Interactions with teachers.

Some weeks ago we had a program with teachers at our office. These teachers teach in schools we have been associated with. We organized this get-together to

1.      Screen and discuss a conservation film that focussed on teachers.

2.      Share of our actions.

They came on time and as we began we realized that participant numbers exceeded our expectations! We started the film helped with energetic acoustics from our then freshly acquired speakers. The initial silence and confusion moved away their spaces being quickly taken up by excitement and fun.

The film Bagh Sanrakshan – Ek Anokha Prayas (Tiger Conservation – A Unique Effort) has been made by BVIEER and talks of their interesting journey under the auspices of the ICEF project. Participants saw how conservation education was getting priority in various parts of the country and the different programs voluntary organizations undertook towards conservation education with students and teachers. They saw action in class rooms in rural areas, visits by teachers to national parks and bal-mela (fair organized by students). While the coverage was limited to the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh it was fun to see actions like placing pictures of wildlife species on a tree picture based on the position the particular species preferred on the tree and surveys undertaken by students.

Our actions were restricted to pitch in with field-guides (birds, mammals and snakes) when wildlife was discussed and help with translation (Mara, Mizo or English) when need arose. The idea being to share the concepts, allow the space to dwell on the same and possibly walk the road ahead together. After the screening we had tea, biscuits and kuva (paan) and talked about select wildlife species as we flipped through the field guides.

In the ensuing discussion one of the participants wished that they could be a part of such wonderful and inspiring trainings while other argued saying that it was not training that was pertinent for nature conservation but loving wildlife and respecting God’s creations that we had around us. One participant was of the opinion that they should be taken on exposure visits to large zoos like the one at Guwahati (he later asked me what animals I was fortunate enough to see there) since it would allow them to see wildlife at close quarters while another held the view that while conservation of wildlife was important and should be practised tasty birds like Khaleej Pheasant (Vahrik) should be kept out of the purview! One of them even pushed away the mammal guide on coming across the Slow Loris (Ruleipa) picture! I was aware to the belief concerning the shy primate referred to as the boneless but the extent left me baffled.

Like during the screening our role during the discussion that followed was minimum (I am re discovering the virtues of speaking less!). These discussions were open with respect to time and topic and the idea was to get them talking of wildlife and its conservation, put forth their views and perspective.

We shared report on the actions undertaken during the recent past, our plans for immediate future actions and discussed them briefly seeking their inputs in the process. Their interest and enthusiasm play a pivotal role in these.

And of course we shared the Hoolock Gibbon (Hauhuk) posters developed by ZOO.

Thanking the participants, BVIEER for film and ZOO for posters!