Centre for Experiential Living
For several years now, we have been witnessing a decrease in the number of sea turtle nesting sites on our protected beach of 60Kms along the coastal belt of the Arabian Sea, in Kundapura, Udupi Dist. We are thrilled to announce that in 2021, as a new year gift, we’ve received good news from our local fishermen contact persons who are temporary guards protecting the 5 km stretch of beach. On January 21, 22, 23 and 26, we found Sea…
It was a special occasion when Mr. Rakesh Soans (President, FSL India) was invited to conduct a Sea Turtle and Environmental awareness training on 26th November, 2020 for 45 staff members of Padubidri Blue Flag beach with the cooperation of Udupi tourism at Padubidri endpoint beach. The Blue Flag is a certification by the Denmark based non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. Padubidri beach in Karntaka is one the eight Indian beaches,…
Every year, we conduct the stakeholder meet for our Sea Turtle Conservation project. On 25th November 2020, we organised a Sea Turtle Conservation (STC) Workshop at our Centre for Experiential Living (CEL) in Kundapur. The Workshop was attended by 48 participants including 18 Contact persons of the STC project, 6 members from the Fisheries Society, 7 youth group members, 5 students from Soma Bangera College, and 4 staff from Reef Watch. This was one of the biggest gathering we had…
Hello friends, While we’ve not been active on Social Media for the past few months, there’s quite a bit that’s been happening on the ground with regard to our programs and activities. We’ve been continuing with our COVID-19 Relief work, organizing workshops for our Sea Turtle Conservation program, strengthening community relationships and building partnerships with local Government agencies, among others. We hope to engage with you more frequently. Watch this space for regular updates and stories from our Team and…
Manjunath Kannal is our Coordinator for the Long Term Volunteering (LTV) program and a facilitator for 100th Monkey. He works out of our regional office in Mysore. Following the nation-wide lockdown in March, Manjunath decided to return to his hometown in Bijapur (North Karnataka). The onset of COVID-19 pandemic was immediately followed by reports of migrant workers across India left stranded and enduring hardships with no job or money. Our Team believed that this was the time for us to…
The Government of India had announced that Unlock 1.0 would start from June 8th. The lockdown has led to a lot of economic pressure forcing SMSE’s and business communities to resume activities and open their businesses to customers during easing of lockdown. On the other hand, there is a lot of uncertainty and fear among the general public and business communities. They are unsure about the outcomes of opening up their businesses that would expose their staff and customers. Lack…
The village of Kottigekaval is located in Hunsur Taluk, Mysore. This village falls under Govindanahalli Panchayat and comprises 95 families, who have been relocated from Nagarahole by the Government of India 70 years ago. The villagers live in basic conditions, with no hospital or post office in the vicinity, no proper sanitation, and toilets. Most of them are addicted to tobacco or paan (betelnut leaves) and alcohol, spending a large part of their earnings on cheap, local liquor. The total…
The month of June witnessed our Team conducting COVID-19 Training and Awareness programs for local communities, as the Government eased regulations during Unlock 1.0. Besides distributing Hygiene kits and training community members on hand-washing techniques, we sensitised them about COVID-19, Prevention measures and Safe practices, managing Stigma and discrimination. Our initiative has been well received by community members and local Government officials. Here is a clip highlighting our work in the local Udayavani newspaper dated June 7th: FSL India, an…
Concerned about the environmental impact of the rise in plastic waste at Kodi beach, a few like-minded people from Kundapura led by Bharat Bangera got together in 2018, to initiate the Clean Kundapura Project (CKP). Along with a group of local volunteers, CKP organizes regular beach cleaning drives on weekends with the main objective of promoting awareness among visitors to keep our beaches clean. FSL India’s staff and volunteers joined hands with CKP in 2019 and together, we are doing our…
On the 73rd day of the lockdown, India ranks no. 7 in the worst hit countries of the world, behind the U.S., Brazil, Russia, the UK, Spain and Italy. As part of their planning for the reopening of India’s economy, the Government of India has emphasised the need for the adherence of the public to personal hygiene, thermal screening, masking and social distancing. Empowering our citizens with the right information to ensure that they take the necessary precautions is essential…