Campus Birding- Experiencing Nature

How to sensitise people to preserve the Environment? How to make every citizen an eco-warrior?

Answer is simple. Let them experience Nature first hand. Walk the talk instead of some boring lectures. BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus took its first step in this direction. It organised a Birding-cum-Nature walk for the faculty, staff and their families on 30th July. Deccan Birders (formerly BSAP- Bird Watchers Society of AP) lent a helping hand. Their members guided the 40+ participants. 

BITS alumni celebrate BITSians Day every year during the first weekend of August. We decided to kick off the celebrations this year in a different way. We, few alumni of BITS helped the Hyderabad campus organise the Nature walk. So, here is an account of BITSians Day with a Difference for BITSian readers. For others, it is a tour of the campus, its greenery and its birds.

Pictures for you. Credit for close up shots of the birds goes to Adnan Uddin of Deccan Birders sine I did not carry my DSLR kit. Other pictures are from my phone camera. Thanks Adnan.

Briefing in progress- as captured in a 20-sec video:

We sighted a total of 28 species of birds in our two-hour walk around the campus. Not all were captured in the camera. But listening to their calls, observing their flight, nesting locations and basics of identification methods kept everyone engrossed. Here is a list of birds sighted by us which shows the rich avi-fauna at the campus.

1. Red-vented Bulbul 

2. Tickle's Blue Flycatcher 
3. Spotted Dove

4. Purple Sunbird
5. Common Iora
6. Common Mynah
7. House Swift
8. Swallow
9. Shikra
10. Dusty Crag Martin
11. Rock Pigeon
12. White Browed Wagtail
13. Blue tailed Bee Eater
14. Darter
15. Indian Pond Heron
16. Cattle Egret
17. Tailor Bird
18. Scaly Breasted Munia
19. Asian Koel
20. Golden Oriole
21. Red Wattled Lapwing
22. Ashy Prinia
23. Indian Robin
24. Jungle Babbler 
25. Oriental White Eye
26. Spot-billed duck (in flight)
27. Comb Duck (in flight)
28. White throated Kingfisher

29. Baya Weaver

Can you spot a nest in the picture below?

Another Munia commonly found is the Indian Silverbill. Though we did not spot it in the campus that morning, here is a picture story of earlier sighting at our home in Secunderabad.

Friendly Munias - Can the birds and dogs be friends? Read on. The picture story also has video clippings of Silverbills feeding together.

Moving on, more pictures of the campus birding follow.

Here is a 30-second video showing the campus panorama and an inquisitive question from a child.

Birding continues...

The campus is also home to Star Turtles. Though we could not spot it, one of the faculty members shared a picture on her phone taken near the pond.

My favourite line which I always tell in any environment related gathering , 'Environment is an asset which we have borrowed from our children. We have no right to degrade or destroy it!' Is it not true?

Will Nature's glory remain? Will our children or grand children continue to see the birds and flowers in future?

Talking of preservation, it is a big challenge. Like the Yapral lake which is home to a large variety of birds, is under threat because of pollution and encroachment. You may browse our earlier story linked below:

Shrinking Urban Lakes- Impending Disaster Will the Heron continue to dance like in the picture below?

For more pictures of Hyderabad campus of BITS Pilani, you may browse our earlier story:

The Campus that Rocks

Thanks for browsing. 

Every small effort to preserve our environment counts. Do volunteer whenever you can and speak up!

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Hyderabad/ 2nd Aug 2023

Postscript:

3rd August: Sujith who came for birding, has sent the following picture of Oriental White Eye or Indian White Eye. He spotted the bird in Hyderabad campus on 2nd August. The bird is perched on a crimson coloured bottle brush flower. Thanks Sujith.

#bitspilani #hyderabadcampus #campusbirding #bitsiansday2023 #nature #preservation #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadhb #ecowarriors #everypersoncounts #savetheearth #environment #pollution #encroachment

Young Entrepreneurs' Bootcamp

"This is my design of a solar-powered refrigerated EV three wheeler for small farmers to transport and sell their produce at a better price", said Layasree an 11th grader from Bengaluru while showing the sketch on her tab. She wanted to know how to proceed further ?

"How is startup valuation done? How does it affect the investor's decision while making an offer between debt and equity", asked Chakshu, a 9th grader from Lucknow.

