After a strenuous academic year, students who have appeared for the Class X exams can chill out in the lap of nature for three weeks.
After a strenuous academic year, students who have appeared for the Class X exams can chill out in the lap of nature for three weeks, climbing trees, studying plants and animals, observing tribals and their natural way of life, and chasing butterflies. The best part: they will not have to pay a penny. The catch: only 30 will get to have the fun.
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, a non-government organisation, is organising its fifth three-week vacation training programme on bio-resources from April 26. The programme, which is free, will admit only 30 students. Its sessions will be structured in a manner to bring students closer to nature, the organisers said.
“The free training programme includes lectures by eminent scientists in the field of biology and bio-resources,” Abhisheka K, project co-ordinator of the programme, said. It will have modules on plants and animals. “We have clubbed indoor and outdoor sessions, like visits to research institutes and wildlife sanctuaries,” she said.
The list of experts included professors from premier institutes, like the Indian Institute of Science, and herpetologists like Gerry Martin, she said. “The participants can also interact with Soliga tribals and learn about their lifestyle and dependence on nature.” The programme will also have activities like identifying plants, watching birds and butterflies, and field trips.
“Today, most camps give you only a basic knowledge about nature,” Lakshman Badami, who attended the camp two years ago, said. “It is more like attending a classroom in such camps, since they have an overload of indoor sessions,” he said. “This camp is different from others, since it offers exposure to real farming techniques and does not charge a fee.”
“Trips to butterfly parks and the interaction with the experts were extremely useful,” Shruthi Goradia, a student who has taken part in the camp, said. “Early on in the workshop itself, we learned how to identify plants and butterflies. It was for the first time that I looked at nature so closely. They even gave us a list of plants that one can grow at home to attract butterflies.”
“We do not admit more than 30 students,” Abhisheka said. “With too many students it becomes difficult to give personal attention to the participants.”
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