yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

This post carries a piece published in Deccan Herald on 6 th  June, 2017 - In the lap of nature, high on the mountains.  Thanks are due to Sanju (and colleagues) for being with us throughout and the fun we had. Himalayan Ecotourism, Stephan Marchal and Sanjeeva Pandey helped with planning. Arpan forms the other half of the ‘we’ here. All images in this post including that on the Deccan Herald website are taking during the trek by Nirlep Dhutwalia. A warm thank you for sharing your experiences then and images later. The article on Deccan Herald here . Unedited text placed below. With the bus engine roaring our second trip, within 12 months, to trek in the Great Himalayan National Park ( GHNP ), had just begun. People fall in love with other people - we had trekked up and down its mountains to fall in love with GHNP . I sat besides the large window, staring out into the roads which looked unreal – quiet, empty and lights falling on them - as 9 th June met th...

This piece finds place on Vikalp Sangam here . Thanks are due to Swaraj University and Vikalp Sangam.  Originality, quality and fun were reasons enough to appreciate the efforts of the khojis . I also enjoyed the spirit of the journey being as much, if not more, important as the destination. What blew me away, however, was the sheer honestly and simplicity with which with they shared their experiences. I was glad to have experienced the presentations by khojis at Swaraj University. This sharing was a part of their first year activities. Image Credit: Swaraj University Facebook Page The learning program at Swaraj University is a two year journey. The aim of the first year, to quote the website is , “to unlearn the dependence on external sources of knowledge and to engage in co-creating their self-directed learning path. There are various explorations and experiments to understand the meaning of Swaraj, and the core principles related to it, which a...

By insisting on using these Latin or scientific names, are we missing the forest for the trees? The article was published by First Post on 20 th May, 2017. Thanks are due to the team at First Post. The article on their website here . Trips to our forest areas often raise questions. These range from the absence of functional interpretation centres to the presence and spread of exotic species and monocultures. From the need for civil engineering in the form of boundary-walls and water-holes to the energy and interest levels of the forest-department personnel. A recent addition to this list of questions, for me, has been the use of Latin names! I came across trees, in one of our managed forests, with small metal tags nailed to their trunks. My appreciation for the effort turned to bewilderment when I noticed that the names were Latin ( or as commonly referred – scientific ). Was I supposed to remember these? FreeDictionary refers to scientific name as “ A name used by sc...

"I Don't Give A Damn": Our Motto in the Public Space Published at The Citizen on 17 th May, 2017   Thanks are due to the team at The Citizen The piece on their website here Text of the unedited version below Our disrespect for public spaces or common places is now legendary. We have reached a stage where one of the initial orders passed by a chief minister of our largest state (population) focused on spitting of pan and guthka. We strive to keep our homes spotless clean but of our common places the lesser said the better. We many a time behave as if we are proud to disrespect them. This disrespect is more apparent when one is on the move. A Delhi we got out of a friend’s place and walked the foot-path towards the main road. We had to repeatedly jump on the road for the foot-path had been occupied by large generators and guard booths. Both of these were meant for a privileged few who can afford and are happy to usurp public spaces for personal comfo...

Title: A Flamingo in my Garden Author: Deepak Dalal Series: Feather Tales Illustrations: Lavanya Naidu Year: 2016 Publisher: Puffin Books – Penguin Random House India In his previous books like Ranthambore Adventure this author took the reads to forests while in this series he makes us aware to the species which share cities with us or rather whom we share cities with. Illustration of the Marine drive in the beginning carries warmth. There’s something about the leaves on the lower left corner that touches. As one moves on to other pages one realizes that landmarks of Bombay have been nicely depicted without getting into names. I was waiting for one on the forest and caves! The author has a way with drawing parallels . When one pauses on these lines one realizes that these contribute to create a ‘bird world’ and that most of these species too are those which share cities with human beings. Some of these below - More jarring than even a peacock choi...

A for Alternative, E for Education Both images are by Ian Lockwood. He is acknowledged for sharing them at a very short notice. Thanks are due to Divya, Vaishna and Dinesh at The Hindu. The Sholai school enabled this eye-opening week.  To the entire team there – a big THANK YOU.   Place below the longer version of the article which finds place in the Hindu Sunday Magazine - 23rd April, 2017. Article on The Hindu here . Image: Ian Lockwood “ Get off the bus at Perumal Malai and start walking downhill; we are just 6 km away ”. A welcome email that signified freshness, energy and fun. My week-long trip to the Sholai school turned out not very different. According to the website, “ Situated in a beautiful valley close to Kodaikanal in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu the Sholai school follows an alternative approach to Education, inspired by the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. This involves a focus on creating an atmosphere in which children are encou...

Jashn E Deccan: beautifully unconventional Sruti  published this piece in its April 2017 issue. Thanks are due to the team at Sruti.  Link to the unedited version  here . My mother asked me if the music festival organized in December 2015 on the outskirts of the town would be organized this winter too. Some days later came the flier for the second edition of the Jashn E Deccan festival in Hyderabad. Jashn E Deccan is an annual festival celebrating the rich traditions of various Indian music and dance forms under the aegis of the KMR Foundation – a trust started by the children of K. Mahipathi Rao, in June 2008, to honour his memory and the ideals he valued. It is their endeavour to create a vibrant and inclusive space in the realm of music and dance. The festival is meant to ignite interest, create curiosity and enthuse people to make the experiential journey of listening to and watching some great exponents of Indian music and dance. The events are...

How serious are we about the earth? This piece is published at The Citizen on 5 th April here . Thanks are due to the team at The Citizen. ‘W e are a nation that talks of salads and eats samosas ’, Sanjeev Kapoor, the well-know chef, had stated in an interview. He may well have been referring to our attitude towards our planet , albeit in metaphorical terms. Two events bring this out starkly. Images from Cold Play concert at Mumbai, November 2016, depicted trash lying scattered after the event. More than seventy thousand people had attended the mega-event; many of whom had contributed to the litter. During the event they had pledged to the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs; their pledges and actions turned out to be anti-thetical to each other. This is how the media covered it: ‘ Nobody could be bothered with civic sense or niceties such as recycling for a sustainable living ’ ~ huffingtonpost.in ‘ It was an event designed to raise awareness but lik...