tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-112481012024-03-14T04:49:39.336+05:30Indian CourserThere was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he looked upon and received with wonder or pity or love or dread, that object he became,
And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day....or for many years or stretching cycles of years. [Walt Whitman]Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-44213496720561381452018-08-01T08:56:00.001+05:302018-08-01T08:56:35.363+05:30Book review: First garden of the Republic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy to share my review of this book, published in <a href="http://indianbirds.in/pdfs/IB_14_3_Pittie_RajBhavanBookReview.pdf" target="_blank"><i>IndianBIRDS</i> vol. 14 no 3</a>.</span><br />
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-23679526111067903372018-08-01T08:42:00.000+05:302018-08-01T08:42:22.777+05:30Indian BIRDS Vol 14 No 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">The new issue of <i>Indian BIRDS</i> is now available for free download as PDF from <a href="http://www.indianbirds.in/">www.indianbirds.in</a>.</span><br />
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-1076614726666336022018-06-04T12:43:00.004+05:302018-06-04T12:43:50.386+05:30Short-eared Owl from a photograph by Birupakshya Mitra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Phd5LMKy-CE/WxTmnq3Q5KI/AAAAAAAACvU/ZzIG4WnrIUUMgRMjkshwBM9L6WBtGUHMQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1600" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Phd5LMKy-CE/WxTmnq3Q5KI/AAAAAAAACvU/ZzIG4WnrIUUMgRMjkshwBM9L6WBtGUHMQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7956.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-16689398952515728622018-06-04T12:42:00.003+05:302018-06-04T12:42:35.037+05:30Black Francolin from a photograph by Bhavesh Rathod.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-70951975735953232612018-06-04T12:41:00.003+05:302018-06-04T12:41:38.250+05:30Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch from a photograph by Husein Latif<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mmTyQvcMwI/WxTmEen3URI/AAAAAAAACvE/gImZTEy9gwov87yaly4mw3VtL12tCRCYACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="995" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mmTyQvcMwI/WxTmEen3URI/AAAAAAAACvE/gImZTEy9gwov87yaly4mw3VtL12tCRCYACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7914.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-39924059453131816362018-06-04T12:40:00.001+05:302018-06-04T12:40:22.841+05:30Asian Barred Owlet from a photograph by Siddhesh Bramhankar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-38514368671481407082018-05-17T12:39:00.000+05:302018-05-17T12:41:25.349+05:30Black Baza from a photo by Debapratim Saha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-8976946969939017212018-05-16T18:22:00.001+05:302018-05-17T12:36:06.683+05:30Colour pencil sketching: Vigors's Sunbird from a photo by Abhishek Jamalabad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IM49fRAUV5U/WvwpOZLJIRI/AAAAAAAACs0/OSIJqxgUHgAnMZEptzQ71VWeIeEz-KETACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IM49fRAUV5U/WvwpOZLJIRI/AAAAAAAACs0/OSIJqxgUHgAnMZEptzQ71VWeIeEz-KETACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7795.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-3258113853126341872018-05-14T19:50:00.000+05:302018-05-14T19:50:02.580+05:30Journal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">A leaf from my journal. Just discovered the joy of colouring.</span><br />
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-86338640988183417412018-05-14T19:28:00.004+05:302018-05-14T19:28:49.616+05:30Intimacy without violation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">The wonderful people at <a href="http://www.natureinfocus.com/" target="_blank">natureinfocus</a>, have posted an essay of mine, on bird photography and ethics, on their website. I've called it <a href="https://www.natureinfocus.in/features/intimacy-without-violation" target="_blank">Intimacy without violation: A short meditation on bird photography</a>. </span></div>
Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-28840811674032823152018-05-14T18:51:00.001+05:302018-05-14T18:51:23.386+05:30Deeper Birding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">On 31 March 2018, the Hyderabad Birding Pals completed their 200th bird walk, and celebrated the milestone in style. I gave a talk on <a href="https://youtu.be/f8i6XB8J0fw" target="_blank">Deeper Birding</a>. It begins at 27:22 mins.</span></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-49822703615974321342017-11-23T19:08:00.002+05:302017-11-23T19:08:42.591+05:30My journey into ornithological bibliography<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was honoured to give a talk at the Goethe Zentrum in Hyderabad, on 21 November 2017, to members of the Birdwatchers' Society, and the general public, on my journey into ornithological bibliography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My dear friend, and fellow-birder, Asif Husain Arastu, filmed the hour-long talk. Here is a YouTube link:</span><br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/H_4izUnFbxw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My journey into ornithological bibliography</span></a></div>
Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-45364169644644697962017-10-12T11:35:00.002+05:302017-10-12T11:35:59.463+05:30In Conversation With India’s Birdman Aasheesh Pittie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://sbcltr.in/2017/10/10/in-converstion-with-indias-birdman-aasheesh-pittie/">http://sbcltr.in/2017/10/10/in-converstion-with-indias-birdman-aasheesh-pittie/</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Rohini
Kejriwal</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> spoke to the ornithologist about the state
of conservation in India, challenges posed by urbanisation, and the lessons he
