Photo credits: Renuka Menon
Diwali is the biggest and brightest Hindu festival of India. For 5 days all the homes are illuminated with lights and all the streets with firecrackers. For Hindus of all sects Diwali is the one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Since it is based on a lunar calendar the actual dates vary, but generally Diwali is celebrated each year during October to November. This year all Indians celebrating Diwali today, (November 2nd 2013). Continue reading
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going on a half-day bamboo rafting trip at the Periyar Tiger Reserve. In all honestly, I am not a very nature-y, outdoorsy person at all; I am deathly afraid of bugs and spiders, and I usually don’t go trekking in the woods unless someone drags me. Yet, let me just say, bamboo rafting was one of the most magical experiences I have ever had!
When I arrived at the PTR office at 7:30 AM half awake, I was handed a pair of strange looking socks, which were worn over the foot and covered the area below the knees to prevent any leeches and splints getting into the skin. Then we began our one and a half hour hike to the reservoir. Along the way, we saw footprints of leopard cats, tiger’s territory marks on trees, giant spiders with intricate webs across several trees, monkeys, and plenty of elephant dung. Continue reading
Christian Phillips Photography
The Atlantic has always had excellent coverage of educational issues; environmental issues as well. This article melds the quality of their attention to both topical areas quite well:
‘Nature Is a Powerful Teacher’: The Educational Value of Going Outside
At more than 80 Boston public schools, teachers are moving the classroom outdoors.
Four years ago, the nurse at Boston’s Young Achievers School was overwhelmed. Previously a middle school, Young Achievers had recently become a K-8 school and there was no appropriate space for recess. Instead, according to a teacher at the school, students spent recess in “a disorganized, cracked, muddy parking lot,” where they ran between and bounced balls off of cars. Continue reading
In wildlife photography good images are made by combining “previsualization” with a clear understanding of your subject’s behaviour.
Consider this Spotted Deer image as a simple example. It is a well-known behaviour of the spotted deer to go up on two legs to feed on the fresh leaves of the trees; when you see them approach the short trees, you can expect them to “stand up”. You need to be ready with the right kind of setting and composition to make the image. Continue reading
Click the image above to go to the video, and the blog post, highlighting this couple’s approach to the entrepreneurial conservation of heritage, practically in the form of a sacrament:
“I remember when Alice, at Chez Panisse, switched to grass-fed beef. It seemed so crazy at the time,” Chad Robertson, the co-owner of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery, says between bouts of kneading dough. He stands at a long wooden counter toward the back of the bakery, where bins of various heights populate the shelves and floor. Inside the containers are grains of assorted colors and sizes, waiting to be sprouted or ground into flour and then transformed into hearty loaves. “Now look at grass-fed beef,” Robertson continues. “The price has dropped. It’s in the restaurants, and it’s everywhere. The same seems to be happening with these grains.” Continue reading
If we had to stop scanning hundreds of news sources to support the habit we have of linking to stories that match our interests (we do not plan to stop) and read from only one source on the internet (preposterous to make a point), this site would be a good candidate. We rarely have the opportunity to link to it, because there is not much overlap with our themes of community, conservation or collaboration; but as a source of important ideas, and the occasional book review it is unbeatable:
“The confidence people have in their beliefs is not a measure of the quality of evidence but of the coherence of the story that the mind has managed to construct.” Continue reading
Polystichum setiferum
Soft Shield Fern is found naturally in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. This truly elegant ferns thrives in humus-rich, fresh soil. Continue reading
Some places in the world are known for lush greenery, others for steep cliffs and snowy glaciers and others still for refreshing water lapping against hot beaches. But of all the landscapes in the world, harsh deserts are perhaps the one that fewest people have experienced. Believing it to be not as pleasant as other landscapes, many people miss out on the tremendous beauty found in deserts. Precisely because there are very few people, visiting deserts like the Little Rann of Kutch gives a traveler the chance to ponder a world before there were so many of us around.
The Wild Ass Sanctuary of the Little Rann of Kutch, spreading across nearly 5000 square kilometers of the Little Rann, is the only place on earth where the endangered Indian Wild Ass, Equus hemionus khur, known locally as the ghudkhar, still lives.
Because of the Sanctuary’s proximity to the Gulf of Kutch and its location on the migration routes of many bird species, it is a very important site for birds to feed and breed in. Continue reading
Pipeline Road, Gamboa, Panama
When I walked into Jacob’s Trade in Thekkady to get myself a bottle of cold water, I couldn’t help but notice the stack of potato chips that contained pretty much all the colors of the rainbow!
