OT: The last place you visited?
Pradip Krishen: I’ve just returned from Garhwal. It was a 7-8
OT: Work or pleasure?
Pradip Krishen: Both. I want to set up a botanical garden and am currently on the lookout for an appropriate location.
OT: Is your travelling connected with your interest in botany?
Pradip Krishen: Yes, it is. The kind of location I require for this garden needs to be around 6,000ft high, so I travel quite a bit to the mountains in the north. What I’m looking for is a natural oak forest that is controlled by a village community or a van panchayat, rather than by the government. The people living in the area must have a personal stake in caring for the garden, arranging guided tours and so on.
OT: Besides mountains?
Pradip Krishen: The rainforests of South India. The Mukurthi National Park is a beautiful place — the area is an elevated plateau and it’s located in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, around 50km from Ooty.
OT: Is most of your traveling in India?
Pradip Krishen: Yes.
OT: Keen to visit?
Pradip Krishen: I’m very keen on the Northeast — I would love to see the flora there — but it’s such a large area and the trip will have to be properly planned. Also, there are parts of Orissa that I’m interested in visiting.
OT: Next trip?
Pradip Krishen: I’m leaving for Kumaon in a few days — again, it’s in connection with location-scouting.
OT: Are you a mountain person or a beach person?
Pradip Krishen: Oh, a mountain person, no question!
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