 |
| The course of Souparnika river |
 |
| Watching a Calotis |
It is examination time for the teenagers.
The examinations of the tenth class of the State Board are a ceremonial event
throughout the country. Pictures of bright eyed girls engrossed in last minute
preparations appear in the News papers. Needless to be said, there is an ‘exclusive’
about mall-practice in the examination hall being reported from here and
there. In less than a fortnight children
are relieved of their examination fervor and get back to their joyful mood. In
about a month and a half’s time the results are out and the analysis of the
best learned and the worst are listed in terms of the districts. You see it as
long standing phenomenon of a few resource-rich forested districts along the
sea coast to top the list and those from the dry interiors remaining at the
bottom. These board performances incidentally reflect the actual literacy of
these districts and in turn the well being of the people.
 |
| kids visiting a nursery |
The educational status among students
across the districts is so varied in terms of their academic performances but
when it comes to the knowledge about flora and fauna the state wide survey
shows a bleak picture. Be it the best performing districts like Uttara Kannada,
Dakshina Kannada and Udapi or the non performing Bijapura or Chamarajanagara;
children are thoroughly disconnected from their surrounding environment.
 |
| A tree frog |
Working for a whole month and a half with
the staff of Karnataka Forest Department
of Karkala Division of the Mangalore Circle, I encountered some life
time revelations. ‘Chinnara Aranya Darshana’
as the program was called, gave me an opportunity to take pulse of the
communities that lived right inside the protected areas and largely of those
who lived in the fringes. Every night was a treat for me to stay in the
remotest of corners in the forest guest houses, at times without electric power
and communication signal.
 |
| An arthropod |
The
program being envisaged by the state government in Mangalore circle could be a
pilot project which must ball roll into the entire state. Every Range forest Office had to conduct an
Exposure program for the students of the schools adjoining their range. The
offices were left with a very broad agenda and included visit to National park
and sanctuaries where ever possible. Those ranges away from wildlife areas and
the territorial wing of the department showcased their nurseries, wood stock in
the depots, ceased vehicles and timber, Medicinal gardens, plantation areas,
water harvesting structures and other civil works undertaken by the department
to mitigate soil erosion. The involvement of the office staff was also not
defined in the project yet some of the ranges conducted the program in a
befitting way.
 |
| A frog-seen in the night! |
A couple
of officers simply emphasized upon the play time of the children. With a
sympathetic gesture towards the under privileged students they were bent on
letting them play in the swing and other installations in the play area. Some programs
had ‘anthyakshari’ and skits- I heard
from the cooks at the campsites.
At the entrance of Mukambika Daivi vana
-Medicinal plant Garden, the sight of the entire contingent clad in khaki created
a different aura. Form a distance it gave a picture of a crime scene or a place
under intense alertness. The Range Forest Officer Mr. Brijesh Vinay Kumar, of
Satyanarayana range conducted the program in style of the forces. The uniformed
man stood in almost one is to four ratios with the children. His huge built, soft
tone and dutiful command and conduct wouldn’t have missed the admiration of the
young minds. Probably this was how he envisaged the project and showcased the
children, all the dignity and discipline that were in store while being in the
uniform. He had a very confident gait as his men took the children around the
sea of saplings neatly stacked in the nursery. He, with his able team of foresters and
watchers playing host to the government school children at Mukambika Medicinal
garden in is just unforgettable event.
 |
| Good science teachers.. |
The young RFO from Byandur chose to take
the children to a near by resort to show the benefits of having trees. The Wild
Woods Spa and resort whose mission statement is Connect with Nature, provides
an exclusive escape in its hundred acre botanical delight.The children were mesmerized
by the intensive collection of plants and their novelty value among those who
cared for it.
 |
| kids in front of the wild wood resort |
- Manu K
No comments:
Post a Comment