Sacrality is a fascinating concept to explore, and many swamps in my study area of Uttara Kannada are considered sacred by local communities. One of these swamps is Chaare, a lovely, fenced swamp nestled in the crook of wet evergreen forest and (surprise, surprise) an arecanut plantation. Named for the small village that borders it,…
When interviewing locals to learn about their knowledge of swamps, Rohan and I stumbled across the legend of the krishnasarpa. But what is the krishnasarpa?
Deep in the heart of lion-tailed macaque country lie multiple hidden Myristica swamps. Rohan and I spent hours driving the (surprisingly) well-maintained roads, past faded signposts and countless towering arecanut plantations, past colourful houses and dry brown paddy fields, past patches of dry deciduous forest interspersed by cool, wet evergreen forests, until we finally reached…
Don't forget to check out my first post on SCCS Cambridge HERE before delving into this one! The second day of the conference dawned much like the previous one. After another scrumptious breakfast (see my earlier post for the delicious details), we headed back to the Zoology Department for another round of student talks. The…
The David Attenborough Building towers over the Department of Zoology, the many hues of grey stone blending neatly into the grey sky. Cambridge, like most of the United Kingdom, is shrouded in rainclouds for most of the year. But the atmosphere inside the building is filled with excitement and enthusiasm as students from around the…
The landscape of the Sharavathi river valley is unparallelled in its beauty. Lush forests line the tarred roads, descending deep into the valley to where the mighty Sharavathi roars. From the winding road, the wind whipping through my hair, I can smell the river and its rich soil from kilometres away. I close my eyes,…
Getting a lot of things done each day feels good...until it's too much to handle! Here's how I view multitasking and how I go about setting a daily routine.
The Tamil Sangam period in history is characterized by eloquent poetry and elegant wordplay, much like the myriad landscapes of Tamil Nadu. While at the ACCC, I heard a word thrown around a lot - ‘ainthinai.’ When broken down, it simply means five (“ain”) landscapes (“thinai”). The five landscapes refer to both the varied topography…
A dramatic return to the magical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, heralded by the birds and wildlife that call this landscape home.
A week of WFH led to a surprising discovery and a new nook!
On Life and Wildlife 