On 17th October, the paths of Aurovanam—our nature interpretation centre managed by SVARNIM Puducherry—was visited by 26 young nature explorers brought by SAFIER. Heavy rains the night before had transformed our trails into a beautifully muddy, slippery path, adding a thrilling touch of jungle adventure right from the first step!

As soon as the children arrived, they looked up to see a pair of Red-wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indicus) flying noisily overhead alongside many Swifts (Apodidae) flying eating insects.

Walking down the wet path, the children learned about our region's unique and endangered ecosystem: the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF). They discovered how these plants adapt to survive in areas with very little rainfall. Along the way, they met several indigenous species up close:

The Bamboo 

The Henna Shrub (Lawsonia inermis)

• The Palmyrah Palm (Borassus flabellifer), where everyone enjoyed tasting its sweet, natural jaggery.

Lianas (woody climbing vines), which act as anchoring structure within the TDEF ecosystem.

The children saw the Soapnut tree (Sapindus mukorossi) and the fascinating Screw Pine (Pandanus odorifer). They learned that the fragrant flowers of the Screw Pine give us Keora—the aromatic extract used to flavour festive foods like biryani, sweets, and kulfi.

Near the edges of our peaceful ponds, the grass had delicate Common Yellow (Eurema hecabe) and striking Swallowtail (Papilionidae) butterflies fluttering about.

We moved to our plant nursery, where the children planted vegetable saplings and sowed seeds into the soil.

Afterwards, at the Nature Interpretation Centre the children spent time colouring illustrations of the birds, butterflies, and trees they had learnt of during the walk.

The day took a fun and unexpected turn when the children discovered our traditional coconut dehusking tool. Since a fresh batch of coconuts had just been harvested, a big pile was lying there. The children had a blast working together to dehusk the coconuts using the machine, they even cracked them open to enjoy the sweet, fresh flesh inside.

We hope they return home with memories of the wonderful plants and animals that share our local environment.