They say it takes a small spark to light a fire. It’s that spark I
wanted to ignite in my six-year-old grandson Ahan, so that it lights in him,
the fire of love for nature. And what better way to do it than by taking him
straight into the lap of nature. So, one balmy Sunday morning in March this
year, I took Ahan and his parents Akshata (my daughter) and Karan into the
forests around the BNHS Nature Reserve in Goregaon, Mumbai.
Our nature and the
environment are currently facing increasing risk of climate change and loss of
biodiversity. Human activities, especially deforestation and pollution are driving
a global crisis, impacting ecosystems and threatening thousands of animal and
plant species with extinction.
If we want a better
future, for ourselves as well as our children, we need to tell our kids that
there is vital connection, an umbilical cord actually, between biodiversity,
forests, water and climate change.
This would technically
be Ahan’s second visit into a forest.
When Ahan was barely 2 months old, knowing my love for nature, Akshata and Karan, decided that we spend a day at the Dandenong Ranges nearby. I was in Melbourne at that time for Akshata’s delivery. It was winter in Australia and little Ahan was snug in the warm bosom of his mother. Although he was mostly asleep through the couple of hours we spent in that forest, I was sure that his subconscious mind was absorbing the surrounding natural environment and that this small beginning would have a huge influence on his future affinity for nature.
Six years later, an
excited and bubbly Ahan and the three of us were once again off into the warm
and sultry bosom of mother nature, this time in a forest in the heart of Mumbai
city, where Ahan, Akshata and Karan have since migrated back.
True to its charachter of being a mixed deciduous forest, it was dry at this time of the year, but was alive with the sounds and songs of birds. The sonorous sounds of the Coucal, the melodious whistle of the Magpie Robin, the persistent high pitch calls of the Tailor bird, the rapid, sharp chirps of Sunbirds, the cheerful chatter of the Red-whiskered and White-browed Bulbuls…. It was music to our ears. Ahan was learning the names of a few Indian birds today. As I would regularly visit them in Melbourne, Ahan was already familiar with some Australian birds. One such bird was the Australian Magpie. Magpies can become very aggressive during their nesting season. They establish territories that they fiercely defend. The magpies in our neighbourhood would chase little children playing in the park and swoop down on them if they sensed danger to their newly hatched chicks. While the terrified children would run to safe embrace of their mothers, Ahan had found a solution. He made sure he didn’t leave his home without his helmet!! Magpie Larks on the other hand would strut around the neighbourhood looking for insects to feed on and Ahan would be quick to identify them, “Ajji look! Magpie Lark!!”
One evening as Ahan and I were walking back from his friend Ishaan’s home just across the road, I noticed a large amount of bird poop on the footpath under a Yellow Box tree (Eucalyptus melliodora). Instinctively, I looked up and to my amazement and total disbelief saw a family of large owl-like birds looking down at me with curiosity. My heart was racing with excitement as I guessed they were Frogmouths! Here in India, let alone being seen in the city, frogmouths are extremely difficult to spot even in forests, due to their cryptic colouration. Ahan was as excited to see the birds as I was and on returning home, he enthusiastically shared the experience with his parents. On referring to the bird book I found that they were Tawny Frogmouths, which were pretty common within the city of Melbourne. Ahan had added one more bird to the fairly long list of birds he was familiar with, which included Noisy Miners, Rainbow Lorikeets, Rosella, Kookaburra, Cockatoo, Galah, Swallow, Sea-gull, etc. It was now time for him to get acquainted with Indian birds. And trees and animals.
The dainty stems of the Jamaican spike or Blue Porterweed swayed in the gentle breeze. A few butterflies fluttered around their blue flowers. Although this wasn’t the best time to see butterflies, we did get a few Orange-tips, some Wanderers, a couple of Striped Tigers and some Common Crows. Ahan was excited to see the magical low-growing bush he was already familiar with – the Touch-me-not! (Mimosa pudica). We giggled as we watched the leaves droop with every touch of our fingers.
Sometimes, the best
stories are told in silence. As we quietly walked along the winding road, I
could see that Ahan was soaking in the sights and sounds. While Akshata had
been on quite a few nature trails in her childhood, it was Karan’s first trip
to a forest in India. A flash of yellow that was a Golden Oriole, zipped
through the canopy. An Iora was busy foraging for insects while a couple of
sunbirds sucked nectar from the flowers of the Red Silk-cotton trees.
 |
| Karvy blooms from 2024 |
As we began climbing up
the Karvy trail, we could hear Indian Grey Hornbills calling in the distance.
The trail is named after the Karvy shrub - Strobilanthes callosa which
is famous for its mass blooming of purplish-blue flowers every 7 to 8 years.
