Conservation - takes some doing !!!

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”......Mahatma Gandhi.

Seems the blogging bug has bitten me hard and my recent travel to Thekkady region has served as a perfect catalyst. Well folks, this time it's not about a destination but some laudable efforts of nature conservation which caught my attention (yet again) at the Spice Village Thekkady.
                                           It was definitely not my first visit to Thekkady or Spice village for that matter. Being a part of the much privileged tourism fraternity, I have had the liberty of being there on more than 3 occasions, but each time looking things from the perspective of a tour operator or a foreign tourist....... purely on a commercial angle. 

Sadly, I must admit never did I got into the shoe of a responsible citizen, who could care and concern for the nature. My visiting card doesn't speak of  any positions like environmental activist or an expert on the subject for I am a more of a novice, who hasn't done much, BUT, could make some minor contributions to the nature during my tenure  left on this planet.

Responsible Tourism seems to be the mantra followed by many these days but how many does it genuinely, remains a question. CGH Hotels always had the tag of the sustainable, responsible and conservation tag on them and the units like Coconut lagoon, Marari Beach resort, and Spice Village are the perfect examples, making me wonder if the C in  their name stood for Conservation.

While planning my visit to Spice Village, I made it a point to take family and kids along, purely to make them understand the concept and I must say that this  stood out as the best experience during our holiday. Perhaps the presence of 02 Agriculture postgraduates within the family just made things better.

Pratheesh , the in-house naturalist was a real gem. Very professional, rich knowledge and most importantly a great attitude. He explained the procedures with great patience and we could feel the vibration of the the passion he possessed on the subject. 

                                   The flora & fauna is very well maintained and there were some species which we never seen or heard off. The nomenclature is done perfectly and names displayed.

The organic farm was the show stealer. Such a variety of vegetables grown here with a good yield just amazing. Goes on to show , it just needs some effort and will to maintain. We always complain about the pesticide soaked vegetables and fruits coming cross borders but never bother to grow anything on our own. Cabbage, Spinach, Corriander (leaves), peas, chillies, tomatoes, pumpkin and a variety of leafy herbs are found here.It's high time we look at creating our own vegetable garden in our terrace than going for ornamental plants which might be pleasing to your eyes but doesn't help your tummy a bit.

Excellent waste disposal techniques, garbage treatment process, vermi composting, biogas production , Sewage water treatment...... all this and much more.The recycled paper making was something which needs a special mention. From old newspaper they come out with such a fine products the way a sculptor turns a stone into an idol. It was so simple a process which could be done at home. The finished products just looked awesome.

Guests staying at Spice Village ....... please please ensure that you take the kids along with you when you walk around the property with the naturalist. Most of the things were new to the kids and it certainly generates a great enthusiasm and interest in them about the Nature and the importance of conserving our resources. Kids of this generation sadly are not privileged like us, to see squirrels moving around , humming bird feasting on flower nectar or a chameleon standing still in deep thought. These have become rare sights even for us and that's precisely why I strongly advise kids to be taken for the tour as they would get to see all this and in the process, you could too make a silent dive back to  your childhood days.

Closing with a quote by American Environmentalist Aldo Leopold 

"Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left"


(based on my visit to the Spice Village on 15th APR'14)

Special thanks to Shilendran Mohan & Johny Tom for the great hospitality and the fresh lime soda ;)