Copyright (c) 2003 Rahul Alvares

Permission is granted to copy of distribute this document under theterms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. 1 or any laterversion published by the Free Software Foundation. The author howeverrequests anyone downloading this book to make a donation(recommendation $2 or Rs 50) to a group working for the cause ofwildlife, particularly in Goa. If you would like to know of RahulAlvares' preferences on which group could be supported, contact him atcan@sancharnet. In. 

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: A Fish Shop in MapusaChapter 2: Learning a Bit of FarmingChapter 3: Plant FestivalsChapter 4: Learning about MushroomsChapter 5: A Trip to KeralaChapter 6: Snakes Alive!Chapter 7: A Vacation within a VacationChapter 8: EarthwormsChapter 9: SpidersChapter 10: Crocodile DundeeChapter 11: Learning to TeachChapter 12: You Have Sight, I Have VisionChapter 13: Surveying a ForestChapter 14: Chief Guest At Belgaum

Chapter 1: A Fish Shop in Mapusa

You must try to understand that when I finished school I was as raw asraw could be. I had never travelled anywhere on my own, never purchaseda train ticket, since like most kids my age I had only travelled withmy parents or relatives and they made all the decisions. I had noexperience of how to handle money (my knowledge being limited tospending the 50 paise or one rupee I would receive as pocket money nowand then). 

So while I had set my sights on travelling far and wide my parentswisely thought that I should begin by learning to manage on my ownwithin Goa itself. It was also the rainy season and travelling aroundthe country would be much more difficult they explained. 

So I started out by helping at an aquarium shop in Mapusa, the townnearest my village. The proprietor of the shop is Ashok D'Cruz, acollege friend of my father's. I must tell you about Ashok. He is noordinary businessman: keeping fish is a passion with him. He is farmore interested in chatting with his customers about fish than makingmoney selling them. I have never seen him forcing any of his customersto buy from his stock of aquarium fish. 

In fact, it was Ashok who introduced me to the amazing world ofaquarium fish way back when I was just nine and studying in Class V. Under his guidance then, I experimented with breeding guppies, plattiesand mollies, fairly simple types of fish to breed. However, it was amatter of great excitement for me at that time to be successful in myexperiments and Ashok was generous enough to even buy back from me thebaby fish I reared just to encourage me. Later I developed sufficientconfidence to experiment with and breed more difficult types of fish, like Siamese Fighting Fish and Blue Guramies-all under the experttutelage of Ashok. 

So it was to Ashok's shop that I went every morning at 9. 00 a. M. , speeding on my bicycle to be on time. I would stay there until lunchtime, a regular hands on, doing whatever I was asked to do. 

Ashok's shop is not very large. It is a two-roomed shop on the groundfloor of the Gomes Catao complex. It has a display section in front anda store room at the back. The showroom has about twenty fish tanks ondisplay with a variety of fish that Ashok purchases mainly from Mumbai. Each tank stores a particular species of fish. Ashok's shop is locatedaway from the main market area so he does not have the advantage ofcasual customers dropping by. However Ashok has his regular customersand there are always at least twenty to thirty customers daily. 

During my first few days at his shop, my work was only to watch thetanks, clean those which were dirty, remove the dead fish and do someother small jobs. I also fed the fish and treated the wounded anddiseased fish. Sometimes, I also attended to customers. Gradually, Ibegan to accompany Ashok on his rounds to various places. 

A gentleman in Moira wanted to set up an aquarium at his home. He had atank. He also had definite ideas about how he wanted it to finally lookand Ashok was called to see how it could all be done. The man sent hiscar for us. At his house we discussed the location of the tank, lighting arrangements, the water filters, the kind and quantity of fishhe would like to have, and maintenance. After we were fully satisfiedthat we had everything right and had noted down his requirements, wereturned to Mapusa. Later he came for the material which we kept readyfor him. 

Another time I accompanied Ashok to a client's office to put a pair ofDwarf Guramies in the fish tank and to fix a picture as a backdrop forthe tank. On such visits I watched care fully what Ashok did and soonenough Ashok started sending me on my own to visit some of his clientswho had small or simple problems. 

I went to clients to fix aquarium equipment such as air pumps andfilters, to fix toys in the tanks, to check fish for diseases or ifthere was a sudden crisis such as fish dying in numbers, or if a clientwished to add more fish to his collection. I was sent to collectoverdue payments or simply to enquire the aquariums were doing. Sometimes I went on my own to visit some of the places where we had setup tanks and enjoyed watching the fish swimming happily in their newhomes. 

One day my employer decided to send me as a spy to find out the pricesof fish and fish food at a competitive fish shop. I tried to behavelike a casual customer and walked coolly into the competitor's shop andgradually began to ask the prices of fish and fish food. After I hadfound out what was needed I bought a pair of cheap Black Mollies fromhis shop just to show him that I was a genuine customer. From theinformation I got, we found Ashok's to be comparatively cheaper thanthe competitor. 

During this period I improved my knowledge about aquarium fishtremendously. This was mainly due to two things. Firstly, I had spent alot of time observing the fish at Ashok's shop and getting practicalexperience from the places we visited. Secondly, I had been reading thefish books that my father bought for me as a gift for getting adistinction in my SSC exam. The books were quite expensive but wellworth the cost. Being able to get theoretical knowledge and practicalexperience at the same time gave me a lot of confidence with regard toaquarium fish. 

One of the important highlights of my experience at Ashok's waslearning to make fish tanks. Ashok told me that since we were goingthrough a slack period, he would teach me how to make fish tanks. I hadto start from basics which meant purchasing glass for six tanks, havingthe glass pieces cut to specifications and then having the piecesdelivered at the shop without a scratch. 

I had accompanied Ashok on several occasions earlier to the glass shopand watched as he ordered glass explaining his requirements, or havinga piece re-cut because it was done wrongly. In fact, I had been sentoften to the glass shop for small purchases so I was fairly familiarwith the owner and the procedures. Ashok had even taught me how tocalculate the price of glass. Still it was a new experience for me whenAshok handed me some money and gave me general directions on what to doand I was on my own. 

I managed to purchase the glass and also to get it cut to size. Sofar, so good. Now came the difficult part of transporting the glasspieces to the shop. I wondered whether I should get a rickshaw for thepurpose but was a little hesitant since I hadn't checked what it wouldcost for the trip, short though it would be. While I was trying to makeup my mind by testing the package for its weight, the shopkeeperassured me that I would be able to handcarry the glass to Ashok's shop, which is what I finally did. 

I started out. In the beginning, it was no problem. However, thepackage grew heavier and heavier as I trudged up the road to Ashok'sshop with rickshaws, taxis and motorcycles honking away on all sides. Even before I reached my destination I doubted the wisdom of my actionsfor I was tired and my arms ached but I dared not put down the glasssimply because it was glass. When I finally reached the shop I heaved asigh of relief that the glass was intact. Ashok was horrified at mydecision and understandably very angry too for as he explained to meshould I have had an accident on the way the consequences would havebeen disastrous and he was after all responsible for me! I truly learntan important lesson that day. 

Learning to make an aquarium tank is great fun. One has to first planthe size of the tank. For this one must first decide on the length ofthe tank. After that, the height and the breadth are to beproportionately calculated. The sides of the glass are held togetherwith silicone, which is a glue, and which feels like rubber when ithardens. Silicone does not dissolve in water. The tricky part is beingable to apply the silicone only to the edges of the glass and notletting your sticky fingers touch any other portions of the glass. Otherwise, the glass will look dirty, for the silicone marks will staylike a fingerprint on the glass forever. After the tank is resealed onthe inside with silicone (to give double protection), it is left for aday to dry. The next day it is tested by filling with water and if allis well the tank is ready for sale and can be delivered to thecustomer. 

After I was taught how to do the first tank, I started helping with therest. I recall how once by mistake I stuck the glass upside down. "There's something fishy about the looks of this tank, " said Ashok. When he realized what my mistake was, he very nearly put me into thetank!

My first opportunity at testing my skills at finding out the reasonsfor "fish dying in an aquarium" (the most common complaint fromcustomers) came when the manager of Hotel Osborne in Calangute askedAshok to come and examine their aquarium on the hotel premises. Thefish were dying, he said. The owner of the hotel was a very goodcustomer of Ashok's and so Ashok was keen to solve the problem. Howeveras he could not go himself that day and did not wish to delay matters, he decided to send me instead. He gave me the manager's visiting card, directions to the hotel, some fish medicines and a pump to install inplace of the old one which was defective and I was on my own. I wasproud and happy that Ashok felt confident to entrust me with such animportant job. 

I left in the evening for the hotel. I found it with no problem at all. It was a large hotel with lovely lawns and a swimming pool. I walkedinto the hotel proudly, with my head held high, and tried to act as ifI were a very experienced fish doctor. I went and met the manager. Hetold me which fish had died. I searched for symptoms of disease butfound none. I then realised that the problem was very simple and onethat is very common: a case of overfeeding. Fish require food inproportion to their size but often people put more food than necessaryinto the tank. The extra food makes the water cloudy and polluted andthis causes the fish to die. 

I cleaned the tanks, replaced the pump, checked the filters and showedthe hotel staff how to feed the fish. I even managed to do some saleswork by selling them some fish medicines which they could keep asstandby and made a bill for them on the bill book that Ashok had givenme. They seemed satisfied with my work and made me a cup of tea, whichI didn't drink because I don't drink tea. After I had finished Icouldn't wait to tell Ashok about my experience. 

During this period, I took the opportunity once to visit fish shops inPanjim which I had heard about but had not yet seen. The occasion camewhen my 3-gear cycle broke down and I needed to go to Panjim to getspares. I tried to persuade my mother to get them for me from Panjimsince she went there often. She refused, saying that I should learn todo things on my own. That's when I thought of making a whole-day tripto Panjim to buy the spares, visit fish shops and also make a fewpurchases for Ashok. 

The next day, I accompanied my mum to Panjim where she showed me a fewessential places and then left me on my own. I was a bit nervous butwas determined to manage somehow. I first went to the Kamat restaurantto eat as I was hungry. I was amazed at how much it cost me to fill mystomach outside home! After that, I searched for a shop from where Icould purchase silicone (Ashok's errand). After a lot of asking aroundI found the place. Then I looked for the cycle shop, found it quicklyenough but discovered that the item I wanted was out of stock and wouldbe available only the next week. 

I was then free to visit the two fish shops I had in mind: "Bislin" and"Something Fishy". Bislin was well stocked and had many types of exoticfish but I found it very expensive. I chatted with the people who ranthe shop (it is a family business). They also kept birds for sale. After watching the fish for sometime I decided to go to Something Fishywhich was just around the corner. At Something Fishy, I wasdisappointed at first sight to see very few fish. The shop assistanttold me that as they were expecting fish the following weekend almostall their tanks were empty. But what I saw remaining in the displaytank amazed me. I saw man-eating piranhas with my own eyes for thefirst time in my life! However, the piranhas were quite timid and shy. Apparently, it is only when they are kept hungry that they becomeferocious meat-eaters. Something Fishy also had exotic fish calledBlack Ghost which sold at Rs. 3000 a pair!

Apart from learning about fish at Ashok's shop I gained a lot of othervaluable experience. 

I had never done banking before. But one day Ashok casually asked me ifI would go to his bank to withdraw some money. I didn't feel liketelling him that I had no idea of how to go about doing this. Instead Iasked for directions to the bank and set out. Somehow I figured my wayaround and got the job done. I was sent many times after that to thebank to deposit and withdraw money. 

Although I had all the time in the world at my disposal I found it wasnot the easiest thing for me to effectively manage my time. Severaltimes I would be speeding away on my bicycle to Ashok's shop because Ihad woken up late that morning. Or I had to push my lunch hour tilllater because I had not completed all my tasks for the day. It was anexperience learning to plan my day properly and I would feel quitepleased with myself when I got things right on my own. 

I also gained a lot of valuable insights into my own hobbies andinterests since for the first time in my life I was on my own and freeto make decisions or experiment with ideas I thought worthwhile. 

I discovered that I have a great passion for reading books. I used togo every morning to the library, on my way to Ashok's shop, and pick upsomething to read during my free time. My favourite books were theHardy Boys and I finished practically the entire series while I was atAshok's. I also enjoyed comics like Tintin and Phantom. 

Evenings, after I had finished with Ashok's shop, I would listen to theFM radio music programmes. Like any other teenager, I like fast andloud music. Fortunately, my aunt Allison visiting us from Canada gaveme a walkman which enabled me to play my music without disturbing theothers. I thought about starting to learn the guitar but my parentsadvised against starting guitar lessons immediately as I had plans totravel out of Goa in the coming months. Letter writing is not one of myfavourite things. However, I was forced to reply to the people who sentme letters and cash prizes, congratulating me on my examinationresults. I was overjoyed to receive prompt replies from several of myrelatives and friends commending me on my choice of a year'ssabbatical. I also realised that you only get letters when you write topeople. However, I still don't enjoy letter-writing. 

On Sundays, I used to do a few odd jobs to earn some pocket money. Likewashing the car for which I used to get five rupees from my dad. I wasalso the main errand boy at home and I did all kinds of jobs likepaying the electricity bills, buying the rations and so on. 

All in all, working at Ashok's was a good beginning. 

Field Work Notes:Now Julie Has a Fish Tank

Juliet and Peter D'Souza are college friends of my parents. They liveat Calangute. Peter is a criminal lawyer and Juliet is a schoolteacher. Our families occasionally go on outings together. On one ofthese picnics during my SSC year Juliet discovering my interest inaquarium fish promptly tried to get me to assist her in setting up anaquarium in their home. 

Actually they did have a fish tank earlier but the bottom glass hadcracked and Juliet had given it to Ashok for repairs. And there itremained, in Ashok's shop, with nobody attending to it. Juliet hadreminded me on several occasions about the tank but there was little Icould do other than pass on her reminders to Ashok. When I startedworking with Ashok I quickly took the opportunity of keeping my promiseto her. 

The first problem was to find the tank. I began searching for it in thestoreroom of Ashok's shop. I found it right at the bottom of all theother big tanks. I was relieved to see it still in one piece. Ashok andI then removed the broken bottom glass. We took the measurements andbought new glass from the glass shop. After fixing the tank, I went toPeter's office and told him to pick it up and take it home whenever hecould. 

Peter came by and took it home the next evening. A few days later Icycled down to their house to set it up. Once there I realized thatJuliet did not have any material for placing in the tank except alittle gravel which was not enough to cover even the base of the tank. I explained to her all the essential items needed and she gave me afreehand to purchase material and decorations for the tank. On my nextvisit, I took a few kilos of gravel, a pump, plastic plants, fishmedicine, the undergravel filter, some pipeline, a few regulators, T-joints and a fishnet. I also took four types of aquarium toys and twoshells for her to choose from. 

I started off with washing the gravel, then fixed the under-gravelfilter. I next poured gravel over the filter, and placed thedecorations of shells and toys on top. Then the tap and filters werejoined to the air pump. All this while I was watched intently byAngelann and Miriam, Juliet's two young daughters, who kept offeringopinions or help here and there. After about two hours, everything wasready. Only the fish and aquatic plants remained to be put in theaquarium. The task of selecting the fish for the tank was not part ofmy assignment as Julie said that she would buy the fish from a fishshop in Candolim. However, as she doubted whether live plants were soldin Candolim, she asked me to send her the plants through Peter. Shealso told me to prepare a bill for her which I was to hand over toPeter. All this I did within the next two days. 

A week later, I had to visit Peter and Julie's place to deliver a noteto Peter from my dad. I was keen to see the fish she had bought and howthey were doing in the new home I had made for them. As a present Idecided to take five pairs of guppies from my garden tank. Imagine myshock when I found that the tank was just as I had left it, with nofish at all to inhabit the lovely quarters. I was glad I had broughtalong the guppies and these became the first lot of fish to inhabit thetank. I also fixed the light and the regulators and set the plantsproperly. 

Juliet's little daughters crowded round me as I stood back to admirethe now complete aquarium: fish swimming happily with newly installedplants and air filters bubbling away in a corner. Juliet soon joined usand thanked me warmly and to my utter surprise slipped a 50 rupee noteinto my pocket. I protested that she should not pay me for this as Iwas having great fun but she insisted that I take the money and thisbecame my first earning. 

In similar fashion I set up fish tanks for a few other family friends. Besides having a lot of fun and gaining valuable experience, I alsoearned pocket money! Avdoot and Rekha Munj in Mapusa have a lovely bigtank which I helped set up for their daughter; Alvito and CelineSantiago from Parra also had an empty fish tank which they wanted toput back in use and I organised the fish for them too. 

There was also the large fish tank in the office of the Principal of myschool (St. Anthony's at Monte Guirim), which I had maintained duringmy school days. I continued to keep watch over it through my youngerbrother Milind, who, like me, is also a fish fan. 

Chapter 2: Learning a Bit of Farming

One of my plans for the rainy season was to go to RUSTIC Farm which isin Thanem, a small village near Valpoi in the remote north-easterndistrict of Sattari, so that I could gain some experience in farming. RUSTIC Farm holds a special attraction for me because I was born whenmy parents lived on this farm and we stayed there till I was threeyears old. Although I have no real recollection of that period, we havemany photographs of my baby days on the farm and many stories that myparents tell us of those times. We still visit the place at least oncea year and also maintain contact with several of the villagers whoworked then on the farm. Yesu, our domestic help for the past 16 yearscomes from that area. In 1985 RUSTIC Farm was sold to the presentowners Shyam and Ujwala Achrekar. I had intended to stay with them fora month and learn about farming first-hand. Unfortunately due to somepersonal difficulties they could not have me visit them. It is one ofthe few regrets I had during my one-year sabbatical. As things workedout, however, I was able to learn a few basics about farming in my ownvillage at Parra. 

My neighbours, the Kandolkars, are a peasant family and during therains they take to farming their own fields. They also do ploughingwork for others. Guru, the eldest son, has a fine pair of bullocks forthe purpose. It so happened that Guru was doing some masonry work atour house and I was chatting with him about my sabbatical when hecasually asked me whether I would like to come ploughing with him. Ijumped at the offer even as he seemed a bit surprised that I had soreadily agreed. Next morning I was woken up early and we set out forthe fields which are quite close to our homes. 

Holding the plough may appear a simple task but believe me it is not soand calls for quite a lot of skill and stamina. The trick is to keepthe plough in the centre and avoid cutting the hoofs of the animals atthe same time. One needs to put the right amount of pressure on thehandle as the plough should neither be too deep nor too shallow in thesoil. Also one has to constantly keep one's eye on the bullocks todirect them to turn around at the end of the field and to lift theplough when it reaches a bund. Lastly (and this is most important) thebullocks must recognise you or else they won't take orders from you. 

The bullocks knew Guru very well but I was a stranger so Guru made mekeep shouting cries of "heeree heeree" which is how they get theanimals to move-so that they would at least begin to recognise myvoice. Although I went ploughing with Guru for several days in a row, he never let me plough on my own because getting the right balance wasstill very difficult for me and if any of the bullocks got hurt due tomy inexperience he would have to give the animal at least 15 days' restwhich would cost him heavily in earnings. 

After the ploughing is done the ground has to be levelled for seeding. This is also done by the bullocks who drag a wooden piece shaped like abroad fork across the field. This I was allowed to do on my own and Ienjoyed it thoroughly. It was like having a nice ride, standing on thewooden leveller while the bullocks went up and down the field. 

