Preparation for the outstation trip started with a question ‘what all activities we can do?’. ..initially, activities were listed what we anyway do at the campus like trekking, camping, bird watching, meeting people etc. So the next question was “why are we going?”
We went deeper on the purpose of the trip with a question ‘why are we going?’
- Comparing two places help to understand different places?
- What all we would like to observe?
- Know economy of the place?
- Understand how waterfalls are formed? Where do they come from?
- Natural disaster management like forest fire.
- History, their stories
- Their culture, ritual
- Collect stories, photographs of one thing like ( different trees, insects, buildings etc)
- Their natural resources
- Understand western Ghats
- Understand biodiversity
Now the next question was that what each one of us wants to do during this trip? This led to each one of having our own agenda for the trip here are some
- Searching for snakes
- Interviewing to understand culture
- Exploring nature
- Document food, crop, and history
- Write about place and farming and lifestyle
- Sketching the places, birds
- Photo documentation
- Stories of the elements
- Write observation, collecting different seeds and stones
- Write observation and share stories to tell people
- Exploring farming and simple lifestyle
- History of place, farming, sketching, trekking, tell about the place
- Understand nature, interviewing
- Understanding biodiversity
- Understand farming and lifestyle
Next was what all we need to prepare to work on that agenda. Like If someone is going with an agenda to make a movie about Sirsi, they will take the appropriate camera and other equipment along with preparation of shooting location etc. So each one began to start thinking about their purpose and what all they need to do before going.
- For one to find more about snakes, one need to know what all snakes are found in western Ghats.
- For one to know about history, one needs to what is that place about.
- For one to sketch a one need to know how to sketch and to know what all birds can be found, one can collect the details of the birds and their features.
- Check on a map where is Western ghat and make a list of birds in that area so know what all to see.
- For one to know what kind of nature to expect, one can find what kind if flowers to expect.
- To find about the trip and history, one needs to know crops if the area and some history to explore more.
- For one to know what seeds to collect or what stories to know, one needs to know about the flora and fauna of the place and some facts of the place.
- For one to write a blog, maybe the experience of some blog writing or reading other styles of various blogs will help to have value addition to the whole experience. And know what is Western ghat, reading in advance will help to relate what one can experience during the trip.
- Once again determined to write photo blog of the trip, maybe reading some photo blogs will help to write or have a direction for the photographs one is clicking.
- Knowing about western Ghats and their culture will help to about their lifestyle.
Work continues…