The last bloom was in 2024. The Karvy shrub is a very versatile shrub. The
sturdy stems and branches are utilized as structural support for traditional
thatched roofs and in mud walls by local villagers. As the dried stems and
branches are straight and supple and do not easily rot in water, villagers tie
them together tightly to form a mesh which is then plastered with mud and dung
to create highly durable, naturally cool earthen walls and window ledges. While
the branches act as building materials, the living root systems of the shrub
play a massive role in nature too. They hold the soil together and
significantly reduce soil erosion on steep hillsides and slopes.
We had reached upto the point when the path goes downhill towards the stream which leads to the Leopard trail, when my attention was drawn to a shrill, almost melancholic three note scream. “Did you hear that, Ahan?” Ahan had not only heard it but also recollected that call of the Crested Serpent-eagle more than a fortnight later! That day, I knew we had collected memories one step at a time. The thought of climbing back uphill if we continued down towards the Leopard trail deterred us from venturing any further. We had a hearty breakfast amidst the canopy of majestic Palash, Red Silk-cotton, Teak, Kusum and Bael trees and then started our descent towards the Temple trail which would take us towards the exit gate.
On the way we came across a
tree whose bark had long vertical gashes ripped into it. Akshata and Karan were
as curious about this as Ahan was. I pointed out that those were scratch marks left
by a leopard to indicate its territory to other leopards. “Ajji, will we see
the leopard?” Ahan was curious. “You may
if you’re lucky!” I said to him. Big cats like leopards leave scratch-marks to
mark their territories. Along with scratch marks, they also spray a mixture of
scent gland secretions and urine-like fluid to establish territories,
communicate identities, and attract mates. “Yeww!!” was Ahan and Akshata’s
collective response with a crinkle of their noses! Simple moments like these become
the most priceless memories in the quiet of the forest.
As we walked towards
the Temple trail, low branches criss-crossed our path swaying in the gentle
breeze. Ahan could not resist the temptation of hanging from them and had soon grasped
a branch with his little hands and was swinging from them like a little monkey!
The term “brachiation” came to my mind
when I saw him moving swiftly along the branches. Brachiation is a form of
arboreal locomotion (tree movement) where primates swing from branch to branch
using only their arms. And little Ahan was good at it 😊
The shrill, rhythmic
drone of cicadas filled the air as we walked towards the old quarry. I looked
around to see if I could find one so that Ahan could see what a cicada looked
like. We didn’t have to wait too long as Akshata’s keen gaze spotted one
despite being completely camouflaged on the bark of a tree!
While crickets and some
other insects rub their wings to produce sound, cicadas use a very different technique.
The unique acoustics of a cicada are the result of specialized anatomy. Male
cicadas possess membranes called tymbals near their abdomen, which, when
flexed, act like the vibrating metal cap on a jar. These membranes can vibrate
up to 400 times a second, amplifying the sound through their hollow abdomens to
reach deafening levels. Females lack tymbals, so most of them don’t produce
sound. But some species use their wings to produce clicking or snapping sounds,
often in response to the songs of the males.
The sun was well up in the
sky and was becoming too warm for our comfort. We soon decided to call it a
day. As we approached the parking area, I saw my friend Viral Mistry animatedly
waving both his hands at me in absolute exhilaration. Why is Viral so excited
to see me?!! I wondered. As we chatted, I realised that it was not my presence that
was the reason for his excitement. He and his friends had just seen a leopard! It was resting in the culvert pipe close to the Leopard trail. The
sight of a wild cat in its natural environment often evokes frenzied reactions from
the observer! Ahan’s innocent question
to me just an hour ago came rushing back to my mind, “Ajji, will we see the
leopard?” “You may if you’re lucky!” I had
said to him casually! Karan, Akshata and I exchanged glances for mutual
approval. Karan was not going to be deterred by the exhaustion from the morning’s
climb up the Karvy trail. But Akshata was a tad reluctant. Soon we were descending down
the steep steps of the Leopard trail just for a glimpse of that elusive cat.
And sure enough, as we peered into the culvert pipe, the leopard raised his head for just that one magical moment and then went back to his siesta! Ahan had seen his first leopard in
the wild! And so had Karan.
One more memory
collected! Although I had seen a leopard in this very pipe several times
before, I couldn’t have been more thrilled at having shared this magical moment with Ahan and his parents.
It is our children,
after all, who are the future guardians of our natural word.
And a fortnight later
when Ahan asked me, “Ajji when will we go to that forest again?” I knew I had ignited
the spark.
Nivedita Kotharé
1st April 2026
| Image of "Welcome to BNHS Nature Reserve" sourced from the Internet. Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BNHS_Conservation_Education_Centre_CEC_Mumbai_DSCN3845_%282%29_01.jpg |
