[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he fourth Prakruti Festival that celebrates the wonders of nature and wildlife opened here Friday in the midst of a concrete jungle.
The annual three-day festival is being held at the Bhavan’s Nature and Adventure Centre (BNAC) situated on a lush green plot, bordering a lake and a botanical garden, within the BV Bhavan’s College campus, said administrator Himanshu P. Joshi.
An estimated 35,000 visitors from Mumbai and its surroundings are expected to visit the site.
Rrock climbing, rapelling, commando and spider nets and Burma Bridge, flying fox, archery, rifle shooting, rocks and minerals display, creative crafts workshops on the re-use and re-cycling themes, fire and rescue operations, HAM radio and solar energy demonstrations, will make up the festival.Flower and dog shows, display of wild and medicinal plants, animal care sessions, nature trails, film shows, and nature photography workshops will also make up the events.
The BNAC was a garbage dump but after nurturing by naturalist Joshi and his team of young volunteers,it has gradually developed as a full-fledged nature centre. It also has an artificial cave-cum-tunnel with rock paintings, life-size statues of tribals from India, Africa and south America, two machans (tree-top forest outposts), overnight jungle camping for students, a butterfly patch and a replica of a dinosaur fossil. “Today, we have more than 275 species of plants here, around two dozen types of birds and animals are kept here, 45 species of butterflies can be viewed here throughout the year and over 50 species of wild-birds come during various seasons on the BNAC,” Joshi explained.
