April 2014 I was the dorm parent for the first batch of tenth graders at Pathashaala (a residential school near Chennai). They were two of them and they stayed back in school during the summer vacations to write their board exams. We were good friends most of the time, but it was a daily challenge to meet their youthful storminess, with few other adults around. The washrooms in the dormitory were serene spaces during the day. But since school was on vacation there were barely any people staying on campus. And these spaces became the playhouses of Bandicoot Rats during the nights. When problem turned crisis, we had half a dozen rat traps bought and set up in strategic places in the dormitory. The rats were lured like thieves to gold, to the smelly coconut pieces and masala vadas we used as baits. This way we quickly managed to do away with most of the rats partying in the washrooms. In fact, we caught all of them, except one. And this last one was a mysterious ...
I am Yuvan, a naturalist, writer and activist based in Chennai. My work revolves around bringing nature education to children. In my travels I seek to understand how our mindscapes and cultures may be rooted in, braided with place and wilderness. My writings have appeared in Sanctuary Asia, Roundglass Sustain, The Hindu, etc. My book 'A Naturalist's Journal' is a collection of essays on countryside wilderness and my journey in walking out of the schooling-college system to educate myself.