When I first moved to Bangalore nearly 20 years ago, I didn’t know that Karnataka as a state was only named in 1973, thanks to the efforts of then Chief Minister Devaraj Urs or Arasu along with eminent Kannadigas like Kuvempu, Shivarama Karanth, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, A. N. Krishna Rao, B.M. Srikantaiah, D.V. Gundappa, K.V. Puttappa, and many others who together realised Aluru Venkata Rao, who began the Kannada Ekikarana (unified purpose) movement as early as 1905.  Karnataka Rajyotsava, celebrated each year on November 1^st is a great time to be in Bangalore. It is a time when Karnataka’s folk arts are on display and what a spectacle it is.  If you happen to be in Bangalore this coming weekend (November 9-10), head to the Bangalore International Centre. There are workshops on Chittara Art, Kasuti embroidery, Siddhi quilt making; a talk by Ullas Karanth; many performances including a female troupe playing the Dollu Kunitha drums, a leather puppet show on the Adbuta Ramayana, a Carnatic music performance by Chitra Srikrishna which traces the melodic roots of Carnatic music in Karnataka, the land that gave its name to this musical form.

The other places to enjoy Karnataka’s unique offerings during the Rajyotsava week and month are Rangashankara where a number of excellent Kannada plays will take place and Chitrakala Parishath where an exhibition of Nicholas Roerich’s paintings will be on display from November 8^th to 18^th.  The Roerich estate is vast and lies on the outskirts of Bangalore.  It was owned by Nicholas’s late son, Svetoslav and his late wife, film actress, Devika Rani.  As birdwatchers, we always used to hanker after entering the estate, but it was closed to the public for years. Instead the nature community goes to other places in South Bangalore including the Bannerghatta National Park.

This week also marks the International Day for Biosphere Reserves on November 3. Perhaps because of Bangalore’s location, the magnificent Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the Western Ghats are accessible to us.  Is it this proximity that makes so many Bangaloreans passionate nature lovers and also filmmakers? Recently, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Felis Films released a trailer of their upcoming documentary on the Nilgiris with terrific footage on the land and people who live and love these Blue Mountains.  I was born in Coimbatore.  Every summer, my family and I would take the Nilgiri Express or the Blue Mountain Express to go visit my grandparents.  Ooty and Coonoor, now occupied by some of Bangalore’s super-rich, used to be our summer stomping ground. It was on these school trips to the Nilgiris that I learned about nature conservation.

There are two camps when it comes to nature conservation and neither can understand the other. Conservationists will stake their principles and sometimes their life to save something that they deem important, be it a grassland or a species. The other camp does not understand why saving the spotted owl (or turtles, bears or butterflies) is so important when you could be building toilets or reducing poverty. Of course, you can do both— save nature and humans.  But often, when it comes to nature conservation, humans are the villains. Occasionally, they become saviours too, which is where this story begins.

Recently, the Karnataka government approved a proposal that would create a 5010-acre sanctuary for migrating birds, small mammals, and countless insects.  Named the Greater Hesaraghatta Conservation Reserve (GHCR), the approval order was met with relief from the conservationists such as Mahesh Bhat, Seshadri K.S. and the late Ramki Sreenivasan, who had petitioned for this for over a decade.

I learned about this when I visited Hesaraghatta a month ago.  It was part of the weekend birdwatching “outings” organised by Bangalore Birds.  Every Sunday, for many years, the group organises nature walks in different parts of the city, all of which are announced on their website: bngbirds.com. So if you are in Bengaluru one weekend and want to learn about nature, join the group.  The first Sunday is Saul Kere (Kere means Lake in Kannada), the second — at Lalbagh. The third Sunday used to be at Jakkur Lake, but the birdwatching community decided to move it to Hesaraghatta.  The logic was that routine visits by birdwatchers would help monitor the grasslands that nature-lovers hold dear.

Conservation and communication are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, conservationists team up with filmmakers (Ramki Sreenivasan and Shekar Dattatri are an example).  For wildlife filmmakers, engaging with conservationists and the nature community is a way to stay rooted to the flora and fauna that they both love. For as long as I have known her, filmmaker Sugandhi Gadadhar – along with her husband, Rana Belur — has been filming smooth-coated otters along the Kaveri river.  Recently, I ran into Sugandhi at the Bangalore Bird Day and asked what she was up to.  “Still otters,” she replied with a smile.  What she didn’t say was that she was speaking at the prestigious Wildscreen Festival in the UK this year.  Sandesh Kadur has done stellar work on the Sahyadris through his photos, books and films.  He constantly talks about collaboration between wildlife filmmakers and conservationists to help a common cause.

The fact that Bangalore is blessed with both filmmakers and conservationists is perhaps why the wildlife conservation movement is thriving in this city.