Menu
NILIGRIS TIMES,15th—20th July 2012
One of the most talked about summer programmes of Pathways World School, Aravali, to the Nilgiris : On the Blue Mountain Trail was organized this summer for 8 enthusiastic students and 2 teachers with thundering success. And we will go down in history as the first school in Delhi-NCR to have visited the Western Ghats which has been recently declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Our high point was also being the first at the highest elevation in the South of India at the Doddabetta peak. The icing on the cake was being on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway connecting Udhagamandalam to Mettupalayam at the foot of the Nilgiris.
Records apart, we have been the pioneering group which has explored the Nilgiris and set the precedent for much more that could be done down south, whereby students and teachers could learn and teach lessons outside their classrooms in the lap of nature. The biodiversity of the Western Ghats, which is summarized in a powerful word, “shola”, will forever be etched in our memories, as we wove our way through the few remaining dense sholas and understood their losing battle to the invasive species of Pines and Eucalyptus. No one will ever forget that the higher the bio-diversity, the longer it takes for you to negotiate your way through even a small patch of a shola forest and that we only have a few of these left in the Western Ghats. We saw the Giant Malabar Squirrel and the Indian Gaur at such close quarters that it gave us goose-bumps, as we had only seen them on animal channels or while researching on the web! We had heard of a rain-fed, spring-fed, glacier-fed river as taught in the lessons of Geography and EVM, but how about a forest-fed river? All that we had studied about the hydrological cycle and the connection between forests and rain will never need to be reiterated for us.
We also realized that “When a tribal dies, you burn a million books” as we actually spent two days with the Primitive Tribal Group of Todas in Bikapathy Mund and also learnt the ancient Kurumba art form with a lone surviving artist, Mr Krishnan. Their homes, their warmth and their simple and spartan way of life constantly reminded us of our large footprints on this planet, and how they lived in complete harmony with nature unlike us who have a huge impact on this planet because of our sheer lifestyles which are far removed from nature.
The beauty of the blue Kurinji flower, which blooms once in 12 years will always remain special for us as this is what gave the Nilgiris, its name…..the Blue Mountains. We actually saw them blooming when we hiked up to Bikapathy Mund, a Toda village, to a point from where we witnessed the sheer drop to the Sigur Ghats. The bravado of our team in checking on a bee-hive to see the progress of honey being made by the bees in these forests along with a tribal has truly added a shine to our armour!
We have now come to understand the relevance of ‘heritage’ which is something that is passed down to us from our forefathers; hence it is from the past to the future generations. And our stay in Conoor, with visits to Wellington and Ootacamund, constantly made us reflect on our cultural and historical heritage that we have inherited from the British, and how we can take up the restoration of these as sincere citizens of this nation. The introduction of tea and potato in the Nilgiris by the British and how they have shaped the landscape of the mountains even as we enjoy the finest teas of the world grown here will always remain a part of our rich legacy.The past definitely has a lot which needs to be reiterated and reclaimed to make our lives much richer and that has been our ‘take away’ from this wonderful trip to the Nilgiris.
Needless to say, we got together as a motley group of 8 students who made new friends and gained tremendously in confidence. They will surely be brand ambassadors of the World Heritage Sites that we have in the country and will inspire more Pathwazians to take the path which is less travelled… on the Blue Mountain trail, to appreciate what we have as a country and what we need to do keep it that way for the future generations!
We are grateful to our School Director, Dr. Sarvesh Naidu, for believing in our vision and supporting us in this exploratory visit to the Nilgiris; it will surely set a precedent at Pathways. Our heartfelt thanks to Mr Raminder Choudhary of One Earth Foundation for this brilliant exposure.
Text: Sonali Bansal, Grade 11
Records apart, we have been the pioneering group which has explored the Nilgiris and set the precedent for much more that could be done down south, whereby students and teachers could learn and teach lessons outside their classrooms in the lap of nature. The biodiversity of the Western Ghats, which is summarized in a powerful word, “shola”, will forever be etched in our memories, as we wove our way through the few remaining dense sholas and understood their losing battle to the invasive species of Pines and Eucalyptus. No one will ever forget that the higher the bio-diversity, the longer it takes for you to negotiate your way through even a small patch of a shola forest and that we only have a few of these left in the Western Ghats. We saw the Giant Malabar Squirrel and the Indian Gaur at such close quarters that it gave us goose-bumps, as we had only seen them on animal channels or while researching on the web! We had heard of a rain-fed, spring-fed, glacier-fed river as taught in the lessons of Geography and EVM, but how about a forest-fed river? All that we had studied about the hydrological cycle and the connection between forests and rain will never need to be reiterated for us.
We also realized that “When a tribal dies, you burn a million books” as we actually spent two days with the Primitive Tribal Group of Todas in Bikapathy Mund and also learnt the ancient Kurumba art form with a lone surviving artist, Mr Krishnan. Their homes, their warmth and their simple and spartan way of life constantly reminded us of our large footprints on this planet, and how they lived in complete harmony with nature unlike us who have a huge impact on this planet because of our sheer lifestyles which are far removed from nature.
The beauty of the blue Kurinji flower, which blooms once in 12 years will always remain special for us as this is what gave the Nilgiris, its name…..the Blue Mountains. We actually saw them blooming when we hiked up to Bikapathy Mund, a Toda village, to a point from where we witnessed the sheer drop to the Sigur Ghats. The bravado of our team in checking on a bee-hive to see the progress of honey being made by the bees in these forests along with a tribal has truly added a shine to our armour!
We have now come to understand the relevance of ‘heritage’ which is something that is passed down to us from our forefathers; hence it is from the past to the future generations. And our stay in Conoor, with visits to Wellington and Ootacamund, constantly made us reflect on our cultural and historical heritage that we have inherited from the British, and how we can take up the restoration of these as sincere citizens of this nation. The introduction of tea and potato in the Nilgiris by the British and how they have shaped the landscape of the mountains even as we enjoy the finest teas of the world grown here will always remain a part of our rich legacy.The past definitely has a lot which needs to be reiterated and reclaimed to make our lives much richer and that has been our ‘take away’ from this wonderful trip to the Nilgiris.
Needless to say, we got together as a motley group of 8 students who made new friends and gained tremendously in confidence. They will surely be brand ambassadors of the World Heritage Sites that we have in the country and will inspire more Pathwazians to take the path which is less travelled… on the Blue Mountain trail, to appreciate what we have as a country and what we need to do keep it that way for the future generations!
We are grateful to our School Director, Dr. Sarvesh Naidu, for believing in our vision and supporting us in this exploratory visit to the Nilgiris; it will surely set a precedent at Pathways. Our heartfelt thanks to Mr Raminder Choudhary of One Earth Foundation for this brilliant exposure.
Text: Sonali Bansal, Grade 11
A beautiful video about this trip......Enjoy it
