“This land was created because of the grief which I experienced” -Jadav Payeng

Molai’s entire life’s mission began when he was on his way back from a school exam, and saw hundreds of dead snakes strewn across the sandbar as there was no forest cover for them to take shelter in during a drought. Molai was moved to tears at this loss, and was thereafter determined to do something about the degradation of the forests.

Many of us may have felt a sense of melancholy when encountering the loss of animal life. It could have been the passing of a family pet, or a documentary about the dwindling population of an endangered species. One way of understanding this reaction is through one’s values, which are the general preferences for end-states and ways of acting that underlie our attitudes, preferences and behaviour. Here are some of the value types, with regards to nature, as defined by Kellert (1997):

Utilitarian	Concern for the practical and material value of nature
Naturalistic	Interest and exploration of nature and outdoors
Ecologistic	Concern for environment as a system, for interrelations between wildlife and natural habitats
Moralistic	Sense of the ethical standing of nature, spirituality and reverence towards nature
Humanistic	Emotional attachment and affection for individual animals and pets

 

Due to his strong emotional response to the sight of the dead snakes, one might conclude that Molai possessed strong humanistic values, and that this was what motivated him to action. However, while humanistic tendencies in most people manifest themselves in the anthropomorphizing of domesticated animals and pets, Molai seems to extend his humanistic outlook of nature to flora, proclaiming that “all the plants and trees in this jungle are my sons and daughters” (Big Short Films, 2017). However, Kellert found that humanistic values do not always result in a wider concern for nature and wildlife. As such, other values may be behind Molai’s behaviour.

Moralistic values are evident from the way Molai interacts with and speaks about his forest. Molai mentioned that “Nature is God. Trees are nature.” Such is his opposition to the exploitation of nature that he once declared, “You will have to cut me before I allow you to cut my trees.” These strongly-held beliefs could have stemmed from religious influences. Mishing tribespeople practise a unique animistic religion in which epom-yapom, a type of supernatural spirit, inhabits large trees. Elements of Hinduism have also been incorporated into Mishing beliefs. Hinduism also has prominent animistic features, such as the veneration of cows. In addition, trees and plants are thought to be the dwelling places of gods, and many ceremonies are centred around them.

Such religious influences could therefore, in part, explain Molai’s moralistic values in that the spiritual significance ascribed to the natural world imbued in him a sense of reverence and ethical responsibility towards nature.

If these moralistic values were the only requirement for proenvironmental behavior, we should expect the rest of India, with Hinduism as its predominant religion, to be filled with individuals like Jadav Payeng, creating an ecological utopia! Unfortunately, the severity of India’s environmental issues tell a different story (Shiva, 1989). Therefore, while certain values may have shaped Molai’s response to the degradation of nature around him, there must have been other factors that led him to dedicate his life to the forests.