Learn about Sankaranarayanan’s experience studying peoples’ perceptions of a slender loris sanctuary in the heart of wild Tamil Nadu…
Category: Uncategorized
The Teacher A Student Remembers
By Nita Shashidharan The teacher a student remembers comes in different hues and styles, A student remembers the one, who hit them often on the knuckles, Who instead of trying to encourage them to learn and become outstanding, Often made them hold their ears, kneel, or stand like a murga* outside. The teacher a student…
Pointers for fieldwork in COVID times and sudden lockdown situations.
Anuja Datye It has been more than a year since COVID started and a year since the first lockdown. Most of us now know what to do to avoid getting Covid infection or steps to take if unfortunately, you do get infected. A lot of us may be restarting fieldwork or may already be on…
From Past to Present: Reflecting on AYRN over the years
By The AYRN Team AYRN, the ATREE Young Researchers Network, began its journey in 2016. It has hosted wonderful blog posts by students, staff and interns over the years. As we stand at the threshold of a new year 2021, we are happy that 60+ blog posts have been published reflecting diverse experiences, hopes and…
A prayer from the plains for a river from the rains
By Nakul Mohan Heble Schooled in Singampatti! It was our last day at the Agasthyamalai Community Conservation Centre (ACCC), a beautiful field station at the feet of the giant peaks of southern Western Ghats. After several days of unbearable heat in the plains, the monsoon winds had finally hit the western coast of India. The…
How the mighty mask can determine class
By Madhushri Mudke
Return of the Stranded: A Journey towards Home under Question
By Nita Shashidharan The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore inequality and appalling state of affairs in India. The buzz word is a “new normal”, a situation where “we have to learn to live with the virus” as proclaimed by the joint secretary of the Union Health Ministry, and a term that has…
We, the people of Jayanti
By Arunima Sikdar Jayanti, a quaint locality, situated near its namesake Jayanti River, is characterized by an amusing admixture of geography, ethnicity and history. Within an area of 759 square kilometres, it harbours a river, a mountain, an international border and people of at least four different ethnicities. One can easily sense the uniqueness of…
Early Indians: how migrations created the Indian melting pot
A review of the book, “Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From.” By Vikram Aditya Race, religion, culture, language – these ideas have been debated throughout history. Nationalist groups have used these constructs to emphasize their supposed uniqueness, antiquity and superiority over other groups. Similar claims have also been made…
What’s in a name?
By Arunima Sikder The science of naming organisms is as old as science itself. Plant names can be repulsive as they resemble complicated Latin words (which they are). You can end up pronouncing Pseudelephantpous as Atlantis and I would understand! Although Naturalists since the 1700’s had to meticulously observe each twig, each…
Gubbachi
By Apoorva. R “The little sparrows were freely hopping and flying here & there, Pecking on grains scattered on the floor. As I stood patiently watching them on that quiet afternoon Much like the many afternoons where time stands still…. The sparrows seemed to be least disturbed. Not even by the children running around And…
Desert Carnival: Experiencing Rajasthan’s Annual Pushkar Camel Fair
By Priya Ranganathan The landscape is a myriad of colours, pulsing with life, dazzling, radiant. A burst of chaos amidst a sea of sand and Prosopis. My nostrils flare to absorb the unfamiliar mixture of smells, from camel hide to tanned leather to sweetmeats to sweaty horse to cattle droppings that litter the sandy soil….
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