has learnt from the flying beauties<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">“Birds are the eyes of Heaven,” – Suzy
Kasse<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Hyderabad-based Aasheesh Pittie
ornithologist, bibliophile, and bibliographer, most certainly agrees with
Kasse’s words. With a strong interest in the history of South Asian
ornithology, Pittie has compiled a database of over 31,000 ornithological
publications for the South Asian region. A writer on the subject, he has
published several articles and papers on Indian birds and edits the bi-monthly
journal Indian BIRDS. He recently completed his monumental work on the historic
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, thus adding to his work on the
archival Stray Feathers, the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society and
Ibis, and the more recent Newsletter for Birdwatchers, Indian BIRDS, now in its
13th year of publication, and Forktail. We spoke to Pittie about his
fascination with birds, the state of conservation in India, challenges posed by
urbanisation, and the lessons he has learnt from the flying beauties. Read the
excerpt below.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Can
you recall the moment that you decided to be an ornithologist?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Long ago, when I was gifted a copy of Salim
Ali’s Book of Indian birds, I took it and a clunky pair of binoculars to a
house that overlooked some rocks and sat down to wait for birds. The monsoon
was setting in and it threatened to rain. A Red-wattled Lapwing came onto a
rock and shaking with excitement, I raised the binoculars and noted its
details. Then came a green bee-eater upon an overhead wire with its long
central tail feathers. It began to drizzle but I could not get up. The book
helped me identify and name the two species, but their absolutely amazing
physical presence was overwhelming. Something shifted within me that day. I
have never regretted becoming a birder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Take
us through your journey as a birder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Over the years I have developed a special fondness
for birds, but I am enthralled by all of natural life. Practicality is a major
reason for choosing birds. They are everywhere and in abundance, unlike most
other life forms. Then they are easily visible and audible. I suppose the charm
and character that birds exude are among their abiding qualities that I find so
endearing. To me, birds are primarily an abundant, vibrant, non-human life form
that I can get close to, and celebrate our co-existence because of my sentient
conscience. I understand that it’s a one-way ‘relationship’, if I may call it
that, as there is no communication between birds and man. Yet I revel in their
ability of flight, their beauty, charm, song, dance, character, power,
delicacy, tolerance, stamina, etc. characteristics I aspire to, as does every
human being. Birds do not know these terms; they are our way of understanding
them, limited by our lexicon. I paint on them emotions in trying to understand
my own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Due to the nature
of my work, I have not been able to travel much for birding. So I began to try
and make it easier for birders, both amateur and professional, to search the
vast literature of the field easily, and find out what has been published, say,
about the Indian Roller in Maharashtra. Towards this, I have spent hundreds of man-hours
in libraries, indexing 300 years of ornithological literature so that with the
help of keywords, people can ferret out papers that might contain information
they are searching. I have also been fortunate to edit various newsletters, and
journals along this journey into ornithology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">What
is the current state of birding and conservation in India?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Birding, as a pastime, is booming, fuelled
by the new-found fad for bird-photography. Birding as a tool for conservation
is picking up speed through various citizen-science projects and individual or
collective (organised/organisation-based) activism. There is a pretty large
community of birders in India. The exciting part is that it is growing rapidly
every day. Most major cities have groups that go out birding at least on
weekends. Social media has played a pivotal role in the huge popularisation of
birding. There are Facebook groups that boast of over one-lakh members – Indian
Birds. The versatility of the smartphone in perpetuating this phenomenon is
used in so many different ways. Photos of birds, birding groups, habitats,
etc., are uploaded easily; opinions upon correct identification of species are
exchanged and applied; birding trips are organised, and threats to habitats
such as wetlands or urban trees, highlighted. Someone invariably takes up the
cause to educate the government, muster local or countywide support, and try
and save such areas. The social media also informs people abouting poaching,
the unethical behaviour of over enthusiastic photographers and birders, and
acts as an SOS sounding-board where people ask about methods of handling lost
fledgelings, storm-blown sea birds, or injured birds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">The power of
citizen-science in collecting raw data is immense though it is in its nascent
stage across most of India. An early effort to use amateur birders to collect
data was the Asian Waterbird Census, which started in 1987 and still occurs in
Dec-Jan every year. Subsequently, several participatory programmes have sprung
up for the citizen-scientists so much so there is now a calendar of events. The
recent upsurge in documenting, and analysing birding data is due to the
fantastic online database portal called eBird, where birders can upload their
field lists, notes, and photographs to be checked by experts and accepted.
