Valediction or farewell ceremony was on 30 January 2010. Although the term ‘valediction’ is not commonly used in the UK, I was reminded of John Donne’s famous poem A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. Donne, a seventeenth century metaphysical poet wrote it as he was departing from his beloved for a sojourn abroad. As I was preparing for my departure, I reflected on the eventful week that I spent in the blue mountains. I felt sad as my Nilgiris’ chapter was coming to a close.
I wanted to end on a high. My team members and I performed our skit with the utmost perfection. The sound effects which Samhita prepared earlier that morning synchronised well with superb acting from Edwin, Anirudh, Dinju and Larissa. I acted the part of a tourist who carelessly dropped litter to portray problems linked to irresponsible tourism. Sundeep and Snigdha read out the narration and the Nilgiri monologue with precision and clarity. Bannick and Navoda played their part expertly to complete a wonderful display of teamwork. I spent many hours burning the midnight oil working with my tribe sharing ideas, writing the script and rehearsing. It paid off in the end as we were applauded for our hard work and creativity. I was proud to be part of such a wonderful team of individuals.
The valediction ended with a selection of climate champions reading a Global Declaration and a Nilgiri Declaration and presenting them to key policymakers. The declarations contained a series of recommendations for mitigating climate change in any mountainous area and the Nilgiris specifically. They reflected what we learnt during our camp. Much hard work went into their preparation. It was a privilege to be with my fellow climate champions who were intelligent, hard working and inspiring role models.
My journey through the Nilgiris has left an indelible mark in my memory. I will remember the friends that I made there and the time I spent with them. I will treasure the memories and always look back with fondness. I long to return to the blue mountains.
I wanted to end on a high. My team members and I performed our skit with the utmost perfection. The sound effects which Samhita prepared earlier that morning synchronised well with superb acting from Edwin, Anirudh, Dinju and Larissa. I acted the part of a tourist who carelessly dropped litter to portray problems linked to irresponsible tourism. Sundeep and Snigdha read out the narration and the Nilgiri monologue with precision and clarity. Bannick and Navoda played their part expertly to complete a wonderful display of teamwork. I spent many hours burning the midnight oil working with my tribe sharing ideas, writing the script and rehearsing. It paid off in the end as we were applauded for our hard work and creativity. I was proud to be part of such a wonderful team of individuals.
The valediction ended with a selection of climate champions reading a Global Declaration and a Nilgiri Declaration and presenting them to key policymakers. The declarations contained a series of recommendations for mitigating climate change in any mountainous area and the Nilgiris specifically. They reflected what we learnt during our camp. Much hard work went into their preparation. It was a privilege to be with my fellow climate champions who were intelligent, hard working and inspiring role models.
My journey through the Nilgiris has left an indelible mark in my memory. I will remember the friends that I made there and the time I spent with them. I will treasure the memories and always look back with fondness. I long to return to the blue mountains.
Dear Khaled
ReplyDeleteFinally I get to read your Story of The Blue Mountains.Guess what, I felt like its a Native Nilgirian writing these stories.
Marvellous work!!
Narmadha
Ooty
The Nilgiris.
Nice to see ur visit in the Natural Places
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