United as friends of nature, and each other

Experiencing a carefree life

“KARKALA! KARKALA last stop!” a voice passes by and wakes me up. With huge back pack on my shoulders, I climb down the bus just to wait for another bus to Hebri.  Travelling for nearly an hour through a green landscapes we reach Hebri. This is precisely where I looked and smiled at every other person in the team and took the count through my eyes (I realize that it was a team of 7) while we climbed up rickshaws to reach the unknown destination. 

Even on landing at Karkala we were new to each other           

The board from a distance said “SITA NADI HERPETO CAMP” as we approached it. Yes. That was our camp site.  We entered the gate and passed through the thickly wooded forest upon a bumpy pathway made of stone slabs Just a glance would define the ambience of an evergreen forest. The trees stood tall, green and fresh. There were plenty calls of plenty of birds, crickets and squirrels engaged in their daily chores creating a brew of musical notes. Not to forget, they were not just squirrels, but Malabar giant squirrels and the insects were cicadas’.

The beautiful campsite

After unloading our luggage, we were asked to stay in the tents. Tents! I never knew that they could be so sophisticated- with an attached bathroom, beds complimented with a pillow and a blanket each. After settling down peacefully for a few minutes with two friends, we took a walk to tour the campsite. Just as we walked down, finding and clicking pictures of some amazingly colored fungi, we found heaven! Yes it was the bank of Sita nadi.  River Sita was silent, elegant and yet vivacious. She had nourished the life around her profusely. Undoubtedly she attracted all but to me she was not just a mere attraction. It was something beyond comprehension.  The schools of fish in her became my friends (though they rigidly denied initially) in no time. Tickled our legs and gave the best Pedicure we could have ever had.

After a big fat sensible yet prolonged introductory session, we decided to trek within the campsite.  And we start. Eyes keen to find something or the other but the mind was preoccupied with the presence of the trekker enemies, the leaches. My first experience with them horrified me to the fullest.

A clump of these mushrooms grown near the kitchen
 became a everyday curiosity

Ask me why!! It first attacked my mouth!!!!!!!! And then on I got greatly used to them. Just as we began, we found a little but wonderful creature, a snake. What a beginning to our search expedition! As we followed the stream, the river offered a safe place for us to spend some time. We played our hearts out. Got wet and walked back once it started to drizzle. The night sessions were precisely serious ones. Sensitive discussions, Manu Sir’s inspiring talks and we sat back to watch some events in Sir David Attenborough’s life…a talk show recorded when he had just turned ninety last fortnight.

Exploring we got exhausted

Day 2 stared off stupendously on the banks of the River Sita, calm, clear and serene. And the plan for the day was to trek to the beautiful peak of Barkana during the late morning. This trek was a short one but full of surprises. The variety of flora took our breaths away. And the magnanimous peaks flushed with green tall trees looked magnificent. The valleys of Agumbe are evidently a home for umpteen numbers of species. Manu sir, meanwhile, made sure that he educated us through out. He kept on answering all our doubts and queries. He is now my newly found encyclopedia.  And the best part of the trek was to find something really tasty, a Jack fruit. And the most satisfying part was to find a Lion tailed Macaque, endemic to Western Ghats hanging on to the trees far away. Yes we did find one. Back to the camp site, and we rested for a couple of hours. Then there’s a knock on the door declaring the tea time. Tea with bajjis made of chilies, the tastiest I have ever had, brought us back to life after a tiring day. Sitting back and relaxing we watched amazingly educative documentaries. The day enthralled us as we discussed the life cycle of a marine turtle that perambulates the globe criss-crossing the mighty oceans all alone. Power cuts became an issue but we ended up eating the Jackfruit meanwhile.

Where the river meets the sea

I had never ever enjoyed the darkness of the night 

And now the best part of the longest day. The most awaited night trek. Following the stream of one of the tributaries of River sita, we ended up finding one of the weirdest water creatures; a Whip-Scorpion. I literally struggled to move forward wading along the knee deep water of the stream, because of my rubber chappals. Many times the slippers got stuck in the water and refused to come up along with my feet. Manu sir managed to catch a huge Frog. We took a lot of pictures with that jumping jack and finally ended our night trek. It was already past midnight, drenched in sweat, we called it a day.