Various types of analyses are possible from the data.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">So, on the amateur
birder level, the birding scene in India is pretty rosy. Professional
ornithology still has a long way to go, not so much for the lack of personnel
as institutional support. Conservation in India is largely controlled by the
State. Citizens have no control over the State’s whimsical fragmentation of
wilderness areas. Many times, rudimentary or even erroneous environmental
impact assessments are prepared by incompetent agencies and based on them,
developmental projects are fast tracked for implementation. This is a
high-handed, myopic, and discouraging trend that undermines the vital role of
wilderness areas in the way our planet functions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">The increased
awareness about the environment has resulted in a greater vigilance amongst the
birders and wildlifers. Every detrimental project of the State is quickly
flagged and we see a lot of participation in various types of protests. So
birders are gradually getting to the tipping point where their collective voice
would be heard by the administrations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">But
beyond the hobby or activism, is there a lot of on-going research in
ornithology?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Most ornithological research in India is
species-specific, which is fine as it builds our knowledge base about birds.
But it cannot be forgotten that we stand on the shoulders of giants and that
there is a vast and extant literature. What is required is a deeper research
that sees the role of species in the larger perspective of their environment so
that a more holistic view of land and the wilderness is formed. Currently,
there is a concentration of studying threatened species. I only wish that
today’s common species are also studied. With the rate of habitat destruction
and other pressures, many may end up threatened in a decade or two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">But there are
several ornithologists in the country today doing great work. The work of V. V.
Robin and his team comes to mind. Their deep study of the ‘Sky Islands’ of the
Western Ghats is breaking new ground in the fields of landscape ecology, on
species, biodiversity, and the effects of habitat fragmentation. Another worthy
effort in north-eastern India is by Aparajita Datta’s team which works with
local communities on the conservation of hornbills.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Team
of birders are also venturing into coastal waters of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Kerala in search of pelagic birds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Can
you take us through the issues faced by birds, especially in Southern India?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">I have a feeling, though I may be wrong,
that the birds of the five southern Indian states are better studied than those
of the rest of the country. Through the phenomenon of eBird, the distribution
data pouring in is amazing, and at least Kerala has taken up the task of
compiling a bird atlas. Birders from the city of Mysore have created an atlas
of bird distribution for two consecutive years. This contagion will only
spread.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Habitat
fragmentation, land, air, and water pollution, and man-made situations like
wind farms are some of the problems birds face. Some of these will return to
haunt us, if not affecting us already, for birds are a mere strand in the web
of ecology that binds all life on earth. Ultimately, these problems will affect
the way we live for they will result in water shortages, toxic poisoning, catastrophic
climate change phenomena, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">So
in what direction do we look for solutions?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">A sure-fire way to ensure a more secure
future for our environment, the birds and other wildlife, and ourselves as a
consequence is universal education. It empowers people with knowledge and the
ability to take right decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">There is a
movement towards organic agriculture, and if its footprint were to increase,
the land near critical wild habitat would become safer to their denizens.
Government should stop clearing wilderness areas and furthering mono-culture in
the name of reafforestation. What they deem non-productive land has remained so
over millennia and plays a role in stabilising local landscapes (geography and
hydrology).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">We also need to
preserve pristine water bodies. Commercialising all of them ultimately pollutes
them and reduces their biodiversity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Further, urban
spaces should be de-congested into smaller satellite towns, ultimately reducing
the need for mega-hydro projects for irrigation, power, and potable water –
making way for smaller, less disruptive projects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Stemming
from this, you seem to feel quite strongly about birds and urban spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Bird life in urban India is pretty diverse.
