Mangaluru: Mangaluru: Swapping mobile screens for fieldwork, a class 10 student from Puttur documented 21 tiny wildflowers in and around her house during her summer vacation, compiling them into a booklet titled ‘The Beauty of Tiny Wild Flowers’.The booklet, its first volume, documents 21 tiny wildflowers observed in Punchappady, near Savanoor, in Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.Encouraged by the experience, Aaradhya now aims to continue the project during the monsoon and bring out a second volume featuring flowers that bloom in the rainy season.Aaradhya is the daughter of Vivek Alva, a graphic designer, and Smitha V Alva, a botany lecturer at Philomena Degree College, Puttur. The family hails from Savanoor in Kadaba. The couple, who earlier organised summer camps for children, have followed a practice at home since Aaradhya was in class 5 — ensuring each vacation includes a meaningful project to build skills.“This project was designed to help my children understand the process of research. We initially considered several topics before finally deciding to document tiny wildflowers. The idea was to encourage observation, investigation and learning with nature,” Vivek told TOI.Aaradhya’s younger brother, Ahan, a class 5 student, also contributed to the project. Using an iPhone, Aaradhya photographed the flowers after basic training in photography and artificial intelligence tools. She supplemented her fieldwork with information from the internet, while her mother guided her in identifying and understanding the botanical aspects.This is not Aaradhya’s first research-based project. Earlier, she worked on documenting organisms found in forests. “As parents, we believe that children must understand the value of hard work and learning through experience. Projects like these help them become independent learners,” Vivek said.Aaradhya said, “The beauty of these tiny flowers is incredible. Most people pass by without noticing them, but I really enjoyed researching and learning about them. Now I am eagerly waiting for the rains so that I can discover and document even more flowers.”With both parents having authored books, the possibility of publishing the booklet is being explored. The booklet will be released on World Environment Day on June 5.
