The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Where education, entertainment go hand in hand, as do children

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Wednesday, Apr 01, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Where education, entertainment go hand in hand, as do children

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

Adyar Poonga attracting children, what with its improvement

— Photo: M.Karunakaran

GREEN OUTING: Children looking at a waterbody inside the Adyar Poonga.

CHENNAI: For many young visitors to Adyar Poonga on Greenways Road, information and entertainment come together, making learning a fun activity.

Children from various city schools, who come on field trips, learn bird calls, create art out of waste, know about the various processes involved in vermi compost and solar energy.

On Tuesday a group of students from Corporation Middle School, Narayanaswamy Thottam, who visited the Poonga, said they had fun watching birds and learning bird calls. “Even though I have visited the spot with my uncle and aunt I prefer to come to this spot with my classmates because it is more fun,” said M. Ilavarasi, a student of Standard VII.

Though it is examination time, her classmates — K. Chitra, D. Devi, R. Anbukarasi — said that they know to balance studying for exams and visiting the Poonga. It was their fourth visit to the Poonga. V. Gayathri said that she would bring her family to the Poonga in summer during the vacation.

The Poonga has a lot of plans for the summer. According to Archana Chandhoke, a consultant at the Poonga, a summer camp has been planned for children during children can be part of puppetry sessions, become green warriors and campaign against plastics, be involved in activities like tree planting, bird watching and learn to make art from waste.

J.T. Rex Vaz, chief coordinator, Adyar Poonga, said the Poonga was aimed at making the public conscious of the environment. “We have a nursery of herbal plants. We teach child care medicinal plants. We have signages about the plants, birds, insects that are found locally and also food chain and herbal plant usage. These help educate the visitors. We have a new map showing the Adyar river, where it is polluted and what the present condition of the river is.”

The Poonga also sees a lot of families that walk in on their way to the beach. “Weekends are especially crowded. The number of visitors has been growing gradually,” he added. The Poonga is closed on Fridays.

One of the thatched huts in the premises serves as a place for the children to do art work. They make CD holders from old show boxes, hour glasses and pen stands using plastic bottles; and small animal figures using old newspapers paper.

Subhasree Muraleetharan, a member of Friends of Adyar Poonga, said there has been a significant improvement in the condition of the park. “After the rubbish has been removed, it has become clean and nice. We are awaiting permission to take up walking here,” she added.

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