Dear Jeyamohan,
I was watching the programmes organised by your friends at your place. The programmes for children are particularly interesting, and I feel the children are making very good use of them.
Birdwatching, observing nature, and drawing are all wonderful ways of kindling creativity in young minds. Among them, I think the birdwatching classes are especially valuable. They take children away from the closed world of books, screens and classrooms and bring them into a direct relationship with nature.
I have a personal reason for feeling this way. I still remember the days when I was deeply interested in birdwatching and even maintained my own album of birds. When I look back today, I realise that the days I spent in forests watching birds were among the happiest and most fulfilling periods of my life. In fact, I feel that those days were also among the most creative periods of my life.
Perhaps this is what makes birdwatching so valuable. It is not merely about learning to identify birds. It teaches us to look, to wait, to observe carefully and to experience the world directly. For children, this kind of experience can become a foundation for creativity and a deeper relationship with life.
I am very happy that you are creating such opportunities for children. I think these simple activities may remain with them much longer than many things they learn in school.
Kesavraman