I also tried my hand at spraying seeds and later fertilizer, on thefields. Sometimes I did a bit of weeding, to while away the timein-between ploughing. On some days when we were ploughing it used torain heavily and I enjoyed working in the rain with all the otherfarmers. After ploughing we would be treated to hot tea and bread orpao baji by the owner of the field. 

I recall how surprised the owners of the fields we had ploughed wouldbe on seeing me sitting with the other workers-dirty with mud likethem-because naturally, they recognised me, since I am from the samevillage. One lady, in fact, thought I was playing truant. She told meshe was going to inform my mother where I was that Sunday morning. Shethought that I ought to have been in church attending Mass instead. 

The field work was a good experience and one which I cherish. I helpedGuru plough about half a dozen fields and even now when the rainyseason approaches I remember that experience with warmth and pleasure. 

Chapter 3: Plant Festivals

The rainy season brings out the average Goan's passion ate love forplants and some of this fervour and enthusiasm finds its way into plantexhibitions and plant festivals. I would like to recount my experienceswith two of them-at Saligao and at Siolim-two villages close to where Ilive. At the first I was a mere spectator but played a more active rolein the second. 

SaligaoSunday, the 1st of July, was an unusually bright day for the normallydull, wet, cloudy rainy season. I was looking forward to going toSaligao to see an exhibition of plants and was glad for the dry weatheras I pedalled the 20 minutes it took to reach Lourdes Convent, the wellknown school in the village where the exhibition was being held. Ireached around 10. 30 in the morning. The exhibition had already beeninaugurated and the place was crowded with people all trying to enterthe main hall where the exhibits were kept. I too did likewise. 

The main exhibition hall was quite big and the plants were exhibited inpots in the centre of the hall. Many of the plants were for sale. Theyhad been brought there by different people and most of the pots had thenames of their owners on them. The cacti were grouped together on atable on one side of the hall and the prize winning exhibits of theflower arrangement competition on another. I noticed that the firstprize had been given to a flower arrangement done inside a paintedscooter tyre. I thought this a really unusual idea. The two mostattractive and unusual cacti were ones on exhibit: while one had a thingreen base and a bright red lumpy top the other was like a cotton puff. 

Besides the plants in the hall some classrooms alongside were alsooccupied with plants and other items for sale. There were food plantslike coriander and coconut seedlings, ornamental plants such as moneyplants, creepers, and indoor decorative plants. There were also gardenimplements including spraying tools, cutters, flowerpots, seed packetsand organic manures. 

At eleven o'clock there was an announcement that there would be a talkgiven by Mr Francis Borges, the topic being `Organic Farming'. FrancisBorges is a college lecturer but is better known for his experience andknowledge of plants. He practises organic farming and has a nurserycalled Apurbai. He used to write a weekly column in a Goan paper the"Weekender". My dad had already told me about him so I was eager tohear what he had to say. 

His talk dealt with the consequences of using chemicals (pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers) which he said was a recent happening in theworld. He stressed the need to return to organic farming which he saidwas the only sensible way of farming. He also spoke about the role ofearthworms as friends of the farmer. 

Many questions followed. Most of these dealt with problems people facedwhile gardening at home. Mr Borges in his reply offered practicalsolutions which he himself had tried out successfully. For example, tothe query, "Why does a papaya plant die after flowering?" he suggestedbuilding a bund round the base of the plant because water collectingthere rots the papaya base stem. In this connection he also spoke of amedicine which he and his colleagues had invented to drastically reducethe diseases which attack papaya. He markets this as "Papaya Cure". Byaround noon the talk ended and I left for home. 

SiolimThe plant exhibition at Saligao had given me an idea of what to expectat the next plant festival I attended, which was at Siolim. Here I tookan active part thanks to the invitation I received from Alexyz, thewell known Goan cartoonist, who was in charge of the Siolim PlantFestival called "Green Heritage". Green Heritage was started by Alexyzand his friends a few years ago and it has proved to be an enormoussuccess with people eagerly awaiting the event each year. 

I woke up early on the morning of August 11th, 1995 and pedalled awayto Siolim, which is a picturesque village across the hill from Parra. Ifound myself sitting at Alexyz's doorstep much earlier than expected. Alexyz and his wife Tecla arrived home in time for lunch. After lunch, I hopped on the back of Alexyz's Kinetic Honda and we set off to visitthe homes of all those participating in the exhibition, informing themto keep their exhibits ready for us to collect the next day. 

I woke up on the 12th morning to the sound of Alexyz's gibberish muchlike scatman's scat. "Come on man, let's get going", he yelled. He wasa college friend of my parents and he is one of the funniest people Iknow. Just being in his company is one big laugh!

Our task that morning was to collect the plant exhibits from the homesof all those on our list. The tempo arrived at 9. 30 a. M. We covered thebase of the tempo with shrubs to act as cushions for the potted plants. We had a long list of homes to visit. Each time we picked up an itemfor the exhibition we tagged and numbered it so we would know thecorrect house to return the pot to later. We had to be careful at somehouses otherwise we might have ended with torn pants ripped up by thehuge Dobermans people owned. 

When the tempo could carry no more we would return to SFX school wherethe exhibition was to be held in order to unload the pots and start outagain. Each round was an experience of new people, new homes, newgardens. On one round we visited the famous pop singer Remo's house. His mother was taking part in the exhibition. 

It took us all day to complete the list and we eventually made threetrips round the village. We then arranged the pots on the benches inthe school hall. Miguel Braganza (an agricultural officer of theGovernment who at that time was posted to the Indian Council ofAgricultural Research in Old Goa) and Francis Borges (the same personwho gave the talk on organic farming at the Saligao Plant Exhibition)were also there along with several other village boys and girls allhelping in various ways to set up the show which was to begin the nextmorning. In fact by the time we finished it was already one a. M. Of the13th. We would have only a few hours of sleep before we would all be onduty again at 9 a. M. To complete the last minute jobs before thefestival got started. 

The Green Heritage Plant Festival lasted three days. The Director ofthe Agricultural Department, Mr P. K. Desai, inaugurated it at 11 a. M(instead of a ribbon to be cut between the doors of the exhibition, there was a creeper). He also released a book titled, Green AidIII-Total Gardening that the Green Heritage had published. The book waswrapped up in a large money plant leaf instead of wrapping paper. Ithought this an unusual and apt idea. After the inauguration and therelease of the book, the official made his speech which was followed bya funny speech made by Alexyz. 

The Green Heritage programme had several aspects: (i) the exhibition, (ii) lectures and talks on different subjects and (iii) competitions ofdifferent kinds-all related to the green world. 

The main exhibition hall was very big and it was filled with all kindsof plants, arranged in such a manner that people could move aroundeasily and view the plants without too much difficulty. Altogetherthere must have been about two hundred pots. There were vegetableplants such as chillies and brinjals. There were flowering plants, cacti, creepers, ferns, bonsai of Banyan trees, peepal trees, etc. There were also lime trees, orange trees and chickoo trees all growingin pots. 

On the stage in the hall, competition exhibits-vegetable-carving craftsand flower-making crafts of students from different schools-were kept. 

Outside the hall there were two corridors. In one corridor thegovernment nursery was stationed, where neem, mango, coconut, chickoo, tamarind, cashew and some other kinds of trees were being sold. Alongthe other corridor a variety of other items were kept on sale: a smalltable held copies of the book, Total Gardening as well as the previoustwo volumes released at the earlier exhibitions by the Green Heritage;another table held beautiful coconut handicrafts for sale. There was anelephant head, a table lamp, a skull, all made out of different partsof a coconut. Next to this, The Other India Bookstore had set up astall with a large variety of environment titles. Further down was theGarden Glory stall selling various types of garden implements such aslawn movers, cutters, sprayers and other accessories. Apurbhai had avariety of organic manures like leaf mould, Karanji and bone mealbesides ornamental plants, palms and creepers. There were pickles, squashes and medicine for papaya plants also on sale. 

At the far end of the corridor was the canteen. Here, whenever we werethirsty or hungry, we went and had a cold drink or some snacks. Ididn't have to worry about my bill, because it was taken care of by theGreen Heritage group. 

Next to the canteen, there was a small table, a blackboard, some chalkand some benches. This was where the programme of lectures and talkswas held. Altogether there were four talks given during the GreenHeritage Programme: on vegetable carving, jams and squashes, wine-making, and cacti. 

I decided to attend the talk given on cacti by a person who grew cactiin his flat. His talk was extremely interesting and full of practicalinformation and handy hints on how to grow cacti. Although I have nottried my hand at growing cacti, yet I took down detailed notes which Ishared with my mother, who as I correctly thought was very happy to getthe information as it helped her in her little cacti rock garden. Andit certainly was a very educative talk for me. 

All through the three days I was assigned simple jobs like watchingover the plants in the main hall, watering the plants, carrying potsand furniture around, handling the sales of the Green Heritagebooklets, and so on. And with Alexyz around each task was great fun. 

On the last day, there was the prize distribution ceremony. I was proudand happy to receive a special certificate for having assisted in theGreen Heritage Festival. As the fair came to an end the organisers allfelt that it was yet another successful event. I was happy to have beena part of it. But the fun was not yet over for we all had a barbecuedinner that evening that lasted well into the early hours of themorning. We slept only briefly for there remained the final task ofreturning the pot exhibits to their respective owners. This wecommenced early next morning. 

I had enjoyed my work at the Green Heritage and my stay at Alexyz'shouse. I was indeed sad when it all ended. I rested the next day atAlexyz's house and on the 18th morning, left for home. 

Field Work Notes:Growing Cacti At Home

Cacti are plants suited to the desert and we must keep this factor inmind always when growing ornamental cacti in our gardens, for it helpsin the survival of the plant. For example, a cactus should never bewatered over its body as it will start to rot. This is because it iscovered with a waxy coating which prevents water loss throughevaporation. When one waters the cactus over its body, the waxy coatingis washed away and the plant begins to rot. The amount of water thatyou must supply to the cactus is very much dependent upon the seasonand upon the climate of the place. During the summer season one shouldwater cacti every four days whereas in the rainy season once everyfifteen days is quite enough. 

Cacti need a minimum of two and a half hours of sunlight per day. However they should not be kept all day in the sun because they maywrinkle in too much of bright sunlight. Unlike other plants cactiproduce carbon dioxide during the day and oxygen during the night. Hence, they are ideal plants to be kept in bedrooms to freshen up theair at night. 

If the cactus plant is to thrive and prosper, the size of the pot inwhich it is grown has to be carefully monitored. The pot should alwaysbe a little smaller than the plant itself because it is only when theplant has to struggle to survive that it will thrive. If the pot is toospacious the struggle element is removed and the chances are that thecactus will die. Cacti are like human beings. When they suffer theywill grow. Similarly if a cactus shows no signs of growth, stop thewatering. It should be resumed only when the plant resumes growth. 

The substrata of a cactus pot is ideally composed of pieces of brokenbricks at the bottom, charcoal above it, then coarse sand and pebblesabove it. Leaf mould is the best manure. 

Grafting of cacti is very simple. A very small piece of the cactusplant should be stuck with cellotape to the plant that needs grafting. The smaller the piece the easier it is to graft. To reproduce cacti, one has to simply cut off a piece of the cactus, allow it to dry for afew days and then just place it over the cacti substrate. It willautomatically develop roots. 

To differentiate between cacti and other plants that look like cacti isvery easy. All cacti have fine hair at the base of each thorn. Theso-called thorns are in fact highly modified leaves which prevent lossof water through transpiration. If one ever gets pricked by cactithorns, one should take cellotape, place it over the area where thethorns have penetrated the skin and then peel it off. All the thornswill get stuck to the cellotape and will be removed. 

Chapter 4: Learning about Mushrooms

Attending the Green Heritage plant festival in Siolim had one moreadvantage for me. It brought me into contact with Mr Miguel Braganza, an agricultural officer of the Goa Government. It was through him thatI learnt of a two-day course on mushrooms to be conducted by the IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Ela Farm, Old Goa in thelast week of August. 

This programme also marked the beginning of my experience in gettingaround on my own. For, although the course was conducted in Goa itselfI had never been to Ela Farm nor did I know anyone at the programme. 

Mr Braganza had informed me that participants would be offered freeaccommodation on the campus. However, it was not compulsory to staythere. I assumed that most people would avail of the accommodationfacilities offered since late evening transport is not very good inGoa. At any rate I enjoy camping out and so I asked my parents if Icould spend the night on the campus. They agreed. My assumption howeverproved wrong as I turned out to be the only residential participant!

Anyway, on the morning of 24th August, after taking directions from mydad, I left for the ICAR at Old Goa which is about 22 kms from my home. I arrived there without any difficulty. The ICAR is located within Elafarm. At the gate I had to fill in a gate pass. Down the right lane wasthe ICAR office. On either side of the road were coconut, guava andchickoo plantations. Further down was a small office which looked morelike a lab with various specimens of preserved mushroom. I enquiredabout the course with the man in charge and was directed to the FarmersTraining Centre. 

Mr Miguel Braganza and Mr Oscar-the two persons conducting thecourse-were already there and so were some of the participants. We werefirst made to register our names for the course and immediately afterand to my total surprise we were informed that each of us would receivea stipend of Rs. 500 for attending the course. This appears to be a sortof bonus or incentive which is provided to the participants and ismeant to cover expenses for transport, food, etc. 

I noticed that all the other participants (there were thirty-threeother students) were older than me. Most of them were farmers, so allthe people who gave talks either spoke part English and part Konkani, or if the lecturers spoke only English then Oscar would translate intoKonkani. 

The course which basically comprised lectures and demonstrationsstarted with a talk by the tall, thin, long-haired Nandakumar Kamat. His first question was: "What do you want to cultivate mushrooms for?Kitchen gardening, small scale production or large scale export?"Depending on your objectives you can decide on the variety and thequantity, he told us. His talk included slides of different varietiesof mushrooms, poisonous and non poisonous. 

The talk was lengthy but very interesting. It ended well past lunchtime and most of the participants including myself were happy to gostraight to a meal at the FTC canteen where a delicious fish currythali could be purchased for just Rs. 6. 

The second session began at three in the afternoon. There were twotalks in this session, the first by a scientist from the ICAR who spokeon pests and diseases that attack mushrooms. Among the problem areas hementioned insects, fungi, bacteria and improper management. 

Unfortunately most of the remedies he suggested were limited tospraying of insecticides and pesticides such as lindane, malathiondichlorose, copper sulphate or citronella oil. To be fair, he also laidstress on proper management and hygiene as an effective way to reducediseases. Since none of us had ever grown mushrooms before there werenot many questions or doubts raised at the end of his lecture. 

Then there was a talk by a woman who explained to us the nutritionalvalue of mushrooms. For half an hour she spoke on the low fat and sugarcontent of mushrooms and how mushrooms prevent pain in joints of bones, tooth decay and bleeding gums. It made me feel that I should makemushrooms my staple diet!

The programme for the day ended at 6 p. M. That's when I was surprisedto discover that everyone was going home and I was the only residentialparticipant. I decided to stay the night anyway since the organiserstold me that adequate arrangements had been made for anyone wishing todo so. 

I spent the evening and early in the morning the next day lookingaround the campus. I noticed that the ICAR had a small nursery, aflower garden, a small fish pond, pens for small animals such asrabbits and chickens, cattle sheds and vast paddy fields. There wasalso an orchard with a variety of fruit trees such as mango, chickoo, coconut palms etc. 

In the midst of all this greenery were the residential buildings withthe canteen in between. I occupied one of the rooms on the first floorof the four-storey building. It was a small room, with two beds, a fewlockers, a table and a mirror. Since there was no one else staying thenight, the watchman was asked to stay with me for company. The canteenserved good and cheap meals. I had already eaten there in the afternoonwith the others. For the night the cook prepared some fish curry ricefor me. The next morning I had a breakfast of bread and vegetables forthree rupees only. That night, not having much to do, the watchman andI decided to walk up the hill at the back of the campus, at the top ofwhich was a temple. 

Most of the second day was conducted by Oscar. Oscar's presentation wasmore of a practical exercise. He gave very practical information on howto grow mushrooms and interspersed his talk with slides and livedemonstrations. He showed us the inoculation and culture room fortissue culture as well as the ultraviolet tube where the mother spawnis prepared. Rushing up and down the lab and the lecture hall we wereshown how straw is boiled, how the mushroom bags are filled, and so on. We were allowed to actively participate and fill in the bags ourselves. All the participants enjoyed Oscar's session and wished it could havebeen longer. 

None of the participants had any experience with growing mushrooms forcommercial purposes so Oscar had invited two people who grew mushroomsfor the local market as well as for export purposes to address us. Theyhad been growing mushrooms for the past one year, selling them fresh ordried according to the demand and they gave us very practicalinformation based on their personal experience. They said that theyfilled two hundred bags of straw everyday. They told us of the problemsthey faced with pests (mainly rats) and diseases and also thedifficulties they initially faced when selling mushrooms. The programmefinally concluded with a speech by the Director of the Farmers'Training Centre who told us about the general activities of the FTC andthe ICAR. 

Some of the students took spawn-filled bottles home. I didn't, becauseI knew I wouldn't be in a position to get into action immediately as mytravel plans for getting out of Goa for the next few months werealready underway. 

So although I didn't really get into the act of mushrooms-growing, Ilearnt much and also made many friends. 

Field Work Notes:How to Grow Mushrooms

There are many varieties of edible mushrooms, of which the oyster andbutton mushrooms are the most popular with both the mushroomcultivators and the general public. 

Mushrooms can be eaten by anyone including children since they areeasily digested and absorbed by the body into the bloodstream withintwo to three hours. They contain iron, vitamins, calcium and protein. They are especially good for pregnant mothers, and diabetic and bloodpressure patients. Mushrooms have medicinal properties and are known toreduce heart, liver and blood diseases including cholesterol andstomach cancer. 

Mushrooms can be profitably grown using little investment. However onehas to master the techniques and follow all the procedures andrequirements very carefully. One does not need land to become amushroom cultivator for one can grow mushrooms even in one's own house. 

Climate: Mushrooms require a temperature of 20-32o Celsius and about35-90% humidity. They also require adequate ventilation, diffused lightand semi-darkness. Too much light makes mushrooms dark in colour. 

If the room temperature increases above 32oC, it should be decreased byhanging wet sacks around the place. However the sacks should be firststerilized using savlon, formalin or dettol to avoid fungi or bacteriaentering the room. If the temperature decreases below 20oC, then a 200Wbulb (for a small room) should be lit to generate heat. 

Spawn: Mushrooms are grown from spawn. The colour of good spawn ismilky white with a sweet smell or no smell. The spawn should becompact, white on all sides and cottony. If it is yellow, it means thatthe spawn is old. Any other coloured patches seen on the spawn signifycontaminant fungi in the spawn. Spawn should be maximum 18 to 20 daysold. 

To prepare mother spawn, one needs good quality jowar, wheat or gram. The seed should be of uniform size, good quality, free from pests anddiseases and dry. The grain should be washed, all hollow grains shouldbe removed and the remaining boiled for one hour so that it is halfcooked. While boiling some formalin or savlon should be added todisinfect the grain. The grain is then spread on a disinfected muslincloth and mixed with calcium carbonate. It is then filled into bottleswhich are tightly corked using nonabsorbent cotton. The bottles arethen put into a pressure cooker. 

