Nature Ki Paathshala: An Open Classroom
Breaking the monotonous pedagogical system of teaching environmental education inside four walls, World Comics India in collaboration with the HCL Foundation organised an outdoor event named – Nature Ki Paathshala in Lodhi Garden, Delhi on 5th November 2022. A total of 30 participants from five different organisations attended the event. The event was conducted by PeeyushSekhsariya, an environmentalist and an artist.
The objective of the event was to impart environmental e d u c a t i o n through art and make people more aware and observant of their immediate surroundings. The session was filled with knowledge and information about different aspects of the environment with a special focus on the different species of trees found in Lodhi Garden.
The session started with a very simple exercise – just sit back, relax, and observe the giant pink floss tree near the Bara Gumbad in Lodhi Garden. After closely looking at the beautiful pink floss tree, participants came up with their distinctive observations. They then took up the challenge to draw the tree. Their drawing completely broke down the monotonous picture that comes to our mind when we think of a tree.
The session also included a short walk around the garden that gave them the opportunity to look at a variety of species of trees. The guided walk was a fun and informative session and the participants got to know about different trees, their uses, their history, and other interesting stuff. Some trees had a specific fragrance, some trees had really big leaves that could cover your face and some trees looked sad because of their bent structure, all these were the observations by participants. Other than imparting knowledge on the different types of trees, the walk was successful in developing the eye of the participants to look at things differently and observe their immediate surroundings from top to toe.