It was eleven in the morning when we heard someone shout in the distance: “Aag lagi!” A forest fire — the kind we had never seen before, let alone fought. What seemed like a routine incident to those who live here was completely foreign to us.
Within minutes, the entire camp mobilised. People united regardless of age or gender, forming a chain to pass buckets of water. Forest rangers responded soon after, working alongside residents and interns to contain what could have spread much further.
It wasn’t part of any programme curriculum. It was simply what happened, and what was required of everyone present. For the interns who were there, it became one of the most direct lessons in what it actually means to live within — and be responsible for — a fragile landscape. Not an abstraction about climate risk, but a fire, a bucket chain, and neighbours who knew exactly what to do.
Leave a Reply