The inoculation or the culture room for tissue culture was also shownto us. This room should be about 2. 25 m in height and 1. 25 m in length. Two tubes i. E. An ultra-violet tube and a normal tube light are used. Aspirit lamp is also used. One can produce up to six generations fromone bottle of mother spawn with the help of tissue culture. After sixgenerations the strength of the spawn decreases and the yield of themushrooms will be less. 

Substratum: Paddy straw is the main substratum used for growingmushrooms-it contains cellulose and lignin, both of which are necessaryfor the growth of mushrooms. However many other kinds of substrata arealso used, for example, saw dust, sacks, banana leaves, dry mangoleaves, coconut leaves, sugarcane, wild grass, rice husk, etc. 

The paddy straw must be carefully selected. It should be brittle, yellow or golden brown in colour and not older than 6 months. The strawshould be dried in the sun for several days, stored if necessary in anair-tight container and used within two months. The ratio of paddystraw to mushroom spawn should be 1 kg "prepared" straw to 4% spawn. 

Procedure: First the straw must be prepared. The straw should be cut to3-5 cm pieces. It should then be filled in cloth bags and soaked inwater (1 kg straw to 10 litres water) for 10 hours. The straw should beweighted down in the water so that no part of it remains above thelevel of water. 

The next stage is pasteurization. Water must be boiled to a temperatureof 80 to 85oC. When bubbles appear, the soaked straw, surrounded by thecloth bags, should be weighted down and fully immersed in water. Thebubbles will disappear when the straw is immersed and then reappear. Thirty minutes after the reappearance of bubbles the straw should beremoved. It should be drained of water and cooled at room temperature, then spread out on a clean surface and dried for two hours. 

The moisture content of the straw should not exceed 60%. To judge themoisture content one should hold some straw between one's fingers andsqueeze tightly. If only one drop of water comes out, then the moisturecontent is correct. 

Polythene or polypropylene bags are now required to fill the strawinto. The bags should be approximately 35 x 50 cm and should weigh 150gms each. Before using them, they should be washed with savlon ordettol or formalin. Four strings should be tied together at one endwhich should be placed at the bottom of the bag. The four free endsmust be held outside the bag. The bag can now be filled. First a 5 cmlayer of straw should be put in and the straw pressed lightly againstthe bottom. Mushroom spawn should then be spread over it. Then another10 cm layer of straw, over which the spawn should be spread and so ontill one reaches the top of the bag. Finally it must be covered with afinal 5 cm layer of straw, and the four pieces of string and the bagmust be tied together. The bags can either be kept on the ground orhung in the room. Hanging them enables one to get at the mushrooms fromthe bottom of the bag easily. 

The following day, 30 to 35 holes should be made in each bag with asterile needle. The bags should be kept in darkness, with very littleventilation allowed to them, for 15 days. The bags should then be movedto another room. Here they should get four hours of diffused light andcross ventilation. After one and a half days the substrate should besprayed with water three times a day with a shower pointing upwards sothat the water falls on the bags like rain. On the following day smallmushrooms, the size of pinheads will appear. Two days later fully grownmushrooms will appear. The mushrooms should not be pulled out becausethe substrata will also be pulled out with it. Instead they should becut or twisted and broken off from the base. If the substrata is drythe bag should be given a quick dip in water. Otherwise continuespraying with water. The second crop of mushrooms will reappear oneweek later. The process can be continued upto 4 times. Then one has tostart afresh. This is because after 4 crops the substrata begin toattract disease and get contaminated. 

Pests and Diseases: Mushrooms are easily attacked by pests and diseasesand therefore require utmost care and good management. Of the two wellknown types of mushrooms, the button mushroom is more prone to diseasewhereas the oyster mushroom is hardier. 

Insects which attack mushrooms are the Scearid fly, the Phosid fly, Spring Tails (small insects like grasshoppers) and mites. To preventinsects from attacking mushrooms it is best to keep the mushroom bagsat least one foot above the ground. One can burn sulphur in the roombefore seeding the mushrooms. Citronella oil mixed with water can alsobe used for spraying on the bags. It is absolutely essential tomaintain the highest standards of hygiene to prevent attack by insects. 

Bacteria and nematodes are other causes for worry. Bacteria occur whenthere is too much humidity and this shows in a wet rot or a brownblotch. To avoid this problem it is essential to constantly monitor thehumidity level and maintain it as required. To prevent the occurrenceof nematodes, the substrata should be constantly changed-it shouldnever be older than six months to one year. The straw must be carefullyselected and should be disinfected thoroughly before use. 100 gms ofpotassium permanganate, or 20 ml of formalin should be sprayed on thebags if the disease should appear. 

Chapter 5: A Trip to Kerala

It was now the end of August and also the end of the heavy rains. I waseager to begin travelling out of Goa to visit the many places on myagenda. I had got fairly comfortable now with being on my own withinGoa (where I could at least communicate in the same language withanyone I met) asking for directions, buying myself a meal and learningto handle small quantities of money. I therefore impatiently awaited mytrip out of Goa. 

Another reason for my wanting to travel was because I was fed up of myneighbours and friends constantly asking me what I was doing after mySSC and why I was not in college. Somehow they couldn't get used to theidea that I was enjoying myself learning the things I wanted to on myown, so I would be constantly badgered by queries. I thought that if Iwent away I would certainly escape all these queries. 

It so happened that my father was attending a seminar on organicfarming in Kottayam and as he would also be visiting some organic farmshe thought it a good idea if I came along. The trip would take us toKerala. 

Dad and I left Goa on 30th August, 1995. The bus departed from Panajibus stand at six a. M. And reached Mangalore the same day at four in theevening. En route we passed through Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar, Kundapur and Udupi. Mangalore happens to be my ancestral home. (My dad, though born and brought up in Mumbai and now living since marriage inGoa, is originally from Mangalore. ) Although we do not have anancestral home any more we have lots of relatives in Mangalore city. 

We stayed at my grand uncle's house which is very close to thebus-stand. It is a two storey building in the heart of Mangalore and mygrand aunt Monica Mauxi lives there with her three sons, Reggie, Patrick and Lambert and their families in a sort of joint familyset-up. My grand uncle J. S. Alvares who was a very well known Konkaniwriter passed away a few years ago. I was meeting my aunt and cousinsalmost for the first time. 

After the introductions were over and we had had tea and snacks Dadshowed me around the city. Since I knew that I would be returning toGoa alone at the end of the seminar in Kottayam I took care to be veryobservant about landmarks and other details so that I would not getlost on my return trip. I carefully noted the locations of the railwaystation, Hampankatta, which is the centre of Mangalore and the old busstand and the route to Aunt Monica's home. We returned at dark to asplendid meal and went to bed early for we had to wake up at 3 a. M. Forour onward journey. 

Our train left Mangalore on the dot at 4. 15 a. M. We travelled all daythrough green countryside, passing through Kannur, Calicut, Thrissurand Ernakulam to reach our destination Kottayam at 3. 45 p. M. We werebooked at Hotel Aishwarya. I had a refreshing bath and then as usual wewent off to explore the city but had to return soon because it startedto rain. 

The seminar was at Hotel Green Park and we set out for the venue earlyin the morning. We had already been registered as participants and eachof us was given a cloth bag, notebook and pen to use during theseminar. There were many stalls selling a large number of items fromorganic tea and pickles, to books and manuals. 

We looked around very briefly for the organisers were already callingout to everyone to settle down for the inaugural. All day there weretalks, most of them by scientists. The sessions continued till eveningwith a break for a vegetarian lunch in between. Of all the talks, theone that caught my attention was the talk given by Dr Sultan Ismail onearthworms. I have refrained from giving details of Dr Ismail's talkhere because I have a full chapter on my association with his worklater in this book. 

The next morning the same sort of programme continued. However therewas a farmer's session which was chaired by my father. Many farmersspoke about their experience in organic farming. I found it quiteinteresting. Sometime after lunch my father and I, along with GuruRishi Prabhakar (the founder of the Siddha Samadhi Yoga programme) andKartikeyan (who was researching some chapters for a source book onorganic farming) left to visit the farm of an organic farmer, a Mr. K. T. Thomas. He showed us his shrimp pond, rubber plantations, cows, fishing ponds, orchids, giant bamboo filter ponds, etc. His farm wasreally huge, dark and damp-like a forest in the night!

Next morning we took a train to Calicut. We passed through Ernakulamand Trishur. At Shoranur we changed trains and from the railway stationwe took a bus to Sultan's Battery where we spent the night at a hotelcalled the Resort. As usual, we spent enjoyable hours walking aroundthe town. 

The next programme was at Wynad. Here, another meeting of personsinterested in organic farming was taking place. We stayed at the WynadWildlife Division Guest House. 

The group here was not very large and they generally had small intensediscussions. I was not much interested in the sessions and wanderedabout as I pleased. But I liked the company of the people there verymuch for all of them were very knowledgeable and they were the activetype too. Some of them-like Bernard from Auroville, Korah Mathen andhis daughter Nidhi from Ahmedabad and Omkar-I would meet again duringmy sabbatical year. 

We used to go for long walks in the forest, morning and evening. On thefirst day itself we saw Nilgiri Langurs and a variety of small birds, frogs and trees. 

In the evening the organisers showed us two movies on the pollution ofthe river Bhavani. After that we watched a very popular and lovelymovie called `Animals are Beautiful People'. 

On our early morning walk the following day (the second at Wynad) wesaw a herd of spotted deer and a barking deer. We also saw manyfootprints of animals, especially of deer; and traces of elephantfootprints too. The experience excited me very much and after that Iwould eagerly set out with whoever was interested in taking a walk. Onthe third day, a Mr Shivanand gave a very interesting talk on theWestern Ghats. He showed us many slides on the Western Ghats i. E. Insectivorous plants, mountain goats, rivers that are formed bycondensation of water vapour, plants that flower every ten years, etc. All that I had studied in geography and science in school now camealive for me. 

That evening we watched two movies, one called `The Whistling Hunters'(about wild dogs) and another called `The Lord of the Jungle' (aboutelephants). Both were very good. The next morning we went walking againand saw only birds. We walked about 12 kms that day. Later that morningthe concluding session of the programme was held. 

In the evening the forest department organised a tour for us throughthe jungle. We walked quite a distance, saw the watchtower, then deerand a wild boar, but we had to turn back soon because we saw tigerfootprints. At night we saw another two movies, one on the Narmadacalled `A Valley Rises' and the second called `The Silent Valley'. 

After the meeting ended my dad was scheduled to go to Chennai for somework but I was to return to Goa on my own. My dad came along with me bybus to Calicut. At the railway station, my father bought me a ticket toMangalore and left me at the station at about 2 p. M. To await the trainwhich was due at around 4 p. M. 

It was the first time I was travelling alone and I was quite nervous. Although it would be two hours before the train arrived I dared notfall asleep. I had with me a small battery operated video game and Ioccupied myself with this while waiting for the train to arrive. Whenit did there was a general commotion as people started rushing into thecompartments. I enquired with one or two persons whether there were anyspecial seats but nobody was really willing to pay attention so I justfound myself a nice spot and settled down. The train started soonthereafter. 

I stayed fully alert during the entire journey, keeping a watch on mythings (I carried a haversack and a sleeping bag, both new) and havingheard about pickpockets and other thieves I wanted to be doublycareful. I did not get down at any of the railway stations as I was notsure how long the train would stop. So I contented myself with eatingthe fruit that Dad had bought for me at the Calicut station. 

The train arrived in Mangalore at 9 p. M. From the station I took arickshaw to my grand aunt's house for which I paid thirty rupees. Thiswas quite a lot of money, but since it was night-time and since I wasnot perfectly confident of the route I did not bother to argue with therickshaw-wallah. 

My aunt and family were pleased to see me and urged me to stay on for afew days. But I knew that my mother would be anxiously awaiting myreturn, and not wanting to be irresponsible, I decided to return asplanned the next day itself. 

In the morning my cousin Reggie took me on his scooter to the busstation where we saw a bus about to depart for Goa. I jumped in andmanaged to get the last empty seat. The bus reached Panaji at 5 p. M. From there I took the local bus to Mapusa. Only when the bus reachedthe Mapusa bus terminus was I finally on familiar territory. I lookedaround at the familiar street dogs and hawker stands and then hailed amotorcycle taxi to take me home, which was a short distance of 3 kms. 

Back home I proudly walked up to my mum who was smiling a welcome, mybrothers punching me, my dog licking me-all so far away from the worldof elephants and tiger footprints. 

Chapter 6: Snakes Alive!

It took several letters and phone calls from my dad to establishcontact with Mr Neelimkumar Khaire, Director of the Snake Park in Punetill finally the green signal was given and I was all set to visit theplace. As the arrangements were not absolutely "pucca" my dad decidedto come along with me to Pune, which is what we did on the 3rd ofOctober, soon after he returned from Chennai. 

We left Goa by bus and arrived at Pune early the next morning. Two ofmy parents' very good friends, Sujit and Vidya Patwardhan, live inPune. Our entire family, dad, mum, my two brothers and I, had holidayedat their place a year earlier. That was when I had my first glimpse ofthe Pune Snake Park and the idea of my one year sabbatical took root. (Later, I was surprised to learn from Bany, their daughter, who Ibecame good friends with, that her elder sister Lara and her friend hadtaken a sabbatical several years ago on completing school and they hadtoured the countryside looking at alternative methods of education. ) Soit was to the Patwardhan residence at Ganeshkhind Road that we firstwent and after a wash and a brief rest we set off for the Park. 

The Director Mr Khaire was not in, but the Assistant Director Mr RajanShirke was aware of my visit and assured my father that once Mr Khairearrived he would make arrangements for my food and stay. Until then Icould spend all day at the Park but would have to go back to Sujit'shouse for the night. My father had no option but to leave it that wayfor Mr Khaire was expected to return only after three days. Dad thenleft me at the Park and proceeded to Mumbai. For the first few daystherefore I journeyed back and forth from Sujit's house. 

Sujit's home is at Ganeshkhind while the snake park is at Katraj, agood 20 kms away. I remember how I got lost on the first day. My Dadhad shown me the bus stand in the morning and given me the bus number. In the evening, one of the staff dropped me off at the bus stand whereI waited and waited for the bus, which never arrived. I asked thepeople around but their answers were either "it will come" or "thefrequency of that bus may be low". 

Soon it started raining and since that bus-stand had no shelter insight I had to stand in the rain and get wet. While I tried as much aspossible to take shelter under the note book I carried, I was surprisedto see a number of children, who didn't seem to mind the rain, walkingcoolly past me as if there were no rain at all! By seven in theevening, I was soaked to the skin. My feet were numb and it was gettingdark. My first day at the snake park and what an experience!

Anyway, I crossed the road and walked to a telephone booth. While I wasphoning Sujit the electricity went off. Sujit kept trying to explain tome how to come home by another route. I took out my half wet note bookand scribbled "Deccan Gymkhana" and "Simbla Office". I managed to get abus to Deccan Gymkhana (there are several buses which take you there)and from Simbla office I took a rickshaw and after going round incircles for sometime, I managed to find Sujit's house. How I wished Ihad my trusty bicycle instead of having to depend on buses andrickshaws!

During the first two days at the park I only scribbled notes andwatched the workers. I tried to make friends with the workers and as aresult I was allowed to handle one trinket snake. On the third day MrKhaire arrived and immediately made arrangements for me to stay at thePark in spite of the Park not having accommodation facilities. Severalstudents came there now and then to work for short stretches of timebut they all had their residences in Pune and went home in theevenings. 

Mr. Khaire is very popular among the workers and is affectionatelycalled "Anna" ("big brother" in Marathi) by one and all. He alwayswears a glove and long sleeved shirt as he lost his left hand to aRussell's viper bite several years ago. Still, his love for the reptileworld and his enthusiasm for snakes has not diminished one bit. 

The Snake Park is quite large and has several snake pits housingvarious types of reptiles. In the centre is the administrative buildingwhich is a one storey cottage having on the ground floor a small officewhich doubles up as reception area, a room which holds the displayexhibits like the king cobra, python etc. , a store room and a toilet. On the first floor is a large room with two beds. It is here that Ibegan to stay, with the watchman as company for the night. Annainstalled a small T. V. In the room and also had a phone extension madeto my room. He told me that I was welcome to come over to his placeanytime, to eat or even to stay. However, I preferred being at thepark. 

In addition to Anna and Shirke there were about 8 to 10 staff at thepark. Some of those I got to know very well included Mahesh, Milind, Bhushan and Baba, the watchman. Many of the boys were studying at nightschool and working here during the day. On Sundays and holidays therewould sometimes be extra students to lend a hand. All of them lived inPune and would go home for the night. However now and again some ofthem would stay the night with me and we would watch T. V. Or they wouldtell me tales. I also wrote my daily diary every evening after dinner, and sometimes read a bit. 

My work at the park was to help the workers with their jobs for thatwas the only way for me to learn about snakes. So everyday I wouldclean the starback tortoise pit, the turkey pit, the chicken pits andlater on the ratsnake pit, the chequered keel back pit and the monitorlizard pit. I also assisted with feeding the snakes, which is usuallydone once a week. Most of the snakes are fed small rats-the white micecome from the laboratory-and frogs while the python gets a chickenevery week. 

I was also taught the proper way of holding and handling snakes. Onthe third day, I was bitten by a wolf snake. Now you must understandthat this is a non-poisonous snake and it was deliberately allowed tobite me for my experience and to enable me to get over the irrationalfear of snake bites that all of us have acquired as a result ofgrandmother's tales being dinned into us from childhood. In my caseeven though I liked snakes, still, Anna explained, there will be asubconscious residual fear! This bite was not particularly painful andtreatment was like any other wound one might receive. 

During my stay at the snake park I was bitten on several occasions by avariety of non-poisonous (but hot-tempered) snakes and when I leftafter 3 weeks I had at least about 15-20 bites on my arms. Some of thebites were quite painful and one was so bad that my wrist had swelledup and I couldn't wear my watch for quite sometime. However when youremember that the snake gets damaged much more than you-it loses quitea few of its teeth in the bite-then you don't feel too bad. At any ratethere was no question of using anti-venom as the snakes were allnon-poisonous. And I learnt to think of the bites as injuries andwounds rather than the much feared `snake-bite'. 

Besides snakes, the Park also has a number of other animals. Some hadbeen rescued, others found injured and brought to the Park for rest andrecuperation. At the time of my stay at the Park it housed a wild boar, a civet-cat, a leopard, a Shikra bird, a jackal, three mongooses andseveral owls and eagles with broken wings. The eagles and owls were incages with the top end kept open. 

Once they were able to fly again they could fly out if they wished. There were also many types of exotic fowls, guinea pigs, white mice, rabbits, monkeys and a pair of turkeys. And of course there were Gangessoft shell turtles, starback tortoises and melanac turtles. All theseanimals had to be fed daily and their cages cleaned regularly. 

The snake park has a system through which people in Pune city can callup the park if they sight a snake. Someone from the park will then goto the site with the caller, after taking directions from him/her, andtry to get the snake. This ensures that people do not unnecessarilykill snakes. It was on two such occasions that I went with the boys on"calls" and returned without a snake. You see when the distance thatthe rescue team has to travel is long, the snake may not necessarilyremain in the same spot till it gets there. 

