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.

Sand Mining and Gharials

India's sandy river banks are as endangered as the wildlife that nests on them, thanks to illegal sand mining! Correspondent Gharial for Nature TV News, in my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

Ganga Cruises and the Gangetic Dolphin

Dredging and noise pollution associated with the newly launched luxury cruises in the Ganga are expected to make the already critical situation for Gangetic Dolphins a lot worse. Endangered and threatened by pollution and habitat loss, the Gangetic Dolphin is India's National Aquatic Animal.

Cartoon from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

River Beautification in India

River beautification is not river conservation. The same goes for lakes and other water bodies. Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Humpback Mahseer in Kaveri

Kaveri's Humpback Mahseers are critically endangered, but with efforts like that of river ecologist Neeti Mahesh, there is hope. Comic strip from my column with The Hindu.

China's Superdam on Brahmaputra

China's upcoming 'superdam' on the Brahmaputra will have severe environmental consequences downstream. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. 

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. 

Hyderabad Floods

The Hyderabad floods come as a timely reminder to the Telangana Government that integrated conservation and not beautification, is what the rivers and lakes of the city need. 

Project Dolphin and National Waterways

Project Dolphin was launched by the Prime Minister this year on Independence Day (15th August) with the aim of conserving our national aquatic animal, the endangered Gangetic Dolphin. But another government endeavour, the National Waterways Project, threatens the species, which will involve dredging and development of the rivers that are the dolphin's last remaining strongholds. Is Project Dolphin actually designed to bear fruit or simply as a greenwashing measure for the ecologically destructive National Waterways Project? Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Nagpur and Nag River

A Nag (Spectacled Cobra), the municipal symbol of my hometown Nagpur, tells you the story of the river this city was named after, in my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Recommended reading: this article in Down To Earth on the Nag River by Aparna Pallavi.

Ghabru the Gharial

A poster on Gharial conservation for kids in Hindi, created for Chakmak Magazine. Subscribe to Chakmak on https://www.eklavya.in/magazine-activity/chakmak-magazine. 

Some Indian Women Taking Conservation Beyond Tigers

Some Indian women taking conservation beyond tigers in offbeat ways. Very proud to call many of them friends and colleagues. Comic from my column with The Hindu's Sunday Magazine.

Special thanks to Cara Tejpal for helping me compile the list, and to Asmita Bakshi, whose article I came to know about Mahilabai Pardhi from.

Gangetic Dolphin Mascot and Poster

Meet Muskaan the Gangetic Dolphin, India's national aquatic animal, and Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary's official mascot! Vikramshila is the only dolphin sanctuary in India. The poster explains some of the conservation threats the species faces in and around the sanctuary, and is being used for conservation awareness locally.

Thanks to the Forest Department of Bihar for commissioning me for the assignment!

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

(Click to enlarge)

Vikramshila, India's only dolphin sanctuary, is located on the holy Ganga in Bhagalpur, Bihar, and is one of the last remaining strongholds for the endangered Gangetic Dolphin. The sanctuary is also the breeding ground of the endangered Greater Adjutant (locally known and revered as Garuda), Smooth-coated Otters and several freshwater turtles; and is visited by a myriad migratory bird species in the winters.

Illustrated for the Forest Department of Bihar.

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.

Forests and Rivers

On deforestation, development and rivers from my column with Mid-Day today.

Wildlife Along Indian Rivers

It's World River Day tomorrow. Indian rivers aren't ours alone to exploit and manipulate. Scores of endangered animals depend on them, and are at stake if ill-conceived projects like river-linking are undertaken. Find out which species are associated with Indian rivers in this series of illustrations.

The series first appeared on Nature in Focus. Prints of the compilation can be purchased on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, you can mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The prices are listed below-

A0 size (841 x 1189 mm, matte)- Rs. 3500 for the first print, 3000 for the second print onwards.

A0 size (841 x 1189 mm, canvas)- Rs. 5000 for the first print, 4500 for the second print onwards.

A1 size (594 x 841 mm, matte)- Rs. 3000 for the first print, 2500 for the second print onwards.

A1 size (594 x 841 mm, canvas)- Rs. 4500 for the first print, 4000 for the second print onwards.

(Note that these are minimal representations, and do not enumerate all animals inhabiting the respective river basins. For a more detailed wildlife map, visit http://www.greenhumour.com/2015/10/the-wildlife-map-of-india.html)

Kaziranga Floods

On the floods in Kaziranga from my column with Mid-Day today. A big thanks to all the heroes from the Forest Department and the various NGOs in Assam, working to ease the conflict between people and stranded animals.

Pollution and the River Ganga

Recently, the Uttarakhand High Court declared the river Ganga a living entity with the same legal rights as a person. Does it help the cause of the river, that has long suffered from sewage and waste dumping, sand-mining, illegal fishing and diversion for canals? 

From my column with Mid-Day today.