“Nature is giving every thing to human beings, however we aren’t giving a lot again to nature,” says Mr Ganeshan D, founding father of Koodugal Nest (Community for Setting Sustainability Belief). The Chennai-based NGO is taking part in a key position in boosting the sparrow inhabitants within the metropolis via its distinctive efforts in nest conservation.
From an agricultural background in a small village close to Bengaluru, Ganeshan D has at all times held a deep love for nature, which advanced right into a passionate dedication to environmental conservation.
Ganeshan’s journey is rooted in a strong basis of training, skilled expertise, and a deep dedication to giving again to nature. He has carved out a novel path, dedicating himself to creating a significant affect via conservation efforts, with a selected deal with sparrow preservation, water management, and waste discount.
His curiosity in nature started in his early years. “From childhood, I’ve at all times been fascinated by nature and deeply captivated with conserving sparrows,” Ganeshan tells The Higher India. As a pupil, his curiosity was nurtured by a supportive professor who recognised his zeal for the surroundings and inspired him to pursue it additional.
From engineer to surroundings warrior
Ganeshan pursued mechanical engineering, incomes a bachelor’s and grasp’s diploma. Following his research, he labored as a professor at SRM College, the place he continued to foster his pursuits within the surroundings whereas additionally instructing. Nonetheless, his skilled life didn’t totally fulfill his ardour.
After his time as a professor, he transitioned to the IT sector, at the moment working as a website specialist in information know-how at Coda Expertise Options. Regardless of his technical profession, his true calling lay in his environmental efforts, and thus the Koodugal Nest was born.
The seeds for Koodugal Nest had been planted throughout Ganeshan’s pupil years. He says, “I started engaged on tasks like sparrow conservation, water administration, and waste administration as early as 2014, throughout my MTech research.” He began his first tree-planting initiative on college campuses, setting a private aim to plant at the least 500 timber yearly. These early efforts had been fueled by his perception that people ought to give again to nature in no matter method doable.
On 29 July 2020, Ganeshan and his spouse, Shanthini, a professor at JNN Institute of Engineering and a PhD candidate in arithmetic, formally registered Koodugal Nest, marking the start of their shared journey to make a distinction.
“After marriage, my spouse Shanthini grew to become the spine of Koodugal Nest, taking up the position of mission supervisor and guiding the mission with unwavering help,” admits Ganeshan. What started as a private mission had now advanced right into a fully-fledged organisation.
‘Sparrow populations have elevated by 15%’
Koodugal Nest’s core mission is to considerably improve the sparrow inhabitants, guaranteeing their presence thrives throughout communities. The organisation works by educating college students and communities in regards to the significance of sparrows and involving them in hands-on actions equivalent to developing sparrow nest packing containers. These nest packing containers present much-needed shelter for sparrows, who face extreme habitat loss as a consequence of urbanisation.
“As insectivores, sparrows play a vital position in controlling pests like mosquitoes, flies, and crop-damaging bugs, which helps cut back illnesses equivalent to malaria and dengue, supporting human well being. By protecting grasshopper populations in examine, additionally they shield crops, selling agricultural productiveness,” Ganeshan explains.
“Conserving sparrows can be important for sustaining biodiversity, as they play a key position in seed dispersal. By feeding on seeds from numerous crops, sparrows assist unfold plant species throughout ecosystems, supporting the regeneration of flowers. This course of not solely promotes wholesome and numerous habitats but additionally ensures the long-term stability of ecosystems, making sparrow conservation essential for environmental stability,” he provides.
The NGO’s affect has been far-reaching. Over the previous few years, Koodugal has distributed greater than 10,000 nest packing containers throughout 40-45 faculties and gated communities in Chennai. In response to Ganeshan, “About 60-70% of the nest packing containers at the moment are occupied by sparrows, with a number of generations now nesting within the packing containers. In North Chennai, sparrow populations have elevated by 15% within the final 4 years.”
Overcoming challenges
Like every bold enterprise, Koodugal Nest confronted its share of challenges. “After we first approached communities in North Chennai, folks had been hesitant. We had been strangers, and lots of didn’t perceive why sparrow conservation mattered,” Ganeshan recollects. The workforce confronted preliminary roadblocks in convincing native residents, faculties, and organisations to take part.
“After we reached out to 10 faculties and gained media consideration, faculties started welcoming our tasks, and shortly each, academic establishments and native communities began actively partaking with us to advertise sparrow conservation,” says Ganeshan.
The subsequent problem was the price of developing the nest packing containers. Initially, Koodugal labored with a carpenter who charged round Rs 200-250 per nest field. However the workforce needed to make the mission extra sustainable. To beat this, they began producing their very own kits.
