Bhavan's college in Andheri will take you on a safari ride, literally!

A corner of Bhavans College in Andheri has been turned into a United Nations for animals Baptised as the Bhavans Nature and Adventure Centre it has guinea fowls and ball pythons from Africa budgerigars and emus from Australia Muscovy ducks natives of Mexico a German shepherd a Tibetan mastiff and a St Bernard all the way from the Alps In that sense we are a cosmopolitan nation says administrator Himanshu Prem JoshiHeaded by Joshi the centre is a sum of several parts one section is a rescue centre where abandoned and injured birds can flock together and receive TLC another is a green cover with over 300 types of plants including rare trees such as rudraksh and kailashpati medicinal plants such as aloe vera and tulsi and a vegetable patch of palak methi ajwain lemongrass brinjal papaya and carrot a third is an obstacle course with a rockclimbing wall commando net Burma bridge zip line and ropewalkHimanshu Prem Joshi with a peacockOwing to the virile habitat the centre is frequented by total babes peacocks bulbuls fantailed flycatchers golden orioles sunbirds Alexandrine parakeets cormorants and pheasanttailed jacanas along with over 70 species of butterflies such as sailor giant red eye hawk moth owl moth jezebel and lime butterfly Weve grown such wild berries fruits and flowers that attract butterflies and birds says Joshi The centre is like Noahs Ark moored in EdenFor this correspondent the visit was the scene of a happy reunion An exstudent of Bhavans College I have fond memories of running into boozers and stoners around the campus lake This time I ran into a sun conure a stunning burntorange bird draped in fire Thanks to the foresight of Dr ML Shrikant then chairman of the campus who hired Joshi nine years ago the 15acre dumping ground has been transformed into a breeding groundDucksMost of the cement debris plastic metal scrap and glass used to be dumped here I made a presentation to Shrikant that showed we can utilise this place and convert it into a nature and adventure centre Shrikant approached the right tree hugger for the job because the last time Joshi got his hands dirty the problem was 40 times biggerFrom 19861992 Joshi was one of the core team members tasked with creating Mahim Nature Park in Dharavi out of 40 acres of crap It was a huge undertaking imagine 200 trucks of municipal nonbiodegradable waste of MumbaiParakeetsThese 200 trucks were dumped mdash not for two months not for 20 months but for 20 years mdash every day It was a stinking mountain to convert that into a park was a herculean task We were walking on human faecal matter We once found a human corpse animal dead bodies whatnot After he quit he became active with Wild Holidays which organises trekking trips for students in Uttaranchal Ladakh Sikkim and Himachal and wildlife sanctuaries across India I didnt want to compromise on the kind of lifeI wanted to lead So despite various financial temptations very lucrative offers I chose to politely decline them and continue wandering into forests and expose youngsters to nature Experience the serenity and be one with the universe The oasis hes created in Bhavans in fact is ideal for thatPythonJoshis softspoken kind demeanour speaks of a man who has spent his lifetime dealing with wounded beings It is not easy even for a human being to develop trust with another human being But to create trust in the mind of a bird or an animal is extremely difficult Theyre genetically scared of us because theyve always been persecuted and huntedJoshis nature works wonders on birds and humans alike In nine years hes amassed 150 volunteers who work on a rotation basis On our visit volunteers from the college were planning Prakruti Festival a nature festival open to Generation Z which includes adventure activities nature trails an orchid and bonsai exhibition and workshops on vermicomposting and bird careThe centre is open to all on Sundays but partial to children on weekdays Todays children dont get to see live things We want them to smell touch and learn about nature and environment His wellintentioned efforts have borne fruit the centre is an official partner of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity So this one little centre is on the map of United Nations in IndiaWhat Prakruti Nature FestivalWhere Bhavans Nature and Adventure Centre Andheri Bhavans Campus Munshi NagarWhen January 1820 9 AM to 6 PMEntry Rs 150To book wwwbookmyshowcom