Recently, I had been to two places, one is Kurumgad Island at Karwar in Karnataka State of India and the other is Sulphur Creek Nature Center situated at 1801 D Street, Hayward in unique and diverse land known as the San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A. I had been to Kurumgad Island on an excursion and I visited Sulphur Creek Nature Center to witness a birth day. On both the occasions, incidentally I remembered a question that my teacher used to put us during my school days. It is an intelligent question . It is a probing question too.That is the question that most of the students face during their school days. It is a question which can be used to read a young mind. It enables a teacher to know how imaginative, intelligent, ambitious a student is . The question is " what you would do if you were the prime minister of India". Such a question also enables one to extract new ideas from others. As a consequence, the question if Kurumgad Island were in America what it would have been arose in my mind. During my visit to Sulphur Creek Center when I remembered Kurumgad Island due to similarities between the two places and same question arose in my mind once again. Both Kurumgad and Sulphur Creek Nature Center have a hill and a narrow path around. Of course, here I am not comparing both the places. It tantamount to comparison between unequal. Kurumgad is in middle of a sea whereas Sulphur Creek Nature Center is in Hayward city.
It is a known fact that U.S. A. is the richest country in the world .Geographically, area of U.S.A. is a little more than three times the area that India has whereas population of U.S.A is approximately one third the population that India has. Further, per capita income of people in U.S.A is very high. There people can afford to spend more on tours and travels than most of the other countries in the world. A recent survey reveals that four people among thousand have computer in India whereas every two people have one computer in U.S.A. Everywhere we find mowed lawns, trimmed and pruned trees in U.S.A. Further automatic sprinklers take care of watering of lawns and plants wherever and whenever necessary. Tax evasion is meager in U.S.A. Further Taxpayers’ money is put to optimum use in U.S.A. We come across concrete roads only there. Everywhere provision is made for parking of vehicles. Even parking spaces bear cement plastering. Every place is dust free and neat and clean. Littering and dumping are prohibited everywhere and dustbins are provided at every nook and corner. In every park we come across picnic tables and barbecue pits. We find rest rooms with all amenities wherever necessary with hot and cold water available through out the day. Upkeep is exemplary everywhere in U.S.A.
Similarly in case of Sulphur Creek Nature Center upkeep is exemplary and there is no lack of any amenity. Sulphur Creek Nature Center is managed by Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. A board consisting of a president, vice president, secretary and two directors looks after the management of this center. Sulphur Creek Nature Center is a great place for a birthday party. The party includes a unique one-hour presentation designed to suit our needs. Sulphur Creek Nature Center offers exciting science programs that focus on the natural history and ecology of local wildlife. Park Hours 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday .We can learn about the reptiles, amphibians, fish, and arthropods on display in the Discovery Center at Sulphur Creek. Birds and mammals of the area can be viewed in enclosures outside their buildings. We can learn about watersheds, creek life, and the animals and plants that depend on this important habitat. We can also learn to create a garden and offer protection, food and water to a host of birds and butterflies. We can take a walk on the wild side and come face to face with mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. We can touch fur, feathers, scales and skin while getting a rare close up look at their similarities and differences. We can tour Sulphur Creek and get close to the California wildlife that roams near creeks, hills and forests there. We can become familiar with the opossum, coyote, hawk, raven, snake, toad and more. We can discover the wonder of animals, both wild and domestic, in a lighthearted, intimate setting. In short we can observe, discuss and touch a variety of safe, friendly animals. Birds are some of the most observable wildlife. We can get a close up look at what makes them unique. With the use of artifacts and live examples, we can investigate birds from A to Z including special adaptations, nest building and how they fly etc at Sulphur Creek Nature center. What do coyotes, whales, bats and people have in common? We can learn all about this amazing group of animals and how they have adapted to live in every environment there.
