Mornings at the field station are a rare delight now that I have become familiar with the vibrant bird life of Siddapura. Early in the morning, a familiar cackling call stirs me from sleep. A hornbill - probably a Malabar grey hornbill - and by the sound of it, it's right by my room. I…
Fog clings to the lush emerald slopes, Forests among the clouds, Rivulets carve through ancient trees, Hurling their waters over the dark rocks. The power of water echoes the unbridled confidence of kings and queens. It roars triumphantly, As it rockets over the cliffside. In the parched summers, the falls dwindle, their waters curbed by…
The waters are silvery-gold, shimmering lightly in the morning sunlight. The fisherfolk are already hard at work; their days begin at the crack of dawn. Nets whirl elegantly, fanning out in a circle. There are no women in sight; fishing in Odisha appears to be a male-dominated task. The men are busy fixing torn nets…
The waves roll and rush around us, silvery-grey, tipped in gold. The lagoon is tumultuous, the skies cloudy enough to bear the promise of rain later in the day. On the boat, we are blissfully enraptured by the water surrounding us. I try to catch a wave with my toe and fail; the boatman calls…
Learn about the dark forest, Kathalekan, and how this paradise may soon vanish with encroaching human land use in the wild heart of Karnataka...
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 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.
When people look at me, they can't seem to accept that a city girl like me is passionate about ecology fieldwork and wanders about in forests and wetlands for a living. Well, here are my thoughts on this unique and always-interesting lifestyle that I have chosen!
On Life and Wildlife 