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. 

Nepal: Mountains, People, Biodiversity

(click on the image for a larger view)

Every mountaineer dreams of summiting the Himalayas where they are at their mightiest- Nepal. As an illustrator and an orophile, my dream of summiting Nepal's mountains was through drawing them, and this map of our beautiful neighbour's biodiversity, mountains and people, created for the International Mountain Museum at Pokhara, was the perfect opportunity! From the tallest peaks in the world to the most pristine grasslands, from creatures as large as the Wild Yak and the bone-cracking Lammergeiers, to the diminutive Hispid Hare and the Himalayan Newt, from intricate architectural marvels like the Darbar Square monuments to the rustic Mustang Caves, here is Nepal in all its glory.

Nepal's majesty, mystique and aura can never be justly captured in illustration, and certainly not contemporary illustration. So when this challenge was thrown at me, I was convinced that incorporating stylistic elements from its indigenous art form Paubha (the precursor to Himalayan Thangka) would be the only way of doing justice to a project of this nature. I must convey a huge thanks to Samuel Thomas for facilitating a visit to the veteran Nepalese Paubha artist Lok Chitrakar's art studio, where I received some very important quick tips and insights into not just the art form but also the mind of the Paubha artists who he trains. 

The map will soon be on display at the International Mountain Museum. If you happen to visit Pokhara, do pay the museum a visit!

Snow Leopards in Bhutan

With a 40% rise in Snow Leopard numbers in Bhutan, both the country and the cat have cause for celebration! Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

Happy World Snow Leopard Day!

The Snow Leopard does its own stunts

Snow Leopards live life on the edge- literally! Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Himalayan Heatwave Haircut

Would you also like the Himalayan heatwave cut from Goral and Sons Hairdressers? Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Great Himalayan National Park

Being at the intersection of the Indomalayan and the Palearctic biogeographical realms, the Great Himalayan National Park is a unique landscape, with glaciers that feed Himalayan rivers to its east, and pristine forests to its west. And this unique intersection gives this UNESCO World Heritage Site its wondrous array of biodiversity- the elusive Snow Leopards and Western Tragopans (the state animal and state bird of Himachal respectively), Bharal, Himalayan Tahr, a myriad Himalayan birds, and the two Himalayan bears: Black and Brown, just to name a few. The landscape also bring trekkers and wildlife lovers together, with some truly spectacular trek routes passing through the national park. The eco-zone demarcation facilitates community livelihoods in the form of tourist home stays, agriculture and women's self help groups that run several initiatives like handicraft, honey and women-led expeditions into the national park.

The project, my second with the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, gave me the privilege of exploring a few of the range forests in one of India's most beautiful national parks. The map will soon be on display and available to visitors as souvenirs at the GHNP interpretation centre in Sairopa. A big thanks to Mr. Nishant Mandhotra of the HP FD for the opportunity! Click on the images to view some snapshots of the illustration.

Wildlife of Ladakh

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

Shen - The Women of Spiti and Snow Leopards

The Nature Conservation Foundation's initiative 'Shen' is one of the many conservation initiatives in India that demonstrates that the key to both wildlife conservation and mitigation of climate change lies in the empowerment and participation of women. Read more about this initiative and how you can support it here. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

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.

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!

An Uncertain Winter Film Poster

Showcasing the intricate relationship between wildife, people and cultures is a skill only a few filmmakers possess; and National Geographic fellow and documentary filmmaker Munmun Dhalaria makes that skill her very strength. Proud to have illustrated the official poster for her seminal documentary, 'An Uncertain Winter', about the women of Spiti and their relationship with their environment. Watch the trailer here.

Mountaineering Tips from Himalayan Animals

Whether you're hitting the hills for a retreat or are a seasoned trekker, here are some useful mountaineering tips from the professionals- Himalayan fauna. 

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

Wildlife Caricatures for WWF India

Swallowtail butterflies of India- compilation for WWF India t-shirts and merchandise.

Swallowtail butterflies of India- compilation for WWF India t-shirts and merchandise.

Himalayan Mammals- compilation for WWF India t-shirts and merchandise.

Himalayan Mammals- compilation for WWF India t-shirts and merchandise.

Woodpeckers of India- compilation for WWF India t-shirts and merchandise.