Sulphur Creek Nature Center with various educational programs which it has been conducting and through renting of space for picnic, birthdays and other activities is definitely a profitable venture. We come across innumerable ventures of this nature all along the length and breadth of U.S.A. Sulphur Creek Nature Center here is only a case study.
Kurumgad Island is a secluded retreat with untouched natural splendor a remote haven located 4 kms into Arabian Sea off the coast of Karwar. The Great Outdoors Island Resort office on NH17, Bauttakatta, Baithkol, Karwar arranges a tour to this island. The journey to this island is also a memorable one. We come across beautiful and magnificent view of Karwar and nearby islands while traversing in a boat to Kurumgad from Karwar.Karwar has a number of beautiful beaches and it's idyllic beauty inspired the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, to pen his first play.
A 20 minute motorboat ride brings us to this tortoise-shaped island hide out where we can enjoy nature by leap and bounds.The island covers an area of 53 acres. We pass under the bridge built across Kali River between Sadashivgad and Karwar on our route. The bridge is also a star attraction. The island is, near the well-known Devbag Resort Island. The sea is fabulous there! It is a hilly island. We can go around it through a narrow path. There are lovely bamboo cottages on stilts, absolutely cut-off from everything here. We come across, beautiful dazzling sunsets flaming across other islands here. We can resort to nature walks with breathtaking sea-views at every turn of the path here. We can take afternoon naps under mango trees, watch tides cover and uncover rock formations or saunter on the adjacent beach which is quite lengthy. We can listen to waves lapping at the boat jetty. We can indulge in adventure with, swimming, fishing, bonfires & barbecues, dolphin spotting, boat rides, aqua sports, rock climbing and much more. More than anything else, one can relax and enjoy life here away from busy world as long as one wishes without any disturbance at all. There is absolutely peace, tranquility and untouched natural beauty all-around here. Definitely, if it were America, it would have been developed as a park. All modern facilities and amenities would have been provided here .At present, the island is owned by a coffee planter belonging to Chickmaglur. It seems this island was previously under rule of Vijayanagar Empire, Bijapur Sultans, and Sonda kings. In AD 1705, Basalinga Nayak of Sonda fought a battle with British from this island. There is Narasimha temple on this island. A festival takes place on a full moon day known as Pushya Purnima every year on this island. Besides the temple, we come cross a cave. The cave leads us to a creek. This creek is called Mystery Creek on this is land .It seems that the crack in the rocks found there was formed millions of years ago .Further , there is a story behind it too. It is believed that Lord Narasimha made his way through this long creek leading to the cave.
The tidal pool and Cozy canopy are other places of attraction on the island. Cozy canopy is a natural thicket formed by the roots of trees and shrubs. It is a cool area to relax even in summer. Here sun rays do not penetrate and cause one any discomfort at any time of the day. Tidal pool is a shallow manmade tidal wading pool. It is specially made for young kids. It is built by bounding of rocks. The depth of pool would depend on the tide.
If Kurumgad was in U.S.A., millions of dollars would have been invested by a company or government there.They make the best use of such spots. They not only sow at such places but also reap the harvests there.At the same time, they exercise due care to maintain the serenity and grandeur of the place too.They prove that imagination has no bounds. Kurumgad would have been used for their marketing, and publicity of many of their products. Americans are innovative. The place would have been more beautified with modern amenities to cater to the need of modern society .A regular flow of visitors would have been ensured. India is developing. Tourism is picking up in India. Number of people who can afford to spend more and who are holidaying is increasing in India. A day is not far off when more people not only from India but also from far off countries would visit Kurumgad in large number.
Kurumgad is a lovely place . This is a place for recreation to people of all ages. A camp here would be definitely a camp in a paradise at the earliest. A day will not be far off , when newspapers stop reporting about this island as an island that comes to life once a year.India should accord top priority for the development of places like Kurumgad as a tourist center. There is no doubt in the fact that tourism would contribute to its development as much as what I .T. industry has been doing or a little more in near future.