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.

The Blue Duke: Sikkim's New State Butterfly

Please join me and the Red Panda (Sikkim's State Animal) in welcoming Sikkim's new Chogyal, err, I mean Duke! The new official state butterfly of this beautiful and biodiverse Himalayan state: the Blue Duke butterfly! Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

Himalayan Wildlife Celebrates the Rhododendron Bloom

Come March, and red Rhododendron flowers can be seen painting the Himalayas red their vibrance. Here are some Himalayan animals celebrating the bloom, and wishing my readers a happy Holi. Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

Mammals of Sikkim

Some mammals of Sikkim and their tracks. Illustration for the Sikkim Forest Department, paying tributet o Himalayan Thangka art. Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary Illustrated Map

Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary in Sikkim is a lot more than just a wildlife sanctuary: a place where mythology and folklore meet conservation. Here's an illustrated map of Fambonglho created for the Forest Department of Sikkim, that merges the flora and fauna of the park with the myths and legends of indigenous communities that live in and around it. The map pays tribute to Himalayan Thangka art. Click on the images for a larger view.

I am grateful to DFO Ms. Dechen Lachungpa for arranging a field visit to the sanctuary and for commissioning the project; my second collaboration with the Sikkim Forest Department. The prints of the map will be displayed at the sanctuary and the map and various elements from within it, will be available as souvenirs for visitors.

Merchandise for Sikkim Forest Department

Some merchandise I designed for three parks in Sikkim: Fambonglho, Kyongnodsla and Pangolakha. These will be available as various souvenirs and collectibles at the three sanctuaries. A big thanks to the dynamic DFO Ms. Dechen Lachungpa for commissioning me!

Gangtok Urban Biodiversity Map

Presenting my third project with ICLEI: an illustrated urban biodiversity map of Gangtok, the capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Situated in a once pristine landscape that is now subject to rapid change and degradation, Gangtok still boasts of an incredible range of fauna and flora, specially in its greenest pockets (such as forests around the Himalayan Zoological Park, the Governor's Bungalow, and Hanuman Tok to name a few). Its orchid diversity makes it next to none among Indian capital cities. But although it is surrounded by protected areas and sanctuaries like Fambonglho, Kyongnodsla and the Kanchenjunga National park, Gangtok today struggles to strike an equilibrium between rapid urbanization and nature conservation. 

The map pays tribute to Thangka art, an art style that has fascinated me for years, and is almost synonymous with art itself in Sikkim. The Directorate of Handloom and Handicraft at Gangtok has a Thangka art school, where I spent some time learning a few tips and tricks from both art teachers and students before working on this map.

Thanks once again to ICLEI for commissioning me for the project. I also extend my gratitude to the prolific Sikkim forester and my mentor Mrs. Usha Lachungpa (who features in the map!), and my friends Minla and Karmachoden for all their help with my orientation of Sikkim and Gangtok, and without whom this illustration would be impossible to execute.  

The illustration can be downloaded in high resolution on the Interactbio ICLEI website here.

Some snippets from the map are below (click on the images for a larger view):

Ask me Anything with Red Panda

A Red Panda does an Instagram AMA in my column with Saevus magazine this month! Nicknamed the Firefox, the Red Panda is Sikkim's State Animal.

Filmmaker Gunjan Menon's award-winning documentary 'The Firefox Guardian' is about a female forest guard in Nepal dedicated to saving the Red Panda. Prints of the comic are available on my webstore here. For orders within India, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com.

Barn Swallows in the Himalayas

A comic on Barn Swallows nesting in the Himalayas from my column with Saevus magazine. With this comic, I complete six years of my association with Saevus, which also reaches its six year milestone with its March 2018 issue! Congrats to Saevus, and a big thanks for their continued association with Green Humour.

The comic takes inspiration from Ms. Janaki Lenin's beautiful article on Barn Swallows, published in The Hindu.