A few steps in, the forest can trigger a subtle transformation in our senses and emotions. It is literally ​‘taking in of the forest’ and becoming a part of it. This experience is a multimodal one, as we perceive the world through so many senses simultaneously.

Being in the forest is a healing experience that can awaken innermost feelings of happiness and peace. Forests of Life 2023 – 24 was our effort to bring this experience to life and share it with young people.

Forests of Life, the second chapter of our continuing efforts to raise awareness about nature and celebrate its wonders is an initiative of Azim Premji University. We explore perspectives of students and practitioners. Besides featuring visual stories of forests throughout the country, the festival was a coming together of our forests the encompassed ecology and biodiversity, food, culture and endeavoured to imagine new ways of coexistence. 

Following a countrywide call, we selected a cohort of interns who collectively travelled through 110 diverse forests across the length and breadth of India. Each story they documented reveals different shades of the forest such as the forest-dependent livelihoods, the challenges of human-animal conflicts, and the deep association of indigenous communities with nature, and explores how forest resources can positively contribute to community wellbeing.

School and college students from Bengaluru and Bhopal, and nearby venues, were invited to explore the photo exhibition as well as interact with other students, activists, researchers, folk artists, academics, and storytellers. The festival invited school students from grades V to XII and college students from the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Members of the public and parents were also invited. 

Forests of Life is an immersive and enriching experience that will leave you with a renewed appreciation for our beautiful forests.

Our focus is on a functional, visually appealing, but also eco-friendly approach.

Highlights of the festival

• The enthusiastic response from students was an inspiration to take a festival path to showcase the importance of forests, the challenges they face, and the ways in which individuals can help protect them. Festivals could inspire people to become advocates for forests as future Ambassadors for Conservation.
• The festival committed to sustainability principles and sourcing locally available materials or sustainable alternatives was top priority. It sincerely sought to provide educational resources and materials to raise awareness about sustainable practices.
• Forests of Life adopted a wayfinding philosophy that considered every aspect of the design, from the choice of materials to the placement of each element, to ensure that it was visually striking and enhanced the overall aesthetic of our campus, inspired by the forests of India.
• The group of interns who explored 110 diverse forests, each sharing a story of these ancient entities. Their perspectives provided an insightful glimpse into the multifaceted nature of the forest, including foraging for sustenance, navigating post-animal conflict scenarios, and exploring value chains that improve livelihoods.

We also explored the idea of the forest and engaged with youth, across different parts of India through the following events, as part of the festival: 

• ecoXplorers 2023 on 22 Oct 2023: A nature, biodiversity and forests inter-college quiz competition where 45 teams participated.
• Forests and Us on 19 Aug 2023: One-day inter-school essay writing, drawing and colouring, and quiz competitions for nearby government and private schools where 6 schools and 1200 students participated. 

Forests of Life travelled places

Glimpses from Wipro Limited, Kodathi, Bengaluru (8−13 Dec 2023)

Glimpses from Dhamtari, Chattisgarh (29 Jan‑4 Feb and 5 – 6 March 2024)