In the pockets of congenial habitats that survive in the concrete jungles that
our cities have become, wildlife clings on tenaciously, adapting to the rapidly
changing habitats. Their presence or absence and abundance or rarity of species
in urban areas is a reflection of their adaptability to changing environments
and microhabitats. The reason one commensal of man (the house sparrow)
struggles to cope while another (the feral pigeon) thrives is a direct
reflection of this adaptability.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Feral pigeon
populations have exploded in urban areas because conditions are conducive for
them. They have virtually no predators, ample nesting spaces, and an abundance
of food. They have adapted to using high-rise buildings for nesting and as
perches. Their predators in the wilderness, generally falcons, are uncommon in
urban Indian skies; feral, or pet cats might comprise their sole nemesis. But
their propensity to breed year-round and the senseless largess of people who
feed them ensure their successful colonisation of our urban spaces. We tolerate
the mess they create, assume divine blessing in the feeding of them, and
couldn’t care less that they spread disease. If municipalities made feeding
pigeons a punishable offence, as many Western towns’ municipalities have, the
menace of these flying rats will be curtailed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">World over, more
people live in urban spaces than they do in the countryside. Urban spaces, if
planned diligently, can become havens for wildlife. Diversity will be limited,
as ecological riches are restricted, but there will be surprises due to the
great variety of habitats. There is a concept gaining traction in the West,
wherein a city is considered a fragmented protected area. Planners connect
urban parks to each other via corridors of avenue trees and embrace private
gardens into this grid. If such a concept were to be adopted, and
municipalities envision habitats created of local or endemic rather than exotic
flora, we could see an urban environment emerging that would benefit the people
living in it. A life devoid of natural surroundings, which break the anarchy of
man-made lines, withers our souls. And if we are restricted to artificial
sound, our capacity to enjoy natural bird song and the subconscious euphoria it
creates will diminish and impoverish us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">We’re
sure you’ve had some fascinating adventures, be it on your solo birding trips
or bird counts. Please share some stories.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">I am not a particularly adventurous type,
and so cannot boast of spectacular escapades in the wilderness. But in the
restricted birding I have done, I have found moments of great beauty and grace
that are sufficient to soothe a soul. On an outing with my birding group one
winter morning, we were watching some ducks on a small wetland, when an Osprey
appeared out of nowhere and dove for fish in front of an astonished birding
audience, disappearing below the water and then, in a trice, emerging and
lifting off with a large squirming fish in its talons. Mid-flight, it shook its
body to rid its feathers of water in an halo of spray and flew away with the
morning’s catch. It was a spectacular moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Another time,
another place, again a water body. A few of us sat on a bund, watching ducks
flying in to land on the water. As some came in, a few turned turtle in flight
and then uprighted before landing. What an unbelievable sight that was! No one
knows why they do it. It was so quiet, we could hear the wind in their wings –
a sound of tearing fabric – as they descended at high speed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">In birding, the
question to ask when looking at the bird is whether one is seeing it. To truly
do so, one has to be sensitive, discerning, patient, quiet, and still. Birds
will allow you into their world and the joys of watching birds are great,
wherever you are. I have gasped at the clever House Crow that dropped crisped
papad into waters so it did not splinter when eaten; at the song and dance of a
male lora trying to impress a visiting female; at the crazy monotone of the
Coppersmith Barbet; at the frenzy of male Baya Weavers when a female visits to
inspect the housing facilities before accepting her mate; at the ability of young
Pheasant-tailed Jacanas to sink into water when an adult cries ‘ware hawk’—in
alarm; in the comical but perfect ruse of plovers to lure away predators from
their young by the broken-wing (injured bird) display; by the awesome spectacle
of tens of thousand of flamingos staining a wetland like an algal bloom; by the
flocking of wagtails and pipits as they came to roost in a clump of reeds. All
these encounters were close to urban agglomerations. People often ask ‘Where do
you go to watch birds? Surely none but a few exist in cities?” But they are
ignorant. Cities have a thriving birdlife though it may be limited. And I am
not among those who wander the world with a shopping list of birds to be seen.
Once ticked, they’re done with it, and move on to the next one. I am happy in
my patch and with the birds found on it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">From
your understanding, does birding provide a legit means of income?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">There are several avenues for creating a
livelihood for persons who do not have an academic degree in ornithology but
are avid birders. What should be kept in mind by such people is that their
interest in birds should be expanded to include the bird’s environment to get a
more holistic picture of what is involved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">A person with a
degree in ornithology could pursue an academic career in teaching, curating
museum collections, join the government through the forest service, or other
positions that require qualified people. Even large corporates with extensive
campuses may need environmental experts. They may join environmental assessment
agencies or international or national conservation organisations that run
projects across the world. They could join or form their own tour companies to
plan, execute, and lead niche itineraries for the adventure-hungry tourist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Amateurs would perhaps
have to work harder. But they could also professionalise their passion in
writing books, in taking up photography, or even leading specialised tours on
their own. The idea is to capitalise on your speciality and tap the niche
market that searches for such a specialist. It all depends on how enterprising
one is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Being
the bibliophile that you are, would you say there are high quality books on
birds being published in India?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Indian publishers are hitching their wagons
to the birding books phenomenon but invariably piggy backing on international
publishers who have already put out books in the world market. The Bombay
Natural History Society is perhaps the only organisation that in collaboration
with Oxford University Press produces high quality natural history work. Other
Indian publishers like Permanent Black, Orient Blackswan, and Aleph have begun
their own imprints that cater to works on wildlife. But it is a mark of the
state of affairs when the two most popular birding field guides have non-Indian
authors. Except for Salim Ali’s large body of bird books and his incomparable
beginner’s guide Book of Indian Birds, very few original standalone volumes
have been published from a country with our 1200 species of birds, which have
made a resounding splash. Notable exceptions in recent years have been Rishad
Naoroji’s Birds of prey of the Indian Subcontinent, and Birds of Kerala by
Sashikumar Praveen, Palot & Nameer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Nature writing as
a genre has not caught on in India though there are several anthologies in the
market containing articles from various sources. But there is the glimmer of a
silver lining showing since a couple of years, even though the works I allude
to deal with larger environmental issues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">What
was your process of getting into your first book Birds In Books, a bibliography
of books on South Asian Ornithology?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">The book covers a small portion of the vast
library of published literature from this part of the world since 1750 – the
time of scientific ornithology, comprising over 30,000 papers. I realised early
on that there was no easy way to search through historical publications for
pertinent literature on any one species or place. So I compiled a database that
enables users do this at <a href="http://www.southasiaornith.in/">www.southasiaornith.in</a>.
