KERALA TRIP November 28 - December 4 2002 The lush green forests of Kerala, bathed in the sun, resonating with the sounds of birds, and teeming with leeches. Kerala, 'God's own country' was the chosen destination for eighteen little rascals from Ananya, four even bigger rascals from Dream a Dream, and at the head of it all, Mrs. Shashi Rao, Poonam and Sachi from Ananya. We left for Sultan Battery from Bangalore on the 27th of November. The kids were well equipped with cozy blankets for the overnight journey by bus. Early morning mists of November 28th revealed a sleepy group of people with ton loads of luggage and two jeeps to fit themselves and their luggage into. With arms and heads popping out of windows, we breathed in the tropical air of Kerala. The excitement had just begun. After a long windy ride we stepped into Kannavu- the tribal school where we would stay for the next three days. We were shown into the library, which served as sleeping quarters for all of us. Of course, no one really thought of sleep. The kids went crazy with flashing their torches in spite of dire threats from Shashi about being stranded in the wilderness, in the dark, without batteries. Finally, we slept till the light crept in, heralding our first day at Kannavu. The children were up and about by 6:00am. A walk to the nearby river and fields occupied us till it was time for breakfast. We were served hot, steaming meals by the shy women and men behind gigantic urns of food. Next in the order of things to do were the viewing of documentaries of Kannavu, which gave us a better understanding of their philosophy and the way of teaching. Around early afternoon it was time for a thorough river drenching and water fights. The convenience of drying out in the sun without having to change wet clothes added to all the fun of splashing about. In the evening, it was time for music and dance. The children at Kannavu amazed us with their lilting, catchy music and lively dance steps. Everyone joined in the merriment with no inhibitions, right from the tiny toddlers to the older women. All that energy really lifted our spirits and some of us joined in the dancing. A few of the Kannavu residents even showed us some Kalaripayattu on demand. Their dexterity and flexibility were absolutely stunning to our jaded city- eyes. With the end of the folk evening, we retired to the library, eager to get some sleep for another adventurous day ahead. Mmmmm, sweet, powdery steaming hot coffee greeted us sleepy heads on the second day of our stay. We quickly stirred ourselves to be ready for a jungle walk led by Poonam's interesting snippets on science and with her ponderous camera clicking away at the greenery. Armed with sticks, caps and eager eyes, we devoured the natural beauty of the huge green trees, the whispering bamboos and the delicate webs woven by tunnel spiders along the way. On our second day at Kannavu, we set off for Eddakkal Caves, which turned out to be quite some rock climbing. The view from the top of the caves was beautiful. We could see both, Kerala as well as Karnataka from the top. We also saw primitive writing and drawing on the rocks inside the cave, which has been preserved since the 8th Century B.C. Next on the agenda was lots of lunch. We climbed down from the caves and filled our stomachs at a Kerala restaurant. Surprisingly, most of the children chose to eat chicken biryani. Of course, delicious fried fish as well as vegetarian meals were part of the lunch too. After that, we drove back to Kannavu and the afternoon, once again, was given over to romping around in the river. For many of the kids, it was another day in which to hone their swimming skills, with the aid of empty plastic bottles as floats. Though the floats didn't seem too effective, except as a psychological stimulant. The evening sun set on a happy group of people, dancing and singing in the common room and clapping hands to the triumphant, vibrant tune of the 'Wayanad' song, and dancing with that gay abandon, peculiar to tribal people. The morning of the third day was spent with a walk in the forest with Shashank leading the way and the rest winding in a long line behind him. After our return from the walk and a sumptuous lunch, we prepared to say goodbye to that beautiful place. We piled into a nice, spacious school bus, drove to the 'Gurukul Botanical sanctuary,'- our sanctuary for the rest of our stay at Kerala. Supi, who immediately established a rapport with the kids, speaking to them in perfect Tamil and Kannada, warmly greeted us. Incidentally, she speaks Malayalam beautifully, and perfect English as well. We dropped our bags and settled down for tea and oranges. The water tower that had been built by those living in the sanctuary was a beautiful, high place from where we could watch the sun set. As the stars began peeping out, we were changed and ready for games with Mr. Wolfgang. The kids played a very interesting game with him, while hot dinner was being prepared in the kitchen cum dining area. The kitchen really does deserve special mention. With wooden flooring, mellow lights, huge tables and long French windows, we felt like we were dining in a five star hotel-Or even better, because it was so cozy and felt like home. The next day at the sanctuary brought about the re- awakening of all the adventure in us. We were completely mesmerized by the number of beautiful plants, trees and birds. From carnivorous venus traps to the wildly delicate 'white tea', the sanctuary was home to every single plant species found in the western ghats, and many other parts of the world. It was an absolutely breath - taking return to the lap of mother nature. Supi took the kids for some early morning exercises, while a few of us went bird watching on the water tower. We saw a really rare bird- the Peregrine falcon, and many