Day 3. All our plans went in vain because of the nonstop rain through the early hours. Never mind, the day had lots for us in its pockets. Breakfast with long debates in order to decide the place to visit resulted in a unanimous decision to  trek to the beautiful Kudalutirtha falls. We had to travel a rough road for an hour and a half to get the trekking path.  

A tree frog amidst the leaf litter 

We crammed upon each other in the most uncomfortable positions in an OMNI. We liberally stopped the vehicle and got down for some nature lessons. Since the place was was taken over by the Wildlife division, many amenities were being made for the tourists. The major investment was going on for the cement road which was being built yet. The slopes were cut and the gradient reduced and the curves were all being straightened. Probably this period was the worst for the forest soil and the wildlife. There were many families of workers camping in the neighboring fields who came from the northern district of Karnataka. 

We spotted a long slow animal on the road. It was a Cat Snake. And immediately we got out having a glimpse of it; and before we realized what’s going on...Manu Sir had turned a Snake Charmer!  Semi poisonous by nature this tree snake found its comfort zone with us in no time. Allowing it back to get away, we moved on to reach the starting point of our trek.

This trek was fun. While climbing up on small slippery rocks, occasional slipping and falling was indispensible. 

The author with her precious find

As time passed we had to walk slow and take long gasps. And the leaches never left us alone.  The feeble sound of the gushing water got intense as we reached the destination. And look what’s waiting for you!  A Slender, majestic and the most beautiful water was now thick and forceful at the onset of the monsoon. The Kudalutirtha! 

I know to make a frog comfortable in my hand

Getting drenched, splashing water on each other, learning how to float became obvious events. The water was biting cold and as the sun rose up we felt better. By the time we came out of the water the sun was high and warm enough to dry us neat in no time.

Trekking back took no time at all. Lunch was waiting for us at the campsite and we wasted no time.  After a quick nap, we gathered back to watch documentaries. This time it was heart wrenching. We see no animals; we learn nothing about animals but about humans. THE HUMAN, a documentary managed to pull our eyes away to the different dimensions of a society.  Yet another day comes to an end on a serious note.

The memorable journey is not only about where we travel.......

Day 4….the last day. The feeling of it irritated me to the maximum. I knew I was going to miss it all; Sita nadi, my tent, my new friends, my tea with bajjis, my birds and fish. And my obsession, without which my day never came to an end, the world’s best buttermilk the cook constantly churned out along with every single meal. Everything. With a heavy heart all of us got ready to say a good bye to the campsite.  After the last breakfast ,  the time had arrived .  We had to leave. Wait! This is not the end. We left the campsite but reached the town by the sea side, much appreciated for its beech. As we moved north of the township of Kundapura, Fresh water flowing westwards down the Ghats mated with the Sea. It was an unforgettable site. Nature surprised us every second. What a beauty! In some places there were orderly pools of still water in squares. There were several machines slowly giving movement to the water. I heard that it was Prawn culture. This is now a multi billion dollar business now.

A day out in the sea was the most enthralling experience

After a playing till exhaustion in the salty water we had to leave to catch our buses some forty kilometers away. Half of us had to travel back to Mysore and the rest to Bangalore on different night buses. By the following morning we were back at home sipping hot coffee. All of us are now in different places, with different people and in a different atmosphere. Yet, we all are united by the love for Nature- united forever by the divine beauty, united as friends of nature and each other.

- Nikitha Jagadish
  Student in Engineering,
   Mysore

A Camp in the woods to rejuvenate young minds

Away from the textbooks and routine assignments

After a hectic year of studying in a professional course, the heart yearns for a change, a getaway from everything – and I knew that this camp would provide that and much more. After much convincing and extensive negotiation with Manu sir and friends, we set out on the 3^rd of June to the picturesque Western Ghats where we wished to trace the path taken by the river Sita. 

The author, out of her white coat- in an attire for June 5th

On reaching Karkala the next morning, we left for Hebri changing buses after which we took an auto rickshaw to our destination, the Sita Nadi Herpeto Camp. This base camp is a designated sanctuary for reptiles and frogs. The Malabar giant squirrel, Lion tailed macaque and the flying squirrels which are endemic to the Western Ghats also thrive here. Located deep inside the Ghats, it seems to be a place not of this world, something all of us sought. Like any typical rain-forest, it’s a home for a rich and diverse flora and fauna. Some of my friends being first-timers instantly fell in love with the place (I had already through previous encounters).

