The Crocodile Bark Tree

The crocodile bark tree (Terminalia elliptica) has a little secret- crocodile tears! Comic for Roundglass Sustain.

World Mangrove Day

The roots of mangroves permeate far deeper than we think! A World Mangrove Day special for my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Perils of Unplanned Tree Plantation

News of a massive tree plantation drive in Ladakh backed and lauded by the government, is being celebrated across the country, in ignorance of the fact that Ladakh is not supposed to have trees. Here's a comic I created for ATREE's World Environment Day outreach campaign about the perils of unplanned tree plantation drives, a worrying trend across India. The Indian Courser, one of my favourite grassland birds, is just one of the many victims of habitat loss that unscientific aforestation programmes have caused in Central India.  

Khasi Pitcher

Meet India's only known pitcher plant: the Khasi Pitcher, which uses UV light to attract prey! Comic fro my Roundglass Sustain column.

Life with a Strangler Fig

A cartoon on the Strangler Fig fro my column with Roundglass Sustain. Did someone ask for more botany cartoons?

Ghost Tree

Meet the most sparkling tree of the Indian forest: the Ghost Tree (Sterculia urens)! Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Neem, Ants and the Olive Ridley Turtle

Researchers Anuja Vartak and Sumedha Korgaonkar have figured out a novel, eco-friendly way to protect Olive Ridley Turtle nests from ant infestations: neem-based sprays! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Read more about their work here. 

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. 

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):

The Nutcracker and the Pine

Meet the Nutcracker, a pine gentleman! Among the many trees that forge a symbiotic alliance with the Nutcracker is the Chilgoza pine, a rare and commercially important pine variety, now threatened with extinction. Comic from my column with Sunday Midday.

Read Ananda Banerjee's article on this relationship for a more detailed insight, which also sheds light on economist Rinki Sarkar's chance discovery on the Chilgoza-Nutcracker symbiosis, and her efforts to study and conserve this relationship.

Canopy Shyness

Ever been accused of being a bad hugger? Don't worry, you're not alone, AND there's a fancy word for it! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Valparai Natural History Map

(Clcik on the image for a larger view)

The Valparai Plateau in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district, is unique in many ways. Located in the Anamalai Hill range of the Western Ghats, the plateau is largely owned by private tea and coffee estates. And yet, Valparai is home to a wide variety of endemic and endangered fauna. Rainforest fragments interconnected by tracts passing through agricultural estates provide habitats and corridors for Asian Elephants, Gaurs, Lion-tailed Macaques and small carnivores, while offering nesting spaces to Great Hornbills, Malabar Grey Honrbills, the endemic White-bellied Shortwing, and a variety of herpetofauna and insects. 

Commissioned by the Nature Conservation Foundation, I visited Valparai in December 2017 over this project, visiting NCF's field sites, guided by two of my most admired people in ecology- Dr. Divya Mudappa and Dr. TR Shankar Raman. NCF has been doing extensive and exemplary work in the region, spanning a range of projects such as rainforest regeneration, providing a safe passage for elephants, monitoring hornbill nests, and conserving Lion-tailed Macaques. The project gave me a chance not only to witness the landscape in greater detail, but also learn from the two veterans, as well as Dr. M Ananda Kumar, whose work has been instrumental in reducing human-elephant conflict in the region. Read more about NCF's work here. 

NCF has a beautiful interpretation centre at Iyerpadi, Valparai, where two of my projects (including this illustration) are up for display. Make sure you visit the centre the next time you're here; not just because it has beautiful artwork and merchandise but also because it's a great place to see the rare Nilgiri Marten! 

Here are some elements from the map:

Valparai Landscape and Habitats

(Click in the image for a larger view)

The Valparai Plateau in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district, is unique in many ways. Located in the Anamalai Hill range of the Western Ghats, the plateau is largely owned by private tea and coffee estates. And yet, Valparai is home to a wide variety of endemic and endangered fauna. Rainforest fragments interconnected by tracts passing through agricultural estates provide habitats and corridors for Asian Elephants, Gaurs, Lion-tailed Macaques and small carnivores, while offering nesting spaces to Great Hornbills, Malabar Grey Honrbills, the endemic White-bellied Shortwing, and a variety of herpetofauna and insects. 

