Sharmila
Deo and Poornima Phadke, Kalpavriksh
Our hearts soared when a little
schoolboy ran towards us with a metallic green wood-borer in his hands and
displayed it proudly, taking immense care not to injure or let it fall when
other boys crowded around it.
They were quick to point out
its antennae and checked whether it indeed had two pairs of wings and three
pairs of legs!
This
was soon after we had seen a film on insects screened in their classroom.
During
discussions about various insects, some children had sheepishly admitted that
they did enjoy tying strings to dragonflies and whirring them around. In fact,
the dragonfly was known to them as the “Helicopter!” After learning a little
more about insects, the children promised to forgo the ‘Helicopter game’
totally, as it eventually harms the insect, very often, fatally.
Though
such immediate attitudinal changes are extremely rare, we like to think that
this reaction was a result of a session on Insects, as part of the environment
education programme that we have now been conducting for over three years in
the Bhimashankar area in western Maharashtra.
Sustained intervention was needed
The
idea took seed when Dr Parihar, the then Chief Conservator of Forests,
expressed a need for sustained intervention in the Bhimashankar sanctuary area.
He shared various issues linked to the sanctuary which included conservation,
livelihoods, and education. Among the local communities, it was observed that
the children are most affected and influenced by the rapid social, economic, and
cultural changes the area is undergoing. The current education system has not
been able to address the complex situation the children are in, that of living
in forest areas, but faced with new aspirations. There is a disconnect between
the local contexts and school curricula.
A holistic approach which
looked at bridging this gap, along with village empowerment through awareness
and capacity building resulted in two programmes, an Environment Education
programme and a Conservation and Livelioods programme.
The
approach and content of the environment education programme was discussed
within Kalpavriksh members and since Kalpavriksh has developed and conducted
locale specific environment education programmes (for Lakshadweep, BRT Hills,
Karnataka and Ladakh) there was a lot of learning and experience to draw upon.
We
started with an assessment of whether school principals of those areas really
felt there was a need for an environment education programme. After having a
discussion with them at the Tribal Department during their monthly meet where
they filled up a questionnaire, there was a unanimous agreement that the
children should be exposed to it.
An
advisory team was formed within Kalpavriksh and we requested Poornima Phadke to
join the programme. Poornima has been conducting many environmental sessions
with children of Pune.
Municipal schools for over 12
years. Her teaching experience and a good hold over the local language proved
useful for the programme. Permissions were sought from the Tribal department
for starting the programme in the schools, and Concern India Foundation and
Ruffords Small Grants supported it financially. The programme began in 2008 with
the students of Grades 7 and 8 in the schools for tribal children in Tokawade
and Terungun villages.
Approach
A series of thematic workshops
were planned, with a focus on awareness of the biodiversity present around
their school premises, and within the sanctuary.
We avoided the use of technical
terms as far as possible, but tried to bring in the concepts through simple
examples. For example, the concept of ‘sustainability’ was explained by
discussions on honey extraction and how better practices of harvesting could
ensure that there is least harm being caused to the bees, as compared to the
practice of causing a fire at the bottom of the hives. Similar interactions were
held over topics of water, fuel wood, medicinal plants extraction, etc. Other
than the activities and posters that we had produced, we also showed films,
slideshows, did art and craft sessions, outdoor games etc.
It took
us a while to break the ice, as we realized that these children had little
exposure to outsiders. There was a lot of hesitation to talk or respond as they
had mainly interacted with their teachers and co-students on a daily basis, and
their communities when they went home during vacations.
With time and experience we
realized that not only were we ‘new’ people, but also spoke their language
(Marathi) differently from theirs. The dialect, the vocabulary, was something
that they were not used to.
However, after a few sessions,
we began to comprehend each other and the enthusiasm in the children began to
show.
