Introduction (My Journey to the Blue Mountains)

My journey to the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India began in earnest on the morning of 24 January 2010 from Coimbatore. That was the last stop where 36 International Climate Champions (ICCs) from 10 different countries gathered. We were split into four different groups representing four native tribes from the Nilgiris – Toda, Kota, Irula and Kurumba. I was chosen by my tribe, the Kurumbas, to be leader. We had to work together in our teams to present our learning and findings at the end of our week-long stay in the blue mountains. Although the tribes were symbolic, it infused in me a feeling of belonging to a native tribe of the Nilgiris. It was as if I set off on a journey to learn about how the changing climate in the mountains is impacting on my people.

Our three buses, which became our permanent travel companions, began travelling up the winding roads in the mountains. Our driver, having negotiated a number of hairpin bends in a manner that even Lewis Hamilton would have been proud of, took us to our initial stop. We saw the remains of landslides that had been inflicted on the Nilgiris in November 2009. These killed scores of people and destroyed the natural habitat of fauna. 60% of these landslides were due to irresponsible human activities such as deforestation and illegal construction of property.

Our buses continued on what at times seemed a rather frighteningly precipitous route, so much so that I may as well have been on a ski lift. Our destination was Coonoor, 1800m above sea level. During the journey, I thought about the sheer loss of human life and the impact on wildlife as a result of these devastating landslides. Later that afternoon, my thoughts resonated with the District Collector of the Nilgiris, Mr Anandrao Patil. He talked about the landslides in his keynote address during the inauguration ceremony of the ICC Annual Field Camp. He also spoke fervently about the beauty of the Nilgiris and the need to preserve it. His words provided inspiration and set the scene for my week-long stay in the lush greenery of the blue mountains.

The inauguration ceremony featured a prayer by indigenous Toda women and a fire lighting ritual by two Toda boys that provided me with a warm welcome in every sense. After the formalities, I spoke to members of a local Toda self-help group who provide jobs to tribeswomen making handicrafts and hand-woven garments. In typical tourist fashion, I felt inclined to purchase a shawl from them, not to suggest that it was in any way a regrettable purchase; its Toda patterns and colours sure to stand out in my abode.

Seeing me in traditional Toda attire, my fellow champions jokingly questioned my loyalty to my own tribe, Kurumba. I was expressing solidarity not only with Todas but all the native tribes of the mountains. There is much that we could learn from the rich cultures and traditions of indigenous people who have been living in and preserving the mountain ecosystem for centuries. This was a recurrent theme throughout my camp, which I will return to later.

In this blog, I have captured some of my observations and highlights of my journey through the Nilgiris.