Urban Biodiversity Map of Hydebarad

(click for a larger view)

Hyderabad's rock formations, older than the Himalayas, may well be a hindrance to real estate developers, but for biodiversity and nature enthusiasts, these very rocks are what makes the city's biogeography unique! Here's a map of the real 'pearls' of the Pearl City, its biodiversity. 

The illustration, that pays tribute to Cheriyal painting,  was done in 2021 for ICLEI and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, and has recently been released and displayed. It is available as a free download on the ICLEI South Asia website. I hope that the map will be a reminder to both citizens and the government of all that Hyderabad has at stake from the pressures of unplanned development and urbanization.

(With heartfelt thanks to Ms. Frauke Quader, the chairwoman of the Society To Save Rocks, for sharing her knowledge of the city.)

May your New Year be like the Golden Oriole

The Golden Oriole wishes all of you a bright new year! Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Prints of the comic are available as new year gifts on my Happywagon (for Indian orders) and Redbubble (for international orders) webstores

Nature Gratitude Week

A Nature Gratitude Week special from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

Calotes Courtship

Common Garden Lizards or Common Calotes, also called bloodsuckers because of the male's blood-red throat in his breeding attire, are among the most common and most fascinating reptiles to watch in urban areas in India. Happy World Lizard Day! Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

12 New Year Resolutions from Backyard Wildlife

12 new year resolutions we can adopt from our backyard wildlife, one for each month! Comic from my column with The Hindu. 

Prints are available on my webstore here, shipped internationally. For orders within India, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com 

(A3 prints for Rs 400 each and A2 prints for Rs 1000 each, with discounts on multiple prints, inclusive of shipping within India)

Rewilding Gardens

Manicure Meena has rewilded her garden. Have you? Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Rocks of Hyderabad

On the rocks of Hyderabad from my column with The Hindu. My gratitude to Ms. Frauke Quader of the Society to Save Rocks, who was kind enough to take me on a rock walk to the Fakruddin Gutta Rock Formation in the city's outskirts and give me a lesson on Hyderabad's rock history and ecology. The Society to Save Rocks has been campaigning to save Hyderabad's remaining rock formations from unplanned development and frequently conducts rock walks for which you may register here. 

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.

Home Biodiversity in Lockdown

Now that India is preparing to lift the COVID lockdown, here's looking back at how I spent the lockdown unearthing creatures from my backyard that were new to me, in collaboration with my pets Srishti and Sakshi. I have been illustrating some of these creatures as part of a self-assigned ongoing series called 'Home Biodiversity', which you can go through here. A special thanks to my friend Vena Kapoor for answering all spider-related queries with the patience and composure of a spider!

Comic from my column with The Hindu.

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 Balcony Birder in Quarantine

Balcony-birders of the world, unite! Our time to conquer E-bird has come!

Kochi- an Urban Biodiversity Map

An urban biodiversity map of Kochi commissioned by ICLEI South Asia. Among India's busiest port cities, Kochi has a wide variety of green spaces both within and around it, from marshes and paddy fields, to estuaries, beaches, mangroves and hills. Mangalavanam, a mangrove forest in the heart of the city hosts a huge population f the Indian Flying Fox, while its estuaries are home to the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin and the State Fish of Kerala, the Pearl Spot. Kochi's wetlands are the wintering grounds of several species of migratory waterfowl, and its hill forests host many insects and birds endemic to southern India. Some close-ups from the illustration are below:

Thanks to Mr. Alex Jose of ICLEI for his knowledge and inputs on Kochi, and to ICEI for commissioning me for this project!

Hedgehog Cartoons for Arastirmaci Cocuk

In this month's issue of the Turkish kid's magazine Arastirmaci Cocuk, I speak about hedgehogs! The cartoons appear originally in Turkish in the print.

Hedgehogs of the world prints and merchandise are available on my webstore here. 

Fireflies and Light Pollution

Light pollution affects the lives of several nocturnal creatures adversely, including fireflies. Here's a comic that explains the effect of light pollution on firefly courtship. The comic appears in my page with the Turkish kids' magazine Arastirmaci Cocuk this month.

Little Things You and I Can Do to Save Sparrows

Some simple steps you and I can take to bring the sparrow back into our lives and neighbourhoods. From my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Buy prints of this comic on my webstore, (or place your order on email (rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com) if you live in India)

I've been a sparrow landlord since 2016, and have hosted around 10 broods of House Sparrows in my four nest boxes collectively so far. Here are some pictures-

(A family of Oriental Magpie Robins too had occupied one of my boxes last year!)

The Hume's Warbler in Delhi

Migratory birds aren't just seen in forests and lakes, but also come to your backyards. New Delhi, for example, has already started receiving its urban winter visitors, one of which is the humble Hume's Warbler. A walk through any of the city gardens can yield a sighting, and unlike other warblers which are a nightmare to identify, the Hume's gives itself away easily with its 'chew-ip, chew-ip' calls.

From my column with Mid-Day today.