When it comes to conservation messaging, two different approaches often emerge. The first is a celebration – showcasing the wonders of the planet, like soothing birdsong at dawn or the life-giving shade of an ancient forest. It gently reminds us of what we have to lose. The second perspective, obviously and necessarily, mirrors humanity’s ecological footprint. It confronts us with polluted rivers, endangered species and smog-filled skies of our own making.
The Nilgiri Earth Festival takes the first approach. It is a celebration of the wildlife, food, culture and community that the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve offers, balanced with the understanding that this comes with a responsibility to protect it.
Spread over 5,000 square kilometers across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, the biosphere reserve is home to a network of five national parks and four wildlife sanctuaries rich in diverse flora and fauna.
Organized by Nilgiri Foundation, an arm of Keystone Foundation with three decades of experience in sustainable living, the festival has evolved into a place where ecology meets culture. Now in its third year, this four-day festival (from 19 to 22 December) is as much about the food and heritage of the Nilgiris as it is about conversations on sustainability and climate action.
Nature tour during the festival. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
fresh from the farm
On the third afternoon of the Nilgiri Earth Festival, we headed to Kikui Farm in Ooty to experience the taste of high-quality organic produce and farm-to-table cooking with organic farmer and chef Vishant Kumar. He welcomes us with fermented rhubarb soda kombucha – salmon pink, fizzy, and foamy when poured. Vishant’s chef paints a misty mountain scene with smoke from the barbeque grill operated by friends.
The spread is unforgettable: sourdough pizza made from 90% whole grain wheat, live tacos and kale greens from the Badaga buffet Poriyal, Gasu Gose (mashed cabbage with potatoes and peas), red rice, Thupadhittu (lentil pakodas), and berry tart – all made from produce from Vishant’s farm.
Badaga farmers by heritage, Vishant’s family has owned a 150-year-old tea estate since the 1930s. After working as a chef in the UK, he returned to India to promote organic farming but struggled to change the local mindset. They began growing vegetables commercially, making veggie boxes and processing the surplus into jams and hot sauces. Today their supply network is continuously expanding in Bengaluru.
“The organic movement is not just non-chemical farming,” he explains. “It is about creating living ecosystems rich with insects, animals and life forms.”
Vishant is one of the many changemakers celebrated by the Nilgiri Earth Festival. By highlighting stories like theirs, the festival shines a light on individuals redefining sustainable living.
Badaga Thali on the last day of the festival. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
last day celebration
The final day of the Nilgiri Earth Festival feels like a culmination, a celebration of ideas, community and land. The conversation with Bablu Ganguly of Timbuktu Collective, Arshiya Bose of Bengaluru-based Black Baja Coffee and G Sundararajan of Poovulagin Nanbergal touches on topics close to the heart of the region: climate activism, food sovereignty and biodiversity.
Bablu reflects on his 45 years of work in rural Andhra Pradesh. He says, “The margins create the whole. Without the margins, there is no center.” Arshiya talks about her work in the coffee landscape of the Western Ghats, where she partners with smallholder farmers to promote biodiversity-friendly practices. Meanwhile, Sundararajan shared his experiences of grassroots activism, including his fight against ecologically harmful projects.
Sandesh Kadur after the screening of ‘Nilgiri: A Shared Wilderness’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
a screening of Nilgiris: A shared forestDirected by Sandesh Kadur, takes us into the heart of the biosphere. The film depicts how animals like gaur and leopard, and even people, navigate the delicate balance between nature and human encroachment.
There are stalls set up at various places at the venue, which offer a glimpse of the essence of the area. There is wild fig honey from Keystone’s Adhamalai, hand-woven Toda shawls and organic spices and vegetables from local farmers. Lunch includes a feast of badaga thali, red rice, fish curry, kuthiravali rice Venpongal, Varaghu biryani, Kirai VadaiAnd kambu Laddus served amidst blooming yellow flowers.
Later, a traditional Badaga dance invites people into a circle that keeps expanding, a living metaphor of inclusion and community.
Pratim Roy, co-founder of the Keystone Foundation and festival director, reflects on its evolution. He says, “The Nilgiri Earth Festival started as a wild food festival, and now connects people with the landscape and its challenges. It is an awareness movement rooted in the community.” He envisions a future where the festival deepens its ties to the land while inviting a broader perspective from across India.
As we head back to Coimbatore, our cab driver shares stories of the jungle. He describes how wild animals – bison, elephants and even a tiger – had sometimes blocked his car. Curious, we ask, “Don’t they attack?” He smiles and replies with quiet wisdom, “They never do anything. It is we who have encroached on their space. As long as we respect it, they let us be. And we must let them.”
His words are a poignant reminder that coexistence is not just a concept but a necessity.
