Here are links to my published popular science articles on current issues, biodiversity, and landscapes of India and its environment. To read my work geared towards children, click here
– 2024 –
Feb 2, 2024 – Rising Tides, Rooted Solutions – an article in Mongabay India describing the role mangroves play in preventing coastal damage during storm and flood events
– 2023 –
Feb. 1, 2023 – Sighting the Singalika – A short piece on my experiences sighting lion-tailed macaques, one of the most endangered primates in the Western Ghats, during fieldwork and field trips in the monsoon mountains. Published in JLR Explore.
Feb. 14, 2023 – Biodiversity Hotspot: Walking Through Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve – A piece based on my field visit to KMTR in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district with my PhD batch as part of our coursework.
Apr. 27. 2023 – Ainthinai – Published on the ATREE Young Researchers’ Network blog, this piece talks about the five landscapes in Tamil literature and my experience of them in field.
Sep. 13, 2023 – Return to the Forest – A blog post on AYRN documenting our field visit to KMTR, Tamil Nadu
Oct. 1, 2023 – Research in Spotlight: Odonates as Bioindicators in Myristica Swamps – A feature piece on AYRN about the M.Sc. research of Rohan Sharma, a student at ATREE/TDU
Oct. 4, 2023 – Research in Spotlight: How Do Locals Perceive India’s Least Known Primate? – A feature piece on AYRN about the M.Sc. research of Sankaranarayanan, a student at ATREE/TDU
Oct. 8, 2023 – Research in Spotlight: Blackbuck Habitat Usage in Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation Reserve – A feature piece on AYRN about the M.Sc. research of Manoj Kumar B.R., a student at ATREE/TDU
Oct. 9, 2023 – Sacred Swamps: Where Culture Meets Conservation – A piece on sacrality and conservation in the Myristica swamps of Uttara Kannada district. Published by Roundglass Sustain.
– 2022 –
May 8, 2022 – Celebration of Intricacy – My first attempt to write on an art form that I have always found fascinating. Madhubani paintings hail from Bihar and have long captivated diverse audiences with their delicate, detailed illustrations and use of natural dyes. Read the piece to find out more about my encounter with a Madhubani artist!
Jul. 15, 2022 – The Thar Needs Restoration, and Greening is not the Solution – A piece co-authored with Chetan Misher, fellow PhD student and wildlife ecologist at ATREE and featured in the Hindustan Times on the dangers of rampant afforestation without scientific inputs.
Dec. 29, 2022 – Mass Flowering and Why Some Plants Bloom and Die Together – An explainer article published in Mongabay India about mass flowering and the reasons behind this phenomenon, with a deep dive into the flowering phenology of neelakurinji and bamboo.
– 2021 –
Feb. 02, 2021 – Restoring Urban Wetlands for a Brighter Future – a commentary published in Mongabay India for World Wetlands Day
Apr. 07, 2021 – Spotting the Whistling Hunter – a piece about my first sighting of the dhole (Asiatic wild dog) in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, published in the Deccan Herald’s environment section!
Apr. 10, 2021 – Meeting the Marten – a tale of some entertaining encounters with yellow-throated martens in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
May 15, 2021 – The Many Moods of the River Kabini – snapshots from along the Kabini River that explore her many moods – her anger, her playfulness, and her gentleness – that make this river one of my favourites.
Jun. 10, 2021 – Nilgiri Tahr: Living on the Edge – a piece about my first sighting of the Nilgiri tahr, a rare ungulate found in the shola-grassland mosaics of the Nilgiri Hills in South India. Published in the Deccan Herald.
Jun. 2021 – Parched – my first personal essay published in a literary magazine! This one is published in The Bangalore Review, a globally-recognized literary magazine, and it is such an honour to be featured. The piece heralds the arrival of the monsoon in Mumbai, my hometown, and is an ode to my favourite season.
Sep. 2021 – The Terrific Triumvirate: Pawprints at Khandar Fort – A piece published by Saevus Magazine in their Sep-Nov 2021 issue about an experience from my time working in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan in 2016 as a part of my M.Sc. research.
Dec. 2021 – An Unusual Friendship – A children’s story written for Current Conservation magazine, this is the story of a young boy and a tiny gazelle (chinkara) who he befriends in the desert landscape of Rajasthan.
– 2020 –
Feb. 5, 2020 – “Why Adding More RAMSAR Wetlands is Beneficial to a Growing India” – an informative article about India’s battle with wetland conservation and why we need to save these ecosystems
Feb. 8, 2020 – “Rooting for RAMSAR Wetlands” – a newspiece published by the Deccan Herald on India’s wetlands and their conservation
Apr. 4, 2020 – “Desert Carnival: Experiencing Rajasthan’s Annual Pushkar Fair” – a blog piece for the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)’s site on my experience at the annual Pushkar Fair.
May 28, 2020 – “Amphan in the Sundarbans: How mangroves protect coasts from tropical storms” – a newspiece by The Wire.in on the benefits of mangroves in protecting India’s coastlines against tropical cyclones such as the current Cyclone Amphan.
May 31, 2020 – “Saving Vultures” – a short informative piece on India’s disappearing vultures and the causes for this decline, published in Conservation India. The article also discusses the road to recovery for these scavengers and the efforts of conservation organizations towards this end. (Image by Ajinkya Dantale)
Jun. 2, 2020 – “Locusts Swarms in India: Millimeters in Size yet Millions in Number” – an explainer article for Mongabay-India on the current locust swarm in India and the factors influencing this swarm, the effects it has on human livelihoods and the environment, and potential management options to mitigate damage. Co-authored by Nobin R.M. and myself.
