A Planet for All: Workshop by Priyanka Pandit in association with ‘Camlin Kids Power’
A modern day movement in support of the planet began in this month close to half a decade ago. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring had awoken so many of the youth, and increasingly degraded air and surroundings lead to more people raising concern and springing into action. Environmental health was, for the first time, a part of tea time discussions of the common man and the agendas of the politicos. That was 1970. This is 2015.
Despite increased awareness and more inclusive action to address environmental issues, we are, unfortunately, still in the midst of a climatic crisis, one that leaves us with a precarious future. One of the biggest reasons for this climatic turmoil is deforestation. However, it is not only the risks of climatic turmoil that we face due to deforestation, it is also a loss of our food and water security. Ahead of Earth Day on the 22nd of April, this workshop by Priyanka Pandit was about this very concern: loss of our green spaces.
As part of Kokuyo Camlin’s ‘Camlin Kids Power’ initiative, Camlin promotes awareness of burning social issues amongst underprivileged children through mediums such as music and art.
How glad we were to Priyanka and the folks from Camlin over to explain food chains, deforestation and food security with the help of a book and a guitar!
To begin with, Priyanka took the students on a tour of the forest. A forest comprises of producers, consumers, decomposers and the likes. The consumers are herbivores and carnivores which are poles apart in every way, but still have one common link: the producer, our very own forest.
Priyanka explaining the significance of forests to the students.
Circle of Life in a Forest: Workshop by Reniscience Education
While we go on obliviously about our daily musings and chores, the world around us is teeming with life. It may not be at a macro level us primates are used to observing, but it happens at ground level, by a pond or under the canopy of a tree.
Coupled with a lovely illustration, writes Julia Rothman in her delightful book ‘Nature Anatomy’, a little on how even a rotting log, though dead itself, is the source of much life. “A dead tree on the forest floor may not look like much, but the decomposing odd hosts a party of plant and animal life. Many kinds of insect larvae burrow into decaying wood to take shelter from the winter. Snail and snugs delight in the debris and fungi growing from rotting logs. Earthworms digest vast quantities of rotting or organic matter, leaving behind nutrient rich casts. Moist decomposing wood is a perfect nutrient nursery from which leeches, mosses, flowers, and even other trees can set root and thrive.” Such are the designs of nature and such is the unique circle of life.
The forest looks still but teems with life.
If this is the case of just a rotting log, what must the case of a prime deciduous forest be? This is exactly what our students found out in this workshop with Reniscience Education.
Manipulating the Sun: Workshop by Curiouscity Science Education
One of the best and most effective sources of clean energy, the Sun, has been manipulated to our benefit since time unknown.
Our students are well versed with solar energy through their extensive exposure to the workings of a solar planel. After all, it is a kilo watt of solar that supports their favourite classroom.
However, this month we took manipulating solar energy a step further with this workshop by Curiouscity Science education. Educators, Utpal Chattopadhyay and Shonali Chinniah, taught the children what happens when we mix different materials, natural and artificial, colours and the light from the Sun.
Utpal and Shonali explaining the potential of solar energy to the students.
Unleashing the Actors Inside: Workshop on Performing Arts
Amrita Lalljee, Amba Jhala and Anirudh Nair were down in Pench to conduct a very unique workshop this month. The trio, established names in the field of performing arts, visited our students with the motive of making them have some fun and simultaneously helping them find their voices.
Our students walked into the E-Base, unaware of what we had in store for them for the next three days. The workshop encompassed all kinds of learning and fun, from laughing out loud to performing skits based on personal experiences.
Performing Arts is strongly linked to building one’s confidence and opening up. Our aim is to help our students not only find their voice to make them confident community leaders but also identify performing arts as a strong medium of expression and raising awareness.
Our students in an exercise that involved laughing their hearts out! Yes, it works wonders to them open up.
E-Base Library: This Show is on the Road!
Students on their way into the E-Base for the E-Base library inauguration.
In May, we began a small crowd funding project for Rs. 70,000 for one library in the E-Base in Pench, Madhya Pradesh. Little did we know we would end up raising more than double the amount we had earlier planned to, and build two libraries instead of just one! It is October now and both our libraries together have close to 1200 books, a reading program for members from five schools and two mobile libraries.
E-Base Library: Ready for take off!
With reading assessments almost complete, we’re working on fixing the last few details of the libraries.
With so many boxes of books making their way to Pench, organizing was the order of the trip. (Image: Monica Szczupider)
E-Base Library: Of Reading Assessments and Library Cards
With immense help from two wonderful ladies, Divya Nawale and Monica Szczupider who joined us in Pench this month, we have gotten through the bulk of our work.
Our volunteers, Divya (left) and Monica (right) helping with registrations of students.
This month, we began work on our reading program baseline study. Before we open up the library to our students in Pench, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, we wished to determine the as is state of affairs. Our focus remained on two major components of the reading program- the fluency of reading and content knowledge. The students in the region of Pench grapple with similar problems in the education sphere as those in other remote locations in many parts of India.
E-Base Library: Signed, Sealed, Delivered, they’re all ours!
Yes, the excitement is brimming. Here is the first look at the books that came in for our libraries in Pench, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
The cartons full of our library books!
In these wonderful boxes lie our books from Tara Publications, Eklavya Publications and all the lovely donations we received.
E-Base Library: Closing at 136% funding and cartons of donated books!
We made it to 136% funding on our crowdfunding campaign. Although we didn’t reach 200% funding, we will still be setting up two libraries on the two ends of the Pench Tiger Reserve.
To thank our online supporters, here’s a shout out to Arindam Baruah, Jayshree Mishra Tripathi, Swati Choksi, Archi Varma, Monisha Padur, Bharat Sarda, Jash Koradia, Azad Oommen, Kunal Shah, Vinit Phatak, Maithili Parekh Singh, Amrita Rathi, Nikita Chatterjee, Dina Ginwalla, Priyanka Gupta, Varun Darji, Pranav Vissanji, Jeyashree Vaidyanathan, Devang Rawat, Nabeel Najeeb, Divya Nawale, India Impex, Simone Dinshaw, Dr. Kamal Singh, Jasdeep Oberoi, Rahul Advani, Varshini Neeti Mohan, Shri Sajjan Gupta Trust, Ruchit Kapadia, Shegufta Alam, Sanjay Gupta, Karina Daruwala, Sujit Sahu, Aditya Sanghvi, BandanJot Singh, Mahesh Multani, Rajesh Mishra, Karan Mulchandani, Rajesh Upadhyay, Ashok Ramdham, Kinjal Shah and Vaidehi Patel.
Our libraries will have myriad number of benefits for our students.
E-Base making news: The Better India
Recently Conservation Wildlands featured in ‘The Better India’.
It was a proud moment to have our work recognized and appreciated. Needless to say, we are glad to share the piece with you.
