented at the international platform of the IUCN Monitor Lizard Specialist Group.
Also Read: Bokakhat: Bongaon Chala High School selected for national-level recognition