The 9th national conference on the theme of 'Saving the Western Ghats' concluded at the Srikrishna College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore on Sunday. The three-day event, which was like an ecological festival of sorts for the organisers and nearly 1,500 delegates, was inaugurated on Friday by K.C. Malhotra, founder-chairperson of the Save Western Ghats Movement (SWGM).
Malhotra, who recollected the early days of the campaign, gave a clarion call to protect forests and thereby humanity. “Jungle bachao.. Manav bachao” he said loudly while inaugurating the gathering. “It is a unique thing, despite everything happening the largest place of biodiversity that includes nature and animals is protected ..It is our culture, it is our strength.. We are the society which has love and affection towards the biodiversity outside... Inside we are protected.. These are sacred roots," he noted referring to the Western Ghats in his inaugural speech.
The former dean of SWGM John Singh urged for a mass campaign for the ban of single-use plastic products for the protection of Western Ghats.
Kumar Kalanand Mani, the advisor of SWGM, said that the conference focuses on getting a “pro-people, pro-Western Ghats and pro-ecology” outcome.
The ecological movement is very unique because it is not funded by anyone. It is a people's movement. The movement that started with the ‘Save the Western Ghats' march of 1987-1988 has changed over the years and grew into a festival, he added.
The conference witnessed the participation of around 1,500 delegates from the six Western Ghats states, viz., Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, and also from rest of the country. Senior officials from the Forest Department, farmers, scientists, researchers and students from various educational institutions took part in the conference, which offered a chance to learn more about the environment, its conservation and how to contribute to it.
On the opening day of the conference artistes from the he Irula community of the Nilgiris and Parai staged spectacular shows.
G.L. Janardhana (Karnataka), John Peruvanthanam (Kerala), Saravanan (Puducherry), Vaishali Patil (Maharastra) and N. Nirmal Ulhas Kulkarni (Goa) presented State-wise reports in a session moderated by Pandurang Hegde, an SWGM advisor, on the first day.
A photography exhibition at the venue depicted the growth of the movement that started with the ‘Save the Western Ghats' march of 1987-1988’. Another photography exhibition held here celebrated tiger, India’s national animal. It was conducted by the Wild trust of India in association with Tata Chemicals Limited.
Several handmade natural products such as cream and powder, art and crafts materials, clothes, food items were also exhibited at the fest.