The snake park has a lot of visitors daily and people are alwayslooking for someone knowledgeable to answer questions. I used to feelquite proud to do this and would gladly answer all the queries like, "What is the name of the snake?" "What does it eat?" "Which is the maleand the female?" and so on. At other times I would be pestering thestaff to answer more complicated and detailed questions about thehabits of snakes. Workers are a mine of information and all of it isknowledge gained from practical experience. 

Some nights we went frog catching. We used to go after dinner onscooters to a river about 10 kms away. The method was simple. Oneperson shone a torch on the wet banks of the riverbed, blinding thevision of the frog, which would stop dead in its tracks, while anothernabbed it with his bare hands from behind. (Frogs must be taken aliveor else the snakes won't eat them. ) It was easy to catch the frogs asthey remain quite still for the few seconds it takes to catch them, thedifficult part being only to ensure that once caught they do not slipout of your grasp, for frogs are quite wet and slippery. After two tothree hours we would return with 25 to 30 frogs in our sack. 

I used to have my food at a small shack where some poor people cookedmeals mainly for the Snake Park staff. One of the popular items wassomething called `shample' which was made of vegetables and had lots ofoil floating over it. This was served with bread and it was deep red incolour and very spicy. After a couple of days of eating this deliciousfood, I had a very bad stomach and I had to go to the toilet seventimes that day. That was the end of shample. I decided to stick to daland chappaties, and cheap creamrolls. 

The bathroom of the snake park looked very dirty and I usually avoidedhaving a bath. I would wet my long hair and pretend that I had had abath. When the Snake Park staff found out about this they decided togive me a bath. One day they caught me and stripped me of all myclothes, then they dragged me to the bathroom and, using detergent anda little bit of Harpic, they scrubbed me with the toilet brush. 

Somehow these chaps also came to know that I was afraid of the dark andall night sounds. So they kept telling me ghost stories which despitemy fears I liked to hear. Finally, on the last night I even met this"real" ghost. It happened this way. Three of us, together with thewatchman were watching TV when Bhushan, one of the boys said he had togo on a "call". Shortly thereafter the lights went off and a sound likea cat mewing was heard. Baba, the watchman didn't seem to care but theother boy Popea and I were terrified. Next a light appeared at thewindow and the door started banging. A voice (in Marathi) thundered, "close the window". All sorts of strange things kept happening oneafter another. A skull with bones was floating in the air outside thewindow and when we went out, cautiously, to see who was there we foundno one. Returning to the room we found my bedding thrown around and myclothes and the whole room in a mess. The door frame shook, the windowsrattled and I held on tight to the watchman's hand. I remembered beingtold that if one makes the sign of the cross the "ghost" willdisappear, and so I did that, but it didn't work. This ghost apparentlydid not know the rules. Then suddenly we received a phone call fromBhushan saying that he was on his way back, and strangely, withBhushan's return, the ghost had done the disappearing act. Nothing morewas heard from the ghost after that. The next day when I told Anna andthe others about this night-time visitor they all had a good laugh. 

During my stay at the park I learnt how to handle almost all thenon-poisonous snakes except the pythons. I also learnt how to handlemonitor lizards, catch geckos and eat earthworms. Eating earthworms wasnot part of my diet or training, but once I saw Mr Shirke toss one intohis mouth after being challenged to do so by one of the boys. I thoughtof trying this out and though I felt nauseated the first time I took abite. I was okay the second time, for earthworms taste crunchy, likeraw cucumber, not slimy and wet as they look. 

On my last day at the Park, I was allowed to handle a cobra. I held astick under the neck of the cobra and then lifted it by its tail. I didthis about 2-3 times after which the cobra was put back in its box. Iwas so excited and happy. It was a perfect ending to my stay at theSnake Park. 

As I write this I think about my other previous experiences withsnakes. Like the story my mum tells about the time when I was only afew months old, sleeping one afternoon in my cradle at our home inValpoi. She had heard a soft thud and to her utter horror she saw athin bluish green snake which had obviously dropped from the roofmaking loops all over and around the cradle. Snakes are not unusual inthe countryside and RUSTIC Farm was no exception. Mum says she wasterrified but dared not make a sound for I was sleeping soundly and thecradle was covered with a mosquito net, outside of which the snakeleapt around. It was less than a minute before it bounded onto thechairs and was out of the window and she rushed to reassure herselfthat I was safe which I very much was. From her description I know nowthat it was a green whip snake, a very delicate and absolutely harmlesssnake. 

Another time as a toddler, Mum says, I was playing with some oldcartons and boxes at the farm when out leapt a snake from one of them. To my parents' astonishment, instead of crying out in fear as one mightexpect a child to do, I promptly went on my hands and knees crawlingtowards it as fast as I could, reaching out and trying to catch it. 

In fact, as mum tells it, I seem to have deliberately gone out of myway to befriend snakes as a child. I would be afraid of dogs, for, as Iwould say, they had teeth and could bite, but snakes didn't appear tohave any and for that reason perhaps remained my best friends. 

Field Work Notes:Snakes

There are around 2500 species of snakes in the world. Of these, onlyabout 15% are poisonous. The maximum number of species of poisonoussnakes is found in Australia (90% of the snakes are poisonous). 

238 species of snakes are found in India. Of these, 72 are poisonous. But only few can cause serious or fatal bites. For example, Pit Vipersare poisonous but rarely prove fatal to human beings. The poisonous BigFour are (1) the Cobra, (2) the Krait, (3) the Russel's Viper, and (4)the Saw-Scaled Viper. Of these the most poisonous is the common Krait. Its venom is about four times more toxic than that of the Cobra. 

All sea-snakes are poisonous. The most poisonous snakes in the worldinclude some sea-snakes which have venom 5 times more toxic than theCobra. But sea-snakes will bite only when severely provoked and arenever known to attack swimmers in water. 

Snakes are cold-blooded; their eyesight is very poorly developed andthey have no eyelids. They are deaf and can only respond to vibrations. They taste, feel and smell with their forked tongue. These senses arevery well developed and enable them to differentiate between living anddead creatures, prey or enemy. 

Some poisonous snakes inject venom into their prey, release the preyand then track it down with their tongue after the venom has done itsjob of killing it. The venom contains digestive enzymes that startdigesting the prey from the inside. 

Snakes grow rapidly till they mature and then continue to grow veryslowly till their death. As they grow, they outgrow their skin so theymoult the old one after a new skin has formed under it. The snakesplits the old skin at the nose and literally crawls out of the oldskin. During moulting, the snake stops eating but becomes aggressive. 

A bite from a poisonous snake affects either the nervous system(neurotoxic) or the blood vessels (hemotoxic) of human beings. The onlycure against snake bite is snake anti-venom. It is made by injectingvery small doses of raw venom (about one-tenth of the fatal dose) intoa horse and then gradually increasing the dose, making the horse immuneto snake venom. The blood of the horse is then drawn, frozen andprocessed after separating the antibodies and crystallized into apowder. This is anti-venom as we know it. 

When a snake bite occurs, the following first aid measures should betaken. Panic should be avoided and the patient should be kept warm andreassured. The wound should be checked to see if it is a poisonous ornon poisonous bite. A poisonous bite will have two big fang marks, anon poisonous bite will have many teeth marks. 

If the bite is poisonous, the patient should first be immobilized. Noalcohol, tea, coffee or other stimulants, nor even painkillers shouldbe given. 

The wound should not be washed or cut or the poison swabbed out as thiscould cause infection and loss of blood. A tight tourniquet can be tieda little above the wound, such that one finger should be able to passunder the tourniquet. The patient should be transported as quickly aspossible to the nearest hospital. The tourniquet should be left inplace until antivenom is given. But it should be released for 10seconds every 90 seconds and should not be used for more than sixhours. At the hospital antivenom will be given which rapidly subduesthe effects of the venom. 

To avoid snakes, the following precautions must be taken. Rubbisharound the house should be cleared. Rat holes should be filled and ratsshould be prevented from breeding in and around the house. Long treebranches touching the houses and creepers trailing the porches andwindow panes should be cut. Good boots should be used while walkingthrough forested area. Avoid stepping over any obstacle when the otherside is not visible and use a torch while moving outside the house atnight. 

Chapter 7: A Vacation within a Vacation

My stay at the Pune Snake Park was to be for about three weeks but Iwas enjoying the experience so much that I was reluctant to returnhome. To my good fortune the family decided to spend the Diwalivacation holidaying in Rajasthan and since it was necessary to travelto Mumbai to catch the onward train north, I persuaded my parents thatI would come to Mumbai directly from Pune where I would meet them at mygrandparents' house in Girgaum. So I got myself a few extra days at thePark and another experience of finding my way around, this time in thebig city of Mumbai. 

Sujit bought me a bus ticket to Mumbai and dropped me off at the busstation as well. I had earlier received elaborate instructions on thephone from my dad on how I was to get to Girgaum once I got off the busat Dadar and backup information from my nervous Mum on what I should doin case I got lost. I later learnt that my uncle and family were alsoput on alert to receive a call from their nephew in distress, which didnot happen for I was determined to find my way on my own, and Isucceeded in doing so. 

The bus left Pune at around 10 a. M. And arrived in Mumbai a littleafter 2 p. M. I took a taxi, gave the driver the address and watchedcarefully as the taxi sped away down unfamiliar streets. I could barelyrecognise the place where the driver dropped me off but I asked aroundand after wandering about for around 20 minutes, found myself suddenlyat the doorstep of the familiar 47/C Khotachiwadi, my paternalgrandparents' house. My aunt and uncle were expecting me and so were myfavourite cousins, Lucano and Ricardo. An hour later came my parents'anxious call from Goa to find out if I had reached safely. By then Iwas already in my shorts watching a movie on TV with my cousins. 

The next few weeks were strictly not part of my sabbatical programmefor it was a holiday along with my family, with snakes and frogs andfish left far behind. Our holiday included a brief visit to Ahmedabadwhere we stayed with Korah and Sue Mathen. I had met Korah and hisdaughter Nidhi a few months earlier at the organic farmers' meeting inWynad. On knowing that there was a snake park in Ahmedabad we simplyhad to visit the place, just to satisfy my curiosity. At the park, wefound pythons, Russel's vipers, kraits, chequered keelbacks, boas, ratsnakes and a king cobra, all in glass cages. The park also hadstarback tortoises, monitor lizards, ducks and geese of various kinds, monkeys and other small animals. There was also a small aquarium, keptvery poorly. I don't know whether the whole setup was run down becauseof lack of funds or lack of interest. 

From Ahmedabad we went by train to Jaipur where we spent the next eightdays at the home of Srilata and Mahendra Chowdhury. Although our basewas Jaipur we visited and stayed two nights at a real fort, on theoutskirts of Jaipur. It was my first visit to a fort and it was quitean experience living high up in the residential part of the fort withits cool rooms, some large, others tiny, some corridors so narrow andso low one had to bend one's head to walk through. The time of ourvisit coincided with the famous solar eclipse which was the talk of thetown but I was disappointed with the eclipse as it darkened onlybriefly before returning to normal again. My friends told me later thatthe TV experience was far more wonderful. 

In Jaipur we went sightseeing almost everyday, visiting forts, palacesand shopping bazaars, and had delicious kulfi and lassi in mud pots, and mouth-watering chicken tandoori. We drove down to Udaipur, where wewent boating on the famous lake, saw some more palaces and then toSrilata and Mahendra's second home in Ghantali where we swam in theriver behind the house and fished with the village boys. 

The vacation ended with a 3 hour bus journey to Ratlam station, fromwhere my brothers and I returned to Mumbai with my mum while my dadwent on to Delhi. This time we stayed at my maternal grandparents'place in Mahim. My grandfather, a sprightly 86 year old and a veryactive gentleman, was there to greet us. It happened to be his birthdayand he decided to take us all out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant notvery far away from the house. I recall we were all dressed and ready togo when Mum asked Grandpapa how we were going to the restaurant. Towhich he said: "You and the boys take a taxi, but I will walk. I preferto walk. " I was quite astonished. Of course, we all decided instead towalk to the restaurant, with Grandpapa briskly leading the way, and hadan enjoyable birthday dinner. 

My mum and my two younger brothers, Sameer and Milind returned to Goasoon thereafter, but I stayed on with Grandpapa in Mumbai for a fewmore days, since I was to proceed from there directly to Chennai whereI would spend the next two and a half months in the pleasant company ofspiders, earthworms and my all-time favourites, crocodiles and snakes. 

Chapter 8: Earthworms

On the 6th of November, I was put on the Chennai Express, which was toleave Dadar Railway station at 7 p. M. , by my Uncle Alan who is veryknowledgeable about trains since he has worked in the railways all hisworking life. My mum had requested him to check my departure fromMumbai since Dadar railway station is a crowded and busy place and Itoo was not confident of finding my way around. Earlier Grandpapa hadbrought me to the railway station by cab after making me double-checkthat I had my ticket, sufficient cash, little tidbits to eat and mywater bottle filled for the long journey ahead. 

I was to spend one night and the whole of the next day in the train forit was due to arrive in Chennai at about 8. 30 p. M. On the 7th. Havingtravelled on a couple of journeys by train during the past few months Iwas quite relaxed on this one although I continued to be watchful andcareful of my things throughout. 

The train journey from Mumbai was entirely uneventful. I had a windowseat and slept the night on the lower berth. Around me was a family ofmigrant workers who spoke neither Hindi nor English and who were quitebusy doing their own things. I did not speak with them nor with anyoneelse on the journey but contented myself with watching the countrysidewe passed through and the hustle and bustle at each station, and when Iwas bored I just went to sleep. I had about Rs. 500 with me in cash andsome of this was carefully tucked away in different pockets of myjeans, the balance in various compartments of the haversack. When Islept the haversack was my pillow. I also carried a water bottle, somesnacks and some fruit which was all I ate during the journey. 

The train was delayed by 3 hours and it was well past 11. 30 p. M. Whenit arrived at Chennai Central railway station. I was to be met at thestation by my parents' long-time friend K. Manoharan. Uncle Mano andAunty Sagu had willingly agreed to look after me during my stay inChennai, even though both of them were not keeping good health. Notknowing where exactly Uncle Mano would be waiting I walked towards theentrance keeping a careful lookout for him. Yet, I failed to recognisehim when I saw him for his hair was whiter than when I had seen himlast. He recognised me, however, from the bright yellow haversack thatI carried. He took me home in a rickshaw. I had some food there andwent straight off to sleep. Uncle Mano suggested that I relax the nextday, which I did, watching T. V. , looking at photo albums and generallychatting with them about my sabbatical so far and about my plans inChennai. 

Early the following morning Uncle Mano and I set off for New Collegewhere Dr Sultan Ismail's Earthworm Institute is located and where Iwould spend the next fortnight studying earthworms and vermiculture. Actually I had a choice of studying at Dr Bhawalkar's centre in Pune orDr Ismail's institute in Chennai. But I chose Chennai because I hadheard Dr Ismail speak at the organic farmers' convention in Kottayamand had liked his talk very much. Another reason of course was that Iwas dying to get to the Crocodile Bank in Mamallapuram and being inChennai which was close to the Croc Bank was infinitely better thanbeing far away in Pune where Dr Bhawalkar works. 

Although Uncle Mano, being a heart patient, does not usually travel bybus, he deliberately took me by bus that morning so that I could get toknow the route to New College. On the way he pointed out to me variouslandmarks which would help me know my way around, and gave me generalbits of advice on how to travel in the city. I had to learn well andquickly, for language would be the main problem for me in this citywhere I spoke no Tamil. 

At the College we met Dr Ismail who took us through the college campusdown to the fields where the vermi-pits were and we saw the biogasplant, the garbage collection pits, the culture crates and the organiccompost now ready for use. I was quite eager to begin and happy when"Sir" as everyone calls him, suggested I start work from the next dayitself. 

Every day, except Sundays, for the next 15 days I followed the sameroutine which was: wake up at 6 a. M or so, eat a hot breakfast ofidlis, sambar, dosas, vadas or whatever was cooked for breakfast, carrya hot packed lunch which Aunty Sagu prepared for me and catch a bus by7 a. M. From Ashok Pillar to Panagal where I had to change buses and geton one going to New College. Usually I would land up at the College by8. 30 a. M. Or so and would be at the College till about 3. 30 or 4 p. M. , after which the journey would be reversed. These timings helped me toavoid the office rush both ways. My dad had suggested to Prof Ismailthat I be given practical experience and so my programme included amixture of study from books, taking down notes, watching and helpingthe others and finally making my own vermi-pits. 

During the first two days I read up as much as I could about earthwormsand the world they inhabit from books which were recommended to me byDr Ismail. Later I started to observe the different types ofearthworms, their movements, colour and other characteristics. I alsolearnt a lot about different types of soils, their textures and nature, and was taught how to take soil samples using the tulgren funnel. 

There were about 8 to 10 students doing different kinds of researchunder Dr Ismail and all of us worked in a large room which was formerlythe main library. Each one had a separate desk to work and when I cameI was also given my own desk and chair. The big hall also had a minilibrary on earthworm related books at one end and it was a simplematter therefore to find the books I needed to read. 

The main vermi-beds, compost pits and so on were on the ground floorbut some of the vermi-beds which were in crates were stacked in thenarrow corridor outside the study hall, where we also gathered to eatour lunch in the afternoons. Usually any one of the students wouldbriefly guide me in the work that I was assigned for the day afterwhich I would manage on my own. 

During my fortnight stay at the Institute I learnt a lot aboutearthworm environments, including determination of porosity of soil, moisture content and texture. I also observed the other organismspresent in the soil and took photos of microarthropods with the help ofa compound microscope. At the end of the course, I practically prepareda vermi-bed and also ate a few earthworms and cockroaches forexperience!

My stay in Chennai was not without its share of adventure. I recallthat on my second day, I had entered a bus and rushed for an emptyseat. I was completely unaware of the procedure, that while in Goa theticket collector comes to you and sells you the ticket in the bus, inChennai one has to go to the conductor (who is seated at the end of thebus) and buy the ticket. So while I waited for the conductor to come onhis rounds two inspectors came up to me and caught me for not buyingthe ticket. One of them started shouting at me in a forceful stream ofTamil. After much action and hand waving, I explained that I did notknow Tamil, that I was from Goa and it was the first time I wastravelling in a bus in Chennai. He fined me Rs. 25! Fortunately, I hadenough money on me and paid the fine but when I got down from the bus, I found that my empty purse had also been pick-pocketed!

Another time I was on the last step of a bus which I thought would bequite okay for I had seen many people travelling while hanging at thedoors of crowded buses. However, as this bus started gathering speed Ifound it very difficult to hold on because the weight of so many peoplebegan to press against me and it felt like I was literally holdingeveryone in with my outstretched arms as I hung practically out of thedoor. I resolved never to travel on the footboard, if I could help it, again. 

I also got lost several times. But I would never phone for help withdirections but would struggle away, walking this side or that, askingpassers-by till I reached familiar landmarks which would get me home. Often I found that I had alighted from the bus a few stops before orafter my destination. On one such occasion the next stop was so faraway that I jumped out of the bus while it slowed down at a trafficlight and then spent nearly 30 minutes walking back!

