Why you should listen to your body

Asian Openbill Storks are prehistoric-looking birds. A common sight in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, they wade around in wetlands. The conspicuous gap in its gigantic beak seems almost tragic. But the shape remains a very useful ally while preying on freshwater snails that comprise their staple diet. By appearance at least, they remind...

When life gives you hospital beds, find your inner balconies

Today, I saw a Black Kite skirting past the opaque moon against a teal-blue evening sky. It was a refreshing change of scenery. Considering I had been bed-ridden since February. About two weeks ago, my spinal chord was operated upon. The disc bulge in my lower vertebrae had become worse. There was a growing risk of...

Back to the future: Indian Paradise Flycatcher

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that two weeks ago, I finally spotted the white-morphed Indian paradise flycatcher. It flew into the crooked window of my heart while I was returning home after a birdwatching trip. I slammed the brakes as soon as I caught a glance from...

Year 1 of birding: This time I went too far

Over the past 11 months, I have spotted and photographed 200+ birds in South India. I have also spent the year working on two documentaries. It means that I was not gainfully employed. So, time was on my side. I got to watch birds every single day. I was on the lookout for bird poop...

Happiness is leaving on a stolen jet plane

I think Con Air, a movie about a plane hijacking, has some of the worst dialogues ever. But I have seen it over 30 times. I can’t help myself. It’s like stopping by a highway accident to assess the carnage. A cat-and-mouse game we play with our minds. We may grimace at the sight of...

Monsoonal blues: Fly away home

No year has ever gone by without its share of obstacles. Except when I was 8 years old. Yeah, that was a good year. It must be the same with you, right? I hear people talk about their ups and downs. Isn’t that how things work? At least, I hope so. I will feel a...

Solo travel: The low frequency sound of silence

I travel alone to the hills because it's how I want to experience the world for now. It's not as though I am one with the sand and the sky or anything fancy like that. I just feel interconnected to the sum of their moving parts. It also lends itself more to discoveries, life-changing or...

Falling in love with birds: Do’s and don’ts

People can be strangers. Even the ones we know and love. They can be empty in places that we aren't, which can lead to miscommunication. False expectations and heartbreaks. Birds make for much more reliable companions. It doesn't matter that their calls are lost in translation to our ears. We can still understand and respect them. In turn,...

4 things a writer can do to avoid getting punched in the face

Writers tend to be more self-absorbed than the average person. We think we are smarter than everybody else just because we can slightly better articulate our thoughts and emotions. We call people out for being pretentious because we feel insecure about how inauthentic we are. If a part of Twitter’s data repository manages to survive...

8 reasons for you to quit your job and unlearn voodoo

I believe that it is imperious to tell people how to live. You can tell a friend that it might be a terrible idea to share his bank account details with a Nigerian Prince over email. But you can't just go around, saying things like "you won't know who you are until you travel" or "quit your job and...