Nature’s children

KOCHI: Ernakulam native and Bangalore-based engineer Geethu Mohandas remembers attending numerous camps during her childhood. “This instilled a sense of love and responsibility towards nature when I was young. I grew up in such an environment at Muppathadam, my hometown. The urge to recreate such camps for children grew stronger when I secured a job in Bangalore. This is how I introduced the ‘Let’s Go for a Camp’ initiative in 2015,” says Geethu, who organised the first trip with a group of children to Kakkadampoyil in Malappuram.

Soon, she started receiving calls from like-minded professionals who wanted to organise such events with her. “Now, after two years, the initiative is being led by six of us, including Aadish, a software engineer from Bangalore, Sakeerth, an electronics engineer from Kannur, Sudhina, a children’s magazine journalist from Gudalur, Chithira, a lawyer from Ernakulam and Najma, a law professor from Chennai. So far, we have conducted over 18 camps across the state,” she said.Some of the locations include Chandrakantham, Madayipara in Kannur, Kodachari, Pampadum Shola National Park, and Paithalmala among others.

According to the organisers, each camp has a purpose that is sketched at the initial stage. “For example, at Kodachadri, one issue that perceptibly disturbed our conscience was the increasing use of plastic in nature. Our two-day camp focused on the plastic-free campaign, under the slogan, ‘Green Kodachadri Clean Kodachadri’. By the end of the day, the campers collected over 50 kgs of plastic waste, all through the trail. The waste was handed over to the local self-governing authorities for disposal,” she said.

The concept of an ongoing project, Grassland Restoration, in a 39-hectare area within Pampadum Shola National Park, was a new window posing into nature. Unchecked growth of eucalyptus, which is a threat to ecology due to its dehydrating capacity, and the wattle trees were posing a great threat to the different flora and the fauna. It even affected the water resources in the nearby villages. In order to reverse the damages, the Forest Department has launched a plan to restore the grasslands. For this, they had to clear the weeds, wild shrubs and plant grass over the hilly terrain. They sought help from the public and several NGOs.“When we learnt about this initiative, we decided to take our participants to the spot. Grass sprouts were planted during the monsoon. We were able to learn more about the grasslands and how they are the key life source for sustainable living and ecological balance,” added Geethu.

Along the way, the group also extended their help to the kids of the Bodhi library in the tribal village under the Chinnar wildlife area. Most of the camps involve women and children as the organisers believe they contribute a major chunk to saving the environment. “Most of the money for the camps come from our own pockets. We don’t see this as a profit-making initiative but a contribution from our side. We take minimal fees from our participants,” Geethu added.

Trip to Nepal
 The campers are planning a trip to Nepal from December 16-21. “We decided to choose Nepal because we realised that our campers can learn a lot from the country. Their system of conservation is much different from what is practised in our state. Also, it will help the campers learn the difference between different habitats like the Western Ghats and the Himalayas,” she said.