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Fazal

Ecosystem Gardener / Nature Educator

Grassleela Landscape Services

Cohort

4 Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Fazal is an ecosystem gardener and have been developing an ecological park as a learning lab for a residential school in Gwalior since 2021. He worked with Pradip Krishen on this project and has now taken over from him. The park is a Wildflower Meadow and celebrates the open grassland ecosystems of Central India, with a special focus on annual herbaceous plants — wildflowers! He is also part of a landscape consultancy called Grassleela Landscape Services in which we run a native-specie nursery in Bhopal and do landscape design work in the context of permaculture and ecological restoration. They also conduct workshops and walks on alternative themes ranging from natural building to tree identification. With a friend, he runs a column on nature writing called ‘Hava-pani’ in the Hindi monthly magazine Kathadesh.

Passion Project

Primary Focus Area

Eco-Literacy, Nature Education , Place -Based Environmental Education

Special Expertise

Ecological landscape design with native species, Grassland/open ecosystem restoration, Nature guiding and observation-based learning, Gardening education, Creative nature pedagogy, Activity design around curiosity, natural history & storytelling

Fazal is developing a place-based ecological learning programme rooted in the 15-acre ecological park and wildflower meadow at Scindia School, Gwalior. Working primarily with students in grades 6–8, the project aims to spark curiosity, build comfort in open natural ecosystems, and help children see beauty and joy in the outdoors. Through nature walks, observation frameworks, natural history exploration, creative arts, and activities such as Habitat Museum, Web of Life, Origin Stories, and Butterfly Origami, students learn to observe closely, identify birds and plants, and understand the ecological restoration happening on their campus. The programme introduces children to grassland biodiversity and nurtures deeper, more imaginative relationships with nature.

Communities engaged

School children, primarily Grades 6–8 (ages 10–13), with some older students

Teachers and faculty at Scindia School

Previously: children in an alternative learning centre in Bhopal

Pedagogical Style

Field-based, experiential learning: nature walks, open ecosystem exploration

Observation-driven pedagogy: “I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of,” curiosity chains

Creative arts-based nature education: origami, colouring, natural materials

Story-based learning: origin stories, cultural interpretations of nature

Play-based group activities: Web of Life, Habitat Museum

Non-hierarchical, dialogue-rich classroom culture enabling questions and confidence