The Asiatic lion is one of the five big cat species found in India. Around 91 lions died in 2015 as a result of open wells. We decided to visit the forests of Savarkundla, a small village in Gujarat along with an organisation named “Rural Pleasure”. We as a team aimed to cover at least one well which was approximately 35 feet deep.
The work involved cutting, welding, hammering and grinding the steel rods. This was a new yet a challenging experience for me, where I achieved learning outcome 2 ( Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process ) as welding was a bit difficult task for me as the sparks that come out from the tool is very dangerous for the eyes. So without making a direct contact, I had to do the work. At the start I was nervous but with my friends’ motivation and seeing everyone happy while doing the task, even I was able to complete the work. I was able to achieve learning outcome 5 ( Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively ) also. Working with a team of 37 people is not easy. There were limited tools and we as a group had to make one covering. Earlier many people were not getting the chance and it was becoming very chaotic so we had formed groups to give everyone an equal chance to perform the tasks so that later on we face no disputes. I was very contented that I got a chance to learn something different and develop new skills.
On the trip, I realised my weakness that I couldn’t do trekking for too long and when my other fellow members were getting into the tractor, even I decided to give up on walking and jump in the tractor. The tractor ride was a thrilling yet a painful one as there were too many people and everyone was bumping into each other. We went for treks due to which we were able to sense the aura of nature. It was tiring, however, I enjoyed the scenic beauty. I feel it is our responsibility as citizens to protect our wildlife and mother nature and I am glad that because of this trip we were able to help the Asiatic lions in some or the other way!
