Kurinji: Once in a blue bloom

Ian Lockwood, a Colombo-based photographer, is a lover of the hills. The Western Ghats, especially, hold a favourite place in his heart and photo folders. He has been documenting the transformations in this landscape, and through this captured the stunning images of the kurinji flowers that bloom once in 12 years here. In his latest exhibition Palani Hills, there is a photograph of a man holding up the flowers with an arresting smile. Even though he has his reservations on the human exploitation brought upon these grasslands where the flowers bloom, Lockwood hopes things get better with awareness and civilian effort. Excerpts from an email interview:

Tell us about shifts in kurinji terrain that you have observed since 2006.

Strobilanthes kunthiana is an endemic woody shrub that grows amidst montane grasslands in the southern Western Ghats.t is unique because of its life cycle that includes a mass flowering every 12 years. Kurinji flowering offers an excellent barometer of the grasslands that are an integral part of the shola mosaic of the southern Western Ghats. Where there are healthy grasslands, there are mass flowerings, while disturbances lead to patchy flowering.

In recent years, many montane grasslands habitats in Palani and the Nilgiris have been converted to other vegetation types (notably plantation, but also urban and agriculture) and invasive weeds have taken over traditional habitats. The most undisturbed montane grasslands are in Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the grasshills of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Mukurthi National Park.

What is the nature of montane grasslands?

There is a variety of native grasslands in the Western Ghats, but montane grasslands start at roughly 1,500 metres and occupy areas that have less moisture or soil depth than areas where there are shola.

The mosaic is only now being fully appreciated for its high levels of biodiversity and important hydrological role. Grasslands were once categorised as ‘wastelands’, which resulted in wide-scale planting of non-native commercial timber species. Today, they are valued by the key managers (the forest department) but there is no consensus on how best to deal with the large area under plantation.

What are the best places to see the flowers ?

One of the easiest places to see the Kurnji flowering is at Coaker’s Walk, in Kodaikanal. A large patch of Kurinji is currently in bloom, and this is its natural setting. However, take time to note the spread of weeds in the same area. In the last flowering, more of the slope below Coaker’s Walk had kurinji. However, non-native fast-growing timber and weed species have invaded this area. Roadside slopes on the Palani-Kodai ghat road are also experiencing Kurinji flowering. There are other areas where Kurinji will be flowering but most of these places need permission to visit. Several hill areas around Munnar, including the Rajamalai tourism zone of ENP, are expected to flower in August or September.

How can these places be saved?

Priority has to be given to the remnant patches of montane grasslands to ensure that they are not further invaded. That means weeding out non-native species. This is labour-intensive, but work by organisations like Vattakanal Conservation Trust (VCT) in the upper Palani Hills demonstrates that it can be done.

Secondly, areas that have been invaded can be restored. This requires a whole new strategy of forest and ecosystem management. Many non-native species must be removed rather than simply cut down. In the Palani Hills, it would be ideal to start with Coaker’s Walk and Perumal Malai. Unfortunately, many spots, such as City View, are littered with plastic waste. Awareness among tourists about their impact on the fragile ecosystem is something we need to work on.