On a beautiful summer morning, I went for a river walk along the Pahrali River that originates in the Mahendragiri hills in South Tamil Nadu. It was in good shape, thanks to one of the unknown saviours of the environment who happens to be my friend. This life science graduate, researcher, environmentalist cum activist has also committed herself to exposing young minds to this river ecosystem on a regular basis.

Throughout this river walk I was glad and filled with hope because every time I see or think of a river in India, I wonder why they are not revered in spite of being worshipped as goddesses. Is it because they are goddesses and not a masculine pronoun?! Considering a river as sacred but reducing it to gutters, drains and dump yards is equivalent to calling our country 'Bharat Mata' when it is being failed by a powerful handful.

Our political leaders should comprehend that deforestation permeates every other natural resource and triggers significant changes in the hydrosphere. The disappearance or drying up of atmospheric rivers can cripple economies and disrupt seasons, while agricultural lands nearby and afar desiccate, leading to global droughts. In my view, it is imperative to educate individuals about their entitlement to a healthy environment, empowering them to make informed and responsible decisions as decision-makers. Unless we sow wisdom in young fertile minds, they may not understand that tiny bits and pieces of the environment are essential to every aspect of life and well-being. Crucial ecosystems such as forests, the ocean, rivers, river basins and wetlands must be part of our everyday learning, decisions, and conversations.

In this respect, students of Excel Global School are lucky for two reasons:

1. A 10-minute walk amidst paddy fields, flowery meadows with butterflies and hundreds of mynahs and gigantic trees will take them to this place whenever they need time with God's beautiful creation.
2. This environmentalist is overly sensitive about nurturing the environment and she adopts the best teaching practices towards greening minds.

Environmental science is not about learning concepts and scoring marks. It should be more about how we interact with the environment every day, judicious utilization or sustainable consumption of natural resources, learn from mistakes and adopt lifestyles, social behaviours that will eliminate environmental degradation.

According to the Founder Chairman of Excel Global School Dr Sreekumar Chandrasekharan, "River walks are organized frequently to educate the students about the symbiotic relationships in that ecosystem and to help them be aware that a river is connected to everything else. Until we see rivers for the complete ecosystem that it is, we cannot be the voice of the people, the farmers or the threatened lot".

As I walked along with enthusiastic and curious students who collected specimens in Eppendorf tubes, I noticed that they were so much in tune with nature. If collecting a specimen would mean harming it, then they called out to their teacher to explain the role of that particular flora or fauna in its 'as is where is' state. I saw young minds being cultivated for a sustainable tomorrow. The manner in which she explained the pros and cons of Eichornia crassipes reminded of R L Stevenson's novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The problems it can cause as they spread uncontrollably and the promise it holds when their multiplication is controlled was explained conscientiously.

Large numbers of trumpet snails were found below the waterline which was indeed a good indicator of clean water and we were told that they are playing their roles of filtering water and removing contaminants quite effectively. The roles played by every small organism and plant the students spotted and collected were explained in detail. Nothing existed there without an important function. So, the next time I spot an apple snail or a freshwater mussel I will be sure they are busy decomposing dead plant material and algae. Wings of mayflies, damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies that glided above the water glittered in the sun. Is there anyone who wouldn't be fascinated by the fluttery, skipping flight of a damselfly? Acrobats of the odonates were fun to watch. The fauna along and inside the river seemed like they detected no disaster with us around because a few river birds flew so skimmed low over the water's surface even as the students were frolicking in the waters. Water striders and water boatmen were collected in wide-mouth bottles to be observed, studied and later released into the river. Conversations revolved around Greek mythology and Charon, the ferryman or boatman who carries the dead souls across the river Styx. Students and teachers walked tirelessly in small groups until noon. Together, we walked the talk. The shadow of the trees on one side of the shore, the chattering and giggling of students who pretended to vlog, instructions and information from the eco-warrior who led us, smiles and posing for pictures gave me some special river moments. When we turned around, I suspected my connection with rivers goes beyond the fact that I grew up beside one in my dad’s village Neyyoor.

On our walk back to the school, few of us were surprised to know the mosquito ferns found in the paddy field are known as Azolla microphylla or fairy moss or duckweed fern. Knowing these are super plants that destroy mosquito larvae, I collected some for my mother's small fish pond.  Duckweed has also been introduced into the paddy field as a non-chemical weed control strategy. It took some time for some of them to understand that duckweed fern and duckweed are two different aquatic plants. Since duckweeds can be used as a tool for phytoremediation of polluted water, I collected some for a pond that is close to my mom's house, in a village called Meycode.

In the words of Sudhamathy, the green warrior, "Today these students might perceive rivers as a thing of beauty but tomorrow they would be sure clean rivers are a necessity, they are the veins of the Earth." Given her commitment, she is sure that the urge to nurture rivers will be buried deep within the subconscious of all who experience a river walk.

I'm glad I walked the long walk along one of the earth's lifelines to reflect upon my ideas of protecting ecosystems and grow stronger with people who think the same. Throughout, I revelled in the sounds and stillness that surrounded Pahrali River.

Someday I wish to join Siddharth Agarwal in his epic walks, encourage many more to join the movement and together see and know what on earth we have put our rivers through. #

Dr Elsa Lycias Joel regularly contributes articles in TerraGreen.