Keeping it up to date is a full time job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">What
would be your general advice to anyone interested in pursuing birding?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">All pursuits have their own unique codes of
ethical conduct. So does birding, e.g, the bird and its safety always comes
first No matter how important it is to see it or photograph it, if in doing so,
its very survival is threatened, one must back off. Birders must realise they
are dealing with life forms that cannot comprehend them and vice versa; so
taking situations for granted as if it were a human situation may not work with
birds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Over time, as
one’s interest in birds grows, it is natural that one reads deeply about them
and the environment they live in; one will finally realise it is a common
environment we share. Through birds, we learn about our habitat and our role in
shaping (or destroying) it. I would advise people to enjoy birds. Follow rules
and the birders code of ethics. To advance ornithology, become a
citizen-scientist and post your lists on eBird. Stay alert about environmental
issues and participate in protecting wilderness areas. Read widely and spread
the art and joy of birding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Last
one. Which is your dream bird you’ve been in the pursuit of?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">I would love to answer “ the one I see
next” for that is how much I like watching them. But over time, some birds
become embedded in one’s imagination for various reasons. The endemic Bugun
Liocichla of Arunachal Pradesh is one such. It is an entirely new species that
was discovered as recently as 2006 by Raman Athreya and described to the world
though Indian BIRDS, a journal I edit. I would also like to witness the
spectacle of Amur Falcons flocking before their migration to Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">But frankly, I am
happy visiting the same places again and again, and watching the same species
repeatedly for if one gazes long enough, it is never the same place nor
species. Just like one does not step into the same river twice, you always
return to a different situation of habitat and life cycle of birds in your
patch.</span> </span></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-38106011846588321392017-04-20T16:32:00.000+05:302017-04-20T16:32:18.656+05:30From analog to digital<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://birdcount.in/analog-to-digital/" target="_blank">In Bird Count India: how I've documented birds</a></div>
Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-73321299467501304702016-09-12T07:43:00.002+05:302018-08-01T08:39:11.782+05:30An article featuring the India Checklist, and a bit more—by—Neha Sinha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://thewire.in/64901/birds-checklist-warbler-greenshank/" target="_blank">http://thewire.in/64901/birds-checklist-warbler-greenshank/</a></div>
Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-6196129714582400402016-09-12T07:43:00.001+05:302016-09-12T07:44:06.528+05:30An article featuring the India Checklist, and a bit more—by—Neha Sinha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://thewire.in/64901/birds-checklist-warbler-greenshank/" target="_blank">http://thewire.in/64901/birds-checklist-warbler-greenshank/</a></div>
Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-8913600427566124172016-08-17T23:54:00.002+05:302017-11-23T19:02:20.431+05:30Late night thoughts of an environment minister who never was<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The concept that wilderness is
not directed or controlled by man does not fit the scheme of things as
envisioned by this cabinet. These fools cannot understand why cranes are seen
now and then in certain habitats, and not always, or why they do not hurry
thither when needed. Cranes are not subject to censuses, as humans. They cannot
be ordered to stay put because census officials are going to drop in. Their
absence does not mean they are non-existent, or have abandoned the area just
because they are not present when required! A census of cranes has to occur
during crane time, or it is bound to fail. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">These people cannot comprehend
why a small population of cranes matters, or why a place of their intermittent occurrence
is as important as that of so called iconic species. That an entire world can
exist amidst an ecologically interrelated environment is beyond their ken,
whose myopia restricts their vision to a world created by man and fuelled by
the dread of the bottom-line; by the balance that weighs success or failure
annually rather than in cycles of years that suit the longer, ecological view
of our lonely planet. Tragically, such visionary, long views are in short
supply.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">My colleagues have intellects
that are hard wired to the short-term view. That is the limit of their horizon.
The longer view, one that considers earth time—that believes in the cycle of
seasons that modify landscapes—in its constant tick towards ecological
stability, is, well, Greek and Latin to them. Now, if even the babus, those with
the sharpest intellects, bend towards the dangerous concept of measuring the
worth of wilderness areas, and what that wilderness should ‘serve’, there is
something seriously wrong with our education system for one, and with us, as
humans, for another, for lucre is the maya that blindsides us from rationality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">These people need to understand
that the environment cannot be restarted, like some sick industry, with a dose
of capital. It cannot be restricted to a five-year development cycle.
