Bats and Music Festivals

New research from the Universities of Bath and the West of England concludes that loud music festivals reduce bat activity by half, unsurprisingly so. 

Reading the research findings took me back to circa 2012, when as an animation designer for a film studio that won a contract for live coverage of a Metallica concert in Bangalore, I got free tickets to attend the show. Not knowing anything about western music, I decided to look the immensely popular band's music up on Youtube. The crippling headache that ensued for the next few days certainly make me wonder if I am a bat without wings! Goes without saying I gave that concert a miss, and probably turned to Jagjit Singh to cure my migraine.

Comic for Roundglass Sustain. 

Marine Biologist Dance Parties

I’ve never really been to a marine biologists’ dance party, but I’m sure this is how those weirdos celebrate!

Listen to some soulful Humpback Whale music here as you read this piece from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

Cartoons for the Resilience Evidence Forum

I recently had the opportunity to draw live cartoons at the Resilience Evidence Forum held in Cape Town, joining virtually from India. Here's the gallery of cartoons created on various topics discussed and debated upon at the forum.

Africa and climate change:

The climate resilience trampoline

The dilemmas of standardizing measurements for resilience:

The underwhelming percentage of private investments in resilience:

Western definitions and their lack of applicability or relatability in other regions and cultures:

How war upsets climate resilience:

Globalized versus regionalized definitions and measurements for risk:

The role of art, music and culture in climate evidence and resilience:

Definitions of 'community' in climate resilience:

Climate change and Africa's right to development:

Standardizing measurements and metrics for resilience:

A huge thanks to Corina Angheloiu of the Global Resilience Partnership for the opportunity!

Kishoreda was a Grey bellied Cuckoo

Kishore Kumar was a Grey-bellied Cuckoo! What are your favourite Kishoreda songs? Drop them in the comments. Comic from Roundglass Sustain celebrating monsoon and the bird of the season!

To read a similar strip about Mohammad Rafi and the Magpie Robin, visit Roundglass Sustain here.

Mohammad Rafi was a Magpie Robin

I first listened to his voice in an audio cassette my mother owned when I was 5, and he has since then been my guru! Happy birthday to the timeless legend, Mohammad Rafi, from me and Magpie Robins. Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

The Many Original Compositions of the Orange-Headed Thrush

Live music by the Orange-headed Thrush from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Monsoon Melodies by Indian Frogs

Did you know that frogs don't just go 'croak' or 'ribbit'? They're almost as talented as birds when it comes to vocal music! 

Comic from my column with The Hindu. The Frog Finder app by Gubbi Labs (available on Google Play) is a great way to learn to identify some frogs of the Western Ghats, and also to listen to their calls (the app has been used as reference for this strip). Another amazing resource for frog songs, a DVD named 'Mandookavani' (developed by Ramya Badrinath, Sesadri KS, Ramit Singal and Gururaja KV) is available on https://gubbilabs.in/shop/productdisplay/mandookavani