As wildlife volunteers, Kumuda, Siddharth and I went to Bandipur to help celebrate Children’s Day with about 150 children from three local schools: Hangala, Mangala, Bheemannabeedu.

I love that old Karnataka logo!

Here are the Forest Dept. officials at the event: 13 of the children spoke about wildlife and conservation, and we were very impressed. One of the Adivasi teachers also spoke with great passion. Here's Chandrakala, a versatile girl who both sang and spoke well: Here are some of the children, who ran up and asked to be photographed...such delights! Here's everyone at the end of the event: Here are all the Eco-Volunteers who attended: (Deepa, Harsha, Satish, Veena, Ashritha, Kumuda, Sandeep, Siddharth) Other sights, and thoughts: Wildlife: Love can be Wild-ly Boaring.... Hanuman Langurs were everywhere: This beautiful ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER delighted me: As did this TREE PIPIT: The Peacock's breeding plumage, and That Amazing Tail, is just starting to grow out at this season. "Horn OK Please" is the slogan at the back of most trucks (meaning, sound your horn to overtake)...but here was a horn, sorry, antler... This plastic sheet, excreted (probably by a Chital) was a scary reminder that the litter we leave behind could kill animals that ingest it. This animal was lucky to be able to eliminate it. Bandipur has always been a place of Mother and Child, for me. Here are the species that I clicked this time, quite appropriately, on Children's Day! Langur: Gaur: Elephant: Just look at those two little cuties! Human beings: Life at the edges of the forest continues to be hard: Our old temples fall into ruins: But instead of maintaining them, we keep on building new ones... Such beautiful banyan trees, shading the highway. They were planted long ago...can we keep up the practice? Contemporary Indian architecture certainly seems to celebrate colour! So do our buses! (Don't miss the usual hanging-from-the-footboard mode of travel.)

We also dropped in to see Loki (Lokesh) at JLR Bandipur, and I asked permission for Kumuda and Siddharth to see the beautiful murals in some of the rooms:

I’d written an article on the three artists who did the murals…the project was left unfinished, and the newer cottages don’t have them.

I’ve put up more photos on my FB album,

here

(the official part)

and

here

(the other parts!)