Here in Southern India, you can find many unique flavors of potato chips that you wouldn’t find in the States: “India’s Magic Masala,” “West Indies’ Hot ‘n’ Sweet Chilli,” “Spanish Tomato Tango,” “Chile Limon,” and even “Mastana Mango”! It is interesting to see how even regular Lay’s chips are all spiced up with the seasonings that are loved in India. Continue reading
We have been linking photographers with wildlife since the inception of Raxa Collective. We believe that the more amazing photographs of nature people are exposed to, the more they will care about the need for conservation of wildlife habitat. From organizing nature photography workshops, to sharing the photographs of friends and members of our team in our outreach, we embrace the medium’s power to motivate.
While most of his photographs are underwater, and most photography we have promoted so far is not, Todd Bretl is definitely worthy of the same kind of invitation we have extended to other masters of their domain (whatever form it might take, whether the person is famous or not as famous as they should be, even surprising ones). It is not just his obvious talent, but his sense of purpose. According to the bio on his website:
Raised on a boat in Bermuda, Todd grew up with the ocean as his playground and constant companion. Continue reading
Bamboo Rafting
Community based Ecotourism programs are the hallmark of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. These programs are conducted by the local people responsible for the surveillance of the vulnerable parts of the reserve. Taking tourists along, valuable revenue is generated for community welfare at the same time forest conservation is taking place. Continue reading
Image © Doug Lemke | Shutterstock
Thanks to the University of Washington’s Conservation magazine website for this discussion of the key question facing La Paz Group and other conservation-focused entrepreneurial firms (here focused on a particular kind of butterfly but our interest is in how people participate in conservation through travel experiences):
How much would people pay to save the iconic monarch butterfly? A lot, according to a new study in Conservation Letters. Based on survey data, the authors estimate that American households are willing to spend about $4 to 6 billion to support monarch conservation.
Even people who aren’t butterfly-lovers are likely to have heard about the monarchs’ spectacular migrations from the northern U.S. and Canada to Mexico and California. “People’s interest in monarchs and their fascinating, visible biology is obvious,” the researchers write. They note that seven states have adopted the monarch as their official insect or butterfly, and the U.S., Canada, and Mexico hold festivals in the monarch’s honor. Continue reading
Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Karnataka
Photo Courtesy: http://www.Outlandishobservations.blogspot.com
Spiders are not the favorites of many people, and most people tend to avoid them at all costs or exterminate them on sight. However, closer examination finds that spiders are amazingly adapted to their lifestyle, and beyond proficient engineers — a prime example of which are the Araneidae family, or orb weaving spiders.
After meeting with Obama, one activist felt challenged to make the case “why this pipeline is not in our country’s best interest.” Illustration by Paul Rogers.
Ryan Lizza, the New Yorker‘s Washington correspondent, published an article last month that explained the defining environmental of the current generation of US citizens, according to one of our heroes. The article is mostly about a wealthy, possibly powerful financier who our hero has influenced on this issue. But it is also a good primer on the issue itself. If you do not have time for the whole article, an even more efficient primer is this podcast interview with Lizza, late in which the activist’s challenge becomes mantra; but read the article if possible. Then, if you are a citizen of the USA, go make Obama do it:
On the day of his second Inauguration, in January, Barack Obama delivered an address of unabashed liberal ambition and promise. As recently as early April, before the realities of the world and the House of Representatives made themselves painfully evident, the President retained the confidence of a leader on the brink of enormous achievements. It seemed possible, even Continue reading
Photo credits: Kannan
Periyar Tiger Reserve is one of the oldest and largest protected area of Kerala. Spread over 925 sq. km. The predominantly evergreen region is home to a large variety of flora and fauna. Continue reading
Stephen White. Dayanita Singh with her ‘Museum of Chance, 2013: Go Away Closer’ exhibition at Hayward Gallery in London, United Kingdom.
It looks like our kind of exhibition (thanks to India Ink for the reference):
During a recent visit to the Hayward Gallery in London, two vendors’ carts were parked against a wall, and a row of visitors stood with their backs to them as they read the introduction to “Go Away Closer,” unaware that the carts were part of the exhibition featuring the works of the photographer Dayanita Singh. Continue reading
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