Nature Walk 01
Location: Cubbon Park
I conducted my first nature walk at Cubbon Park on 19th March.
What’s the purpose of the Nature walks?
Nature walks and self-learning can be an effective way to reignite curiosity and encourage people to ask more questions about the world around them. This is a space and a place where they can look around freely, without having to find something or any pressure of learning by the end of the walk. When we take the time to observe and explore nature, we are exposed to a wide range of sights, sounds, and sensations that can pique our interest and spark our curiosity.
By asking questions and seeking out possible answers or initiating discussions about the same, we can gain a deeper understanding of the natural world, and develop a greater appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the environment around us. Asking questions is also an important part of the scientific process, as it allows us to identify gaps in our understanding and develop new hypotheses to test.
Additionally, asking questions can lead to a sense of empowerment and personal growth. When we actively engage with the natural world and seek out answers to our questions, we are taking ownership of our learning and developing a sense of curiosity and wonder that can be carried with us throughout our lives.
Overall, nature walks and self-learning can be powerful tools for promoting curiosity and encouraging people to ask more questions. By developing a deeper understanding of the natural world and cultivating a sense of wonder and curiosity, we can enrich our lives and contribute to a greater understanding of the world around us.
Goals
While there are no fixed goals or end takeaways that people who are a part of these nature walks need to keep in mind, but by the very nature of the entire activity, the following are the presumed takeaways:
- Being more aware and empathetic towards the environment and surroundings
- Re-igniting the interest and curiosity in nature by asking more questions
- Building a safe space/ collaborative community where people with similar interests can come along to talk or share their ideas
People: The participants in the nature walk were from very varied backgrounds. There were a total of 7 participants.
What did I do in my nature walk?
The walk started with a round of introduction where each one told why did they come for the walk, how did they come to know about it, their interests, and a little bit background about themselves. This round of introduction helped everyone get to know each other, their names and find common connections to bond over. For instance, two people in the walk were interested in mathematics where one was doing a masters in it and other had been a former maths teacher. They got along on this commonality and had more to talk about other than the nature walk itself.
Post round of introduction, I introduced my self and explained to them what my thesis was about and why I was conducting the nature walk. I explained what we were going to do in the one hour planned session (which eventually became more than 2 hours long because we were lost in painting and talking to each other).
We did a small activity where I asked everyone to be on the same spot and count the different types of plants/trees they could see in 15 seconds. Then I asked them to tell the number of plants/trees they could name. The number was zero. I was starting with a group of people who very rarely, if not absolutely never, engaged themselves with nature. While I was afraid that they might not be able to develop an appreciation for nature like I did or even be convinced by this open-ended way of looking at nature, I also thought how I could make use of this opportunity to focus and point out very simple things for people to relate to with the environment they were currently in.
We then went to the exploration phase where all of us were looking around, seeing, questioning and engaging with one another by talking about different interesting things we were finding.
We saw a dried leaf bitten by an insect peculiarly only on the edges like punched holes.
Someone was very intrigued by the textures in leaves, seed pods ands barks, some looked at different shades of colour. We all collectively pointed out so many curiosities and saw things in a way we never looked at before. Questions led on to questions and we collected a lot of insights to further draw on.
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After about 40 minutes, we gathered together and found a shaded place under a tree with dense grass to sit comfortably on. All of us laid our collections in the middle and saw the variety in what each individual found interesting.
The part for which everyone was excited- the painting session. I wanted to use visualisation as a method and paint as a medium to let people express and reflect themselves. Most of the people hadn’t picked up a paint brush in a very long time- the last time may be when they were in school in 5th grade. The point of the exercise was not to make very beautiful and eye pleasing artworks but to draw something meaningful; something that they gained out of the walk.
During the painting session, there were times when everyone went completely silent and were engrossed in their own paintings, while other times we were having serious discussions of what we were making and why we related to certain things. It was a very calming space and it almost felt like meditation to me. In between people were also asking me to help them paint something or teach them how I normally paint. I would go around in circles to have a conversation about what each one was making.
Take aways
I have visited Cubbon Park many times, but today was the first time I stopped and looked around the beauty of nature. Being a person who works in a corporate where everything is man-made, I was never exposed to the beauty of nature in this way. Nature is so pure and beautiful. Today’s session is something I will always keep in mind and the memories, as and when I see a leaf or a tree or anything related to nature.
-Ishaan Godha
All in all, it was a wonderful and a wholesome session on a Sunday morning. I got a very positive response and the enthusiasm was way over my expectations.
I consider the walk to be successful as I was able to make at least one person voluntarily go back to Cubbon park next weekend and get inspired from nature to paint. Them sharing with me the photos of their own little adventure and what they painted by themselves in the park gave me the satisfaction of having made at least one meaningful impact in someone’s life. I believe a simple nature walk and spending some more time with the environment can eventually lead people to develop a larger appreciation for the natural world around them and help be more mindful of their surroundings.
