Munnar, September 2026: The Save Kurinji Campaign Council will organise a Neelakurinji conservation walkathon in Munnar on October 1, highlighting the importance of protecting the region’s fragile shola grasslands and the natural habitat of the iconic Neelakurinji.

The walkathon is being held during the current flowering season, when Neelakurinji has been blooming at several locations in and around Munnar. The campaign aims to use the flowering season to raise public awareness about the ecological importance of the plant and the high-altitude grassland ecosystem on which it depends.

Walkathon to remember environmental activist G. Rajkumar

The programme will also commemorate G. Rajkumar, the environmental activist and long-time campaigner for the conservation of Neelakurinji and its habitat, who died earlier this year.

Rajkumar played a major role in the Save Kurinji movement and was associated with the historic Kodaikanal–Munnar Kurinji march of 1989. His campaigns helped draw attention to the threats facing shola grasslands and the need to protect the natural habitat of Neelakurinji.

Devikulam Sub-Collector V. M. Arya is scheduled to flag off the walkathon at 3 p.m. on October 1. Idukki District Collector Dineshan Cheruvath will deliver the commemoration lecture, while Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr. Pramod G. Krishnan will speak about Neelakurinji and its conservation.

Route 

According to the Save Kurinji Campaign Council, the revised walkathon will start from a location near the old railway station, proceed through P. O. Junction, and enter Munnar town while avoiding traffic bottlenecks. The march will then continue along GH Road, turn at Mosque Junction and proceed towards the Wildlife Division office.

Focus on protecting shola grasslands

The campaign comes at a significant time for Munnar, with Neelakurinji flowering reported at several locations. Dense blooms have been reported around Korandikkad and Chokramudi along the Kochi–Munnar–Dhanushkodi National Highway, as well as within the Kurinjimala Sanctuary. Flowering has also been observed near Mattupetty and other areas around Munnar.

Conservationists have long stressed that protecting Neelakurinji requires protecting its wider shola-grassland habitat, rather than focusing only on the flowers. These high-altitude ecosystems play important roles in biodiversity, soil conservation and water regulation. Research has also identified tourism pressure, habitat conversion, invasive or exotic plantations and waste as among the threats to Neelakurinji habitats.

The October 1 walkathon is therefore expected to bring renewed attention to the need for responsible tourism and long-term conservation of Munnar's fragile mountain ecosystems, particularly during periods when the rare flowering attracts large numbers of visitors.