Woodpeckers of India- compilation for WWF India t-shirts and merchandise.

I collaborated with WWF India last year for creating some caricature compilations for their apparel and merchandise. You'll find these soon on their store. The animals are selected from landscapes and projects that WWF India is working on, in different regions of the country.

Wild Cats of the World

Cats- charismatic carnivores, fabulous felines, and the world's favourite animals! Wild species of cats occur throughout the world (except Australia and Antarctica), distributed across different ecosystems in 36-40 species. From the Snow Leopard of the Himalayas to the Flat-headed Cat of South-East Asia's marshes, wild cats occupy every imaginable habitat. Wild cats range in size from the 300 kg Tiger, to the 1.6 kg Rusty-spotted Cat! Wild cats are threatened by persecution, poaching and habitat loss throughout their ranges, with the Iberian Lynx, Flat-headed cat, Andean Mountain Cat and the Fishing Cat being the most endangered species.

Get all these 40 cuddly kitties home in this giant poster! Prints and a wide range of merchandise including t-shirts, mugs, laptop skins, wall clocks are now available on my webstore here.

Get the 201 Wild Cat calendar on Redbubble here.

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

A0 Posters (Matte surface, loose)- Rs. 3500 for the first print, 3000 for the second print onwards

A1 Posters (Matte surface, loose)- Rs. 3000 for the first print, 2500 for the second print onwards

A2 Posters (Matte surface, loose)- Rs. 1200 each

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

Coffee Mug (Compilation)- Rs. 850

The Biodiversity of India

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

Kailash Sacred Landscape- an Illustrated Map

(Click on images for a larger view)

The Kailash Sacred Landscape is distributed across three countries- India, Nepal and China; and is not only an important religious site, but also a haven for alpine and trans-Himalayan wildlife. The apex of the region is Mount Kailash (called Gang Rinpoche in Tibet), a Tibetan mountain sacred to five religions- the Hindus, Buddhists, Bons, Sikhs and Jains. Several important wildlife sanctuaries and biodiversity hotspots lie within the region, such as the Api Nampa Conservation Area in the Far-Western Developmental Region of Nepal, and the Askot Musk Der Sanctuary in Kumaon, Uttarakhand in India.

The map was illustrated for ICIMOD's Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI), that aims at ecosystem conservation and strengthening trans-boundary co-operation by working with local communities. Research for my project took me trekking along the western Indo-Nepalese border, to ICIMOD's field sites in some of the most scenic and remote locations that I never knew of, such as Askot, the villages of Himkhola, Nakot and Jajurali; and witnessing some of the most majestic Himalayan wildlife such as Bearded Vultures, Himalayan Griffons, Gorals and Leopard Cats! The map aims to present the fauna and the various communities of the region as a single, inter-dependent unit, and to create an at-a-glance reference of all important elements- parks, mountains, pilgrimage sites and passes that comprise the region. Here are some previews from the map-

The fauna of KSL- the Himalayan Red Fox, Kiang, Bharal, Wild Yak, Himalayan Musk Deer, Himalayan Monal, Snow Leopard, Leopard Cat, Himalayan Goral, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Black-necked Crane, Bearded Vulture, Himalayan Tahr, Tibetan Sand Fox and the rare Himalayan Brown Bear.

Some people of KSL- seen here are Tibetan millet farmers, a Hindu Sadhu, Buddhist and Bon pilgrims, Tibetan monks, a Tibetan Yak herder, honey harvesters from Kumaon, wool weavers from Khar in Nepal, dancers from Uttarakhand, Churya (butter-fruit) collectors from Uttarakhand and Nepalese women dancing for 'Teej' (a Hindu festival).

Some important sites in KSL- the town of Grabyang, the Yam Dwaar, the Halji Gumba, Haatkalika Temple, Mount Kailash, the town of Darchen, the Yalbang Gumba, the Trugo Gumba and Narayan Ashram.

The project is my first trans-boundary illustration! A big thanks to ICIMOD's fantastic team at Kathmandu for commissioning me for this, and assisting me with timely references and information throughout the project; and to my friend Sumit Arya, a bird scientist at the WII studying population densities of Himalayan birds, for taking me around in Kumaon.

(Copyrights to all images in the post belong to ICIMOD)