“We reduce the supplies ourselves, and as an alternative of giving out completed merchandise, we skilled college students to assemble their very own nest packing containers,” Ganeshan explains. This hands-on method helped decrease the price to Rs 100-150 per field, whereas additionally empowering college students and residents.
Suggestions from college students was essential in bettering the design of the nest packing containers. Ganeshan’s workforce adjusted the size and construction based mostly on real-world use, step by step refining the design to maximise its attraction to sparrows.
“Koodugal Nest work wouldn’t have been doable with out the help of its company companions. Chennai Willingdon Company Basis (CWCF), Surveysparrow Pvt Ltd, and Lennox India Expertise have been instrumental in funding the distribution of nest packing containers and guaranteeing the continued progress of the initiative,” Ganeshan acknowledges.
Bringing communities collectively
Though company partnerships have been a big supply of funding, Ganeshan stresses that the mission’s true success lies locally’s involvement. “The actual affect comes from college students, households, and communities coming collectively to make this mission successful,” he says.
“Earlier generations understood the significance of sparrows, however right this moment’s era is much less conscious of how important they’re for human survival. Sadly, most people usually lacks the time or curiosity to study their significance. This is the reason we determined to deal with faculties, to lift consciousness and clarify the mission of Koodugal Nest,” the founder provides.
One important discovery the NGO made was that the discount in sand in city areas was a significant factor within the sparrow inhabitants decline. In 2020, at Revoor Padmanabha Chetty Matriculation Greater Secondary Faculty in Tiruvottiyur, the abundance of sand made it the proper surroundings for sparrows.
After putting in 100 nest packing containers on the varsity campus, the outcomes had been instant. “Inside six months, a lot of the packing containers had been occupied, and right this moment, 100% of the nest packing containers are in use,” Ganeshan proudly shares.
“We dedicate our time to conserving sparrows as a result of as their inhabitants grows, they’ll assist management mosquitoes, cockroaches, and different small bugs that always go unnoticed. Sparrows thrive near human settlements, as they’ll solely survive in temperatures that are perfect for us, not in extremes,” he provides.
Empowering the subsequent era
Koodugal Belief has made a big affect on college students. Sharing her expertise, Prayukta, a 14-year-old pupil from RPC Matriculation Faculty, says, “My father was part of the Koodugal Nest mission, and he introduced residence a nest in 2022. All of us helped in putting in it, and it was wonderful to observe sparrows care for their younger ones. I’ve developed a behavior of feeding them and observing their actions. I’d like to proceed this sparrow conservation sooner or later.”
“By partaking college students in hands-on tasks, Koodugal shouldn’t be solely educating them about sparrow conservation but additionally improves their motor abilities, focus, and empathy. These actions have considerably decreased display screen time and have helped youngsters develop a eager curiosity within the pure world,” notes Ganeshan.
As for future plans, Ganeshan is set to make sparrows a standard sight throughout Chennai and increase the attain of the mission to extra faculties and gated communities. “Our aim is to achieve 1,00,000 households and distribute extra nest packing containers in 10 years,” he says.
The NGO can be specializing in growing sparrow sanctuaries in additional faculties, the place sparrows can nest and flourish in secure, protected environments. They’ve efficiently established eight sparrow sanctuaries up to now, offering a house for 100 to 200 sparrows on every campus.
“Our first accomplice, Dhanalakshmi Greater Secondary Faculty, accepted fifteen packing containers. At the moment, we’ve distributed over 10,000. Initially, we aimed to put in 1,000 packing containers, and we achieved that. Wherever we’ve distributed nest packing containers, we’ve seen college students get extra engaged. I’m lucky to have supportive mother and father who assist me stability my work and the Koodugal mission,” Shanthini says.
T Mohanalakshmi, a devoted Botany trainer at KC Sankaralinga Nadar Greater Secondary Faculty, and her husband, Ganesh, are additionally deeply concerned within the Koodugal Nest mission.
“In our residence, now we have a big neem tree. Once I first discovered about Koodugal Nest, I bought two sparrow nest packing containers and put in them. Quickly after, I used to be thrilled to see sparrows visiting the tree. Now, I’ve ten sparrow nests, and I get up each morning to the sound of birds chirping at 4-5 am,” says Ganesh.
Koodugal Nest’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2023, the NGO obtained the celebrated Tamil Nadu Management Award from the World CSR Congress. This recognition got here because of their dedication to environmental conservation and the numerous affect they’ve made within the communities they serve.
Moreover, in 2024, the belief was honoured with the Inspiro Award by Agilisium Consulting for its excellent contribution to conservation and training.
As Koodugal Nest continues to develop and attain extra folks, its mission expands past simply sparrow conservation. It’s about fostering a way of environmental accountability, understanding the fragile stability of nature, and provoking others to take their very own steps towards a sustainable future.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; Photos: Ganeshan D