Although Uncle Mano and Aunty Sagu had welcomed me very warmly. Lookingback, I think I must have given them quite a headache during my stay attheir house because of my rather careless and casual ways and thelaid-back lifestyle I had acquired and was thoroughly enjoying. UncleMano would constantly be shouting at me for not having a bath regularlyor for staying in the bathroom forever when I decided to have a bath orfor wearing soiled clothes again instead of washing them. 

Aunty Sagu cooks well and I enjoyed her food but both she and UncleMano would notice that I ate much more when there was chicken or fishfor dinner rather than vegetarian food and I would get a lecture againfor my poor appetite for simple food. I was also quite a sloppy fellowand would slouch around on the sofas after coming back from thecollege, channel surfing as I watched TV, which must have been quiteexasperating for both of them. Anyway, they took very good care of me, not only in terms of feeding me but also going out of their way to makearrangements for me to study at the Earthworm Institute, the spidercentre and later at the Crocodile Bank and I am most grateful for that. I hope when they read this book they will forgive me for all thetrouble I must have caused them. 

Extracts from Diary:Earthworms

10th November: Sir gave me a book on earthworms to read, then Jagantook me down to the field. There I was able to observe many organismsother than earthworms. We took a soil sample from one place and thenwent back to the lab where we put the soil sample into the tulgrenfunnel. I then went and brought three more samples from the vermi-techpit. We then put these also into three other tulgren funnels. By thenit was lunch time and we all ate together. After lunch I weighed thesoil samples and got to see the organisms that were in the beaker underthe tulgren funnel. At 3. 30 p. M I left for home. 

11th November: In the morning, I was given two types of earthworms i. E. Lampito mauritii and Perionyx excavatus and told to observe them. Ispent the whole morning doing this. After lunch, I wrote down theobservations that I had made. In the evening we went out to the Collegeplayground and also to the area near the College Boarding to make someobservations. We dug two pits of 25 cm x 25 cm x 25 cm each at theplayground and one, of the same size, at the Boarding. We made manyobservations which included the number and species of earthworms wefound and whether they were clitellates or not. We also madeobservations regarding soil, atmospheric temperature and relativehumidity and took soil samples to measure the moisture content. 

12th November: Left for New College as usual. I was told that Sir didnot come today as he had a high viral fever. Yesterday a researchscholar had expired and so there was a condolence meeting today. Afterthat everybody left as it was declared a holiday. I arrived home atabout 10. 30 a. M. I had a bath and then some food. I then watched a bitof TV and wrote my diary. In the night Uncle Mano and Aunty Sagu hadinvited some guests and had cooked chicken curry which I enjoyed verymuch. 

14th November: Sir did not arrive today either. With the help of JaganI used the Infrared Moisture Balance to find out the moisture contentof the soil samples which we had taken on Saturday. After we finishedone sample, the voltage started fluctuating so we used the tulgrenfunnel instead. Then Jagan sent me to get soil samples from the fieldand from the area near the Boarding. We put the soil samples in thetulgren funnel and observed the arthropods that fell into the beakerunder a compound microscope. We also observed some preserved specimensof microarthropods. 

15th November: Pounded 100 gms of soil sample and then sieved each soilsample through 5 sieves. Then weighed the soil in each sieve and notedthis down. 

16th November: Did sieving of soil in the morning. In the evening, usedKeenscups to find out the waterholding capacity/porosity. 

18th November: Sir arrived this morning. Read some books in the libraryfor sometime. Then did a bit of soil sieving and then did burning ofsoil in a bunsen burner. In the afternoon, I watched a very comic filmcalled "Junior Shylock". 

19th November: Started preparing my report in rough. In the evening Iwent with Babu to buy a film roll for taking photographs for my report. 

20th November: Did burning of a second sample of soil. After thatJagan, Sir and I photographed microarthropods with the help of thecompound microscope that has a camera attached to it. After lunch, Iattended a seminar conducted by one of the students. 

21st November: Ate a Perionyx excavatus earthworm in the morning. Thenweighed some soil samples to find out the waterholding capacity ofdifferent soils, weighed burnt soil, also learnt how to calculate andfind out soil texture of different samples of soil. Continued writingmy report. 

22nd November: Sat and wrote the final parts of my report. Then I gaveit to Chitra who corrected it. After she finished, she gave it to Sirwho also made some corrections. 

23rd November: Wrote my report in fair in the new notebook I hadbought. Then Jagan and I stuck the photographs we had clicked earlierin the various spaces in the notebook. Then Sir said that I would haveto prepare a vermi-bed on my own. He gave me a bucket and I made avermi-bed in it. Sir checked that I had done it correctly. 

24th November: Drew some diagrams that remained to be done in mynotebook. Then gave it to Sir for final approval. He made me write afew lines about each photograph. He said I should come and collect itafter a week or so. After that I said bye to everyone and left at 4. 30for home. 

10 days later. . . 

5th December: Today was a holiday, so I went to collect my report bookfrom New College where I had given it to Sir for his signing. Met allmy friends there. All of them wrote their remarks in my report book andthen it was stamped. Sir gave me a certificate for the earthworm courseI had finished at the Institute. Then Chitra dropped me in her Fiat carnear the Panagal Park bus stop. 

Field Notes on Vermiculture:Turning Garbage into Gold

Vermicompost and vermiwash are the two earthworm products that havebecome very popular nowadays. Ordinary organic garbage which consistsof litter, such as, kitchen waste and dead plant material is used andconverted into manure with the help of earthworms. 

Earthworms

There are three kinds of earthworms. One, the epigeal or surfaceearthworm (Perionyx excavatus) which eats only organic litter which ispresent on the top layer of the soil. Two, the anecic earthworms(Lampito mauritii) which are present in the upper layers of soil andfeed on waste and leaf litter. The third kind are present deep insidethe soil and are known as endogeic earthworms (Octochaetonathriretonis). 

The most suitable earthworms recommended for vermiculture are theepigeic and anecic earthworms. Perionyx excavatus is purplish red andrough. Near the two ends the Perionyx excavatus is almost black incolour. It is smaller and thinner (approx. 10 cms long) and more activecompared to the Lampito mauritii. They also breed faster than Lampitomauritii. Lampito mauritii are greyish white in colour and shiny, thicker and longer (length-16 cms) compared to Perionyx excavatus. 

Earthworms prefer cool temperatures, moist soil, humidity, relativelyless sunlight and neither too coarse nor too fine sand. These are theideal conditions that must be kept in mind when using them forvermiculture. Since earthworms breathe through the skin, they perish iftheir skin becomes dry or the quantity of mucus diminishes. Hence tokeep earthworms alive in the vermicompost containers, care should betaken to ensure that the vermibed remains moist. Earthworms however donot prefer waterlogged soils. In fact if earthworms are kept in waterfor too long, the concentration of ammonia that is discharged throughtheir excreta makes the water too toxic for the earthworms to survive. Earthworms also cannot tolerate salt or salt water even briefly. 

Earthworms are hermaphrodites. Depending on the species, their lifespan is between six months to one year. Fully matured earthworms uponmating shed their clitellum (a small band like an overgrowth of skin)and produce cocoons which take about 14 days to incubate and hatch intojuveniles. Maximum three juveniles are hatched from each cocoon. Fromthe juvenile to the clitellate stage i. E. The fully matured orreproductive stage it takes 15-18 days. Thus earthworms are able tomultiply several times in their life span which makes them ideallysuited to process even large quantities of garbage. 

Vermicompost

A pit, a small plastic or wooden crate or, even a bucket, can be usedfor vermicomposting organic matter. Although not necessary, two cratescan be used simultaneously; while one is being used for fresh garbage, the garbage in the other can be allowed to decompose. 

First, 6-8 holes should be made (one at each corner and four in themiddle of the crate). A pot or a bucket needs about 3-5 holes. Thecrate or pit must first be filled with a one inch layer of pebbles orbroken bricks. Then, a half to one inch layer of sand should be spread. Over that, a five to six inch layer of soil should be spread. ThenLampito mauritii and Perionyx excavatus earthworms should beintroduced. The soil must then be moistened with water. A little bit ofcowdung (nitrogen) and some hay (carbon) should be spread on it, andthe contents of the pit left for 20-30 days. This is called a vermibed. The cowdung and hay will allow the worms to multiply. With this, thevermicompost crate or pit will be ready for processing organic waste. 

All organic waste should be evenly spread out on the vermibed. As faras possible add garbage in small quantities regularly rather thandumping large quantities at one go. The earthworm begins processing thegarbage immediately. Water the container occasionally so that thevermibed remains moist. Once the container is full with organic waste, it should be covered with a little soil and allowed to decomposeundisturbed. Only watering the pit should continue. After it hasdecomposed fully (roughly 45 days) watering must be stopped for about 3to 5 days. This will force the earthworms to migrate down to the bottomof the container which will have some moisture as compared with the topsoil. Then the top layer of soil which is really the organic matterwhich has been converted into manure should be removed withoutdisturbing the vermibed. This organic manure can be used for plants. 

Vermiwash

A drum, barrel or bucket can be used for making vermiwash. The drum orbucket should be placed on supports a little above the ground. A holeshould be made at the bottom of the container. A pipe should be pushedthrough the hole and a tap attached to the outer end. 

The bottom of the drum should be covered with a layer of gravel (about6-8 inches). Over it, a layer of sand (6-8 inches), and then a layer ofsoil (6-8 inches) should be spread. The earthworms should then beintroduced and the soil moistened a little. Then a little bit ofcowdung and hay should be mixed together and scattered over it. Thisshould be left for a few days. 

Whenever vermiwash is needed, water should be sprinkled with a showeror, gradually poured on top of it (5 litres of water for a 150 litresdrum). The water will pass through the earthworm burrows and theorganically rich soil will become liquid manure and can be collected atthe bottom of the container. As the hay and cowdung is eaten up by theearthworms, this should gradually be replaced. 

Conclusion

In nature, litter is decomposed in a way similar to what happens in avermicompost pit. Litter (consisting of leaf material, twigs, bark, dead wood, flowers, fruits and other plant and animal material) thatfalls on the ground is constantly moistened by dew or rain. Decomposition then sets in with the help of microbes, fungi andmicroarthropods. 

Microarthropods are of two kinds-the detritivores that feed on thelitter attacked by the microbes and fungi and the predators that feedon the detritivores. The litter that has not been decomposed, deadmicrobes and microarthropods, along with their excretions andsecretions, mix and form humus. This humus is in a complex form andtherefore not available to the plants for use. Here is where earthwormscome into the picture. The earthworms present in the soil feed on thehumus. The castings (wormicasts) excreted by these earthworms, as aresult, contain nutrients in a form that is readily available to theplants for their growth. The plants in turn, when they die or shedleaves, contribute to the litter which becomes food for microbes andfungi. Thus nature's cycle is made whole and complete. 

Earthworms have proven that they are wonderful creatures for they cantruly turn garbage into gold. 

Chapter 9: Spiders

My stint with vermiculture over, I had another fortnight of study withDr K. Vijayalakshmi, whom my dad calls India's `Spider Woman'. DrVijayalakshmi has been doing research on rearing spiders as abiological weapon for controlling cockroaches and her workplace is fullof spiders of various types, all in bottles, and bred under hersupervision. An authority on spiders, she is also the author of awell-known book on the subject. 

Actually I had been anxiously waiting for a phone call from my parentssaying that the decks were cleared for my Crocodile Bank visit. InsteadDad had phoned to say that the final arrangements for my stay at CrocBank were still being finalised and that I could use the 10 days or soin between to learn what I could from Dr Vijayalakshmi about spiders, and the unusual use she intends to put them to. I had readily agreed. 

Dr K. Vijayalakshmi and her husband both work in an organisation calledthe Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS). CIKS is housed in a onestorey building and Dr Vijayalakshmi's office is on the first floor. Here she studies various plants that are useful as pesticides and soon. But I was not at all concerned with that aspect of her work. 

In the garage of the building was the Spider Room-a laboratory of sortsfilled with bottles of different spiders in various stages of growth. There must have been over 500 transparent plastic bottles at the time Iwas there, each one neatly labelled, and all sitting one next to theother with spiders in them. For air, each bottle had tiny pinholes inits lid. Feeding was done through another small hole in the lid: thishole was plugged with cotton. All these spiders and their activitiesincluding growth, moulting, mating and hatching of babies weremonitored by Dr Vijayalakshmi. She had an assistant called Selvan andhe followed her instructions, keeping the records and making thenotings in a log book. 

During the fortnight that I worked with Dr Vijayalakshmi, I simplyslipped into this set-up, reading books about spiders that DrVijayalakshmi gave me, then learning to identify different spiders andsimultaneously helping Selvan in all the tasks that were needed tomaintain the huge spider population housed in the garage. 

The spiders that Dr Vijayalakshmi deals with are called giant crabspiders. These spiders do not build webs. They feed only oncockroaches. The spiders were a little smaller than their prey i. E. Thecockroaches. I used to separate the babies, feed them, check themoultings and catch flies for feeding them. I read a lot of books hereand sometimes caught the spiders in the garden in order to identify andstudy them. 

Spiders were not the only creatures housed in the garage. There werealso cockroaches bred in buckets with rolled cardboard in the centreand broken biscuit pieces thrown in the bucket. The cockroaches werefed once a week or so to the giant crab spiders. 

The smaller spiders used to get flies to eat and these were caught byus everyday from the garden. The flies have to be fed alive to thespiders, so we used transparent plastic bottles to trap the flies andonce caught we would carefully put them into the spider's bottle. Sometimes the spider would immediately catch the prey and eat it; atother times the fly would buzz around in the bottle for days till thespider was ready to eat it. 

Dr Vijayalakshmi also bred a particular species of fly in a small cagewith fine mesh with a small saucer of milk in the centre as a mediumfor breeding. 

Baby spiders were also housed individually in bottles and these werefed fly larvae or the larvae which come when maida or rava begins tolose its freshness. 

The purpose of all these experiments was to find out which types ofspiders were useful for using as pest control agents to deal withcockroaches. Information about spiders such as their growth, hardiness, their eating habits, reproduction etc. Are important indicators of thespecies of spiders that can be kept in houses as predators forcockroaches. 

Other than the spider work I tried to learn Tamil from Selvan but hewas keen to learn English from me and so both of us failed in learninga new language and ended up speaking a cocktail of TamEnglish instead. 

Extracts from Diary:Spiders

26th November: Uncle Mano and I left for Dr Vijayalakshmi's office thismorning at 7 a. M. While Uncle Mano and Madam chatted, I read somebooks. Madam then showed us her spider collection. She also introducedme to Selvan. Before we left she gave me some books to take home toread. 

27th November: Watched how Selvan separated baby spiders from theirmother, placing each baby in a separate container. There were about 110babies. Then we fed about 200 older spider babies. Selvan showed me howto check their moulting. 

28th November: Today I did feeding of the spider babies on my own. Thentransferred adults from one container to another and then fed them. 

29th November: Today did only feeding of spider babies. Madam did notcome to the office as she was ill but her husband Dr Balasubramaniancame to check on us instead. Read some books on spiders in theafternoon. Left early for home as Uncle Mano and Aunty Sagu were goingaway for a few days and I would be staying at their relative SantoshKumar's place instead. They left at 7. 30 p. M. And I waited at theirneighbour's place for Santosh to collect me which he did at 9 p. M. 

30th November: Being Sunday I got up late and ate idlis, dosas andsambar for breakfast. Wrote out my diary for the past 2 days andwatched some TV. In the evening Santosh took me to the bus stand andexplained the route I would have to take next morning to CIKS. 

1st December: Madam came to the office today and showed me how tocollect spiders which were in the compound of the office. She also gaveme some more material to read on spiders and told me to start preparingmy essay on spiders. After doing a little bit of feeding as usual, Iwent out on my own and collected few species of spiders. Then Madamhelped me identify them and also some other species of spiders thatthey had caught. Spent the afternoon catching flies to feed to some ofthe older spiders. 

2nd December: Today I only did identifying of different species ofspiders. I took some material home to read and so I left early; was sobusy looking at the books I was carrying, I didn't notice the terminuswhere I was to get off and got over carried much further. Had to walknearly half an hour back. Asked people for directions and finallyreached the terminus. 

3rd December: Did not feel well today so I didn't go to CIKS. Read thebooks I had brought at home. Started preparing my written report. 

4th December: Today did feeding of spiders as usual. Then caught about70 flies and fed them to the adult spiders. Put 2 spiders to mate andmade my observations. Continued writing my report in the evening. 

5th December: Went to New College to collect my vermiculture report. 

6th December: Did feeding of baby spiders first. Then caught flies. Afemale spider's eggs had just hatched so Selvan and I did theseparation of the babies into individual containers. 

7th December: Did writing of my report first today. Then I gave it toMadam to correct. After she finished with it, I started writing it infair. I finished writing the report before evening and left it withMadam for final approval. 

8th December: Went to CIKS late as I had a bad stomach. I was given myfinal report signed and Madam also gave me a certificate. I leftslightly early in the evening as I was still feeling unwell and wasscheduled to leave for the Croc Bank the next day. 

Field Work Notes:Spiders

These days most of us use Baygon or some other synthetic poison tocontrol cockroaches and other pests. But what does this do? It onlymakes cockroaches or pests immune or resistant to such poisons. Moreover, synthetic chemicals are very harmful and pollute theenvironment. How nice it would be if we had a biological method ofcontrolling of pests. But that's just what spiders are!

A spider is not an insect. Insects are made up of a head, thorax and anabdomen. They have compound eyes and are six-legged. They usually growwings in certain stages of their life and possess feelers or antennae. Insects produce eggs which hatch into young that are completelydifferent from their parents. The young ones usually grow throughmetamorphosis. 

A spider on the other hand is an arthropod, made up of a cepolothoraxjoined to an abdomen. It does not grow wings at any stage of its life. It is eight-legged, and in place of the normal insect antennae it haspedipalps. A spider generally has eight simple eyes or it could havesix eyes e. G. A spitting spider. Depending on the species the eyesightmay be well or poorly developed. Some species, such as the cavespiders, are totally blind. Depending on the species a spider's lifespan ranges from a couple of months to more than a decade (e. G. Mygalomorphs). 

Almost all spiders have their first pair of appendages later modifiedinto fangs with venom glands. But only a few have fangs that are largeand strong enough to pierce human skin. Out of these, most cannot doany serious damage to human beings except for about four to fivespecies which can be lethal. 

The Black Widow spider, for example, which is found in South America isthe most poisonous of all spiders. The female of the species, whosepoison is strong enough to kill a human being, often kills and eats themale after mating and is thus aptly named the Black Widow. This spideris shiny black in colour with a red hour glass mark on the ventricleside of the abdomen. Fortunately, there are no spiders in India whichcan seriously harm human beings. 

There are about 30, 000 species of spiders in the world. They have beenfound upto a height of 23, 000 feet up Mount Everest as well asunderwater. 

Almost all spiders are carnivorous. They can eat insects, small birds, mammals and reptiles, including poisonous snakes and other spiders, which they first subdue with their poison. They inject their prey witha highly lethal venom and, having no teeth, suck out the liquid frominside their prey. Large spiders with longer and powerful jaws may eatpart of or even the whole of their prey. Spiders can live without foodfrom a few weeks upto three months, depending on species, size, andage. They obtain liquid from their food and thus do not need water. 