Artificial time limits cannot govern natural time cycles; artificial inputs do
not easily return predictable results from ‘natural’ applications.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">And, unlike capital, land
cannot be created, for one cannot print topsoil, mint water, or write a cheque
to substitute trophic diversity; but protect these judiciously and the
country’s natural capital will boost her commerce among the nations of the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">How do I drill it into their
thick skulls that the natural wealth of a country is a gigantic fixed deposit
fund that is self-perpetuating. It has come free to us and therefore needs to
be assiduously protected and thriftily allocated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">In the country’s balance sheet,
its environment health is its primary intangible asset. If only governments
monetized it and weighed its annual loss, they would see the one-way drain on
the exchequer. Once this reaches a tipping point, no amount of restorative
packages will salvage the economy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Wilderness works without leave
or license from mankind, and even despite us. Nature cannot be forced to work
to our time schedules. Look to our children; are we able to make them adults
before two decades? If we allow them that time, then surely we can plan an
environmental revival that spans at least that time span as an incontrovertible
investment in their future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">By now you must have got the
hint why I never made it…</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-23995834562957332522015-08-13T21:39:00.000+05:302015-08-13T21:39:10.708+05:30A plague of pigeons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It is
difficult to imagine our iconic symbol of peace, the dove, metamorphose into an
emissary of death. That’s just what’s happening in our burgeoning and congested
urban areas. This is not some Hitchcockian vendetta. Indeed, the birds are
innocent and ignorant, but they have help—from us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am talking of the apparently innocent, slyly endearing
feral Rock Pigeon <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Columba livia</i>, aka
‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kabootar</i>’, or ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pavuram</i>’ (in Telugu). Before elaborating upon my seriously
accusatory beginning, let me fleetingly touch upon antecedents of pigeon-human
interactions. These birds originally inhabited rocks, and cliffs, where they
nested, and eked out their lives. But their association with mankind has
evolved over aeons. They’ve been a part of the weave of worldwide civilizations
and cultures.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
With the formation of towns and cities, they became our commensals, adapting to
the facilities our clustered environments provided them. It was a more involved
relationship in the past when we used them for sport and pastime, for service
(pigeon post), and as food. With the advance of our civilization, and the
diminution of leisure, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kabootarbazi</i>
has all but disappeared; technological advance in communications has retrenched
the messenger pigeons; and the poultry industry has removed the roast squab
from our menus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Our
spiritual inclinations too have fanned expansive pigeon colonization. The
Prophet Mohammed (AD 570–632) is thought to have received divine messages from
a dove sitting on his shoulder; the pigeon / dove is mentioned in the Rig Veda
(1500–2000 BC); for the Sikhs it is a bird of peace, always depicted with Guru
Gobind Singh, symbolizing amity and peace in fractious times; and had the dove
not returned at eventide with a fresh sprig in its beak, poor Noah would have
had a hard time of it [Source: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/html/about-pigeons.html">www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/html/about-pigeons.html</a></span><span lang="EN-US">]. Rationality
has seldom been religion’s strength. The nuance and symbolism of religion and
history have become gospel, and human acts related to them, even if irrational,
assume the invisible sanction of communities at large, and the faithful in
particular. In a world torn apart by fractious sectarian strife, we ‘worship’ this
symbol of peace, pandering a mere icon, and ignoring the message in real life
situations. Such misguided whims radiate through communities and congeal into deceptive
folly. Blind faith can be a Trojan horse. The explosion of rock pigeon
populations in our cities is a direct result of this conundrum. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
compassionate act of feeding pigeons has become an overzealous absurdity that
supposedly imparts spiritually elevated feelings of benevolence. In our religious
fervor we feed feral pigeons vast quantities of grain. We strew it charitably
in public places and enjoy emotions of well being from this act of ‘piety’, but
spilt grain brings not peace, only huge quantities of poop from booming pigeon
populations! No scripture desires the faithful to feed pigeons enmasse, though
they warn of the folly of excess, which we conveniently forget.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile,
the birds have become emboldened beyond redemption. Their Pavlovian instincts
are easy to train. With an unending, year-round supply of grain, and water,
they need only breed and perpetuate their kind. Our beehive-dense urban agglomerations
provide a plethora of ideal nesting places where pigeons breed unhindered.
