HOSA JEEVENA DAARI

This is a piece written by a student of tenth class who attended a two days Camp at Melkote in the third week of April. The class had more than three years association with us and the children were comfortable and in great form in the camp. Unfortunately there was little time for us to share our views in this outing. Their busy curriculum had not restricted a longer trip when they had already missed out an outing the previous year. Their persistence had compelled their teachers to embark on this short visit to Melkote in the height of summer, when we were all running around from camp to camp performing Nature related activities. Without a day’s rest in between and the rudimentary camping facility at the sites it was difficult to document the event. So this write up   by Siddarth seemed appropriate for this edition of the blog....

Handling a snake

It was 24th of April 2014, and we were on a trip to Melkote. I had not heard about the place and was not really enthusiastic about visiting the place and moreover, it was only for two days. With a lot of hesitation I boarded the bus. I never thought it would be one of my memorable trips.

It took three hours to reach Melkote and from there we had to travel another 4 Km to the place where we would be staying. What’s the placed called ………? We alighted from the bus and I looked around. Something was very attractive about the place and I instantly liked the place. We waited for our resource person Mr Manu Krishnamurthy to arrive.

Pitching our own tents

The buildings were a great attraction. They were simple. No Italian pillars, no French windows nor exorbitant interiors. They were built in typical south Indian style with slant roofs and Mangalore tiles, a jagali in the front and a big hall inside.

Finally our resource person came, and he gave us a brief introduction about the place. The place covers an area of 25 acres and the way the land is being used is amazing.

The infrastructure there is very basic yet extremely beautiful.  Compound is built of stone and no cement is used. Stone slabs are placed instead of wooden or plastic chairs.  The dormitory is a simple building with large windows for sunlight & air. There are these wooden pillars supporting the building. It is absolutely amazing to know that no iron rods are used to construct the buildings. The simple technology used to harness rain water is too very interesting. The concept of collecting and reusing water for plants was inspiring. The floors are of red oxide which avoided radiation. The entire place is eco-friendly in the real sense.

Minimum electricity is used. In the whole campus there are about 10-15 light bulbs and a few sockets. Surprisingly it didn’t bother us even when there were power cuts (most of our homes have an UPS).

An exposure to cloth weaving

There is also a training and production centre of khadi where they produce attractively woven shoulder bags, kurtas, razais and many more products which are in great demand. They are all hand made. There are some plots of cultivated land where they have some vegetables and pulses. And the rest of the land is left wild. It supports a large number of animal and plant species.

I am a kind of boy who sits in front of a computer all day. Spend time with electronic gadgets, and I think I can't live without fan, AC’s and T.V. etc. In fact most of us feel like this today. It was an eye opening trip for me which showed that there is another world outside. There are people who are making a difference and doing what they believe.

Byophyllum

Balloon Frog

Hybananthus enneaspermus

I learnt to put up a tent, washed my own plate, trekked on the  hills, handled a snake, experienced darkness, relished simple yet the most nutritious food. It was a great opportunity to observe the nuances of nature- a brightly coloured butterfly fluttering, a pleasant call of a bird, the amazing sunrise, and the uncountable stars in the sky. It also gave me an exposure to a life of simplicity.  It showed me that there is a lot to learn and experience in life which we cannot get by merely reading text books. I learnt some simple life skills; most importantly it brought me close to nature. This place is a MUST for nature lovers and all the youngsters!

Siddharth. Class X

                                                                                  (TVS School, Tumkur)