Biodiversity Map of Mumbai

The first images that one's mind conjures upon hearing the name Mumbai, are either a city full of skyscrapers and slums, or the promenades along Marine Lines and Bandra. But Mumbai is also replete with a unique blend of biodiversity. From a forest ruled by leopards in the heart of the city to beaches full of bizarre shore wildlife, from wetlands dotted pink with flamingos to mangroves splashing red with fiddler crabs, Mumbai has them all! Here is an illustration done for Purpose's campaign 'Mumbai's Ministry of Magic', with the motive to empower Mumbai's youth with a visual resource of the city's biodiversity, and a reminder to the government of the natural heritage we must conserve and coexist with. The map also pays tribute to the Warli and Koli communities, and the very spirit of Mumbai.

My thanks to Ms. Suma Balaram, Ms. Arpita Bhagat and their team for commissioning this once-in-a-lifetime project! My gratitude to friends at Marine Life of Mumbai, Ms. Madhushri Mudke and my brother Rohit Chakravarty for their inputs. A hat tip to the maverick herpetologists Zeeshan Mirza and Rajesh Sanap for discovering the invertebrates and reptiles from Aarey Colony that feature in the map. Click on the images to view details from the map:

 

Maharashtra's State Mangrove Tree

Last week, the CM of Maharashtra made a historic announcement: the declaration of the mangrove Sonneratia alba, or White Chippi, as the state mangrove tree, making Maharashtra the first state in India to have a state mangrove symbol. Mangrove conservation however, continues to suffer from ill-conceived linear development not just in Maharashtra but all other states they are found in. In Mumbai itself, the Coastal Road and the expansion of the Mumbai Metro are taking a toll on the city's existing mangrove cover.

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. 

An Indian Wildlife Video Conference

Some Indian wild animals get on a Zoom meeting in my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Coastal Fauna- Posters for UNDP

A series of posters I designed for school kids, for the World Wildlife Day event hosted by the UNDP, were displayed at the event. Thanks to the UNDP India team for commissioning the designs.

Flamingos and the Mumbai Bullet Train

Today's edition of Sunday Mid-Day speaks about some environmental 'accomplishments' of India's ruling government. Here's my comic on Mumbai's upcoming bullet train from the paper.

Top Ten Recommendations for Migratory Birds Visiting India

Are you a migratory bird visiting India and looking for recommendations? Well, look no further than Green Humour! (The birds in the comic are: European Bee-eater, Montagu's Harrier, Crab Plover, Rosy Starling, Indian Blue Robin, Grey Wagtail (with his guide Plum-headed Parakeet), Siberian Stonechat (with a performing Indian Peafowl), Cinereous Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Eurasian Griffon, Pied Cuckoo, Greater Flamingo, Marsh Sandpiper, Western Reef Egret and Pied Avocet. 

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-day. Prints available on my webstore here. (For orders within India, e-mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com)

Some Indian Birds Decked Up for the Big Pride March

Green Humour congratulates India's LGBTQ community for finally winning the battle to recognize gay sex as legal, after decades of oppression and injustice. Let's celebrate this step towards building a more progressive and inclusive nation, as our wildlife has always been doing!

Fabulous Fathers of India

This Fathers' Day, meet some fabulous fathers of India. A happy Fathers' Day to all dads tame and wild!

From my column with Mid-Day.

Pink Animals

Janelle Monae's 'Pynk' is a sensation already. Here are some 'Pynk' animals sporting her trademark vagina pants. Do you know of any more 'Pynk' animals?

Prints and apparel available on my webstore here.

Flamingos of Sewri

(Not so) Magnetic Maharashtra. From my column with The Hindu BL-ink today.

World Wetland Day

As governments mould wetland conservation laws to suit the needs of 'development' initatives and real estate, let's hope for a better future for wetlands, one of our most valuable ecosystems. Happy World Wetland Day! 

Flamingos of the World

Know your flamingos with this brand new poster, illustrating the 6 flamingo species found in the world! Graceful, slender and outlandishly gorgeous, flamingos are spread across the world as two species in the Old World (Greater, Lesser) and four in the New (Andean, Chilean, American and James's). While the Lesser Flamingo is the most numerous species, the Andean Flamingo is the most threatened. Flamingos worldwide are threatened by habitat loss and hunting. 

Flamingo prints, tees and merchandise are now available on my webstore here. Pink never got this sexy!

(For orders within India, e-mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The range of products for Indian orders is as follows-

A1 Posters (loose)- Rs. 3000 each

A2 Posters (loose)- Rs. 1200 each

Mounted Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 2000

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Fridge Magnets (65 x 65 mm, Printed in sets of 4)- Any 4 whale caricatures for Rs. 1200

Coasters (3.5" x 3.5", Printed in sets of 6)- Any 6 whale caricatures for Rs. 800

Coffee Mug (Compilation)- Rs. 850 )

(Canvas for the mug and laptop skins)

12 Green Resolution Suggestions from Wild Animals

If they can do it, so can we, right? Which ones are you taking up this year?

The series appears in my space with Nature in Focus today.

In case you forget your green resolutions down the year, you can purchase a poster on my webstore here, to keep reminding you of the list! (Also try to indulge less in consumerism this year, please, other than purchasing Green Humour prints and merchandise!)

The Biodiversity of India

Who knows India better than her National Animal? From my column with Roundglass Samsara.

Yoga with the Wild

Sunday's always a great time for Yoga (not that I would know!). Here are some Asanas for your yoga regime from nature's own yoga tutors. I for one, have mastered the Nope-asana.

The comic appears in my Sunday column with Mid-Day.

(A3 posters available- write to me at rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. Readers outside of India can buy prints from my webstore here.)

Flamin-gone?

A road construction proposal that is being considered across Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary (Gujarat, India) could destroy Asia's only breeding ground for flamingos. The number of these beautiful birds is already dwindling and this project is sure to spell doom for the birds if it gets a go-ahead. Read Cara Tejpal's extensive coverage on this issue, aptly titled 'A Road Through El Dorado', on  http://www.tehelka.com/story_main54.asp?filename=Ws271012Conservation.asp

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.