Many spiders spin webs to capture their prey. However spiders also haveother means of capturing their prey. Some spiders spit a sticky webonto their prey. Others live in burrows with trapdoors. Whenever theyfeel hungry they come out and catch an unsuspecting insect. One speciesattaches a sticky drop to one end of its silken thread and holds itwith its first three pairs of legs. When an insect passes by, thespider waves the thread at the insect and ropes it in, as it were. 

Some spiders sit on flowers and catch insects that come to collectnectar. Others spin a small web, hold it with their first few pairs ofappendages and then throw it on insects passing below them. Stillothers feed on other spiders only and are called pirate spiders. A fewspiders live on the webs of other spiders: they are too small to beeaten by their host. They eat the small prey that get caught in theweb, thus keeping it tidy. 

Spiders also have amazing defence mechanisms. Some spiders camouflagethemselves as a bird dropping. Others, as a dried yellow or blackrotting leaf or twig. And yet others resemble ants which are oftenrejected by birds, reptiles and other insects. Some are even able tochange colour and shape, to some extent, to match their surroundings. Some species build zigzag white coloured threads in their webs whichare visible to birds who avoid flying through the webs and damagingthem. 

The male spider is smaller than the female, and is thus liable to beeaten by his mate. So, the male uses many tactics to prevent his beingdevoured by his mate. In some cases the male drums or pulls at thestrings of the web in a special code to announce that he is not a preyor an enemy, but a sexual object. 

Some spiders offer their mate a gift such as a juicy fly, wrapped insilk. But it may well be taken back after mating and offered to anotherfemale. Sometimes a male may even offer the female the empty husk of aninsect. Sometimes the male loosely binds the female with silk toimmobilize her before mating. Some species of male spiders maypatiently wait near the web of a female spider for weeks until she hascaught a prey, and then mate with her while she is busy feeding on theprey. Sometimes, the male is so small compared to the female that thefemale is practically unaware of him while mating and this gives himprotection. 

Most spiders are solitary in nature. Each one builds its own separateweb. If one spider falls by mistake into another web, the bigger spiderwill eat the smaller spider. However, there are some spiders calledsocial spiders that live together in one web. Sometimes there may behundreds or even thousands of adults and young ones living in one web. Even if a single prey is caught (such as a small fly), all the spiderswill share the meal. 

Spiders multiply very rapidly. After mating, an egg sac is constructedand the internally fertilized eggs laid inside the egg sac which iscarried by the female with her palps and fangs. Fertilization of eggsmay be internal or external depending on the species. Within 15 to 20days, 80% of the eggs hatch. (The eggs hatch into young spiderlings. The new born spiders are similar to their parents, only smaller. Thespiderlings moult to mature. ) After a gap of one week to ten days thenext batch of eggs is laid in a fresh egg sac, and fertilised with thehelp of stored sperm. The female can do this three to four timeswithout mating with another male, although she will readily mate with amale after the laying of every batch of eggs. 

Spiders have proven themselves to be one of the best biocontrollers ofinsect pests. Very few of us realize that spiders were, are and will belaying traps for insects even after man has finally disappeared fromthe earth. 

How to Rear Spiders

Spiders have cannibalistic tendencies, i. E. If two or more are kept inone container, they will prey on each other. Hence from birth, theymust be separated into individual containers. 

Transparent plastic containers (size depending on the individualspecies) can be used to rear spiders. A few pin-sized holes should bemade in the lid of the container as aeration holes. One big hole shouldbe made for dropping prey inside. It should be blocked with a piece ofcotton. 

Baby spiders will eat culture foods such as Thrypolium, drosophilia, fruit fly and house fly larvae. As they grow, they will eat house fliesand later on cockroaches. 

Cleaning the prey remains and moults is a must. Two containers shouldbe used. Every week the used one should be washed with soap and water, and allowed to dry in the sun. 

The legs of the stands on which the spider containers are kept shouldbe placed in bowls of water or oil to avoid ants. The adults should befed well before allowing them to mate. Spiders will tolerate moderateroom temperature. 

Culturing food

1. Milk powder and a medium sized piece of cotton, mixed with water. Every day, a teaspoon of milk powder should be added. 

2. Drosophilia larvae culturing: quarter cup of wheat flour and twomedium sized pieces of jaggery should be boiled in two cups of water. 

Housefly and drosophilia can be reared in a wooden or metal framed box, covered with a fine mesh or netting. The above mixture should be putinto small bowls and introduced into the cage. Adult houseflies anddrosophilia should be captured and put inside the cage and left thereto lay their eggs. 

3. Thrypodium larvae: adults are found in rava and maida. A specialbucket should be kept with an aeration hole and the maida or rava inthe bucket, sprinkled with a little bit of water every day. A strainercan be used to strain out the larvae wherever necessary. 

4. Cockroaches: need a bucket with many big aeration holes, coveredwith a fine mesh. A few rolls of paper can be placed vertically insidethe box for the cockroaches to climb on. 

Chapter 10: Crocodile Dundee

December was the most eagerly awaited month of my one year sabbatical. All decks had finally been cleared for my long awaited trip to theCrocodile Bank at Mamallapuram. Nearly three months earlier my dad hadwritten to Romulus Whitaker the legendary snakeman who now runs theCroc Bank asking whether I could spend some time there. There had beenno reply largely because Rom travels quite a bit but also because, as Idiscovered, writing replies to letters is about the last thing theseanimal-dedicated persons have time for. 

I was in fact beginning to feel quite frustrated thinking that my tripwould not work out when Srilata Swaminadhan (with whom we stayed inJaipur) told my father that her sister lived at Mamallapuram and wouldhelp out. Phone calls back and forth and finally it was all organised. I was overjoyed when my dad's phone call came to Uncle Mano's housesaying I could go. 

Babu, Uncle Mano's nephew, reached me by bus to the Croc Bank on the9th of December and I spent one glorious month there, the nearest I gotto living in the wild. Although I was supposed to return home forChristmas I begged to be let off and was in the seventh heaven when myparents agreed. In fact I enjoyed my stay so much, that in March, Ireturned to the Croc Bank again (for a brief while), as that was thebreeding season for crocodiles. 

The Croc Bank is situated at Mamallapuram which is about 37 kms fromChennai. It is a huge place with a beach just behind it. 

Croc Bank is home to thousands of crocodiles, all of them housed inpits of varying sizes with sloping walls to enable water to collect atthe centre so that the crocs can sunbathe on the upper part of theslopes. Some of the huge crocodiles have individual pits but usuallythe species is kept separately, male and female further separated fromeach other. A large enclosure divided into several sections houses thebaby crocs. 

In addition to crocodiles, snakes also have a significant position atCroc Bank for snakes were Director Romulus Whitaker's first love, andhe is still known as the Snakeman, having founded Madras Snake Parkseveral years ago. There is, in fact, a big snake pit at the Croc Bank, in which various kinds of snakes are kept. Here, snake venom isextracted from the snakes by the Irulas. There is a separate fee forvisitors for entering the snake area. While the poisonous snakes arekept in pots in a snake room, the King Cobras, of course, have specialseparate rooms. 

Croc Bank also has enclosures and pits for various kinds of turtles andlarge aquariums with fish in them. 

At one end of the campus is the library, well stocked with books andmagazines on all these creatures. Adjacent to it are the residentialquarters of researchers and guests (there were mainly foreigners at thetime I was there) who come to stay at Croc Bank from time to time. Theresidential quarters are quite simple but comfortable. Each room has abed, desk and table, and an attached bath and toilet. I occupied one ofthese rooms during my stay here. 

The Irula families live in a separate area close to where the Snakepits are located. The permanent staff which includes the Director, Deputy Directory and others have their own individual houses located invarious places within the Croc Bank. 

During my stay I became good friends with many of the people at theCroc Bank including the six foot tall Director, Romulus Whitaker, whomeveryone calls Rom; his wife, Zai Whitaker; their sons Samir andNikhil; Harry Andrews, the Deputy Director who hails from Kerala;Romaine, his wife and their son Tharak, Gerry the snake-catcher fromBangalore and many others. 

My stay at Croc bank was exciting throughout and I learnt a lot. Forthe first few days, I was given my first assignment i. E. , treating a2-foot long turtle with infected skin. I used to apply ointment to itsfeet and then put on some bandage. The next day, before repeating thetreatment, I had to feed the turtle with cabbage in water. 

From turtles, I moved to big lizards i. E. Monitor lizards and GreenIguanas. The Green Iguana I handled was quite big-about the size of anaverage dachshund. His tail measured two to three times the length ofhis body if not more. From head to tail, he must have been about twoand a half metres long. But he had been in captivity for so long thathe was very friendly, though he had sharp claws and a spiny back andhead. Sometimes, when I used to guide special guests around, I wouldtake him out so that they could have a feel of his sandpapery skin. Iwas surprised when Harry, the deputy director, told me the Iguana wasas old as I was. 

Sometimes, I also handled monitor lizards. They were very strong, hadsharp claws and a very bad bite. Every time I jumped into the pit tohandle them they would rush into the water. I soon learned to be quickenough, and would get them before they could reach the water. Once theywere cornered they would whip their tails about and inflate theirnecks, hissing dangerously. Of course, you had a few of them running uptrees and then you couldn't do anything about it. I soon discoveredthat though it looked scarier, it was easier to catch them in thewater. 

The croc bank is filled with pits. Each of these pits is an enclosurevarying in size, depending on the size and type of reptile, and thenumber of them in it. Every pit has a pond of sorts filled with waterfor the reptiles to swim in or to drink. Most of the crocodile pitswere bare, but the monitor lizard pits were usually filled with treeswhich they could climb to the highest branches. The branch ends werekept within the range of the pits so that the monitor lizards did notget out by trying to climb other trees or jumping out from the highbranches. 

The ponds of the monitor lizards were almost waist deep with dark murkywater and you had to feel around until you touched the head, leg orbody of the monitor (they are less likely to bite in water). Then Iwould feel around till I got the tail, slowly lift it to the surfaceand grab the neck under the water. Their necks were so huge that Icould hardly get my fingers round them. On land, catching them bygrabbing the tail was much faster, but one had to avoid the biting headby quickly grabbing the neck. 

Once, when the Croc Bank staff wanted to get some monitors down fromthe trees, they just took a long stick and pushed them over from theheight of almost a two storey building. They fell on the ground butsuffered no damage and just continued running around. I recall the dayGerry challenged Nikhil "the bodybuilder" to pull a monitor lizard thatwas half out of a burrow. At first he thought the monitor's tail wouldbreak but though he tugged with all his might his rippling musclescouldn't move an inch of the monitor. 

In the mornings, I helped the workers clean the croc pits, a task whichI thoroughly enjoyed. We would jump into the pits with big sticks andchase all the crocs into the water. Then we would clean out the crocshit and the left overs of their food which included a lot of bones. This exercise was usually done with a male worker first chasing thecrocs into the water. Then the remaining 3 to 4 women would help withbrooms, baskets and spades. Occasionally, we would have a crocodilewanting us to get out of his pit instead. No matter how hard you hithim on his nose he would chase you around until he would finally givein, so to speak, and dash into the water with a big splash orsometimes, glide gracefully to where he could join his friends whosometimes numbered a thousand! (The Croc Bank had around seven thousandcrocs at the time I was there. )

I also had occasion to participate a few times in the operationsinvolved in shifting crocodiles from one location to another. That wasquite an adventure in itself!

One day Rom and Harry decided to shift the largest male Gharial in theCroc Bank from one pit to another as it had broken its upper jaw in afight with another male during the previous breeding season. 

Normally you try to catch a croc by throwing a sort of a small anchorin and when the croc latches on to it you try and pull it out. Once itis out, about 10-15 people quickly jump and sit on it. (That's the onlyway to prevent a croc from getting back into water!). With its mouthbound by rubber bands, the croc is then rolled onto a ladder, bound toit, lifted and carried to the pit that it has to be transferred to. Anaverage adult croc is about 250 kg and about two to three metres long. It takes 15-20 people to carry it. 

Once it is released in the pool the ropes and rubber bands are removedand the last unfortunate or brave man, depending on how you look at it, makes a run for his life over the edge of the pond onto the safety ofdry land. 

As we were transferring the male Gharial into a female mugger pit, Harry jokingly yelled: "What do you think we will get-a Ghammer?" Ofcourse crocs only mate with others of their own species and there is noway a Gharial and mugger will get together. We were in facttransferring the male here in order to give it a period of rest andrecovery from fighting with other males. 

Another time the exercise was because `Jaws III' needed female company. Jaws III is the biggest captive salt water crocodile in India. He isabout 16 feet and ranks may be, 3rd or 4th in the world in terms of hislength. Therefore, after Part II of `The Great White Man-eating Shark'was produced, called Jaws II, the Croc Bank rightly decided to name itscrocodile `Jaws III'. 

Jaws III was a loner and would kill anything including other crocswhich fell into his pit. So he lived a lonely, if majestic life. Whenever we jumped into his pit to clean it he would come charging atus even if he was in the water. He seemed to give us more exercise thanall of us put together gave him. Anyway, the Croc Bank, after tenyears, finally felt it was time to find a him bride. Since he had onmore than one occasion bashed his head against a wall sensing a femalein the opposite pit, we knew he was ready!

The first female we caught was about to be thrown into his pit when Iasked to examine her. (I had just learnt how to sex them). I began tofeel inside the crocodile and felt a hemipenis! "It's a male, " Ishouted. "Can't be, " said Gerry, "let me check. " After a few secondsthere was a reassuring nod from Gerry: "Yes, Rom, it's a male!"

"Rahul, Champion Sexer, " cried Gerry. 

One cannot tell if crocs are male or female by their outwardappearance. So, at the Croc Bank, after crocs grow to a certain lengththey are sexed and markings are made on their scales. But workers cansometimes make mistakes while sexing small crocs. That's perhaps howthe error occurred with the first bride we got for Jaws. I can'timagine the plight of the poor chap had he been put in the pit withJaws. He would have been turned into minced meat in minutes. 

After that episode we physically examined every supposed female wecaught to be doubly sure of not making any error and found that most ofthe supposed females turned out to be males! By then, most of the crocshad run into the deepest part of the pond and we had hardly any crocsto choose a female from. Rom suggested chasing the females out of thewater onto the land, but that's not easy at all. So he came up withanother idea. 

We got some iron gates and tied them together with a thick mesh netover it all. Then we had to wade into the green water with the net infront of us. This would effectively push the crocs from the deep wateronto the land. But the best of plans can go haywire and, instead, thereverse started happening. The crocs from the land started coming intothe water colliding with those being driven out by us. Thereafter therewas general commotion in the water and all the crocs started thrashingabout. One almost got my neighbour's hand. I could feel the crocs at myfeet through the iron mesh that I held grimly onto. However we finallyaccomplished our dangerous mission and when we had driven a sufficientnumbers onto the land we were able to select a female for Jaws. 

Imagine Jaws' surprise when he saw a companion after all those years. She was exactly half his size in length and width. Perhaps he was justvery excited or maybe it was due to a normal state of male aggression, we don't know, because he just caught the hapless female croc betweenhis huge jaws and thrashed her about. "Croc barbecue is delicious", said Tharak expecting the poor creature to perish any moment. Fortunately or unfortunately, his wish was not fulfilled. The femalesurvived although with quite a few bloody marks. Thereafter she kepther distance from the water as any sane creature would, avoiding Jawslike the plague. 

Much later, when I visited Croc Bank a second time, it was the breedingseason and there were a few nests to be excavated everyday. Each nestwould occupy about the space of a medium size basket. Each egg was atleast three times the size of a hen's egg and they usually numberedaround 30 to 35. Every female-and each one of these measured from about2 m to 3. 5 m-would determinedly guard her nest, refusing to budge whenwe tried to chase her into the water in order to clean the pit. 

There is now a problem of excess population of the mugger crocodilesat the Croc Bank partly because they breed twice as much at the crocbank compared to in the wild and also due to their high survival rate. In the wild, at the most, one or two survive out of the 30-35 eggs asmany are lost to predators, etc. , but here due to artificialincubation, special enclosures, etc. , a large number tend to survive. Therefore the croc bank has stopped all breeding of this species whichmeant that we had a surfeit of eggs for breakfast! We used to scramblethe salty eggs and finish them off with sauce, although a larger numberused to be sent raw for the monitor lizards' breakfast. 

I sometimes went snake hunting with the Irulas. The Irulas are tribalsthat are expert at snake catching. They formerly caught snakes for thesnake skin industry. After the ban, they went out of business and foundit difficult to make a living because they did not own land and did notknow how to cultivate fields or do any trade at all. After the crocbank opened they were back in the business they excelled in, but thistime it was to save people and snakes with snake venom extraction. 

Carrying only a crowbar and a few cloth bags, they would set out, overturning every bush and digging any hole that showed signs of asnake in it. Their crowbar had three uses, namely: (1) to shine lightinto the burrow; (2) to dig the hole and (3) to handle the snake. During my outings with the dark, short, curly haired snake hunters, wecaught striped keelbacks, ratsnakes and also black scorpions. 

Apart from snakes the Irulas also caught rats. These rats, whichdestroy crops and fields, build their burrows within the bunds. Aftercatching the rats, the Irulas would take away the rice which the ratshad stowed away and cook it to eat with the field rat meat. Theseoutings were long, hot and tiring but I found them nonethelessenjoyable. 

The Irulas also taught me a lot about snake handling. I learnt tohandle the four poisonous snakes of India (the "Big Four", i. E. Cobras, Common Kraits, Russel's Vipers, Saw-scaled Vipers) and also Pit Vipersand Pythons. 

Snakes were kept in mud pots that were placed in the snake room (nodifferent from an ordinary bedroom). Outside, a board merely announced:`Danger: Snakes Loose'. This was done to discourage intruders. Butreally speaking, snakes were let loose only under supervision. Therewas a small canal of water outside to prevent ants from entering theroom. (You may not believe it but ants can reduce a snake to askeleton. ) Next, there was a little space outside the room and about 1to 2 metres after, a smooth wall, about a metre high. I used to removethe snakes from their pots, put them to drink water in the canal andthen clean the pots. During this exercise I would take the opportunityto improve my skills at handling the snakes. Basically one has to holdthe tail with one hand and control the snake using the snake hook (along stick with an iron hook at the end) with the other. 

Bites! That's practically the first question anyone asks me when I talkof my croc bank vacation. Did I get bitten? Yes, several times, mostlyby accident. But sometimes I allowed myself to be bitten just for theheck of it. I recall once when a ratsnake gave me a bite on the nose. Itried to prevent Rom seeing it but he found out soon enough by theblood on my shirt. A bite from a ratsnake is not painful but it bleedslike a leaking tap. "Don't worry, Rahul, " Rom said cheerfully, "thevenom will not take effect for another half an hour. " (Ratsnakes arenon-poisonous. )

Another time I was getting a picture taken of myself with a babycrocodile when it turned round and bit me. That was quite bad! Imaginea sawing machine running over your hand. But I was cool, and happy thatI had been bitten by a crocodile!

Then I was dumb enough to try the bite of a wall lizard that Gerry hadcaught to feed to his pit vipers. The scar, still on my hand, remindsme also of the chequered keelback bite I got in Pune (the one which gotso bad that I couldn't wear my watch for a few days). 

