Agast ke phool ke bajke: Festival-special fritters
Fritters (bajke) made out of Agast flowers are commonly made around Chhat in Bihar, and usually on Bhai Dooj day. On these festival days, due to the huge demand, these flowers sell for anywhere between Rs 800…
The amazing Great Barrier Reef: Our first scuba diving experience
As a child, I would look forward to Sunday mornings when Jacques Costeau, the French oceanographer and explorer would present “The Secrets of the Sea” on Doordarshan. I would be glued to our newly acquired colour television,…
The Adorable Giant Pandas
Ever since I got to know that I would be spending a few days in Macau this summer, I began reading all I could from the internet. And I got really excited at the prospect of finally…
The ‘tantalising’ painted storks
The word ‘tantalise’ means ‘desirable but just out of reach’. This word is derived from the Greek mythological figure Tantalus. As the legend goes, Tantalus is a son of Zeus who is an evil doer. In one…
On the tiger trail in Tadoba
Tadoba is Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park. I had lived on the edge of the Tadoba forest for over six years of my life. The magazine area of the ordnance factory campus where we lived, was…
The cacophonous red-naped ibis
Since the new year, every dawn, I hear a series of loud cacophonic screams near my house. These begin as harsh squealing sounds and then get louder almost to the extent of trumpeting. And I know who…
Landscapes at Bor
The usual notion is that wildlife sanctuaries are to look at animals. But sometimes the background and the wilderness are equally enchanting. Leaving you with some clicks from Bor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Black-necked Stork: A near-threatened species
Only recently there was a hue and cry in the papers about a black-necked stork which was spotted with a ring around its beak in a wetland outside Delhi. Black-necked storks are large birds, which are classified as…
The Rhinos of Kaziranga
Reminded of Ogden Nash’s poem, The Rhinoceros: The Rhino is a homely beast,For human eyes he’s not a feast,But you and I will never knowWhy Nature chose to make him so.Farewell, farewell, you old rhinoceros,I’ll stare at…
