Women trained as Golden Wings guides at Vedanthangal

Women and young people around Vedanthangal are leading bird walks after training from Care Earth Trust in Chennai. The Hindu published the account on October 11, 2026, and updated it on October 17. The course covered bird identification, wetland ecology, trees, butterflies, communication, spoken English, people management, and social media. Eight participants now guide visitors as Golden Wings.

S. Kalaiselvi Srinivasan and Subathirai D. are among the guides. Subathirai said neighbors were skeptical until she earned money from the walks. Coordinator B. Ramamoorthy and programme manager Anjana Venkatesan described the aim as connecting local women to ecotourism. Venkatesan noted that some outskirts of Chennai record about 70 bird species in migration season, so people do not have to travel to the Western Ghats to see them. Training included childcare and food, and the women chose Sundays. A week-long visit took the group to Thattekad in Kerala. A next phase is underway in Unamancheri, near Vandalur, where Madhumitha S., 29, who works in medical coding, has been in Sunday classes for about two months and plans weekend walks after she finishes. She sees peacocks and deer near home.