And on the last day of my stay at Croc Bank the red-eared turtle whichI was taking away as my gift and souvenir from Croc Bank bit me so badthat I could see my flesh and I could barely use my hand for a fewdays. 

Now when I look back I think I was collecting bites in much the sameway that some people collect trophies. Although this may appear quite afoolish thing to do and perhaps it was too (some of the bites werequite painful), one good thing did come out of all those bites. I haveno paranoid fear of such bites any longer. I am very careful when Ihandle reptiles and take all the precautions that I have been taughtbut I know that I would not be terror stricken should I get bitten andwould know what remedial steps to take. 

Apart from my practical studies, there was a huge library at the CrocBank where I would browse through several books on crocs, snakes, monitors, turtles, the works. It was always with great pleasure that Iwould search for information about something that I had learnt or seenthat day. And the best part is that although I didn't have to memorizethe facts for any examination, nothing of what I read has gone out ofmy head. 

And then, there was always time for fun. Sometimes I would go toHarry's house where Tharaq and I played music or recorded songs. Othertimes, I would watch a movie at Rom's. There was time for barbecues offield rats, froglegs, frankfurters, parrot fish, chicken and beef, rounded off with chocolate cake. The beach at the back was for swimmingduring the day and catching crabs during the night. 

One of the interesting happenings at the time that I was there was thearrival of a film team from the magazine National Geographic to filmthe King Cobras at the Bank. I became one of the many hands-on they hadfor the job: I would assist in various ways like holding the flash, helping with the setting up of shots, catching and re-catching thefrogs as they scampered off during the numerous retakes. 

One lazy afternoon Tharaq suggested a haircut for me. My hair was bythen really long. In fact I had not put a scissor to it since thebeginning of my sabbatical. So now it stood nearly at shoulder length. He told me he had one and a half months' experience in hair cutting. Iwas thus persuaded to take up his offer of a "free" haircut in the"latest style". 

I explained in great detail to Tharaq how I wanted it cut and henodded attentively making a few suggestions here and there. Then hestarted to work with the scissors, cutting and shaving here and there. When he announced that he had finished he produced a mirror and Ilooked into the face of an unrecognisable Rahul with a hairstyle oftriangles sitting amidst shaved parts and a long strand of hair in thefront. I looked crazier than any rock star! It was only then that Ilearnt that Tharaq did not know the ABC of haircutting, much lesshairstyling and that he had just had a great time experimenting on myhead. 

Anyway I decided that now was a good time to try out the "bald look"and so I got to a proper barber and had my hair shaved off completely. It was truly liberating. I took several pictures of myself at this timewith the reptiles at the croc bank to remember my days here and also torecord for posterity my new look. 

I felt truly sorry when it was time for me to leave Croc Bank. Ipromised everyone that I'd be back soon. I carried a souvenir with me-ared-eared turtle (which I still have) and some turtle eggs. 

I travelled through the night on a bus to Bangalore. At my foot was theturtle in a box and I had left a small opening for her to breathe. Suddenly I noticed that the turtle was out and was already making forthe door of the bus. I quickly caught her and put her back without anyof the sleeping passengers noticing it except for a dear old lady whosmiled and said, "Dropped your water bottle, son?"

Field Work Notes:Crocodiles

Living millions of years before man, but today facing extinction. . . Withmany myths about them and very little known about their nature. Manyare considered dangerous. None are considered useful. Who are thesecreatures? They are called crocodiles, alligators and lizards. 

There are 21 species of crocodiles and alligators in the world. 

Three species of crocodiles are found in India, namely:

1) the Gharials-which are fish-eating crocodiles;

2) the Muggers; and

3) the Salt-water crocodiles. 

The biggest and the most dangerous of all crocodiles in the world isthe salt water crocodile, which can grow upto 25 feet. It is the onlycrocodile that can live in the sea for a long time. The Nile crocodileof Africa is yet another deadly species. Fossils of three other extinctspecies of crocodiles have also been found in India. 

These cold blooded animals have evolved with dinosaurs millions ofyears ago and are more closely related to birds than to snakes orreptiles. Being cold blooded they control their body temperature byseeking shady, sunny spots or different levels in water. They oftenbask with their jaws open, which probably helps them to keep cool. 

Their eyes, nose and ears are positioned in a straight line along withhead and snout. They have good eyesight and a good sense of smell, andcan hear very well. Their tail is very strong and helps them inswimming. They have a very low metabolic rate and thus need to huntonly every few days. They can decrease their metabolic rate and stayunder water for a long time. Alligators have been known to stay underwater for upto 6 hours. They do not make any unnecessary movements butcan move very fast even on land when necessary. Small salties cangallop at a speed of 48 kph for short distances. 

Crocodiles are found in large and small rivers, lakes, mangroves, andin brackish and fresh water. When a baby crocodile hatches, it is justabout three quarters of a foot (25-30 cms) in length. In a few years itmatures into an adult. Maturity depends upon size rather than on age. Generally males mature slower than females. 

In the wild, a female will take between 5-7 years to mature whereasmales will take 9-11 years. Gharials take longer to mature; about 8-10years for the female and 12 years for the male. In captivity, such asin the Madras Crocodile Bank, females mature in four years and males infive. 

The average size for maturity for a Mugger is-male (2 metres) andfemale (1. 6 metres). Males of Gharials and Salties mature at three anda half metres and females at three metres. 

Mugger crocodiles breed in between February and April. Salties breed inApril and Gharials between the last week of March to the second week ofApril. 

Breeding depends on environmental conditions. In the breeding seasonmales often fight for the right to court with several females. Duringcourtship each pair may blow bubbles, rub noses, raise their snout andperiodically submerge and re-emerge. Different species show differentcourtship displays. Gharials, for example, often court each other bymaking a loud buzzing sound. Mating occurs under water with the malemounted on top of the female. 

The average gestation period is between 35-60 days. The gestation for aMugger is 35-40 days and for Gharials and Salties, 40-65 days. Thetemperature at which eggs are incubated and the moisture content of theenvironment (humidity) influence the sex within the embryo. 

Crocodiles will either dig a hole about 30 cms deep or pile up leavesto incubate their eggs. They sometime splash water on the nest tocontrol the temperature. In mugger crocs, females are exclusivelyproduced at constant temperature of 28¡C through 31¡C. At 32. 5¡C onlymales are produced. Both sexes in varying proportion are produced at31. 5 to 33¡C. 

The female guards the nest. At the time of hatching the young startcroaking so the mother (sometimes even the father) digs open the nest. Then she cracks some of the eggs with her teeth to set free the youngand carries them to the water in her mouth. The adult crocodilescontinue to guard the young until they are about 5-7 months old. 

Crocodiles have many uses in nature's ecosystem. They help keep theenvironment clean by eating the carcasses that would otherwise rot. They capture the diseased, wounded and weaker prey thus letting onlythe strongest survive and thus maintaining a healthy population andkeeping up the genetic quality of their prey species. 

In the dry season, wallows and tunnels dug by crocs provide essentialwater for other animals, turtles and fish. Many animals depend uponcrocs for food for e. G. The sacred Ibis and monitor lizard will eat theeggs of the Nile crocodile. Crocs are also exceptionally resistant todisease and thus may be of great use in medical research. 

Chapter 11: Learning to Teach

January brought fresh experience for me and it happened entirelybecause of Hartman de Souza. I was to return to Goa via Bangalore andsince our good friends, Hartman and Ujwala, live in Bangalore and hadexpressed willingness to accommodate me, should I need a place to stayfor a while during my sabbatical, my parents suggested that I spend afew days there before returning home. I was to stay at their place, sight-see Bangalore if I liked and inform my parents as soon as I wasready to return. This then was the general plan. 

I reached Bangalore at 1. 40 p. M. On the 7th of January. Bing (that'show we all call Hartman) was at the bus-stand to pick me up, with hiscar. We drove to his house, me chatting away in reply to all hisquestions. At home there was Ujwala and their kids, Zuri and heryounger brother, Zaeer. Also living with them at the time was Mrs Kalaiwho was Bing's colleague at the India Foundation for the Arts. 

After settling down to a good meal and generally relaxing, Bing told methat he had in mind a few people and institutions connected with myinterest i. E. , wildlife and that I should use my time in Bangalore tomeet them. I agreed to his suggestion, little realizing that the peoplehe suggested I meet would make their own suggestions about other peopleI should meet and when I would report this information to Bing, hewould insist that I go and meet them as well. So I spent quite a fewdays meeting, or writing to, various persons connected with wildlife inBangalore. 

Bing is quite a hard taskmaster and he would not let me off easily; ifthe people were not in station at that time or, if the names suggestedwere not from Bangalore, I had to write to them instead. I wrotenumerous letters as a result. The general purpose of this activity wasthat I should get an idea of what options were there for me if Idecided to pursue a career in wildlife eventually. Bing also suggestedthat I should try to find out how and why these people decided to taketo environment and wildlife studies, whether they were happy in theirchoices and so on. 

Bing made several copies of an introductory cum reference letter for mewhich I was to give to the people I was to meet. The letter, which wassigned by him, stated that I had taken a one year sabbatical to explorewildlife which I had done for the past eight months and that I wouldlike to have a small interview with the person concerned. I alsoprepared small questionnaires to help me in the interviews. Bing wouldmost often phone the person in advance and make the appointment for me. Sometimes he even reached me to the place; at other times I went in arickshaw. 

The first person I met was Mr T. Parameswarappa, Retd. Principal ChiefConservator of Forests. I reached Mr Parameswarappa's house at 11. 45a. M. I had an appointment with him at 12. 30 p. M. However MrParameswarappa was out and did not arrive home until 1. 30 p. M. So I satand looked at a couple of books in his office. Soon after he returnedwe began to talk, first about my sabbatical and then about what Iwanted to do in the future. 

He told me that after graduation, one must answer a competitiveexamination held by the Union Public Service Commission. The studentswho are selected are trained and then posted to a forest. At theUniversity of Agricultural Sciences at Dharwad or Hebbal, a four yearcourse on forestry can be done after completing pre-university. At theWildlife Research Institute short courses may be available, he said, but after graduation long courses are definitely available. 

I asked him some questions and I relate briefly the interview I hadwith him:

Rahul: Is it possible to have a ranger give you a private guided tourwithin the Banargatta Wildlife Sanctuary?

Parmeswarappa: I'm afraid not. There are only routine safaris forvisitors. But if you like you can meet Mr Venkatesh, Deputy Conservatorof Forests and give him my reference. 

R: What is the condition of the sanctuary?

P: It is a government initiative and as you can expect, there are goodand bad points to all such activities. 

R: Are there any unusual career courses offered in Wildlife?

P: In India there are no privately run sanctuaries or zoos. Thereforeany career in wildlife or forestry must be through the government. Thismakes it almost impossible to have any rare or unusual career courses. 

R: What are the duties of the staff at the Banargatta Park?

P: Their only duty is to see to the well-being of the animals i. E. Feedthem and keep their surroundings clean. They do not study or doresearch on the animals. 

R: How did you acquire this post of Principal Chief Conservator ofForests? What was your background?

P: Like you, I had to study. I answered an examination and got a jobas a forest officer. Later I went to the US for two years and on myreturn I was appointed as Chief Conservator of Forests. 

R: Is it possible to set up a Snake Park for doing snake venomextraction?

P: Of course it is possible. But one must apply for alicence/permission for keeping wild snakes in captivity. Pune SnakePark will know the procedure and if you write to them they will giveyou all the details. 

Mr Parameswarappa proved to be a very friendly and helpful person. Before I left I showed him copies of the letters which I had alreadysent to the Indira Gandhi Research Institute and to the Indian WildlifeResearch Institute at Dehradun. 

My second appointment was with Mr Arun Kotankar, one of the mainpersons running an organisation called Samvad which has a programmecalled SMILE (Student Mobilisation Initiative for Learning) inBangalore. I reached the office at 10. 30 a. M. Although my appointmentwas at 12 o'clock. I showed him my reference letter and in a littlewhile he sat to talk with me. 

Mr Kotankar told me about the SMILE programmes in Bangalore. OnSaturday afternoons they have an informal open house at Samvad. Theywatch a film, have a debate or just talk on a specific topic ofinterest to students, like tourism, dowry, child abuse, fisherfolk'sstruggles or topics like marriage, love, education or parents. 

Students also visit organisations working with dalits, tribals, women, street children, fisherpeople, etc. One can also learn environmentalconservation. If the students cannot go to far off places and have tostay back during vacations, they are advised to take up campaigns orundertake studies on local problems like child labour, environmentaldegradation, construction workers' rights, etc. 

Shodhane which means `search' is a newsletter brought out by studentswho have been to these exposure camps and they write about theirexperiences during the exposure or generally about other socialconcerns. One can contribute articles, poems, cartoons or stories inKannada and English. I was quite interested to hear all that MrKotankar had to say about this organisation. 

Later, I went straight to St. Joseph's College where according to theinformation Bing had, there were various environmental courses beingconducted for college students. I met one of the clerks in the collegeoffice who gave me the information I requested and also a pamphletlisting the different courses one could take after graduation. 

Two days later I went to meet Dr Harish Gaonkar at his house, at 11a. M. Both he and his wife (who is German) were very friendly and Ispent a lot of time talking with Mr Gaonkar who is a specialist onbutterflies. 

I learnt from him that butterflies are insects that are more closelyrelated to plants than to insects. From the number of species ofbutterflies in an area, a butterfly collector can also find out thenumber of species of plants in that area. This is because each speciesof butterfly will use only a certain plant/plants species. For example, in Goa, there are about 250 species of butterflies, that means thatthere are about 900 to 1, 000 plant species in Goa. This informationwould be much more difficult for a pure botanist to give. Thusbutterflies are an ideal medium for a botanist who wishes to have anidea of the plant species in the locality. 

Eggs are laid by the mother butterflies in distinct places on leaves toavoid predators from feeding upon them. They hatch within two to threedays. The larvae will moult many times (on an average five) to become apupa. During the pupa stage, it does not feed and after a few days itemerges as a butterfly. It waits for about 10 minutes to dry its wingsin the sun and then flutters away. The whole process to become an adultmay take a period of five weeks to two months. Then the butterfly willlive for about 2 weeks, and within the first few days, will lay onlyone batch of eggs. 

Moths are the ones that spin silk. No butterfly spins silk. There areabout 10, 000 species of moths in the world-much more than butterflies. Some butterflies and moths are poisonous e. G. The Crimson Rose, evenfound in Goa. It is a butterfly with wings and a red body. It also hasred dots on its wings and black dots on its body. The smallestbutterflies are about a few centimetres in size and one of the biggestbutterflies is about the size of two palms put together. 

At the end of the meeting Dr Gaonkar showed me some books onbutterflies and some papers written by him on the subject. At around1. 30 p. M. I took leave of him and left for MES College where I had anappointment with Dr Leela for the same afternoon. There I saw preserveddolphin tails and specimens of hammer-headed sharks. 

My stay in Bangalore also became very special because of the Times ofIndia programme that Bing managed to arrange for me. The Times of Indiain Bangalore has a special section called "Newspaper in Education". Oneof the programmes of NIE is to have workshops in schools on variedtopics. On the 20th of January, I went to The Times office on M. G. Roadand after talking with the person in charge for sometime about what Ihad been doing during the past year I was asked whether I would take afew workshops in some schools over the next couple of days. Although Iwas not too certain how well I would do this job I agreed because ifthere is one thing I learnt during my sabbatical it is that one shouldalways give a try to anything new because things are not always as hardas they might appear to be. So I said yes. 

My first workshop was on the 22nd of January. I was picked up by one ofthe organisers from NIE and taken to the Srivani Education Centre whereI was to speak to the students of Standard VIII. I was expected tospeak for about 35 minutes and keep around 10 minutes for questions ordiscussion. 

I was a bit nervous at first but as the talk progressed and I foundthe students listening attentively I talked more freely. After thesesessions were over I would be dropped back home or to Hartman's officewhichever was nearer. After the first few schools went off well and Ibecame accustomed to the routine I found myself enjoying these classes. I was even more pleased to learn that I would be paid Rs. 100 perworkshop plus my travel costs. 

For the talk I would start by telling the students about my sabbatical, how the idea came up, the various places I had visited and the variousthings I had done so far. After that I would speak about twotopics-vermiculture and snakes-because I thought that these would be ofmost use to the students. Vermiculture because they could practise thisat home to process the garbage into compost and snakes because peoplehave so many fears about them. 

When I talked about vermiculture, particularly about mixing cowdungwith soil, sometimes the girls and boys would find it distasteful andwould make jokes about it or laugh at the idea and I would think thatthese are city kids and they don't know anything about cowdung. Butstill I would continue to explain how a vermipit can be set up in theirhomes. 

On snakes, I would first give general information about poisonous andnon-poisonous snakes, and how to identify the poisonous ones. Then Iwould tell them what should be done if someone got a snake bite. Iwould also discuss the various beliefs that people have about snakesand which of them are myths. Depending on the time left, I would speakabout other things too, like crocodiles, turtles or spiders. 

At the end of the class, I would show them croc teeth, photos of myselfwith snakes, crocs, monitors, etc. , and then my red-eared turtle that Ialways carried around with me in my bag. At this point there would bemaximum excitement. Everyone would crowd around, some would ask to holdthe turtle and they would ask questions about its eating habits etc. Iwould allow them to touch the shell and nothing more because the turtleis very nasty and bites. In this fashion I took workshops at several other schools includingNational English School, Sindhi School, St. Mary's School, BolivianGirls School and Bangalore International School. I usually spoke to thestudents of Class VII to X. At Bangalore International School howeverthe workshop was for the students of Class III and IV. 

A few months later back in Goa I was pleased when the postman handed mea registered letter from NIE, Bangalore which contained a cheque forRs. 1075, my full earnings for giving the lectures. Later when I wrotean article on my one year sabbatical for the Hindustan Times I sent acopy to NIE and they too published it in their newsletter. Newspaper inEducation has also invited me to take more workshops whenever I am inBangalore. 

Bangalore was very enjoyable in many other ways as well. One morning Iwent to a swimming pool with Kalia and got the shock of my life onjumping into the water; it was freezing cold! I resolved never to tryswimming in Bangalore in the winter again. 

I ate out often especially during the day and tried out various smalleating joints (Bangalore has plenty of them), sampling South Indianfood, vegetable cutlets, milk shakes and so on. Of course, I constantlyhad to watch my purse, for my budget did not allow lavish eating. Sometimes I went to a book shop, sometimes I did small errands for Bingand Ujwala, and I recall helping Bing with the cooking on at least twooccasions and occasionally helping Ujwala with her garden. 

I also used to accompany Bing and Ujwala and their two kids on familyoutings. Once we went to a lake called Sanki Tank where I enjoyedmotorboat rides and then played with Zuri and Zaeer in a smallchildren's park. Another time, we all went to see a dance performancethat I didn't understand too much about. Sometimes we all just went outfor a drive (I enjoyed these rides best) and then would have ice-creamcones on the way home. 

I must tell you how I learnt to eat vegetables. I have generallydisliked vegetables as far as I can remember. My mum tells me that sheregularly fed me vegetables as a baby and we have always had one or twovegetables on the table at home for any meal. Still I would generallyrefuse vegetables and preferred to stick to fish curry and rice, ourstaple food in Goa. 

