Kerala   

Chasing a lifeline

A group of schoolchildren from south Indian States are in for a treat. The children will get a rare opportunity to know nature from close quarters during this summer vacation. More than that, they will get a venue to display the artistic impressions that nature has left in them.

The Regional Museum of Natural History, Mysore, is all set to provide the children a gift this summer vacation, which they are likely to cherish for long. For the first time, the museum is spreading its activities to other south Indian States rather than confining them to Karnataka.

A summer river camp, to be held in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is what B. Venugopal, scientist-in-charge of the museum, has in mind.

Starting May 29, a select group of schoolchildren will undertake extensive trekking along the Chalakkudy river from its origin to the last point. The River Research Centre, the Chalakkudy River Protection Samithi, Thanal, Moozhikulam Sala and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, are the participating agencies in this programme.

"The camp will present the children an opportunity to understand nature, especially rivers and the life along its course," Dr. Venugopal says. The children will also interact with tribal people in their habitats and discuss various environmental issues connected with the river, he explains.

The impressions that the programme will leave in them will be displayed at Ernakulam Town Hall on June 5, marking the World Environment Day celebrations. The Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development of the Kochi Corporation will also be associated with the programme.

The museum has also planned a series of programmes in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram as part of the extension activities it is undertaking.

A two-day conference on environment and heritage in Kerala, in collaboration with the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development, and Moozhikulam Sala, Ernakulam, is one among the programmes. The conference will begin on May 17.

Another conference on environmental education in Kerala is planned in Thiruvananthapuram, in collaboration with the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, on May 22 and 23.

K.S. Sudhi

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