“വയൽക്കാഴ്ചകൾ” The exhibition on photographs of birds and biodiversity in kole wetlands with an orientation towards spreading awareness about the requisite to conserve the ecosystem evolved around kole wetlands was conducted by Kole Birders Collective as part of the World Environment Day celebration by Department of Biotechnology SCMS on 05 june 2024 at the seminar hall of SCMS Muttom Campus.
There was an awareness program as part of the environmental day celebration where Dr Sethulekshmy C (Professor & HoD, Department of Biotechnology, SSTM) addressed the audience with her welcome speech introduced all guests to the audience precisely and put her views on her explicit idea of celebration of environmental day different from previous years with not just planting a seedling but making amendments in mentality of youth by awareness prompting them to contribute towards conservation.
Followed by a speech from Dr G Sashi Kumar (Principal, SCMS School of Technology & Management) expressing his views on the exhibition and how it has motivated him to look forward to join hands in looking for birds after his retirement and shared his fascination towards seagulls and his experience with the gulls while visiting his kids abroad.
Further talks by Mr Mukundan Kizhakkematan , Adv Latha Prabhakaran And Mrs Mini Anto who are all part of the Kole Birders Collective and Ms Chithira Kusuman a well known poet and environmentalist Emphasised and elaborately explained how the human interventions cause the nature to be doomed for future generations by extinction of many elements in flora and fauna and triggering climate change which has become the highest concern for the human for existence.
The talks by the guests voiced their concerns about the depletion of natural resources and how we have come to the present scenario where we have as humankind with our carbon footprint collectively contribute to the climate change , and suggested the simple ways to reduse the carbon footprint and other means to contribute for conservation of our ecosystem to the audience.
Being a spot near to the HMT urban forest where in the past few decades an exclusive bio diverse ecosystem has evolved to exist within the heavily populated city limits with its concrete sky scrapers of the Ernakulam city Mr Mukundan Kizhakkematom and Adv Latha Prabhakaran explained about the ecosystem down there and how our future generations are going to loose this bio diverse area which actually should have been explicitly be protected but being marked as the site for our upcoming high court complex . The authorities have already given approval for the project where the members of the govt and any agencies connected to the upcoming complex there must have been celebrating this world environmental day with a photo session of planting a seedling which they most likely are not going to look back to and might even plant another seedling at the exact spot and smile for the camera exactly an year later.
We kill forests or ecosystems evolved in centuries or decades and pretend being protector of nature by planting a seedling which we have no intentions to protect the existence of …
Mr Poly Kalamassery who has recorded most the birds in the Urban canopy of HMT Kalamasseri and motivated most of the birders and photographers from all parts of Kerala to visit HMT Kalamasseri was there among us in the audience, there are more than 200 bird species and more than 50 spider species recorded from HMT, I don’t know where else in Kerala could we find a place within the city limits , the elusive black baaza which had been coming down for many years there, Ms Chithira Kusuman and Adv Latha Prabhakaran explained ways and means on how the audience mainly of students could start from home and as an individual contribute to the society and the world with simple steps to reduce carbon footprint and support eco system with even the smallest of steps could be taken.
Mr Mukundan kizhakkematan also explained to the students on the citizens science , how citizen scientists contribute to the greater efforts in scientific research by way of contribution from common people as part of their observations and urged the students to document their observations and contribute to Citizen Science.
Dr Surya Babu (Assistant Professor, Dept of Biotechnology, SSTM) Concluded the awareness program On behalf of the organisers being an ornithologist herself and an author of many published books related to ornitholgy translated into as many as seven languages internationally her views and inputs could well be of great motivation to her students.
Architect Benison George (Assistant professor, SCMS School of Architecture) Along with a batch of more than 50 students from SCMS school of architecture had also viewed the exhibition and was part of the audience on the awareness program. Dr Indu Nair (Group Director, SCMS), Dr Baiju Radhakrishnan (Group Director SCMS), Dr Anil Raveendra Nath (Professor, SCMS School of Architecture), Dr Sethulekshmy C (Professor & HoD, Department of Biotechnology, SSTM), Dr Surya Babu (Assistant Professor, Dept of Biotechnology, SSTM), Dr G Sashi Kumar (Principal,SCMS School of Technology & Management)And other faculty members of SCMS dept of bio technology all visited the exhibition and was found enthusiastic about the birds in their interaction with the members of kole birders collective present there.
Mr Sunil Jaleel with family was there in the audience and viewed the exhibition, being a photographer with experience of visiting kole wetlands his inputs about the exhibition was valued much. Mr Joseph Lasar a faculty on a media institute who was part of the curator team for the exhibition as technical support. And Ms Laxmi from kole birders collective was present at the awareness program and was helping out in winding up the exhibition.
I am missing out names of other faculty members of the SCMS who were actively assisting the efforts in the whole process from beginning to end , your immense support is well appreciated.
We Mrs Mini Anto, Mrs Sneha Binil, Mr Manoj Kunnambath And Mr Dijumon Komanthakkal.
As the volunteers from Kole Birders Collective on behalf of all members of Kole Birders Collective extend our sincere gratitude to the team SCMS For the opportunity to exhibit the photographs of biodiversity within kole wetlands at your premises supporting our objective of spreading awareness and reaching out to the youth and nurturing from the buds .
Special thanks toDr Sethilakshmi Csand Dr Surya Babufor their efforts in organising such a great event with meticulous planning and co-ordination. The young generation being nurtured by you people will immensely benefit fron your efforts and hope they all contribute towards the conservation of Nature in future.
We hope this world environmental day had been special for the whole team of SCMS.
Our land
Our nature
Generation Restoration