GENRE: Features

Animal rescue is not always a matter of birds and mammals...today, we assisted in a difficult birth, and hope we saved a life which would otherwise have ended. In the case of mammals, we talk about "breech birth", where the head is not delivered or brought out to the outside world first, and where, consequently, complications develop. As we were doing a butterfly walk in Doresanipalya Forest Research Station on 3rd November '18, Rohit Girotra called me and showed me how, in emerging from the pupa (a process called eclosing), a Three-spot Grass Yellow had got into a very tough…

A gentle mist spread over the lapping waves of the Tambrabarani or Thamirabarani, as the skies broke into a morning smile. The river did not look as if it was flooded or in full flow, as it lazily gurgled and swirled over pebbles, while small fish sometimes leapt in quick flashes. A pearly hue was just beginning to infuse the waters as the morning rubbed out sleep from its eyes. But by then crowds of people had already gathered -- bending, and taking three dips as part of the ritual "bath" for which they had travelled for days, and changed trains…

Our home in T Nagar was built in 1950. The cost of the land was Rs 1600 and the building cost about Rs 50,000. But the story of the home goes back much further. In 1910, when my grandfather was about 10 years old, his father died, leaving behind an asthmatic wife, two young daughters and him. And a debt of Rs 500, that was a crushing liability for a poor family in those days. There was a real risk of their home being taken over. At some point in these difficult times, he even contemplated ending his life in…

Forests become an easy scapegoat for urban infrastructure development. Recently, the National Highways Authority of India blamed meteorological events for triggering landslides in Himachal Pradesh, but such events are not the only cause of environmental degradation. With the reckless cutting of 23, 785 trees to four-lane the Shimla-Kalka highway and excessive cutting of thousands of other trees to facilitate several hydroelectric projects, it is evident that excessive human activity in Himachal Pradesh is leading to degradation and deprivation of forest quality, which, ironically, would only impede the development that the state is hoping for. The recent water woes in Shimla…

In 2010, the United Nations declared access to clean drinking water as a human right. Yet, a large section of the Indian population suffers from the lack of it. A 2017 report by WaterAid India, titled Wild Water: The State of the World’s Water, stated that around 63 million of India’s 833 million rural population has no access to clean drinking water. The larger problem, however, lies in the lack of equal access to clean and safe drinking water for all citizens in the country, especially the poor, in both rural and urban areas. Among the middle or higher income…

Many of us have seen birds depicted in sketches and paintings, but Vidhya Sundar of Bangalore decided that her passion for birdwatching would find expression in another traditional art form...that of rangoli. Last year, Vidhya had made rangolis of birds for the month of Margazhi (Dec 15 to Jan 15) when all kinds of rangolis and kolams are created. Her success with the art encouraged her, this year, to follow the colour chart prescribed traditionally for the nine days of the festival. She selected the birds that would follow the colour scheme, and also chose elements from various photographs from…

“Homely atmosphere with good food and guaranteed safety,” reads the description of one of the many posts advertising women's hostels on a popular Facebook group for people who have moved to Chennai and are looking for suitable accommodation.  The post is accompanied by pictures of three single beds placed next to each other in a cramped room with seemingly little ventilation or light. Yet, the many enthusiastic responses show there is still demand for such places. This is the reality of many such hostels and paying guest accommodation across the city. With very little oversight on their operations, those who…

It was among the first PILs that was filed by the Citizens' Action Forum and it wasn’t even their first course of action! For a group that is often accused of being trigger-happy with the judiciary, CAF's petition against the Master Plan 2015 was a last recourse, after they had exhausted all other options.   When the BDA released the draft of its Master Plan 2015, it proposed rapid commercialisation of largely residential areas in Bangalore, allowing for almost unchecked change of land use. Bangalore had begun to boom by the start of the millennium. The rise of the IT…

Imagine a walk on the Kotturpuram bridge on any morning or evening - a glance below provides a picturesque sight: people shouting in happiness, their row boats on the tranquil waters of Adyar River, free from traffic. The happiness on their faces is evident; it makes you feel the joy of rowing. You cannot help thinking how beautiful the journey of these rowers would be -- navigating in the seemingly serene waters, encountering fish and feeling the cool breeze. But the reality is quite different.  And ugly. The breeze carries the stench of sewage, often unbearably foul. And what rowers…

A recent survey by the Information and Resource Center for Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) has shed light on the precarious living conditions and lack of access to basic services by a majority of homeless children in the city. The city's homeless have long been relegated to the fringes and left to fend for themselves. Efforts to increase the number of night shelters and other services available to them has moved at glacial pace. Understanding the services available and availed by the urban homeless, especially children, becomes vital to improve facilities and service delivery. The IRCDUC survey examined eleven parameters including…