New Species of 2023

Newly discovered species from 2023 congratulate India's biologists for all the discoveries and rediscoveries made this year! Let's hope that our biologists will BRB with new ground-breaking science in 2024! Comic for Roundglass Sustain.

Kaveri or Cauvery

Is it ‘Kaveri’or ‘Cauvery’? The South Indian river’s Smooth-coated Otters discuss, in my column with Roundglass Sustain. The river is threatened by dams, sand mining, blast-fishing and deforestation.

Sholas and the Sholakili

The Sholas, montane grassland-forests of the Western Ghats are an endangered ecosystem. The Sholakili tells you why. Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

Lilac Silverline Butterfly and Hesarghatta

The rare Lilac Silverline butterfly, a resident of Hesarghatta grasslands in Bangalore comments on the government's decision to ignore citizens' plea for giving Hesarghatta a protected status and instead earmark it for developing a film city. Comic from my column with The Hindu. 

Grizzled Giant Squirrel and Kaveri Dam

A dam proposal at Mekedatu in the Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary threatens one of the last strongholds and populations of the near-threatened Grizzled Giant Squirrel. Comic from my column with The Hindu. Read Bhanu Prakash Chandra 's article on the issue in The Week here. 

Kottigehar Dancing Frog

An infographic done for ATREE PhD scholar and EDGE fellow Madhushri Mudke's study species, the endemic and endangered Kottigehar Dancing Frog. Found only in Karnataka's Western Ghats, the frog we have nicknamed 'Kappendra' can be seen having a dance-off with Kannada superstar Upendra in our infographic. A few 'teasers' that pay homage to the hand-drawn film poposters of Kannada cinema have also been designed in order to popularize the species in its home state. The infographic too will be translated to Kannada soon.

A big thanks to Madhushri for commissioning me for the project, and for taking me along to actually see the frog in its habitat. The infographic appears along with an article I wrote (my first!) on the Kottigehar Dancing Frog with Madhushri for Roundglass Sustain here. Thanks also to wildlife filmmaker Sugandhi Gadadhar for helping us with the Kannada translation of the teaser.

Read the split panels from the infographic below:

The Indian Dancing Frog

Meet one of India's finest dancers, not surprisingly from the South: the Indian Dancing Frog! Dancing Frogs belong to the genus Micrixalus, and combine dance and martial arts like nobody else! Dancing frogs are severely threatened by habitat loss.

A monsoon special from my column with Mid-day today.

Karnataka Ecotourism Map

An illustrated map for Karnataka's Ecotourism Board that highlights sanctuaries, national parks, ecotourism facilities and some heritage destinations in the state. The map was formally released at the Karnataka Bird Festival concluded recently in Mangalore. Thanks to Mr. Vijay Mohanraj for commissioning the project.

5 Reasons to Preserve the Western Ghats

Need one reason to save the Western Ghats? I'll give you five!

The comic appears in my column with Mid-Day today, in the wake of the ongoing tussle between the central and state governments about the centre's decision to notify 56,825 square kilometres of the Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive zone, to which the state governments (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and specially Kerala) have cited an objection. You can show support for the preservation of the Ghats by following the steps here and lending your voice to the Conservation India campaign- http://www.conservationindia.org/campaigns/western-ghats . 

The Wildlife of Karnataka- an illustrated map

(Copyrights- WWF India. Click on the image for a larger view)

One of my recent assignments for WWF India was to create an illustrated map of Karnataka's wildlife as an interactive illustration to engage school kids in the state. Located in southern India, Karnataka is among India's most diverse regions, both in terms of wildlife as well as geography, that is comprised broadly of the Western Ghats (and the famed Nilgiris), the Deccan Plateau and the Karavalli coast. The resulting topography makes for a unique combination of rainforests, semi-arid landscape, grasslands, swamps, marshes, coasts, rocky terrain and river basins all within a single state!

With some of the best eco-tourism and wildlife conservation services in India, the state of Karnataka houses 5 national parks and several other protected areas, the most popular among these being Kabini, Kudremukh, BR Hills, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Dandeli-Anshi, Ranganthitu Bird Sanctuary, and Banerghatta. Lesser known but equally interesting places include Daroji Sloth Bear sanctuary and Ramnagara (India's only vulture sanctuary). And as you might guess, the state is among India's most biodiverse regions, home to rainforest dwellers like the endangered Lion-tailed Macaques, hornbills, elephants, the King Cobra, and several endangered rainforest frogs; as well as inhabitants of scrubs and grasslands such as Blackbucks, Wolves and the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard. 

The map has been printed as an interactive chart, in which the animals and trees appear in circular cut-outs. Clues for the habitat and distribution of each animal are provided beneath the illustrations, to help the kids place the animals and trees on the map accurately. A big thanks to WWF India for commissioning me for the project!

Mascot for the All India Forest Sports Meet

Meet Billoo the Hornbill, a mascot I designed for the All India Forest Sports Meet, 2015. The mascot also features on a series of 'My Stamp' postage stamps issued by the government, released at the meet by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah, and the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Mr. Javadekar, among others. Billoo also features on a special cover of the Indian Philately Digest to commemorate the event.

The 'My Stamp' series featuring Billoo the Hornbill released at the event.

Oh, and here's 'Jumbo' Anil Kumble speaking at a podium with Billoo on it!