Deep in the jungle, in search of oneself

After freshening up, we had an ice-breaking session wherein we introduced ourselves formally and spoke about our experiences about what made us who we are now. It was interesting to hear others’ stories, which in many cases changed my perception of the person.

In the evening, we watched the documentary ‘Surviving Progress’ by Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks.

The 5^th of June began at 6:00 in the morning with a bird-watch. We could hear the transition from the nocturnal croaking of frogs to the trilling of birds as day broke. The Grey-Headed Fishing Eagle and Stork-Billed Kingfisher were spotted. Having had our breakfast afterwards we trekked to Barkana Viewpoint. It was a breath taking view. On the way back, we were lucky to spot family of Lion Tailed Macaque. It is an endemic species to Western Ghats and an endangered primate thus making it a rare chance to come face to face. Its colouring and very silent nature makes it very hard to spot in the thick foliage of the tropical rain forests. Having spotted it finally made World Environment Day meaningful.

At the foot of a forest bi-centennial

In the evening, we were confined to the pergola since it was raining. We watched a couple of documentaries, one of which being ‘Voyage of the Lonely Turtle’ which informed us about the life of a Loggerhead Turtle. We learnt that it spends half of it life alone in the Pacific and then travels towards the beaches of the Indian Ocean to produce its off springs. The film also focused on various other marine creatures it passed by. It was surprising to know that the turtle could actually remember and almost exactly retrace the footsteps taken by its mother. We also watched another documentary called ‘Human’ which was interrupted by frequent power cuts. The film began with a very touching experience of a person, where he described what love is. Through its course, the film featured various people answering simplest questions that were hardest to answer. Both the films gave us an insight about various aspects of our lives.

Some find in the night expedition

After this, we went out on a night trek in the water, along a tributary of Sitanadi. Trekking in the dark was exciting. As we were wading along the stream in the chill waters we explored for fish, frogs and snakes. The easiest to find were the frogs.When the water got deep we had to get on to the bank and by pass the stream by a few yards and it was all bushy and ground was wet and slippery. At about one in the morning we sat at the source of the tributary and discussed about the formation of the soil, the continental drift and its evidences.

Narendra with his tree frog

The team at Kudalu falls

The next day’s bird watch session and a long trek to Onake Obbe falls were called off due to heavy rains that persisted all night through. However, once the clouds opened up we had a shorter trek to Kudlu Teertha. The view was blissful!We enjoyed playing in the water for a few hours happily. During our journey, we found a Cat Snake crossing the road. We caught it and examined it for a while and took a couple of photographs before we resumed our ride.

A cat snake on the road

In the evening, we watched another documentary on Sir David Attenborough by the BBC. It was an interview with the legendary naturalist and broadcaster and his companions on account of his 90^th birthday. After a tiring day, we packed up our stuff to leave for Kundapura the next morning.

A bi-colored frog in hand

On the 7^th of June, we began our journey towards our destination after breakfast at 10 in the morning. Kundapura, a coastal area is located 52kms away from the base camp. The blue expanse of sea with fierce waves and the cloudy sky were practically announcing the setting in of monsoon. We played at the beach and in the waters for a long time after lunch.

With heavy hearts, tired bodies and stronger minds we then prepared to leave. We waved each other goodbyes after having our final meal together and left for our homes.

After an exhausting session in the rough sea

-Text by Chitkala Sharma, 

           Graduating in Speech and Hearing

Part IV

Metamorphosis 

United we overcome......

On the penultimate day or in some case soon after the camp has crossed its mid way mark, we gather the participants in a circle to collect a feed back and make enquiries regarding their aspirations about the camp. If they have any ire about any of the things they had or didn’t have during the first half are sorted out. In most camps we see children making an applauding vote of thanks to the organizers or in case of very few exceptional children keep listing out their complaints; none of which can be attended and rectified on a camp site. In fact we had an exact replica of this model in this week long camp.