warblers and sunbirds. After a sumptious breakfast, the gang was all set for fishing in the river- The fishing we did was really unique. We fished with two pieces of blue net, two wicker baskets, our feet, and a can in which to store the fish, for our game was live, and not dead fish to be put in the sanctuary pond. The whole group would wade through the water, as silently as possible, keeping their eyes open for little silvery darts under the surface of the water. At a sign from Wolfgang uncle, the net holders would hurry to the side of the river where the water plants were thickest, while another child, with the designation of peddler would station himself above the plants. The net holders would drag the net to the bottom of the shallow water, while the peddler would frantically shovel hiding fish from the plants into the net with his feet. Then the net would be brought up and the catch eagerly examined, thrown back if it were only tadpoles, or carefully transferred to a tight, wet fist, and 'plop' into the can. -- There goes another fish for the pond. It was an exhilarating moment when a 'snake- fish' was caught. By then the children were expert fishermen, wading with silent determination through the sparkling water, quickly locating new spots to catch the fish and constantly improvising on the net and peddle method. It was interesting to see how each of the kids took one part of the job which they intuitively knew they would be good at. Sarsa was our best peddler, while Prabhu and Govindraj made an excellent net team. Prabhu and Madhusudan were in a world of their own, navigating through the water with quiet eyes and thoughts. We fished till about 4 pm by which time our can was full, and our stomachs growling. Back at the sanctuary, we gulped down our lunch and went along with Supi to pick our very own tea. The tea plants at the sanctuary were quite wild. We bent down the long branches to reach the only leaves, which make fine tea--- two leaves and a bud. It was a nice, quiet time, the children engrossed in searching the plants for the best leaves and filling our sacks with what we plucked. It was at this time that Shekhar found a snakeskin. He spent the next hour plaguing Poonam aunty, who was only too happy to answer his queries on snakes. On our way back, we plucked fruits from a grape fruit tree, and returned to the sanctuary with the day's harvest. We closed our eyes for the night beneath a starry sky, dreaming of dragon flies and rivers full of snake fish. The next day was our last at the sanctuary. We set off for a jungle trek in two groups - one with Wolf uncle, and the other with Sandy, his son. That trek was wild. Absolutely wild. We trekked through marshy land, elephant dung, pebbly riverbeds, steep slopes, fallen trees, thick bushes, everything. The trek was approximately 9 km long, and definitely not designed for dainty feet. We stopped at a small water fall for sometime, and wolf uncle showed us strangler figs in the jungle which had killed the mother tree. Through all the mad rushing through river land and jungle, was the one all- pervasive presence- leeches. Hundreds of them. Mouths eagerly extended, looping their way through leaves, slithering onto toes, latching on to bare skin, they haunted us throughout the trek. The way our group reacted was pretty interesting. Some of us could do nothing but stare at our feet and feel for leeches. Others didn't dare look down, just kept moving fast in the hope that leeches wouldn have time to latch on. It was important for the group to not be slowed down by one stopped person pulling leeches away, because that meant more leeches for all of us. So we ran through many wet parts of the jungle where the leeches were most, and when we came to the water it was time to check for the black slithery things and flick them in the water. By the end of the trek, each of us knew exactly how to flick leeches, and the places they latched on most easily. We were the authority on leech repellant methods. It was an experience worth having, and one we wouldn't easily forget. The trek lasted for the most of the day. We gobbled our lunch at 4:00 and just relaxed for sometime. Later in the day, we had a winding up session with the entire group, as well as Supi, Wolfgang and Sandy. Each of us said what we had especially liked about the trip, and why. The children also raised many interesting questions and made thought provoking observations about the trip. Some questions raised were: though the paddy fields look the same as in Karnataka, why is the rice here thick and round unlike the long grain slender rice back home? Wolfgang told the children the difference between par-boiled rice and polished rice and the nutritional qualities of both. Why are there so many species of tall, very tall trees? Why aren't the trees in Bangalore so tall? Why are the dragonflies so thin and delicate? Supi explained that they were not dragonflies but damsel flies. Some observations were made on the quietness and peace of the sanctuary, the numerous varieties of birds, plants, flowers etc. All these thoughts buzzed through our minds and there was an air of introspection as each one of us went through the last three days in our minds. One thought that seemed common to all those present is how short the trip had been, and we all hoped the next time we would be able to stay longer. That last night at the sanctuary, we slept well and rose early next morning to return to Bangalore. Two jeeps had been arranged for us till Mysore. We reached Mysore around lunch time after a grueling drive through the forests at a break-neck(!) speed of 20 kmph (much to Sachiyo's amusement), and boarded the train back to Bangalore at 3:00pm. At 6:30 the train chugged into the city, with all 24 of us, our heads and hearts full with the amazing time we had over the past week.