A ride to save Santhivanam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In order to show his solidarity to the Save Santhivanam Movement, Vaisakh G Nair of Kochi travelled from Santhivanam to Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. He travelled over 230-kilometre on his bullet as a solo journey.

The placards on his bike drew the attention of people in his travel route. “I grew up by playing at Santhivanam. During my childhood, I have been able to witness the arrival of migratory birds and many endangered species such as the barn owl at the private forest. I cannot do nothing while Santhivanam is being destroyed,” said Vaisakh. “I began my journey on Tuesday at 10 am from Santhivanam and travelled 230 km to reach Thiruvananthapuram at 5 pm.”

Santhivanam, the two-acre land at North Paravur with sacred groves, ponds and diverse living beings, has been in trouble after the High Court verdict which allowed the construction of 110 KV line to cut across this forest.It came as a shock to Meena Menon, who has been preserving this as a green lung for young children and nature enthusiasts.

The value of this space and its biodiversity has been proven by detailed studies done by Kerala Forest Research Institute, Malabar Natural History Society, Society for Environmental Education in Kerala and Cochin Natural History Society along with the high degree of endemism, endangered and near threatened species found here.  

Citing the inspiration behind the journey Vaisakh said, “Trees were cut down to draw the 110 KV line in Santhivanam. While taking a walk through the forest, I saw a destructed nest. Also, a bird was found dead on my terrace. That’s when I decided to put my efforts into saving Santhivanam.”

Vaisakh works as a senior executive at logistics solution company Ecom Express Pvt Ltd.Groups including Indus Cycling Embassy, Tree Walk and Eco-solutions greeted Vaisakh at Manaveeyam Veedhi on Wednesday. Chilla, Humans and SEWA joined the greeting ceremony.