Romeos, Outdoors, and Repellents
‘Are Romeos the new mosquitoes?’ asked a friend after having read the news about the new anti-Romeo squads in Uttar Pradesh, ‘and these squads the latest in the world of repellents?’ ‘Two questions together,’ I replied, ‘are like Romeos and mosquitoes knowing they are in the WANTED list and yet searching for an escape route.’...
Germs! Germs! Germs and the best hand wash
Let us look at life from a germ’s vantage point. They’re a happy lot today. The air around us in urban and rural India is pregnant with vehicles that help them travel long distances for free. The environmentalist calls them PM 2.5 or PM 10 or PM anything else but they are not just empty...
Luxury is Genetically Hexa
Luxury is definitely more than just another strand of DNA with its double-helix form… it is more likely to have six sides to it. Luxury is navigating well through comfort. Luxury is all about the impact of safety. Luxury is the freedom to express and feel. Luxury is the opposite of vulgarity. Luxury is a...
Crooked, winding, lonesome, and dangerous… but also amazing!
When I mention crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, and amazing in the same breath, all I mean to tell you is how enthralling it is to walk into and above the clouds. It doesn’t matter which mountain range you’re on. It doesn’t matter which villages are near or far. It doesn’t matter which country you’re in....
To those who look through the spotted deer
The funny fact about most people visiting wildlife reserves is that they tend to prefer wearing bright coloured caps of all sorts, clothes that would make even the wild hog snigger and keep looking into the screens of their smartphones, saying, ‘There is no network here.’ And every time you meet a canter-full of them...
I’m not paid enough – Life on the streets of Delhi
A friend from London who was touring India told me once, ‘Life is easy in India. Everything is so inexpensive.’ I looked at him in mild surprise and asked him to give me a few days to show that Delhi wasn’t an easy city to live in. As he turned to go, I saw some...
The unlikely address of Muse
Reporter: ‘Just setting up my recording device, sir. We shall begin shortly.’ Environmentalist: ‘You’ll make my voice be with you To start just give me a cue’ Reporter: ‘How do you find life in this village?’ Environmentalist: ‘More houses or less houses matter not to me I work for the environment, you see’ Reporter: ‘Since...
Policing the language of pollution
This is a language that doesn’t come in decibels but in microns and the experts call it PM or particulate matter. They are like aliens invading the planet and are certainly not interested in starting an amiable conversation with mankind… they are here to conquer and they have armies that we know as PM10 or...
Each species is a masterpiece
I’ve heard the language of wildlife many times and I have seen so many of these wonderful species converse with nature. I can tell you it is spellbinding. The hours spent at Dudhwa, Ranthambore and Shivpuri are probably the best hours that I have spent anywhere because they have taken me to a position that...
A TIGER without vowels
Well, a tiger without vowels isn’t a fantasy at all. Now before you start shoot inane queries like: A tiger can be without canines but can he be without vowels too? Have you got mixed up with your Bs and your Vs and did you really wanted to use the word ‘bowels’? Yes, they’re all...
Ranthambhore ka T24
What I really love about wildlife parks are the stories and legends that they are saturated with. The simply sensual and lilting names they have for animals. The goose-bumps a visitor experiences when sighting even a mongoose or a peacock. Every moment inside a wildlife park is like a scintilla that is ready to explode...
The predators in Indian politics
Some believe that humans are the most dangerous predators… more dangerous than all the tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and wolves. To take this analogy further, I’d say that the political eco-system has the potential to produce the most feared predators amongst us. Just look around and you’ll see the lion-like jauntiness, the stealth of a...
