Context :
India’s first white tiger breeding center will be established in Govindgarh, Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh
🐅 Mohan: The White Tiger That Started It All
Though white tigers have been documented in India since the 16th century, the tale of Mohan is what truly captured global attention.
In 1951, Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa captured a dazzling white tiger from the forests of Sidhi, now part of Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve.
Named Mohan, this magnificent animal became the founder of the global white tiger population seen in zoos around the world today.
🏰 From Jungle Royalty to Palace Resident
Spotted in the Bargadi forest, Mohan’s unique white coat and blue eyes stunned the Maharaja, who brought him to Govindgarh Fort. Here, Mohan wasn’t kept as an ordinary captive — he was treated like royalty, earning the affectionate name ‘Mohan Singh’ among the palace staff.
🥛 A Fasting Prince Who Played Football
Mohan developed unique traits that made him even more endearing:
- He fasted every Sunday, refusing to eat anything but milk, regardless of coaxing.
- He loved playing football, adding charm to his presence in the royal courtyard.
He became not just a royal pet, but a symbol of pride and tradition for the Baghel dynasty.
🐯 A Global Lineage Begins:
Mohan was mated with several tigresses, including one named Radha. On October 30, 1958, Radha gave birth to four white cubs—Raja, Rani, Mohini, and Sakeshi—the first naturally born white tigers in the world.
In total, Mohan fathered 34 cubs, of which 21 were white. These descendants were later spread across zoos in India and worldwide, cementing his global genetic legacy.
🕯️ Farewell to a Legend and the Revival Effort
Mohan died on December 19, 1969, at the age of 19, and was honored with a state funeral. A mausoleum was erected at Govindgarh Fort in his memory.
With the death of his last white descendant in Rewa—Virat in 1976—white tigers vanished from the region.
But the spirit of Mohan was revived in 2016, when Minister Rajendra Shukla launched efforts to bring back the white tiger. The Maharaja Martand Singh Zoo Dev White Tiger Safari was inaugurated at Mukundpur, Rewa. Soon after, a white tigress named Vindhya arrived—restoring the legacy to its birthplace.
📜 White Tigers Before Mohan:
While Mohan holds global fame, India’s association with white tigers goes further back. The Akbarnama, Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court chronicle, describes his hunt of two white tigers in 1561.
Still, Mohan’s legacy stands apart—not just as a rare genetic marvel but as a living embodiment of Rewa’s royal wildlife heritage and India’s enduring connection to its natural wonders.
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[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.