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The view of the "countryside" from my bus window. The clouds obscured
the view of the craggy peaks behind them, but the terraced tea estates and vegetable fields climbing up the hills and mountains were amazing. |
This past weekend, I was asked to visit The Keystone Foundation, an NGO focused on eco-development initiatives in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, an area contained within the three Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Keystone and Cornell have developed a partnership resulting in a very unique for-credit study abroad program which doesn't contain formal coursework, but rather is entirely focused on service learning. Students will have the opportunity to work in the field with Keystone staff and volunteers as they conduct research on preservation of biodiversity, trek through the mountains to visit remote tribal communities, and assist with value-addition to products traditionally created/harvested by local communities. For a few special students, this will truly be the opportunity of a lifetime.
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The landscape on the short walk between my guesthouse and
Keystone was so beautiful. When I was sure no one was watching,
I had to sneak a quick selfie. |
Keystone is located in Kotagiri, a brightly coloured "small town" (of 60,000 people) nestled amongst the mountains and tea plantations and filled with churches, it was a charming place.
It was an honour to be able to visit Keystone - to meet some of their staff, tour their perfectly manicured campus, observe their honey processing and packaging facility, and even be interviewed for their local radio program!
