Palluyir Trust Hosts Tree-Sketching Walk in Chennai to Deepen Nature Connection

Participants at a recent tree-sketching walk in Chennai learned to observe the complex lives of trees through a blind contour drawing exercise where eyes stay fixed on the subject rather than the paper. The event took place on October 31 at the Theosophical Society in Adyar and was organised by Palluyir Trust, a nature education and research organisation. Karunya Baskar, a nature educator and designer at the trust, guided attendees through the session by a mahogany tree and noted that trees live on a much slower timescale than humans, with some like the local banyan tree reaching an estimated age of 450 years. Founded in 2021, Palluyir Trust aims to connect Chennaiites with beaches, wetlands, and urban trees, holding about 50 to 60 nature walks every year. Founder Yuvan Aves explained that without a personal relationship or kinship with local trees, people feel less compelled to act when trees are cut down. The organisation also seeks to support young people working full-time in ecology and build an infrastructure to fight important ecological battles. During the sketching exercise, participants discovered how to read physical marks on trees, such as swollen ball-like burls caused by infections damaging the cambium and eye spots left behind when a tree self-prunes a lower branch to save energy. Nitin Srirang, a writer who attended the walk, said the experience left him feeling relaxed and reminded him of the slow life and resilience of trees. Karunya noted that city residents often feel disconnected from the natural world, and these walks use observation to foster a sense of care and build a community of sensitive people ready to protect the environment against threats.

Context

Organisations like Palluyir Trust use interactive outdoor activities like nature walks and sketching to bridge the gap between urban residents and local ecosystems. By encouraging close observation of everyday surroundings such as urban trees and wetlands, such initiatives help build local environmental awareness and community involvement.