March 20, 2023
By Nathania John, Communications Intern
Today, our Biodiversity team opened the doors of its natural history museum in Sigur. The team in Sigur and Kotagiri worked hard for months to curate this museum for the local communities, who will now learn about local wildlife ecology, pollinators, wild honey and traditional ways of extracting it like beekeeping and honey-hunting, and much more about the intersection of nature and culture.
Students of classes 6, 7 and 8 were invited from a neighbouring school for the launch of the museum. After a ritualistic cutting of the ribbon and lighting of lamps, Justin gave an introduction to the inspiration and importance of creating this space. The response from the community was enthusiastic. Along with their teachers, the students explored the museum and examined its artefacts.
Justin also led a short session on their experiences working on biodiversity conservation initiatives in Sigur. Students were eager to interact and learn, asking questions about ecology. They were engaged in games organised by Harsha, Asish and Justin. Asish also helped the children observe the wings of a bee under a microscope to marvel at its intricacy. They also looked at small pieces of onion peels under the microscope, which deeply fascinated them. This exercise also encouraged them to learn the workings of a microscope.
Students and other participants read educative posters and write-ups on wildlife, characteristics of various species, and their survival mechanisms. They also examined artefacts from honeycombs and bee-boxes to honey filters, and the like. Justin also elaborated on the process of honey extraction which included the basic demonstration of the machinery. Harsha spoke about the importance of pollinators and showed the students a seed bank of native wild flora.
At the end, the Sigur team members were gifted traditional shawls by the members of the biodiversity team and encouraged the students to come back to the museum and continue building curiosity for the natural world. After the session, students strolled around the exhibits, and enjoyed tea and snacks. Set up with the mission to challenge the community to become better stewards of the earth, we hope that the museum provides an inspiring platform to build local dialogue about the natural world and inspire those who visit it.