When I was starting on my travels my parents warned me that in severalplaces the food would be only vegetarian, and that did happen to be thecase. During the year I learnt how to eat all types of food atdifferent people's houses. But I stuck to veggies I could tolerate likecabbage and potatoes or I would eat the dhal and rice with pickles. Ihad still not started eating vegetables like ladyfinger and brinjal. Bing found out about this when chatting with me and said that he hatedanybody making a fuss about food. So everyday while eating he would puta huge helping of vegetables on my plate. Especially the ones I didn'tlike, like tomatoes, brinjal and ladyfinger. 

I would finish the vegetables first so that I could enjoy the betterpart of the meal i. E. The meat or fish without having to deal with theveggies. But no sooner had I finished the vegetables, he would say: "Ohlovely, you like this vegetable? Have another helping!" and despite myprotests I would get another huge helping of vegetable. In this way Iwould eat about three times the quantity of vegetables as I took thefirst time before I finally ended my meal. 

Eventually, I stayed on in Bangalore for three weeks, returning homeonly on the 30th of January. I had not met my parents and brothers fornearly 3 months and was eager to share my experiences with them. Unfortunately when I arrived, I got just an hour or so to chat with myparents as they were leaving that very day for a 10-day stay in Delhito attend the World Book Fair along with some of the staff from OtherIndia Bookstore. So I had to wait till their return to regale them withmy tales. 

But in the meanwhile there were my two younger brothers eager to knowabout my travels, my neighbours who hadn't seen me for five months andof course my old pals like Ashok who were happy to welcome me in theirmidst again. 

Chapter 12: You Have Sight, I Have Vision

I was at home for practically the entire month of February, partlybecause my parents themselves were away for nearly half the month andhad asked me to help in the house during that time. Also, I had tore-plan my programme for the last few months of my sabbatical and sometime was always needed for replies to be got from the people we hadwritten to. 

I found that I had completed most of the things I had set out to doduring my sabbatical though there were a few areas like honey bees forwhich definite programmes had not yet been worked out. 

I busied myself during this time with writing out those special essaysof the past couple of months that I had not yet completed (though mydaily diary was up-to-date and in perfect order). 

I also set up the earthworm vermicompost pit in our backyard. It was mydad's idea that I should put into practice immediately the vermiculturethat I had learnt, since managing garbage is becoming a problem inalmost all households. His idea was that once I mastered the techniqueof setting up the vermipits by trial and error at home, I could set thesame type up with little variations if needed for friends of ours andlater for anyone who wanted this useful method of garbage management. 

Dad suggested that I prepare a large vermipit which would be suitablefor any family having a large compound like we have and also one or twosmall vermibeds which could be used by people living in flats who donot have lots of space of their own. We would keep all the pits goingby putting waste into all of them from time to time and this way Icould get experience on how the big and small pits both worked so thatwhen people asked for such information I would readily have it. 

So to start with I had to construct a vermibed. I began with the tankitself which was to be of brick. We had a labourer doing some odd jobsat that time at our house and he said he knew a bit about how to cementbricks together, so he and I constructed this 3' by 2' by 4' high tankof bricks. We mixed cement and sand in some rough proportion withwater. Within a day we had the bricks placed one over the other withthe cement mixture holding it all together. This was easy stuff Ithought as I wrote out my record of how many bricks and the quantity ofcement and sand we had used to construct the bed. 

Next day, I dutifully wet the construction twice as instructed in orderto have the cement set. Imagine my shock when on the third day I foundthat our entire tank was shaking and ready to collapse. I rushed offnext door to my neighbour Guru who took one look at the tank and toldme that we would have to take down the whole thing and start fromscratch again. Apparently we had not used the right proportion ofcement and sand mixture, or laid the bricks right. Nor had we laid anyfoundation for the structure. Masonry was not that simple, I realized. 

I immediately got down to carefully removing each brick withoutdamaging it as the bricks were to be re-used. Guru, the expert mason, then came over to construct the tank, and I helped. In fact, we builttwo tanks that day: one large and one medium. I then prepared thevermipits and Yesu, our maid, was instructed to henceforth put all thehousehold wastes (except paper and plastic) into the pits, alternatingbetween the different ones. 

We also started vermiculture in a wooden crate. Eventually the cratewas used as a seed bed and a fine crop of jackfruit seedlings wasraised in the box. The other two vermipits (of brick) function well, and all our household waste is processed by the earthworms. 

At the end of February, I was eager and ready to set out again. Although some contacts for the study of bee-keeping had been made by mydad, I was personally not very much interested in the subject. Crocs, snakes and the wild had gripped me and I was longing to get back to theCroc Bank. 

I also had another totally unrelated and unconnected programme that Iwanted to accomplish, namely to improve my eyesight by taking a courseon eye care and learning eye exercises at the Eye Clinic at theAurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. 

I came to know of the Eye Clinic through Farida, one of the residentstaff at Croc Bank. I have been wearing glasses since class IV when mymum made the discovery that the reason I was not copying lessons fromthe blackboard was not because I was inattentive or disobedient butsimply because I couldn't read clearly from the blackboard at all. Thencame the visit to the oculist and the mandatory spectacles. 

But I fervently wished to rid myself of these glasses ever since Iheard that with eye exercises one can improve one's eyesight. In fact, I had begun doing eye exercises with Sister Gemma, a Medical MissionSister who is associated with my parents' work. I had continued theseexercises when I was at the Croc Bank, where Farida seeing me at it, had told me about the Eye Clinic at Aurobindo Ashram where I could getproper training. 

As I was also eager to return to my favourite Croc Bank and sincePondicherry is not very far from Mamallapuram I proposed to my parentsthat I be allowed to go to Pondicherry via Bangalore, complete the eyecourse there and then proceed to Croc Bank where I could spend afortnight or so before returning to Goa. This would comfortably keep meaway during the month of March when my brothers would be studying fortheir school finals and I would return in time to enjoy the April-Mayvacations when our cousins from Belgaum, Lucano and Ricardo, would joinus for a whole summer season of mangoes, jackfruits and umpteen picnicson the beach. 

My parents approved of my programme and on the 26th of February, I setout for Pondicherry. By now I was quite familiar with the routes anddid not need anyone to pick me up from the bus stops on arrival. However, I had phoned Bernard at Auroville earlier and madearrangements to stay with him at Auroville for the duration of thecourse. 

I travelled by an overnight bus from Goa to Bangalore, rested brieflyduring the day at Hartman's place and caught the night bus again atBangalore bus station arriving at Pondicherry at 4 a. M. There a cyclerickshaw fellow managed to cheat me of Rs. 40 by promising to take me toAuroville but instead depositing me at Aurobindo Ashram which was moreor less next door to the bus stop. 

I had to get into another local bus to get to Auroville which was morethan 10 kms away and after walking a short distance was greeted byBernard, whom I knew, as I had met him some months earlier on my firstvisit to Auroville. I stayed free of cost at Auroville in a room inBernard's quarters, sharing with him the meals he prepared. 

I cycled twice a day from Bernard's house to the Ashram. At the Ashram, I used to do my eye exercises and then return home. I did a total of 45kms of cycling per day i. E. 360 kms of cycling for the nine days that Iwas there. 

The Ashram itself was an old building. Before you entered you had toleave your slippers outside and place a plastic tag, with a number, onthem; another tag, with the same number, you carried in your pocket asyou walked barefoot up the stairs of the ashram. The place reminded meof a retreat centre with people in meditative moods and soft Indianclassical music playing continuously. 

The first exercise was the most terrible one. I would have just reachedthe Centre after cycling in the sun when honey drops would be put in myeyes. I then had to stand sweating in the sun with my eyes burningbecause of the honey. (Honey is sweet on the tongue but burns in theeyes. )

The next exercise would be struggling to read fine print in the darkwith only a candle light burning. Next, one had to carry out the sameexercise in normal sunlight, outside. There was an exercise involvingeye movement through the use of a small rubber ball, then the readingof a chart with letters and words of diminishing size in varyingdegrees, bathing the eyes with steam, much in the same way asinhalation is done, and then cooling the eyes with cold cotton packs. Finally, there was the colour treatment, where one stares at brightcolours reflected over a lamp in a darkened room. 

Each exercise had to be performed a specific number of times with smalldetails like opening, shutting and blinking of the eyes controlled tothe finest degree. After I finished I would return to rock music on awalkman, on my way to Auroville. 

There was no charge for the 10 day course at the Ashram but at the endof it I paid Rs. 77 for the material needed to enable me continue withthe exercises-namely, 4 bottles of eyedrops, 2 small jars of honey, onerubber ball, two charts and two booklets with fine print. 

I benefitted a lot from the course and within a month or so, afterregularly doing the exercises, I was able to read without spectacles. Istill do the exercises, though not so regularly, and the best part isthat after having been a regular wearer of glasses I now have to use myglasses only occasionally, like when watching TV or movies-which I dovery rarely anyway since we do not have a TV set at home. 

After the course was over I was eager to get another look at the CrocBank and as per the prior arrangements made on telephone I set out forMamallapuram, once again, on the 7th of March. 

A funny, but expensive incident happened to me on the way. 

I got to the interstate bus station early that morning and waited till8 or 9 a. M. For the bus going to Mamallapuram to arrive. I startedasking around and eventually I was directed by a bus driver to theMamallapuram bus. 

Before I could reached the bus a man dressed in a conductors' uniformwalked towards me. "Where are you going?" he asked. "To Mamallapuram", I replied. "Come, come with me", said the man. We both got into thebus, I took a seat and he put my luggage on the overhead rack. "Ticket", he demanded. "How much?" I asked. "25 rupees", he replied. Ihanded over the amount to him. 

Shortly after the bus had started on its way, and to my astonishment, another conductor appeared and started issuing tickets to thepassengers. I explained that I had already paid Rs. 25 to the otherconductor only to find that there was no "other conductor", only aclever cheat who had taken me for a ride while the bus was stillstationary. I had to shell out another 18 rupees for my journey to theCroc Bank! What I found hard to accept was that the man was able tocheat me in front of all those passengers sitting in the bus. No onethought to tell me that he was not the real conductor. 

This time I stayed at the Croc Bank only for a week as Rom, Harry andeveryone else on the farm were leaving for Kerala to continue with theNational Geographic film programme and there was little else I could doat the Croc Bank with everyone away. 

Chapter 13: Surveying a Forest

The summer vacation that year was great fun. My cousins from Belgaumarrived on schedule and since no one had Board exams that year theholiday season began in the first week of April itself. We would enjoytwo whole months of the sea, swimming as often as we could in the riverthat joins the sea at Baga. 

One morning in May my dad asked me whether I'd like to participate in aproject that the Goa Foundation, an environment organisation of whichmy dad is Executive Secretary, was organising for college students. Iagreed. The project turned out to be field visits to the forests inBetim in order to identify which areas were still forest, which areashad been cut down and by whom, which projects/constructions had comeup, and so on. The two students who had opted for this project wereStephen and Jerry, both from St. Xavier's College, Mapusa doing theirgraduation degree. I joined the team as an extra. 

On the morning of the 20th of May, Dad and I set out in the car forBetim. On the way we picked up Stephen and Jerry. Dad showed us thedifferent spots in and around the area he wanted us to cover and thenleft. 

Steven was the leader of the team. He had obviously been briefed by Dadon how we were to proceed for he soon took out a note book and startedwriting notes. I took my notebook and wrote down some names of birds. Stephen said that just in case anybody questioned us, we were to say wewere birdwatchers!

We found two illegal houses in the middle of the forest and a hugeclearing made by cutting a lot of big trees. The trees appeared to becut with the use of an electric saw and tar was smeared on top of themto prevent further growth. Many logs were thrown nearby. It was atiring task and being the month of May, it was extremely hot and myshoes had begun cooking my poor feet. Even if we saw a small path, Steven would insist we go to the end. Jerry would sometimes complain, "Steven who the hell do you think will go down there, in thatinaccessible valley, to cut trees?" But Steven was stubborn and wouldretort, "Jerry if we don't go down there we will have it on ourconscience that there was a path which we could have checked out butdidn't. " So we trudged down each and every pathway we saw, howsoevernarrow and unused it appeared to be. 

On the second day, I went on my bicycle to Betim. We continued and wefound another two illegal houses and a big tree cut, on the hill. Thistree was also smeared with tar. The exercise usually took the wholemorning and we would call it a day by about 2 p. M. Or so. 

On the third day, my Dad and my cousin Luke joined us. We showed myfather the different spots we had visited, the places where trees werecut and the illegal houses. Dad had brought along a camera which hegave to Stephen to take photographs of the different patches of forest, the felling and the constructions. In some areas we found that fire hadbeen set to the area after the trees were cut and this had destroyedthe scrub bushes as well. 

I was glad that the fourth day would be the last, since by now I wasquite tired of this assignment. I had a lot of thorn pricks all over mybody and they had become little itchy swellings. My feet were also soreand the heat was killing. But I carried on, as the project was nearcompletion. On the hill we found a lot of houses, several of themillegal, coming up in the forest. We also found clear-felled plots withbarbed wire fences around. 

My part of the assignment was over that day and I received a smallstipend for my work from the Goa Foundation. Steven and Jerry laterprepared the project report with photographs and write-up. The reportwas submitted by the Foundation to the Forest Department. Thedepartment sent an officer to investigate the matter and also issuedorders not to allow felling or constructions in the area. 

Chapter 14: Chief Guest At Belgaum

A year had gone by since I had finished school and what an excitingyear it had been. Having to go to college now seemed quite tame incomparison. But as I busied myself with filling up the admission formsand getting the ID card photographs ready another surprise awaited me, and it came from a totally unexpected place. 

I was invited to be Chief Guest at an Environment Day function to beheld in Belgaum on 5th June, World Environment Day, where I was tospeak on my experiences during the past year. This was surely thecrowning event of my one year sabbatical. 

The invitation came from Dileep Kamat who was one of the organisers ofan environment awareness programme, which he and others in Belgaum hadorganised for school children during the previous month. The programmeincluded painting and essay competitions. The concluding part of theprogramme was to be held on 5th June where the finalists would givetheir speeches and the winners of all the competitions would be giventheir prizes. 

Dileep, his wife Nilima and their son Partha are family friends of longstanding and whenever Uncle Dileep comes to Goa he stays with us. As heexplained, the purpose of the environment programme was to inculcatethe idea that one can do things on one's own and one has to think outways and means for this. And so, he said, he had considered the idea ofinviting a young person, whom the students could identify with, tospeak on the occasion. The Committee had wholeheartedly approved whenhe suggested my name as I had done something quite unique during thepast year; and the fact that my preference was in the field of ecologymade me an ideal choice, according to Uncle Dileep. 

Of course I was delighted and accepted the offer. Who wouldn't be?Uncle Dileep said that all my expenses would be taken care of. I had anuncle (my father's youngest brother, Benjamin) at Belgaum, at whosehouse I could stay. There was only my bus ticket which the organisershad to pay for. 

I started preparing my speech straightway as there was only a week leftto go and I knew that I had do a good job as this was a big occasionfor me. As usual I turned to my mum for help. She helped me choose thepoints I would speak on, then I wrote out my entire speech which shecorrected and I set about memorising it. 

Public speaking was not a major problem for me nor did I suffer fromstage-fright as I had participated in several school competitions andalso represented my school in inter-school debates. In fact, I had beenawarded the Best Speaker prize in my final year at school. Still, speaking at a competition was one thing and being the main speaker forthe day was quite another. 

My mum gave me several tips on how to address the gathering, what Ishould do if I felt I could not remember the next line and so on. Irehearsed the speech several times at home and when I left on 3rd Junefor Belgaum I felt quite confident and well-prepared. 

Along with essentials like clothes to wear, etc. I carried with me inmy haversack my red-eared turtle, and another small turtle foundlocally in Goa, the croc teeth and photos of myself at the Snake Park, the Croc Bank, etc. 

I arrived in Belgaum on 4th June and was met at the bus stand by mycousin Lucano who took me straight to his home. That evening UncleDileep came to our house, briefed me about the next day's programme andwhen he left he took with him the photos which he said he would put upon exhibition at the hall. 

The next day Lucano took me to the venue at 3 p. M. The function washeld in the school hall. There were children from several schoolsalready there along with their parents. I noticed my photos put up on acardboard on one side of the hall. My uncle Benjamin and aunt Grace andmy other cousins also came for the function which began at 4 p. M. Thehall was quite full when I entered. I was seated in front with mycousin Lucano next to me. 

The programme was compered by one of the students. It began with theprize winners of the elocution competition delivering theirspeeches-one in English and the others in Marathi and Kannada. Then oneof the students introduced me to the audience and I was called up tothe stage to deliver my speech. I spoke in English and initially had tohalt every little while for Uncle Dileep to translate what I had saidinto Kannada. Fortunately, however, after a few rounds of thisEnglish-Kannada speech it became obvious that the audience did not needthe Kannada translation since they all understood English quite well. Then it became easier for me to continue and I finished with greatconfidence and was roundly applauded. 

As I had done in the workshops I had conducted in the Bangalore schoolsearlier, I then took out the red eared turtle which I carried aroundfor the audience to see at close quarters while my cousin took around alocal turtle which those who wanted could handle. There were manystudents and parents who wanted to be photographed holding the turtles. I also showed the croc teeth to those who were interested. 

The compere then announced that they would like to get on with the restof the programme, but in view of the fact that several students wantedto ask questions, a question-answer session would be held, after theprogramme of skits was over. I returned to my seat and watched theskits which were on the theme of ecology. 

After that was the prize distribution ceremony and I was called up tothe stage to hand out prizes to the winners of the various competitions(elocution, as well as dramatics and drawing which were held earlier). 

After this, the organisers allowed questions from the audience which Ianswered on the spot. I was quite happy to find that the audience hadheard me attentively for there were many questions both from studentsand adults. Most of these concerned information about snakes. From thisI gathered that snakes not only frighten people but fascinate them aswell. The function ended at around 6. 30 p. M. Before departing, theorganizers gave me an envelope containing Rs. 300 which more than amplycovered my expenses for the trip. 

Uncle Dileep invited Lucano and myself for dinner that night. On seeingthat he had an interest in keeping the small turtle, I happily left itbehind for him. Next morning I was pleasantly surprised to find thatone of the local Kannada papers had reported the previous day'sfunction and there was a photograph of me at the function and a reporton it as well. I was thrilled beyond words. 

Later I wrote an article on my one year sabbatical for the HindustanTimes which appeared on the Youth Page together with a couple ofphotographs and was pleased when my parents told me that several oftheir friends had read it and had complimented them and me for thisbold and unusual step of taking a break from studies. The same articlewas eventually carried by several other newspapers and magazinesincluding The Utusan Konsumer in Malaysia. 

In my speech at Belgaum, in the workshops I had conducted at Bangalorefor the school students and in the article I wrote I always recommendedat the end of my presentation that every student ask their parents fora break from regular studies when they finished school as it issomething they would never regret. 

And I wish to repeat here, at the end of my book, that June 1995 toJune 1996 was the most wonderful year that I can ever remember. Ilearnt a lot, not only about the things I wanted to learn, but aboutmany other things as well. And best of all I had a lot of fun and awhole lot of freedom to do all that I ever wanted to do. I certainlylook forward to another sabbatical! And so, by now, should you!