"I have an idea to use AI for crime prediction and detection in crowded areas through CCTV image processing. How do I get customers?", queried Prasanna an 11th grader from Chennai.

"We have two ideas for a startup in the healthcare sector. How do we choose one?", was the dilemma posed by Arshroop from Indore. 

Layasree, Chakshu, Prasanna and Arshroop- all of them- are participants of  a six-day Young Entrepreneurs' Bootcamp (YEB) being held at BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus from 24-29 Dec 2022. Another YEB was held in Pilani campus last moth. With the idea to catch them young, YEB aims to give a glimpse of technology driven innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem at BITS Pilani. YEB comprises lectures by BITS faculty and alumni and hands-on activities to give students an exposure to high tech labs and innovative startups. Readers may browse the YEB link for more details.

YEB-22 has 61 participants selected from across India and overseas. Three-level selection has brought together the best of the best school students of 9th to 12th grade. I had the privilege to interact with the YEB cohort on the topic of 'Funding of Startups- BITSian Stories'. As you can see from some of the questions listed in the opening part of the story, the session was interactive and the participants' inquisitiveness and focussed thinking floored me. 

BITS Pilani has taken the lead in promoting entrepreneurship at the school level as enunciated in the National Education Policy NEP-20. YEB is the first step in the implementation of  NEP-20.

Am sharing a few pictures of YEB-22 at Hyderabad. 

For the readers not known to me personally, I have been teaching Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship at PG level for more than 15 years now. Readers may browse some of our earlier stories listed below:

Proof of the Pudding - Real life stories of ten young MBA/BBA graduates who took up the entrepreneurial challenge successfully. All of these entrepreneurs were my students.

Startup Ideas - Ideas submitted by a PGDM class

Get Your Hands Dirty - Advise by the Jury of a B-Plan Contest

Can Startup Management be Taught? - Experience of another B-Plan Contest

Learning from Failures 

Raindrops and Entrepreneurs 

We end with a picturesque quote on one of my pictures shot during the rain.

Thanks for browsing. Thanks are also due to my alma-mater for giving me the opportunity to interact with the budding entrepreneurs.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 28th December 2022

Postscript 30th Dec 22: Manik Srivastava, an experienced high school teacher wrote, "9th to 12th  Std, is a tricky age. Either it is uphill or a complete  burnout for them. They need guidance  and  good advice  from the best to go forward". Thanks Manik for your feedback.

#entrepreneurship #nep2020 #yeb22 #bitspilani #bphc #hyderabadcampus #bootcamp #youngentrepreneursbootcamp #startups #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #entreprenurshipatschools

Alumni Make The Brand

It is the alumni who make a college great. Any second thoughts?
Ghumakkad was invited to address the 1st Alumni Reunion of BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus (BPHC). The first batch of 2008-09 passed out in 2012-13. Having attended the Bhumi Pujan भूमि पूजन - the ground breaking ceremony- of the new campus in 2004, BPHC has that special bond with many of us- Pilani alumni in Hyderabad.

BPHC is located north of Hyderabad in a sprawling 220 acres campus. Set amidst rocks and boulders in an undulating terrain, the campus was teeming with life on 12th Jan 2019. Here is a short video clip of the panorama.

You may browse an earlier picture story about BPHC 'The Campus That Rocks'.

The students had organised a day long Reunion. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them. The students as well as young alumni had many questions for us- the older alumni. Sample:

• How much does CGPA matter in life?
• What is the relevance of our specialisation to jobs?
• How do club activities and other events help a student?
• How can BITS also have live research projects from Defence like the IITs?
• Should we do the PS-II or the Dissertation? And many more such questions.

The Reunion rounded off with Tambola, live music and bonfire.
Glimpses of latter half of the Reunion.

BPHC had organised many events in the past including a 10K Run in 2014 on the Necklace Road. You may browse the story 'Thrill of a 10K Run'.

You may also browse another story titled 'Convocation Excitement' about BPHC convocation.

We end with a famous quotation by John F Kennedy who had said that "I think the success of any school can be measured by the contribution the alumni make to our national life." 

Thanks for browsing.

  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/12th Jan 2019

#BITSPilani #alumnipower #campuslife #BPHC #alumnireunion #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #nationalpride