On the evening of September 2nd when the riots
due to Cauvery river water dispute had subsided in Bengaluru, my friend and I frantically
searched for buses heading to Chikmagalur. We were advised to leave as early as
possible on the first available bus, to avoid the possibility of buses getting canceled if the riots resumed later in the day.
Both of us were very excited about the adventure that awaited us at Chikmagalur
and wanted to reach there at all costs. Wildlife Conservation Action
Team of Chikmagalur aka WildCAT-C, an active conservation group
in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka that aims to protect the forest and
rights of people, was organizing a cycling rally and we offered to volunteer for
the occasion. Cycle for nature is one of the edutainment activities organized
for school children in the region to learn about and appreciate their
surroundings. It encourages the children to cycle around and explore the places
for purposes like birding, viewing wildlife etc. The event which was first held
in 2005 was entering its tenth edition and was sponsored and supported by the
Forest Department of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve/Wildlife Sanctuary. It was
earlier conducted as an independent event, but now it is a part of the wildlife
week celebration.
We reached Chikmagalur during the
wee hours of 3rd of September
and were welcomed to the sleepy town by a WildCAT-C member. Realizing that it
was in the best interest of the program if we were well rested, he dropped us
off at our rooms for some rest. We lapsed into a mini coma soon. A couple of
hours later, we were up and about and ready to begin the day. We were driven to
the site where the event was to be inaugurated, by Mr. D V Girish, who is a
veteran conservationist and an active member of WildCAT-C. The participants,
all in their early teens were already at the school with their bikes, eagerly
waiting for the event to start. After a short volunteer meeting which involved a
briefing about our responsibilities for the day, we proceeded to the
registration desk to kick-start the event. The participants were split into
groups and each team was given a name inspired by nature. Each team had 5
members and there were 30 teams altogether. The program has seen consistent
participation in the past with good numbers over the years. Registration was
followed by some hot and tasty breakfast served along with the famous Chikmagalur
coffee.
By 8.30AM, participants were seated
inside the school hall and Mr. Girish explained to them the rules of the rally including
the 22 kilometers route they need to follow within 3 kilometer radius of the
Chikmagalur town. Each team was handed a map and a set of questions for which
they had to find answers during their quest. They were reminded that the rally
was not about the destination but the journey to the destination. The event was
inaugurated by the Conservator of Forests, Mr. Karunaakar and the local MLA,
Mr. C T Ravi (from the big round of applause he received while he entered the
hall I inferred that the man has a celebrity status in the area). Mr. Ravi flagged
off the event and the first team set off to find the answers. Once all the
teams had left, we volunteers followed them in two and four wheelers to ensure their
safety. We were a total of 30-35 volunteers including a doctor and a cycle
repairer, and with help from the forest department which had their personnel
posted at several points, the situation was well under control. It was a beautiful
drive through the countryside passing through fields, wetlands, watching birds
and waving to the onlookers who were curious to find out about the event. It was
very satisfying to watch the kids trying to work out answers as a group. We
took a break after a 10km drive, to distribute refreshments to the tired
participants and to make sure we had all the groups up to speed. It was
disheartening to find out that they still thought of it as a race and yet again
we reminded them that the journey is what they should relish not the
destination. Once all the teams reported, we headed towards the last point, Model
English School.
At the final point, lunch was
arranged for volunteers and participants. The hungry kids wolfed down the hot pulau which was served with some crispy pakhora and jilebi. Once we were satiated, we all settled down on the grass
to discuss the answers they had found on their way. It was heart-warming to see
the joy on their faces when they realized they had the right answers. After a long discussion session, the event
came to an end and they were advised to ride home safely.
The event was the culmination of ten days of hard
work and many more days of planning and organizing. The effort and support
provided by the forest department definitely need
to be applauded and the WildCAT-C’s hard work to organize the entire program is
commendable. All the volunteers were grateful to the students, their parents
and schools for their enthusiastic participation in the event, making it a
success. I left Chikmagalur with a lot of happy memories and an inspiration to
organize a similar event in a conducive environment. 