At a time when youngsters are seen more in front of TV and computer screens than outside, seven young city students chose to gather some amazing experiences at the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. As young members of the Voices of the Wild, they understand well that the spectacular outdoors belongs to them and waiting to be explored.
Bursting with excitement, the group of children shared the stories of their seven-day visit and the umpteen number of photographs they took of flora and fauna at an informal meeting of VoW members and their parents. “It was very hot there but our love for photography and the valuable opportunity to see animals in their real habitat made us forget everything else,” exclaimed Kodhai.
The team travelled to Yala by road from Colombo. It took them six hours but nobody felt tired because the excitement of spotting leopards beat everything else. They went armed with the information that there are 53 of them at the national park, dubbed as the paradise of leopards. “We were expecting the leopards to play hide-and-seek and were thrilled to spot the first one camouflaged with the rock” said Saro Jayashri Badri.
“The safari was bumpy and our vehicle even toppled once. But none of us was scared. The whole experience was joyful,” recalled Ramnarayanan. “The surrounding was so green and clean that we all have returned with an increased interest in animals, forest and photography,” said Arya Venkat. “We did not mind the early wake-up calls to go for the safaris and it was proper team work all along that made the trip memorable and useful,” pointed out Meenakshi. And Harini couldnt get over talking about the trip that taught her so much about photography and nature. “During the trip we also played guitar and volleyball, shared rooms, cameras, lenses and commented on each other’s photographs. It was fun,” said Skandan.
The children were accompanied by Delhi-based photo journalist Kamal Sahai and wildlife enthusiast Nandini Murali from Madurai. “The children looked at things differently and that is what photography is all about, how beautiful things can inspire in different ways”, says Nandini. With each trip, she feels, the communications skills and team work of the children is getting better as the sense of ownership is turned off.
“Children have an uncluttered view of life, they keep it simple. Working with kids helps me to reclaim my child like sense of simplicity and wonder. As adults we need to acknowledge and validate the children’s specific needs, interests and concerns,” she adds.
‘Voices of The Wild’ is a Madurai-based group of young people who wish to discover a new way of relating to the world in which we live. What started with two members last year, has grown to a team of 15 enthusiastic members. It perhaps indicates how the younger generation is getting sensitised to heritage and biodiversity.