Cherishing the hard earned Victory

There was one child who constantly kept mentioning all the things visibly missing which he thought that there weren’t situations without them. It sounds very tricky even to comprehend it. And that was how we felt when the cook or the bus driver made mention about this kid. ‘Why don’t you have a Reverse Osmosis filter? You should be having one’ ‘Why can’t you fit an air conditioner to your bus?’ were his typical questions. He didn’t even spared Geetha, our broadcasting manager. He had sternly advised her to have all the mobile phones and the power banks charged before the power went off. She must have had a fit!

 

A perfect way to beat the monotony of the school

Any way, finding such odd behaviors and gently addressing them is our manner. How gently is a matter of a dozen parameters? But definitely, the best working method would be gentle enough not to reveal it to anybody else.

We have had numerous trekking expeditions, play in the water and a number of reality shows with the river terrapin and the hump nosed pit viper. Yet they had missed out a spectacular experience of seeing and playing in the Kudalu falls, courtesy the slow eaters. That day lunch was served a bit early so that we leave by 2.pm. It did not happen and we had a number of hassles on the 13 kilometers way.

Hump nosed Pit viper

We were held at the gates for not being on time; the entry closes at three but you can exit at five. Very recently the area was handed over to the Wildlife division of the Forest department and they have started following the rules on dotted lines. We were less than ten minutes late yet their apprehension was that we may not come back by the closing time if we are going in late. And that would become a cause for many unruly tourists to fall in toe with us. The staff at the ticket counter had seen me a hundred times yet kept wining about how several drunkards over the last couple of weeks had entered the gate and were refusing the return even after sunset. All these comparisons were un-called for.

A river terrapin that had got active soon after the first rains

But what would any body do in this country on such a situation. Just make a phone call for the magic to happen. The closed gates may open and a carpet may unfurl your way. But simple explanations such as we are your customers at the Nature camp facility or the road building works that are in progress which made us reverse back for more than 800 meters to give way to an opposing car are all frivolous to the authority. Lastly, our pleading that we have come from far off places for a nature camp and we will not attempt to walk up to the falls but would come back by 5, didn’t work. We had five kids, kith of very top Forest Officers working in the same division. Never did we want to bring in their names even though we didn’t have any magical phone numbers.  Nobody should leave a bad precedence with children.

Anusha and Aditi; Should we really leave tomorrow?

After haggling for half an hour the staff themselves called up their in charge and confirmed our whereabouts and offered an entry. But we knew that we were already too short of time and we neither wanted to show reluctance to the men in uniform. We allowed the kids to play in the stream just a few yards from the sentry gate till five and left back to the camp whishing them heartfelt thanks.

On the fifth day we changed the camp site to Kolluru Mukambika Wildlife Sanctuary and even had the longest trek of fourteen kilometers to Arasinagundi falls from there. To our astonishment almost every single kid finished the trek.

Narendra; I should have met this group
a few years earlier

The lone child who called off mid way was duly escorted back. Following this jubilant day we were heading westward to spend a day on the sea shore. We had also described it as one of the highlights of the program. Realizing that it would even be the culmination of the camp many children said they didn’t want to go to the sea. Amogh, the youngest boy in the camp had silently cried on my lap for missing his parents now rolled tears for missing the camp. Vara an eight year girl from Bangalore expressed that she has over come the fear of darkness. Mahi who never slept without her parent was now ready to spend the night in a tent all by herself.

 

Nikhil ; This is no aqua guard water but it is  O K. I can manage

While some children express their feelings some don’t. But they would have shown confidence in their gait or body language. Some remain silent and many a time parents reveal them to us. Last year, a lady immensely thanked us for curing some obscure habit that the girl had in her sleep. Of course, we could not have noticed it as girls have a separate facility in our camps. This girl, it seems, always crouched into fetal position during sleep and frequently ground her teeth. As a result she had no enamel coating in the teeth and was not able to eat anything too hot or cold. From day one she returned from the camp, the mother was astonished to see her daughter sleep straight and not grind her teeth. There are many instances of children over coming many fears like fear of heights, fear of creepy crawly things and some have even overcome stammering in their speech or bedwetting in their teenage.

 

Monish; Did I or did I not.

This year my friend Dinakaran, sent a text message  few days after the camp ‘My son Nikhil used to draw sketches of Iron Man, Poke man, Chota Bheem. Now, he has started drawing wild animals on his own from the hand book you gave!’ What change do you need to see in a child so soon? 