Jun. 11, 2020 – “Near the Baghjan Blowout, Assam’s Critical Wetland Habitat is Burning” – an article on the recent oil leak and fire at the Baghjan Oilfield near Tinsukia, Assam, and the devastation of this crisis on the nearby Maguri Motapung wetland and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, home to some of India’s rarest wildlife.
Jun. 28, 2020 – “Reverse Zoonosis: When Humans Pass Diseases on to Animals” – An article co-authored with my colleague Nobin R.M. about reverse zoonosis in India and its relevance to a time when wildlife and nature are being blamed for the current global pandemic. The article was published by The Wire Science.
Jul. 01, 2020 – Biodiversity in Myristica Swamps – a case study on the biodiversity of the rare Myristica swamps of the Western Ghats, published in Jalaplavit wetland e-magazine (download the PDF below)
Jul. 27, 2020 – “The Ethics of Using Drones in Wildlife Conservation and Monitoring” – An article co-authored with my ATREE colleagues Arjun Kannan and Sminu TV on the ethical considerations required prior to using drones in wildlife research and conservation applications. Published on Conservation India.
Jul. 29, 2020 – “Notes From a Field Ecologist” – A short blog published on Conservation Optimism on my experiences with fieldwork and my love for being out in nature.
Oct. 14, 2020 – “Pawprints in Khandar Fort” – A 3-part series on my experiences during fieldwork in Khandar Fort, in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, published on the AYRN Blog (belonging to ATREE). Read all three parts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Oct. 15, 2020 – “How the worship of sacred freshwater swamps is helping preserve biodiversity in the Western Ghats” – A piece published in Scroll.in on the freshwater swamps of the Western Ghats and how religious practices and beliefs help in keeping them safe from degradation.
Oct. 23, 2020 – Protecting Karnataka’s Myristica swamps key to survival of rare lion-tailed macaque – a piece in The News Minute about the Myristica swamps and a rare primate found in the Sharavathi River Valley of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka
Nov. 13, 2020 – Ranganathittu: The Kaveri’s Quiet Jewel – a piece published in Current Conservation magazine, co-authored with Dincy Mariyam
Dec. 01, 2020 – Bandits, Badlands, and Biodiversity – an article published in the prestigious Sanctuary Asia magazine on the myriad mysteries of the Chambal Badlands landscape based on my time in the region surveying wildlife
Dec. 03, 2020 – Dancing Towards Extinction: The Sangai and its Marsh Habitat – a case study on the Manipuri brow-antlered deer published in the Jalaplavit wetland e-magazine (download the PDF below)
– 2019 –
Feb. 6, 2019 – “Ghosts of the Chambal” – a blog post for Wild Canids on my experience with wolves in the Chambal ravines during my Master’s research.
Feb. 9, 2019 – “A Bullet to the Lungs: Mumbai Set to Lose More Forest to High-Speed Railway Line” – an article published by Conservation India on the proposed bullet train project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad and its ecological implications.
Mar. 26, 2019 – “Life in the Hills: Anecdotes from the Garhwal Himalayas” – a blog post published by Saevus Magazine on some life-changing experiences from my time in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
May 9, 2019 – “All for the perfect tiger shot: Unregulated tourism and its effects on wildlife” – a newspiece published in The News Minute regarding the negative side-effects of wildlife tourism on the wildlife and environment of our national parks in India.
May 21, 2019 – “To Skin a Cat: An Amateur Biologist’s First Autopsy” – A story of my first autopsy of a tiger when I was interning with WWF-India’s Western India Tiger Landscape, Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve.
Jun. 1, 2019 – “Monsoon Mountains: Field Notes from the Nilgiri Hills” – an article published in Saevus Magazine (print edition) on the beautiful Biligiriranganatha Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT) nestled in the Nilgiri Hills of South India.
Jun. 24, 2019 – “Habitat loss and poaching threaten the survival of the elusive Nilgiri langur” – a newspiece published by The News Minute on the ecology and conservation threats to the Nilgiri langur, one of India’s rarest mammals.
Jul. 3, 2019 – “Caging the Wild: Maharashtra Government Approves Building of Zoo in Aarey Milk Colony Forest Land” – A newspiece published by Conservation India on the implications of the Mumbai government’s recent decision to build a zoo in Aarey Milk Colony, one of the few forest patches remaining in the city.
Oct. 11, 2019 – “Gandikota” (travel guide) – A travel guide published on Nature in Focus’s website about the Grand Canyon of India, Gandikota, a fort high on the cliffs above the Pennar River in Andhra Pradesh.
Oct. 26, 2019 – “Who will save the swamps?” – An article published by the Deccan Herald on India’s most endangered ecosystem, the Myristica swamps of the Western Ghats.
Oct. 26, 2019 – “One Last Dance: The Fate of Manipur’s Dancing Deer” – with wonderful illustrations by Labonie Roy, this article was taken up by Current Conservation, a Bangalore-based magazine, and highlights the conservation threats to the world’s most endangered wild deer species, the sangai (also known as the Manipuri brow-antlered deer or the dancing deer).
Dec. 14, 2019 – “India’s Disappearing Grasslands” – a newspiece published by the Deccan Herald on the vanishing grassland ecosystems of India and why we need grasslands as much as we need forests.
On Life and Wildlife 