Plant activity
These are pictures of various species of plants – trees,
shrubs, herbs, creepers found in and around the sanctuary. Most cards have
photos of the entire plant, and close-ups of leaves and fruits/fl owers. Some
are commonly found, whereas some are rare. Some are used for their medicinal
properties, other for fodder, and building. Some are ecologically important for
insects, birds, etc.
The children are divided into small groups and each group
is shown a card. They have to try and identify the plant without turning it
around. They also share any information they might know about it.
This activity can be done with individuals too.
The objective is to familiarize children with the flora in
and around their forests and villages.
Development of Teaching Material
Materials such as posters,
cards, activity sheets, etc. were developed to aid various topics.
The excitement and motivation
that is created amongst the children whilst handling visually and content-wise
interesting material makes it worth it.
Local involvement
A conscious decision taken for
this programme from its inception was to train local youth to conduct the
programme with the children. This was to ensure continuity of the programme
after our intervention would cease. This was a part of our exit strategy for
the programme. The educators get an honorarium for handling the workshops, thus
adding to their livelihoods.
Workshops
Each
workshop generally lasts for 2-3 hours, and is conducted by the local educators
with support from KV members. It is a mix of activities based on some selected
topic. For example, when we were discussing Birds, we did a slideshows on birds
found in the area, followed by an outdoor trip conducted by an expert from
Pune. The children were fascinated when he did his birdcalls, and a couple of
times heard the Iora call back!
There was a quiz later on what
they had seen and most of them drew the birds they had come across. They solved
a crossword and played a card game called “Find my Mate”. Every workshop is
eagerly looked forward to by the children as it is also a change from the
monotony of classroom lectures.
When children visit homes
during their vacations, they are encouraged to have dialogues with their
community members on various aspects of biodiversity – be it the use and
availability of medicinal plants, or local breeds of cattle, changes in
cultivation patterns or any other topic which gives an idea into the pattern of
an earlier lifestyle, and facilitates exchange between the traditional
knowledge within the community, and the current situations on ground.
Local Action
One of
the biggest environmental issues in Bhimashankar is of the indiscriminate use
and disposal of plastic in the sanctuary. Since one of the 12 prominent ‘jyotirlingas’
of India is located here, around the time of ‘Mahashivratri’ there is an
influx of pilgrims. Later, a huge amount of waste remains behind in the area.
It was
around the time of the festival, that the children from Terungun and Tokawade
Ashram schools wrote a letter to the District Collector and other officials
requesting them to implement the plastic ban within the sanctuary. They made
paper bags and sent them along with the letters as a symbolic gesture for
adopting alternatives. There was no response to their letter, nor was any
action taken at the temple site.
After a
few days, the Tokawade children wrote a follow-up letter to the same officials,
and demanded a response this time. The timing of the letter coincided with the ‘Shravan’month,
when again pilgrims arrive in huge numbers. The children said in their letter
that they would organise a ‘morcha’ if there is no response from
officials.
The
Chief Conservator of Forests, MK Rao, acknowledged receiving both the letters,
and has responded to them. In a meeting with Mr. Rao, he mentioned that he has
already started discussions with various stakeholders in Bhimashankar like the
Temple Trust, community members, shop owners etc to put a garbage disposal
system in place. It was encouraging to know that the children’s consistent
follow-up has resulted in some action starting off, however long the result may
take.
Future
The
programme has now been extended to 2 other schools, one primary (Yelavli
village), and the other secondary (Bhorgiri village).
We have
started working on a simple handbook in Marathi which talks of the biodiversity
and its conservation focusing on the Sahyadris, to be used by teachers,
educators, and interested students.
The
handbook is aimed to be used as a tool to conduct more such programmes in other
schools through liaison with the Education / Tribal department, and other NGOs
or institutes working with children.
For more information contact:
Kalpavriksh,
Apt 5, Shree Dutta Krupa,
Deccan
Gymkhana, Pune 411004
Ph: 020
25654239
E-mail: kalpavriksh@vsnl.net
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