“Such a beautiful place, to be with friends”. Fans of the Harry Potter film series will remember this line, uttered in one of the most heart-breaking scenes of the saga by arguably the most beloved character of them all, Dobby the house-elf. As the adorable elf breathes his last in the arms of his friend and hero, Harry Potter, he inadvertently invites viewers to marvel at the vast, expansive beach that then becomes his gravesite. Twelve years after...
Hunting animals used to be central to the survival of most human communities over most of human history, whether it be for food or medicines or to use their fur and skin as clothes and rugs. Communities had developed ways to hunt animals without overexploiting them, such that the animals and humans could survive together. While we try to inculcate the values of sustainability in people today through classes and lectures, such values used to be a matter of common sense. If you kill all the animals this year, what are you going to hunt next year?...
Commemorating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav with a brief tale of our peoples and environment from c. 1872–2022, spanning about 75 years before and after our tryst with destiny. ************************* 'Why was India lost?’ asked Mahatma Gandhi in his famous little book of philosophies, the Hind Swaraj, in 1909. Without any pun intended, he answered some lines later: ‘The English have not taken India; we have given it to them.’...
From privileges for a few to rights for all There was a time, not so long ago, when the so-called ‘civilised’ world was divided into free humans and slaves. Free humans were those who had the right to own property while the slaves were those who were considered as property. Free humans had the privilege to make decisions not only for themselves but also for their slaves. As we learnt from others who we thought were less civilised than us...
Well, Christmas is not much of a fairytail for the future, as it is faced with the consequences of climate change. ********************************** This summer, I got a chance to visit Santa Claus--the real one—in the Arctic Circle. Growing up we’ve all heard stories about the spirit and wonders of Christmas, either in school or home, or through movies and TV.
A simple, lucid explainer on the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of wildlife corridors. ******************************************************************************** When I was little, my grandparents used to tell me stories about how they left their small village in Rajasthan to travel to the big city of Jaipur for better opportunities. Today, I have left Jaipur for the even bigger city of Delhi to try my luck. I am sure all of you know of family members and friends who have migrated for studies, jobs, or marriage. All of us witnessed the plight of lakhs of people who migrated back to their villages on foot …
An incredible list of some must-watch environment movies and series—a perfect visual treat for your summer vacations! ********************************************** THE LORAX: In a treeless world, a 12-year-old boy is looking to impress a girl by searching for a tree. But, for that, he is required to know the story of Lorax, a charming creature. OKJA: The fight of young Mija to rescue Okja, a massive animal and...
India’s total forest cover is 21.71 per cent of its total geographical area and the target is to reach 33 per cent. The Forest Survey of India defines ‘forest cover’ as all land with minimum one hectare of tree patches and canopy density above 10 per cent... Read more.
You know Jackie Chan, right? Or was he a superstar when I was growing up? Yes, you are right, you probably do not know Jackie Chan, the greatest martial artist to have ever walked the earth. The world changes fast these days. Heroes of my childhood are not the heroes of your childhood. Jackie Chan was a household name in urban India when I was growing up. He was an action hero who did all of his stunts himself. Yes, that’s right, no stunt double, no CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery), nothing, and he got hurt, really hurt, while performing his stunts, but he just went on and on like a trooper...
In 1887, 18 years before they divided Bengal into two, the British laid down a railway line through the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river system in Jorhat district. While the railway line connected British tea plantations in Tinsukia with those in Jorhat and Dibrugarh, it divided the sanctuary into two unequal compartments—one roughly 150 hectares (370 acres), the rest roughly 1,950 hectares (4,820 acres)...
