Just look around...what a beautiful world!
ANJANA
Photo by Anjana
Dear children,
The nature around you is beautiful. Just go to a park, pond, ocean, or forest. Sit there and look at it. Enjoy the sounds of bird calls or leaves rustling and small creatures moving around you. They are colourful and each one is unique. Feel the flower or play in the mud :)
Illustration by Kavita Singh Kale, under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver
Illustration by Nimret Handa, under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver
These intricacies of nature that we see with our own eyes are not captured in any textbooks or HD screen!! These were some of my childhood experiences that attracted me to biology. I always cherish the memories of climbing up the small hill behind my granny’s home whenever I would get scolded, or just like that to eat wild fruits. I distinctly remember all those plants on the hill and the sour and sweet wild fruits. At the top of the hill was a small jamun tree; from which the 6-7 year old me could reach out and pluck big, sweet fruits, directly from its branches. Sometimes I would climb on its branches to reach for more fruits. All those colourful fruits made my summer holidays more memorable.
Practical aspects of science differ from the theoretical ones. No, I am not trying to mislead you here. Rather, I want to guide you through the reality; and in a really positive way if not anything else.
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It is said that childhood experiences shape our interests."
The hills, trees, insects, beautiful flowers, fallen leaves, the round yellow mushrooms which made me sick, everything found a place in me. I would often make handicrafts out of dried leaves, seeds or flowers which my school teachers appreciated. Even after I grew up, during my graduation studies, I would often skip classes to venture out in the forest in Sirsi, a small town nestled amidst western ghats of Karnataka. I wanted to know more and find an answer to many things which made me take up biology and do research. I don’t often venture into the woods now as lab research keeps me occupied most of the time. But how I wonder and enjoy when I am in nature as a curious researcher! Someday I wish to move the lab outside under a tree :)
We did not have a TV back then at our home. My father would get me a small story book or weekly editions of childrens’ magazines. As soon as I got my hands on it, I would read every single page, enjoying the beautiful images along with the narrative, and eagerly wait for next week's edition. Many of these were Kannada children’s story books: Tunturu, Balamangala, Champaka, and Chandamaama were my favourites. I loved how the characters Lambodara, Mandu raya (frog), and Dinga (mouse) conveyed important values through simple fables!!
Read as many books as you can! They will deepen your knowledge and trigger your imagination. You can imagine the character and settings in a book but you cannot do that if you listen to video stories, since you wouldn't be able to visualise anything more than what is shown there.
So friends, enjoy your childhood, with abandon! walk around in natural spaces with your buddies. Look around with wide-open, curious eyes at every small thing, read a lot of books, create your own stories and art through which you can document your experiences. When you grow up you will have wonderful memories to cherish and inspire others.
Lovingly,
Anjana
About Anjana
Anjana Hegde is a PhD graduate from IISc Bengaluru. She loves exploring nature and painting in her free time.
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ANANDHU
"What truly matters in any journey, whether it is one in science or not. It is the ignition within you… the curiosity and the passion…. As you learn, you’ll understand how far you have traveled, which is way less than the distance ahead to be covered. Patience and humility are key to reaching the destination."
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