How would you like getting away from the constantly ringing cellphones and computer screens, which make you stress about your meeting or presentation? How would you like immersing yourself in what nature has to offer instead, even if only for a day?
That’s precisely what Madhusudhan Srinivas and his team will let you experience at Wilderness Walks, a social enterprise that hopes to create experiences that will connect people to nature. “Our focus is on getting people outdoors and we’re able to do that by organising nature walks, treks, bird-watching, herping (looking at herpato-fauna) and butterfly trails,” he says.
They also organise wilderness camping and nature camps, activities that are focused on awareness and education. “Once people do any of these, we make sure we go back to them and persuade them to make an effort for conservation,” he adds.
Madhusudhan grew up in an isolated pocket of Rayalaseema, Andhra Pradesh, a lush green valley surrounded by ancient rocky hills. As the years went by, he joined the bird watching club at school. He had no doubts about what to pursue in college and studied Zoology at Madras Christian College, Chennai. “The MCC campus was huge with a forest inside and so much of wildlife and nature around us. I spent more time in the jungles than in class,” he says.
After having worked with many research organisations, he realised that all the research and conservation efforts don’t get translated to concrete action. He says, “I was on the beach in Gokarna and saw the entire area being polluted by tourists. I decided to make them see the place for what it was rather than sit inside a shack and drink all day. I gathered a few interested tourists and took them on a nature walk. I explained to them how the area was environmentally important.”
He had earlier lived for months together in the jungles of Haridwar and Rishikesh, working on a project for camera trapping tigers. “It was a life changing experience and I wish to share it with everyone through Wilderness Walks,” he signs off.
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