I am fortunate to have grown up in a house with a garden around it . The countless hours I spent in the garden as a child are the roots of my love for nature. Now I travel all over the country in search of the wildlife experience, but I know that rather than the sighting of certain rare species, it is something else that is more important . For lack of a better term , I like to call this Nature Connection.
Let's suppose we see a new bird, our first instinct these days is to know what it is called . Then we hope that it is something rare , click a picture, post it online and wait for the likes.
The nature connection way of looking at the same bird would be to be aware that we are sharing the same space with the bird. Look at it with patience , wonder and curiosity. Try to observe how it is interacting with the other beings in our shared space. Then maybe, try to understand more with a little study and sharing our experience in such a way that the need to care for the bird is emphasized.
It need not always be a rare bird . It need not be an exotic destination , we can spend wonderful hours connected to the nature around us even in our cities.
Last year , I got the opportunity to work with the wonderful class 4 at Aman Setu My school at Lohagaon- Wagholi road in Pune. What was to be as once a month gardening class became a rollercoaster ride about urban wildlife , wildlife gardening , crafts and audio visual presentations.
The basic idea behind the year long program was to make children aware that even a city garden is full of interesting plants, birds, insects and animals. It is possible that a walk around the garden or a few minutes watching out of the window can be as interesting as a wildlife safari in a national park.
Another goal of the program was to introduce the concept of interdependence. So kids figured out that the plants in the garden are food and shelter for other beings and that there is a complete food chain that exists in their garden just as it exists in the jungles.
The main goal of this activity was to allow the kids to be a part of nature . Let them experience the joy of planting a tree and watching it grow. Give them small doses of information that can lead to wonder and curiosity when they suddenly realize that they share their surroundings with strange and beautiful creatures . Open up their senses not just to the sights but also the sounds and smells and sometimes even taste.
School starts in the monsoons. A perfect time for tree plantations. Rather than planting lots of trees , we decided to plant a few selected varieties . This would allow the kids to know the trees well as they grow. We chose - Jamun , Cluster fig ( umbar) , Silk Cotton, Shirish , Palas, Drumstick tree and Neem.The school is in a dry zone so trees that are native to this region were chosen . Also, it was ensured that the trees, when they grow up ,would support a wide variety of biodiversity and provide something for humans too . The drumstick tree turned out to be the favorite . It grows fast and the children were thrilled that the young sapling they planted in the rains was taller than them and their teachers before the end of the year.
The next planting activity was introducing some plants into the garden that specifically attract butterflies. Butterflies need two types of plants . Host plants for laying eggs and feeding during the caterpillar stage and nectar plants for feeding when they are adults. Some time was used to introduce the kids to the garden again from a butterflies perspective. The new plants were planted and a detailed presentation was made about the life history of butterflies and the various commonly seen species .
Post monsoon ,the trees and the butterfly plants all did well and the children could observe caterpillars and butterflies thriving on the plants they had planted.
Unlike planting which was a seasonal activity , nature observation and bird watching was an all year activity . Generally , each session would start with a stroll in the campus , observing all that is new . Sometimes the children had already seen something and wanted to show it to me. Sometimes we stumbled upon some natural event while on the walk . May be a large congregation of dragonflies or a nest or a basking lizard. Each event was followed by observation , information and stories . We watched birds , but rather than just emphasizing the identification of the species, a lot of emphasis was on the birds behavior, its description , its call , why it is found in the garden and how it is connected with the other animals and plants of the garden . The children also received a good book about how to watch birds , what are the common birds in the city and popular places to watch birds in Pune.
Class 4 at Aman Setu learns about Maharashtra . Since we could not go to a forest , we had a slide show about the different types of forests we have in our region and the animals that are found there.
Children are relying on TV , the internet and books , to some extent , for the information related to nature . The problem with the current media content is that even nature documentaries are commercial ventures . The media loves to highlight the extraordinary . So the children know a lot about strange , exotic species from the four corners of the world but have no exposure to the natural treasures that are local . There is also a perception that nature activities are only about recreation and thrill like safaris and photography.
We had film screenings and slide shows of interesting local fauna that is generally never noticed, common birds , frogs and common insects that can be seen around our cities.
By the end of winter , the activity of the insects in the garden goes down . This is a good time for craft activities to support the wildlife in the garden and maybe attract some more.
A simple activity like keeping water for birds can easily go deep. So we discuss the problem from a birds point of view. What kind of vessel should be used ? Where should it be kept? At what height?
Same is the case with the activity of making nesting boxes . Why do different birds need different sizes of boxes ?What will happen if the entrance holes are too big? What is the material that the birds find comfortable ? Where do we put up the boxes ? The whole idea is to allow the kids to understand how nature thinks . So when required , they can think like a bird , a butterfly or a bee.
It is not just birds that need shelter . We also spent a day making shelters for solitary bees . Again , We cannot make a shelter for bees before understanding about bees.
So these are some of the activities we went
through during the year .
But why go through all this ? Is nature connection even relevant?
Two main reasons
These children are going to be decision makers of tomorrow. And the only way to ensure that they incorporate earth care into each and every decision is if they are aware about the intricacy of the web that connects all beings. I hope that these activities are a beginning of a life long journey of nature awareness and exploration for the children.
The other reason is rooted in our ancient history.
Today we live an urban life completely cut off from our natural surroundings. Our lives are full of man made objects . From needle and thread to houses and massive ships we simply purchase what we want. Most of us purchase our food too . There is no connection left with the natural systems.
We have shifted to this consumption pattern very recently .Our brains and bodies, however , are still wired as they were a hundred thousand years ago , to survive and thrive in natural surroundings. Being aware,being able to notice and appreciate all the subtle changes in our surroundings is a natural tendency of our mind .
The lack of nature connection brought about by our new lifestyle has an impact on our mental well being. It is possible to remind ourselves how connected we are to our natural surroundings at any age. It is however easier to inculcate these skills at a young age .
So it was a fun filled year . Full of birds, butterflies ,gardening, crafts and much more . It was wonderful to be surrounded by happy kids and dedicated teachers , soaking up all the new information.
Being showered with handmade greeting cards, a group of kids eagerly waiting for the next session, these were definitely new experiences for me. Hoping to get used to all of this! A Big thank you to the teachers , kids and staff at Aman Setu for this opportunity .
I am available on my email vikramgupchup@gmail.com
