Bhoorsingh the Barasingha Returns

In a continued series of commissions for Kanha Tiger Reserve (under Field Director Mr. Sanjay Shukla), I created a few more comics, posters and artwork with the park mascot Bhoorsingh the Barasingha-

A Day in the Life of Bhoorsingh-

A Chronology of the life of Bhoorsingh-

A poster for the Kanha-Achanakmar corridor walk, conducted by the park management and WWF India-

Artwork for a playschool run by the forest department, which is named after Bhoorsingh-

A 'selfie canvas' set to be installed at tourist stops in the national park-

(click on the image for a larger view)

Thanks once again to Mr. Sanjay Shukla for his continued association with Green Humour, and for using artwork so extensively to promote Kanha!

Kanha Tiger Reserve- an illustrated map

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I've often referred to Kanha Tiger Reserve as the 'Mother of Indian Forests', for the simple reason that its majesty and grandeur make for a complete Indian forest experience. The true magic of the Central Indian wilderness is here in Kanha's lush meadows and evergreen Sal forests.

This February, commissioned by Mr. Sanjay Shukla (Field Director of Kanha), the Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh, and the Saving Tiger Society, I travelled to Kanha gathering references for drawing an illustrated map of the park. The map has over 50 species of fauna found in the park, along with illustrations depicting the life of the Baiga tribe, that lives around the park. Here are some snippets from the map- 

Tha Asian Paradise Flycatcher- Madhya Pradesh's state bird, perches proudly over the compass of the map.

Some of the birds found in Kanha

Some mammals found in Kanha

Some well-known trees from Kanha. The evergreen Sal is what makes Kanha unique compared to most other deciduous forests in Central India.

The Baiga people of Kanha

A mother Northern Plains Langur carries her baby on her tummy

Kanha's pride- the endemic Hardground Barasingha

A tigress with her cubs. Inspired by a family of five tigers I met in the Mukki range of Kanha TR

A Grey Hornbill feeding his family- a female who has locked herself and her chick up in a tree hollow, to escape predation while nesting!

A Sloth Bear climbs a Crocodile Bark tree for raiding a beehive.

Three wise vultures- (from left) the Long-billed, the Red-headed and the White-backed Vulture. Kanha is home to four more species- the Eurasian Griffon, the Himalayan Griffon and the Cinereous and the Egyptian Vultures.

A pack of Dholes chasing a Chital through the meadows

Baiga dancers and musicians

Baiga women are known for their tattoos, that cover nearly the entire body! One of the illustrations briefly demonstrates the process.

The map will soon be a part of the interpretation centre at Kanha, as well as a coffee table book that is being produced by the forest department. A huge thanks to Mr. Shukla, firstly for having the vision to use artwork so extensively for promoting the park, and secondly for hosting me and helping me with constant inputs throughout the project. Thanks also to Mr. Indrajit Sengupta of the Saving Tiger Society for funding the project.

Bhoorsingh the Barasingha

Meet Bhoorsingh the Barasingha- the official mascot for Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh, India)! Bhoorsingh is proud of two things- of being endemic to Kanha, and of his twelve-tined antlers!

I visited Kanha last month over another project and met the dynamic Field Director of the park, Mr. Sanjay Shukla. A real visionary that he is, Mr. Shukla was full of creative ideas about creating awareness material for Kanha, and conversations with him led us to choose the Barasingha, an endemic variety of deer, as the park's mascot. 'Bhoor' in Hindi translates to 'tawny/golden' and 'Singh', 'antlers'.

Bhoorsingh will soon be featuring in more artwork, posters and merchandise for the park management at Kanha. The Kanha Bird Survey being conducted by the forest department and Bird Count India, begins today (17th to 20th March, 2017). And of course, Bhoorsingh is the brand ambassador for the event!

More posters and artwork with our twelve-tined friend coming right up. Stay 'tined' for more!

Some more illustrations done for Bhoorsingh 'selfie stands' that will be put up at tourist halt spots in Kanha.

Kanha Pench Corridor- an Illustrated Map

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Here's a caricatured map I illustrated for WWF's Satpura Maikal Landscape project, that focuses on the corridor between Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh (Central India). The map is a detailed illustration of some of the threatened animals that use the corridor for subsistence and movement, as well as the people that depend on it, such as the Pardhi and Gond tribes. The illustration aims at raising awareness of the importance of corridors that connect forests, and are indispensable for animal migration and movement. The Kanha-Pench landscape is home to some exceedingly rare wildlife such as the Hardground Barasingha, the Indian Pangolin; the critically endangered White-rumped, Long-billed and Red-headed Vultures, and of course, a stronghold for tigers and leopards in Central India. The place has witnessed exploitation and assault recently, in the form of the widening of the National Highway 7, passing through the corridor. 

A big thanks to WWF for choosing me for the project! Here are some snippets from the map-

The mammals- Top row from left- Hanuman Langur, Sloth Bear, Barasingha, Barking Deer

Centre- Dhole, Asian Palm Civet, Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Indian Fox

Bottom row- Chousingha, Eurasian Otter (A recent record from the region!), Indian Flying Squirrel, Sambar, Rusty-spotted Cat.

Birds- Top row- Grey headed Fish Eagle, Malabar Pied Hornbill, White-rumped Vulture, River Tern, Centre- Asian Paradise Flycatcher (the State Bird of Madhya Pradesh), Alexandrine Parakeet, Darter

Bottom- Indian Peafowl, Crested Serpent Eagle, Red Junglefowl, Red-headed Vulture

The people that live in and around the Kanha Pench Corridor.

A peacock compass that was designed as a mini-tribute to Gondi art, along with some very typical Gondi houses, that have little animal icons drawn all over them in a style so characteristic of the Gonds.

WWF India conducts trails across the Kanha Pench corridor annually. Visit the link here to register for this year! 

(Copyrights to all images belong to WWF India).