Commissioned by the Nature Conservation Foundation, I visited Valparai in December 2017 over this project, visiting NCF's field sites, guided by two of my most admired people in ecology- Dr. Divya Mudappa and Dr. TR Shankar Raman. NCF has been doing extensive and exemplary work in the region, spanning a range of projects such as rainforest regeneration, providing a safe passage for elephants, monitoring hornbill nests, and conserving Lion-tailed Macaques. The project gave me a chance not only to witness the landscape in greater detail, but also learn from the two veterans, as well as Dr. M Ananda Kumar, whose work has been instrumental in reducing human-elephant conflict in the region. Read more about NCF's work here. 

NCF has a beautiful interpretation centre at Iyerpadi, Valparai, where two of my projects (including this illustration) are up for display. Make sure you visit the centre the next time you're here; not just because it has beautiful artwork and merchandise but also because it's a great place to see the rare Nilgiri Marten! 

The Wild Indian Spring

What's your favourite thing about the wild Indian spring? Mine is watching Rosy Starlings going crazy about blooming Bombax flowers!

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

Friendly Neighbourhood Tree

How well do you know your friendly neighbourhood tree? The comic appears in my column with the Hindu Sunday

Join Seasonwatch's 'Spring Tree Quest' (15th to 18th March) and record casual observations of your favourite tree on the Seasonwatch app. While this is one great way of observing and learning more about your neighbourhood trees, it is also a unique citizen science programme that enables scientists to record seasonal changes in trees using your data!

Neighbourhood Trees of Delhi

Delhi has always been a tree lover's paradise. Its city parks, forests and green spaces host a wide variety, from mighty banyans to svelte acacias. Here are some of the most common ones seen around where I live, the Cheesewood being the most common species.

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

The Magnolia and the Molinillo

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the ATBC 2018 held in Kuching, where I met and interacted with biologists from around the world. One of them whose work really caught my attention was Ms. Melisa Ayala Joya from Colombia. Currently an Erasmus fellow pursuing her Masters, Melisa, a botanist, has worked extensively with local communities in Colombia on issues like land restoration and management of soil erosion. The research paper that she presented at the ATBC described one such exemplary initiative. 

Magnolia resupinatifolia is a critically endangered species of Magnolia endemic to Colombia, and has recently been described by Melisa and her team to science. Locals have been using the fruit of this species to make the 'Molinillo'- a kitchen tool used to stir hot chocolate. This comic, based on Melisa's campaign, speaks about this relationship between the people and the tree, and how the community is helping disperse and save the species from extinction, while reaping a few benefits from it for themselves. This mutually beneficial model if analyzed and planned, can very well be applied around the world!

The comic appears on my Gocomics page today. A big thanks to the lovely Melisa for collaborating me on this, and for guiding me through the comic. Thanks also to Zoraida Calle of the CIPAV Ecological Restoration Group for her comments and review. We've also created a Spanish version of the comic, translated by Zoraida and Melisa- my first comic in Spanish!

Sloth Bears and Mahua Flowers

A comic on the Sloth Bear's penchant for Mahua, from my column with Mid-Day today. Mahua isn't just a popular drink among bears, but also people! And Mahua's credentials include not just alcohol, but also medicine.

If you're going out drinking tonight, don't forget to try the Mahua Macarena!

Macha the Fishing Cat - Mascot for Coringa WLS

Meet Macha the Fishing Cat, the official mascot for Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh! ('Macha', Tamil,  means friend or 'bro' in colloquial parlance across Southern India). Coringa is one of India's largest contiguous stretch of mangrove forests and hosts the largest population of Fishing Cats in the country. DFO Mr. Anant Shankar commissioned a mascot design and a series of four posters in which Macha introduces his 'machas', YOU, to Coringa and mangroves. Read on- 

A big thanks to Mr. Shankar and the AP Forest Department for initiating this fun project! The posters are up at the interpretation centre in Coringa.

Macha the Fishing Cat now proudly endorses Coringa to visitors as a life-size sculpture! Thanks to the team of artists who worked on converting my character design into this magnificent sculpture.