Their traditional predators, Peregrine Falcons, are migrants to India,
preferring to patrol coastal areas. Few come inland. Their resident cousin, the
Shaheen, is a forest dweller. Feral cats are simply too few, and have easier
food available to them, from our garbage, to bother expending energy hunting
pigeons. Feral pigeons prosper in this heavenly urbania.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The problem<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The problem
with feral pigeons is that they produce major antigens from their droppings,
feathers, and blood that cause diseases in humans. This is a known historical
fact amongst pigeon fanciers—those who indulge in ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kabootarbazee</i>’. People who have dovecotes, who race pigeons, or
once used them to carry messages, are prone to the malady called
‘pigeon-fancier’s lung’; a pulmonary condition. Pigeons, along with other birds
like parakeets, and ducks also cause a number of other zoonotic diseases:
Histoplasmosis (caused by the airborne fungus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Histoplasma capsulatum</i>, which grows in the bird’s droppings.),
Cryptococcosis (another fungus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cryptococcus
neoformans</i>); Psittacosis, Toxoplasmosis, etc. When pigeons are concentrated
in large numbers, and live in close proximity to us, the chances of infection increases
alarmingly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
grave concern about the relationship between feral pigeons and human health is the
bird’s unrestricted population explosion in congested urban built up areas. We
live in dangerously close contact with them, given the number of diseases they
cause. We pamper them with food and water, we accept them as neighbours, we tolerate
their droppings, their feathers, the mess of their nests, and their
vocalisations. We accept all this because living in unsanitary surrounds does
not seem to bother us. We are a tolerant lot. As long as the garbage is outside
our homes, our compounds, it’s not our problem. We don’t also complain to civic
authorities for the result of that is, invariably, a series of unwanted
headaches; not the desired remedy. We also tend to ignore the fact that
epidemics explode in congested areas in which the causative antigen-producing agent
is also included.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The disease<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In recent
years it has been established that pigeons are one of the causes of a somewhat mysterious
lung disease, Hypersensitive Pneumonitis (‘HP’), which is one of the several forms
of Pulmonary Fibrosis. HP suggests itself on a chest X-ray and produces a
distinctive pattern on a CT scan. The threat is so serious, that Pulmonologists
frequently advise their patients to rid their environs of pigeons, or even change
their neighborhoods!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To
be fair to the bird, there are nearly 150 other identified causes for Pulmonary
Fibrosis, related in one way or another largely to moldy substances, or the presence
of dust in the various forms of work that men and women do. Contaminated water,
extremely humid work conditions, and various chemicals are also suspect. Given
this variety of causes, implicating the pigeon may prove difficult—and indeed, seem
a tad extreme to some people. Yet, it cannot be denied that the pigeon is one
of the commonest offenders in the propagation of HP, and doctors find it
difficult to ignore such a patently obvious aetiological agent—especially one
that can be<s> </s>‘eliminated’ easily (see below).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We
don’t know yet why Pulmonary Fibrosis strikes, and we don’t know yet how to
cure it. Till a cure is found, we need to tackle what’s known: Whether this
involves giving up some habits, curbing irrational pseudo-religious activities,
or reducing unnaturally burgeoning wild animal / bird populations. Our
addictions, even to vague religious sentiments, make us overwhelmingly selfish.
We crave satiety at any cost—until the addiction catches up with the addict, or
a loved one. (Tobacco ravages mankind like a scourge; yet it is sustained by
the economies it spawns.) But the feral pigeon is no longer a commercial option.
It merrily thrives on our gullibility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile,
Pulmonary Fibrosis is making rapid and catastrophic progress in our urban
areas. People working in certain professions, or atmospheric conditions, are
more prone to it historically. But the urban pigeon problem has now created a
‘new’ source of the disease, which now strikes unchallenged across the spectrum
of our social orders. A majority of its tragic victims remain unknown, but
there are some it has struck, or felled that we have held in high esteem:
Marlon Brando, Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Laurance Rockefeller, James
Doohan (Star Trek), Peter Benchley (author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jaws</i>), and many others.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Once afflicted,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
a patient is prescribed cortico-steroidal drugs, which have the potential to suppress
the natural immune defenses of the body. The soft tissue of the lungs gradually
stiffens like cardboard, effectively dying, shrinking the tissue that helps absorb
the life-giving oxygen into the blood.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Breathing becomes an ordeal for the patient. Simple actions like talking,
sitting down, standing up, sleeping and turning in bed, eating, drinking, all result
in erratic levels of breathlessness, becoming moments of discomfort and adversity,
and indeed, even fear and apprehension. Gradually even the personal dignity of
privacy in toilets is compromised. No one should suffer this if we can help it,
or even mitigate it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A solution<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">All is not
lost. There is at least a partial solution to the problem. We have encouraged
and allowed the feral pigeon to expand its populations without bounds. It is in
our hands to reduce its numbers. The remedy is simple; it involves no action,
and saves money all around, a win-win situation really. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let us resolve to stop feeding pigeons</i>. Stop scattering grain in
public places, in open spaces, on rooftops, on pavements, in compounds, and
around places of worship (disease knows no religion). Pigeon populations will
automatically collapse. Let us make the feeding of pigeons in public places a
punishable offence (by imposing fines), as has been done with resounding
success around Trafalgar Square in London, and in several other cities,
including San Francisco, Venice, Albuquerque, New Jersey, Ontario, etc. The
Municipal Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad should take action under Section
565 of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Without
food pigeon populations will crash. The birds will not breed. They will
gradually thin out, and disperse into an increasingly wider geographical area.
