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...

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...

Eat crow, scratch the itch or die trying

Some of my best comebacks occur to me only after the argument has ended. I do not act on it. Obviously, that will be childish and ineffective. It is tempting, though. Especially, when I am dealing with road rage caused by mouthy traffic violators. I tend to lose my cool around them. Many a time...

The punk who did not have a Ferrari to sell

Rejection can be the best free advice we get. Whether told off by an individual or an institution, we learn something from it. At times, we may have been undeserving of our aspirations because of a lack of determination. So, we set off - with renewed vigour – to try harder the next time around....

Man vs wild: The fantastic beasts edition

(Updated - with videos) I have had a few memorable experiences with the Indian Gaur (Indian Bison) - the largest bovine species in South East Asia. In 2012, I saw a herd crossing a golf course for the first time. Awestruck by their imposing physique, I approached them with reckless abandon. Mercifully, an alpha male...

A stranger’s things: The art of unpacking

Not many of us can survive the impact of not being loved the way we want to be loved. When someone loves us the way they want to, we find fault in it. However sincere they may be, their love comes undone. At times, it feels worse than not being loved at all. It is...