Learning from each other, and through field work in the Nilgiris landscape are the founding principles of the Nilgiri Field Learning Centre program. Spanning over 15 weeks between January and May, it brings together students from Cornell and the indigenous communities of the Nilgiris, in an effort to develop capacity for appropriate research in a cross-cultural and collaborative manner.
Our 5th batch this year kicked off on January 20th, 2020, with an all women cohort of 5 students, 3 from the Nilgiris and 2 from Cornell. The first week has been a deep immersion for all – for the Cornell students to get familiar with India and the Nilgiris; for our Keystone students, it is a first of its kind opportunity to be a part of a learning program that could help them see their own landscape in a new perspective.
The first week saw all our students soaking in the landscape – its culture through a walk with Reverend Mulley, its biodiversity with a Longwood shola walk and a glimpse of life in the Nilgiris with a visit to Semmanarai – to see the community and Keystone’s work in the landscape. Cross boundary exercises help the students get insight into the language and cultural boundaries while language classes (Tamizh and English) facilitate the students to get ready for field work and research writing.
Describing a day in their lives through a small skit made for some enjoyable moments. Through a mapping activity of the Keystone campus, the students were introduced to creating layered maps that could tell rich stories about a landscape. The week also saw the students get introduced to Anthropology – concepts and research techniques through lectures and discussions.
While it may be a lot to take in, the students are slowly but surely soaking it up, savouring it, as they do so.