The processes of nature will take over, forcing them to forage for
themselves—as it should be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Human
suffering will reduce, lives, and money will be saved—no more expense on grain,
on sanitation, and no more filthy buildings. Those with charitable inclinations
might even reorient their largess towards destitute and poor people. Let us
restore this fallen dove of death to its rightful place as an icon of amity and
goodwill.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> Cocker, M.,
& Tipling, D., 2013. <i>Birds and people. </i>1st ed. London: Jonathan
Cape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pp. 1–592.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hollywood-takes-notice-of-little-known-deadly-lung-disease-57073572.html">http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hollywood-takes-notice-of-little-known-deadly-lung-disease-57073572.html</a></span><span lang="EN-US">; </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/pulmonary-fibrosis-association-of-texas-inc/discussions/messages/3369764">http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/pulmonary-fibrosis-association-of-texas-inc/discussions/messages/3369764</a></span><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> Statically
data is lacking, but anecdotal impressions of pulmonologists indicate scores of
new cases of ILD every week just in Hyderabad. Projections for the country
boggle the mind. There cannot be a more compelling reason to tackle the pigeon
problem swiftly and resolutely.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=11248101#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> ILD affects
the interstitium, a lace-like network of tissue, which is a part of the lungs’
anatomical structure. This gets scarred, causing, what is called, Idiopathic
[=the cause of which is unknown] Pulmonary Fibrosis [=scarring].</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-74013487153550736622015-07-30T22:47:00.002+05:302015-07-30T22:47:33.526+05:30Delayed flight doodling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-82104882051497502032015-07-30T21:55:00.000+05:302015-07-30T21:55:17.879+05:30In the lap of nature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-81455152432757304142015-07-30T21:36:00.004+05:302015-07-30T21:43:40.820+05:30The old man and the sea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The title is, of course, borrowed [with profound apologies] from that of Ernest Hemingway's Nobel-clinching novella. I've conceptualised a man at sea, perhaps fishing, but away from his world, immersed in himself. Far out at sea, out of sight of land, it must be another world altogether. But the terrestrial home that he inhabits, exists all the same, looming in the background, or in his thoughts.</span><br />
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-10702186862538661712015-07-30T21:20:00.000+05:302015-07-30T21:20:26.223+05:30There be worlds out there we know not of<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-7218889191938397432015-07-30T21:17:00.000+05:302015-07-30T21:17:42.200+05:30El-Nino: a concept<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Doodling, is fun, relaxing, and can become meditative for it stills the mind with repetition. Here I conceptualise the El-Nino phenomenon of unpredictable weather conditions, and the human condition.</span></div>
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-74204867077813770662015-07-17T21:43:00.000+05:302015-07-17T21:43:08.056+05:30'Quandaries': A blog post by Nimesh Ved, and my response<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nimesh Ved's ruminative blogpost, "<a href="http://nimesh-ved.blogspot.in/2015/05/quandaries-along-journey-on-wildlife.html" target="_blank">Quandaries along a journey on wildlife conservation</a>", started a chain of thought in my mind, about the importance of the written record. I wrote him a letter, that I wish to share with you, and again, hope for a larger dialogue. Do make time to post your thoughts. Both, Nimesh, and I will benefit; and who knows, who else might!</span><br />
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Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11248101.post-57521068408286281222015-07-17T21:28:00.001+05:302015-10-09T23:27:25.475+05:30Provoked by 'Road to perdition' by Sinha & Shankar Raman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My friends, Neha Sinha, and T. R. Shankar Raman wrote a thought-provoking piece called <a href="http://fountainink.in/?p=7197" target="_blank">Road to perdition, in <i>Fountain Ink</i></a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"</span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 26px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The central government has started relaxing norms that protect the environment in favour of industry and development projects, leading to loss of forests, habitat, and wildlife".</span></em></span><br />
<em style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 26px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></em>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 26px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wrote back to them, for I felt strongly about the topic. I am posting my letter here, because I would like a wider discussion on how we write about environmental conservation in India. I hope it begins a dialogue. You are welcome to widen the conversation with your comments here.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 26px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 26px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">"In the spirit of taking the conversation ahead," here is Sridhar's must-read response: <a href="http://coyot.es/elephanthills/2015/10/09/writing-about-the-environment-a-letter/" target="_blank">'Writing about the environment'</a>.</span></span></div>
Aasheeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163572077108930586noreply@blogger.com1