5 years of Nilgiri Field Learning Center – A Project of Keystone Foundation and Cornell University.
An interview with Pratim Roy (Director – Keystone) and Prof. Neema Kudva (Cornell University) 5 years have gone since NFLC began. Tell us about this course, the process and challenges involved in pulling this off? Pratim Roy – This programme has uniqueness to it. It involves a big Ivy League college and a field based organisation. The primary […]
Week 6_Livelihoods and Governance
What changed our livelihoods pattern? Environmental history fades away by the time a nation establishes its post-industrial era! The livelihood opportunities of the students from Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) are predominantly dependent on nature like agriculture, gathering forest produce, rearing cattle, etc. They are primarily engaged in seasonal work based in and around their communities. […]
Week 5_A glimpse into Marketing and Urbanisation
Local markets in India serve as a hub for social spaces where disputes are settled, friendship bonds are made, marriage proposals take place, etc. They are also where the norms for exchange, traditionally based on trust, were imbibed within different cultures! The week started with depiction of barter-trade systems by students, who in groups of […]
Week 4_Healthier the mother, healthier her baby!
“We welcome a new-born to the world by feeding it a drop of honey or sugar-syrup. Our village elders believe that honey should be given first to a new-born, for the baby’s life to be as sweet as the honey,” said by Keystone students. But this week’s lectures on Health and Nutrition brought to light […]
Week 3_People, Culture & Gender
Anyone can pick-up “the spy glass of anthropology” to study humans, society and culture! The week started at a slow pace with students learning about new terminologies like ethnography, thick description i.e. interpreting pattern of meanings. As part of cross-boundary exercises, students in a groups of two had to describe a process each, to make […]
Week 2_ Ecology and the NBR bus tour
What can one expect when field trips are sandwiched in between regular classes? Learning is fun! Week 2 of NFLC was on Ecology where students were introduced to some basic concepts in the field of ecology like biosphere, ecosphere, specialists and generalists, K-strategy, R-strategy, keystone species that would bring a set of positive changes to […]
Week 1_The class of 2017
The Nilgiri Field Learning Centre 2017 started with a delightful surprise put forth by the Cornellians when they introduced themselves by writing their names in Tamil. It set a motivating tone for a new adventure as both Keystone and Cornell students are learning languages that embody tradition, culture and so many rich contexts. The Crossing […]
Week 4 &5_Society, Culture, Health & Nutrition
The past two weeks of the NFLC have been powerful in terms of linking and reflecting upon themes that are closely related not only to the indigenous people of the NBR but to every individual as well. Keystone director, Snehlata Nath, along with Cornell professor, Andrew Willford, took us through lectures and discussions about the […]
Week 3_Governance
Fun is an essential part of learning at the NFLC. The third week, titled Governance and anchored by Pratim Roy, Founder Director of Keystone Foundation, proved to be just so. While governance might not be easily and directly associated with fun as a first thought, Pratim ensured that the learning path was through an enriching […]
Week 2_Livelihoods in transition and social enterprise
The second week of the NFLC flew by as fast as the first. Archana Sivaramakrishnan anchored the first half of the week, capturing the livelihoods in transition of the NBR, followed by Mathew John who brought out the relevance and importance of market and social enterprises (Last Forest Enterprises) and explained its place in Keystone. […]
