To ensure this, the NSS Team of Garden City College took the initiative to enjoy a tour to the Banerghatta National Park, to take delight but with a noble cause. It was a part of the Plastic Awareness Program kicked off by NSS to enlighten the park about the drastic use of plastics and its ill-effects its members and the visitors.
The day of the trip was decided. 22nd October 2008. It was a cool and breezy morning. We all were very excited and equally enthusiastic about the day ahead. The cool breeze added vividness and liveliness to our enthusiasm. There was a sense of unusual curiosity in our young minds about the treasuries of the National Park and more so among the freshers who
were ready to explore the beauty of the place for once. We were about 65 of us including 3 faculty members. Our college provided us with a transport facility and we all set to meet at a landmark. We boarded the bus at 8:30am and set off on our fun filled journey, looking forward to a day of delight.
It was not a mere hangout spot, so we never deviated from our main focus of spreading awareness. Not only we had the banners for plastic awareness but we also carried banners to spread awareness about the indiscriminate poaching of the endangered species.
The journey was tiring as it was hurdled due to major traffic jams. Eventually, it started to pour. Just when we thought everything might end up in a mess, to keep our enthusiasm alive we played rocking music and swayed to it all along the journey. It was soothing to our ears and minds and we got back to our old enthusiastic selves. There was a small round of introduction between the freshers and the seniors and after that all of us got back, engrossed to show our moves and shakes.
We reached our destination after about 3 long hours of journey. By that time, our stomachs were gnawing with hunger. Lunch packets were provided by our college and after fuelling our stomachs, we regained the zeal to enjoy the day ahead.
by NSS except for the Safari ride, for which we got a 25% concession. As photography was strictly prohibited, we have to seek permission from the officials. We chose the GRAND SAFARI as it covered the whole range of the habitat consisting of tigers, lions, deer’s and bears. It was possible for us to catch a close glimpse of these wonderful creatures. We quickly entered the safari bus as it started to rain heavily. At first, nothing was visible through the bus’ window panes but gradually the weather started to get clear. We were instructed not to make any noise as it my scare the animals away. Though it was hard to keep shut owing to our excitement, we tried to maintain silence to a certain extent at least. We could very clearly spot a few deer munching the grass. There was a big statue of a big-horned Stag and we misunderstood it to be a real one. From there, we moved on to see the bears, and the lions’ and tigers’ restricted zones. We could see the mammals feeding their babies, and a lot other making love to each other. Some of them were playing and some others were enjoying in the rains. It was fun to catch every single movement of the The entry ticket cost was funded animals in their natural habitat.
The most remarkable moment dawned on us when a tiger came right in front of our bus and we all caught a close glimpse of the beautiful creature. After retiring from the Safari, we went on to see the other side of the National Park. We went in groups holding out our banners high to create a maximum impact on the other visitors. We saw different species of squirrels, birds, and primates, all of them which were caged. We saw hippopotamuses’, elephants and varied species of snakes which added to the charm to the place. Among them, we took note of varied rare and endangered species and wished we could do something more for them so that their breeds flourish naturally and add glory to God’s creation.
Though not fully contented, the day’s journey came to an end and we left the place at 4:30pm with loads of memories fresh in our minds. We thanked the officials for their cooperation and their kind support and bade a sad goodbye to everyone but vowed to come back once again to enjoy amidst the beautiful and amazing creatures on planet earth.
Sanghamitra Goswami
B.Sc. Biotechnology
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