Planning my next prank.

But the most profound mention was by Pawan from Bangalore who had finished his tenth said on going back he would lose a bet with his father and take an admission to Science stream for his college. Such changes in youngsters may be simple but they play an important role in the building of a character and some times become the beginning of a great career.

Satwik; Through Chaithanya I learnt a lot about life.

 

I realized how wonderful the world around us is....

VIshal; Whats the Good Word ?

Part III

Keeping them doused in nature

Admiring the stillness of life

 On the fourth day when the power got restored we watched a film on frogs by Sir David Attenborough. It took us on a journey through the weird and wonderful world of frogs, throwing new light on these charismatic, colorful and frequently bizarre little animals. Attenborough immensely impressed the children through his first-hand stories, the latest science, and cutting-edge technology. Frogs from around the world were used to demonstrate the wide variety of frog anatomy, appearance and behavior. Their amazing adaptations and survival techniques have made them the most successful of all amphibians. The rains and the darkness had toughened the children. They were able to shed off all inhibitions and were seen walking around in bare feet and many a times without a torch.

 

Some jump  ho jump on the tricky rocks

 I particularly don’t know which of the multitude of activities we put them through was singly responsible for the behavioral change in the children. To begin with they had this morning session at 5.30 am while it was still dark and the crickets of the night screeched and the tree frogs muttered. Children were made to sit on the bank of the river or amidst the river as we did before it rained. Children formed a beeline and hopped on rocks until they were in the middle of the river. The unilateral task in this session is to listen to the morning sounds. On the first day it must have been a boring job but those who learnt to appreciate the sounds and could decipher that it changes according to the brightness of the sunlight learned to thoroughly enjoy the session.

enjoying the morning Ragas....

Every single day begins with a shrill-single note whistle made by the Malabar Whistling Thrush. After some silence the bulbuls of many kinds fill up the air. The iora too sets up its starters. Then suddenly the Malabar Whistling Thrush comes out with its characteristic whistle like that of a human. If this Thrush does his job all right it wins more votes for the activity. Next among the aves, to steal the show is a raptor that nests on a tall tree on the banks of wooded streams. He sends out a shrill cry similar to that of a human child crying in agony. He can’t resist making these bickering calls in the breeding season. He frequently struts along the stream showing off his powerful flight. In a matter of seconds this bird called Grey headed Fishing Eagle swoops on to the surface of water and can snatches a fish.

Lesser Grey headed Fishing Eagle

By the time the sun is convincingly up and all the shades of greens are revealed the children will be passing through the limits. It also suggests how their biological clocks are conditioned to await for a bell calling the end of a session in their schools. As if to save us from the curses of restless children, another noisy bird emerges from nowhere. It is the colourful Stork billed Kingfisher, found only in the calm waters surrounded by thick woods. It would be tea time and the kids have almost spent two hours working with us.

We are sure that children who have early exposure to nature are strongly correlated with their attitudes towards conservation and environmentally responsible behavior as adults. And it is also known that in the absence of contact with nature before their formative years, their ability to connect with their surroundings could be lost. What other intention could we have in these camps other than driving them into nature in full throttle?

A creative team with their raindeer

Another enjoyable activity that the children love is to collect objects from Nature. These skills and aspirations to possess the unique object are often weaned out in super bazaars where the kid finds only machine made things-be it toys or cloths. When the child runs out of choices it looks for a higher priced object- so convenient for the market economy.

A delicate Leafy Peacock in the happening

Making a collage out of dead leaves is a wonderful activity that gives children a chance to explore the forest floor. It looks into the shape, size and color of the leaves. Since the teams are made up of mixed age groups there is scope for better and responsible socialization. They are given time to decide upon what form to bring out of the leaves; then some serious time for their artistic collaboration. At the end, when you assess their art works they reveal volumes about the ability of every child and the weakness it has. Just to

A Giraffe come alive 

make them repeat their performance we may pose a different situation for them to work about.

Listing all the activity is beyond the scope of this article but for sure the kids were engaged for more than sixteen hours a day in nature in their joyous state. Where would they have the time for bathing or changing even?

-Manu K

 

A simple way to beat the summer heat