Going to bat for our guardians of the night

Since 1972, the Indian Wildlife Protection Act has cast fruit bats into the schedule V category. It means they are considered ‘vermin’—like crows, mice, and rats. Except for Salim Ali’s Fruit Bats, Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bats and Wroughton’s Free-Tailed Bats, the rest are unprotected. Even stranger is that the Wildlife Act still does not recognize the...

Body shaming is for the bird-brained

The Siberian Stonechat’s brown, black, and white color palette may not be an instant crowd-pleaser. But we cannot judge birds by their appearances. It makes even less sense than doing that to human beings. You reserve the right to pass on the candidate, who shows up for a job interview looking like Andy Dufrene after...

Whose life or death is it anyway?

We may be ungrateful for what we have because we think we deserve more. In the process, we forget to ask ourselves - who owes us anything at all? When our plans are left to die in the gutter, is there a someone we can hold accountable? If our tireless efforts go south, whose collar...

At the movies with a birdwatcher

Birds are some of the natural planet's most watchable creatures. But when was the last time you saw a movie, besides the ornithophobic Birds (1963), that prominently featured them? There have been few and far between. Perhaps it is a good sign. No other species is cruelly collaborative for the sake of art like humans are....

Screeching the secret of instant karma

At times, when you stand up for yourself - someone will pull the chair from under you. They may want your seat at the table. Perhaps they dislike the fact you were sitting there in the first place. But you cannot let their schemes stop you from following through with your plans. As the saying...

Three birds of paradise, two funerals and a wedding

Last December, my grandpa passed away a day prior to my wedding reception. Bed-ridden for months, he was in a lot of anguish. The beige color of his skin matched the peeled sections of the bedroom wallpaper. His head, resembling the plucked breast of an owl, bobbed up and down whenever I visited him. It...

The screaming guarantees

I first spotted the Coppersmith Barbet on a chilly morning, outside a bird sanctuary in Chennai. I followed its metronome call to a large berry tree. I saw the barbet feasting on wild berries in one of the branches. The long winter shadows had cast a spell over the leaves, and I was unable to...

What writers can learn from raptors

Predatory birds are known as ‘raptors’. Its entomology can be traced to the Latin term – rapere – meaning ‘to seize by force’. They are expert hunters, and their sensory capabilities are irrefutable. The prey may be cognizant of these extraordinary skills, but still they are snatched away by force. Large and medium-sized birds of...

But first, we need to talk about the floods in Kerala

Kerala is wounded. Its people are suffering. Nearly 400 have been killed due to the recent floods that are ravaging its citizens, as well as its neighbors in Karnataka. The loss of livelihood has been unimaginable. If you live outside of South India, you may not have heard of the crisis. Hell, I live about...

Is bad the new good?

Pop culture trends reflect the nature of our collective mindset. They shed a light on the pulse of the majority or at least a large section of the population. Fanfare to movies and TV shows are often derivative of what makes us tick as human beings. I have noticed off late that it has become...