Environmental Threats to Ladakh

Mass hunger strikes and protests are underway in Ladakh for environmental, cultural and governmental safeguards. But Ladakh's wildlife doesn't even need to go on a hunger strike! 

Comic for The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

Kashmir and Climate Change

Gulmarg’s ski businesses suffering from the lack of snow, is barely the surface of a larger crisis unfolding in Kashmir. A Himalayan Black Bear takes you through it, in my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Himalayan Bears and Climate Change

The disruptions in the hibernation cycles of the Himalayan Black and Brown Bears from climate change, are now beginning to disrupt human lives as well. Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Biodiversity Map of Srinagar

(Click on the image for a larger view)

Being in perpetual political crossfire, it isn't unnatural that the word 'biodiversity' rarely factors when speaking of Srinagar. This map, the biodiversity map of Srinagar, seeks to undo the ignorance of the rich biodiversity of Kashmir's capital, and represent its natural history as a component of the city's vibrant and unmatched culture and heritage.

 Despite being ravaged by eutrophication, Dal Lake, placed right in the heart of the city, hosts a massive population of aquatic avifauna, from resident moorhens and kingfishers to its best kept secret known only by dedicated birdwatchers: the rare Little Bittern, a summer-breeding migratory visitor to the lake! Srinagar's intricate Mughal gardens offer refuge to a variety of Himalayan birds, and the hills of Shankaracharya and Zabarwan on its east are even home to megafauna like leopards, black bears and serows. Kashmir's pride, the Hangul, resides just a stone's throw from the city in Dachigam National Park, and Hokersar wetland in the west receives thousands of migratory waterfowl every winter on their way south. The fields around this bird sanctuary also abound in birdlife, with rare migratory passerines like Pine Buntings and Yellowhammers, and raptors like the Hen Harrier frequenting them. The map pays tribute to Kashmiri weaving and woodwork, two artforms from the region that themselves draw inspiration from biodiversity.

Commissioned by ICLEI and hosted by the Kashmir Forest Department, I had the chance to explore the biodiversity of Srinagar last December, resulting in one of my most memorable field visits. A big thanks to Mr. Latif Khan, Mr. Pervez Shagoo and Mr. Imtiyaz Ahmed from the forest department for their guidance through the project, and to Ms. Monalisa Sen of ICLEI for the opportunity. A high resolution of the map can be viewed and downloaded on ICLEI's Interact Bio website.

Wildlife of Ladakh

(Click on the image for a larger view)

An interactive illustration on the wildlife of Ladakh done for WWF India's Ek Prithvi environment education programme last year.

Anti-National Hangul

Jammu and Kashmir's state animal, the Hangul asks some 'anti-national' questions in my column with The Hindu. 

Freakotourism in Ladakh

On unsustainable tourism in Ladakh from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Environmental Costs of an Indo Pak War

This World Wildlife Day, a Hangul, Kashmir's state animal, briefs you about some of the environmental costs of an Indo-Pak border war. The comic appears in my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Nutcrackers

Meet the nutcrackers, a genus of, well, nutcracking birds closely related to crows and jays. Nutcrackers specialize in feeding on pines, and store pine nuts for later consumption. This habit makes them crucial to the dispersal of pines! Nutcrackers are also known to have exceptional memory, remembering the exact locations of storage!

There are three species of Nutcrackers- Spotted, Kashmir (recently split from the Spotted), and Clark's, who I guess his eponym William Clark wouldn't really like to meet.

Prints and merchandise available on my webstore here.