WELCOME 2024

 
 
‘So far 2023 for a nature enthusiast…’
 
 

As the year 2023 comes to an end, here are some of the milestones that I crossed during this year in the journey as a nature enthusiast.

 
Poems shared on Science Next Door have always been my prime activity this year. It was mostly on species I met and issues related to nature and Earth. Now the total poem shared with Science Next Door is 102. Sharing the poems that were published this year…
 
 
Apart from poems to Science Next Door, I shared some poems with similar themes that got published on spillwords.com 
 
A year that has witnessed riots, wars, terrorism and man-made calamities…I wish for a sustainable future of humankind, regeneration and preservation of nature…So I say that 
 
A few years of travel in some of the wildlife habitats made me think about how people must treat these sensitive places.  First we must remember that we are guests here and wildlife are the owners of these habitats.  Sharing some thoughts about being courteous guests in wildlife habitats. Thanks for this illustration by Sonali.R. Kulkarni. Thanks to the team Youth For Nature for sharing this poem on eco- tourism. 
 
 
 
 
Developing on the same theme about wildlife tourists and wildlife habitats, I wrote an Op-ed piece on the popular news portal EastMojo 
 
 
 
Not only publishing my work but introducing them in various platforms have been my endeavour this year and that too have been successful 
 
Like sharing the poem  WWF-India’s Environmental Information, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme (WWF EIACP PC RP) along with MoEF&CC gave me the honour of reading my poem and giving it a special mention award during the poetry competition related World Wildlife Day 
 
 
Wenaturalist has been supporting me by giving me a platform to share my thoughts and works related to nature for the past two years and I am grateful that they recognised my work in various ways.
 
My photograph was selected as 
 
 
Twice got selected for the Story of the Month Series for the Month of May and July
 
In May for
In July for
 
 
Poem on Plastic Pollution got Third prize in the Plastic Free July Challenge writing competition conducted by Sunshine Environment Magazine
 
This poem also got published on Sunshine Environment Magazine
 
 
Involving in Citizen science efforts and promoting them is also part of the journey that I pursue.
 
Thanks for the recognition given by State of Indian Birds for my effort promoting and participating in bird counting events
 
Even WWF India during their Dragonfly Festival 2023 gave consolation prize for my photography on Dragonflies and special mention on my poem related to Damselflies 
 
WWF also featured my works on their website under the topic ‘Protecting Nature, one volunteer at a time’
 
 
Now the highlight of this year was winning the Runner-up award for
 
 
 
I am grateful to share my thoughts on nature writing and observation during nature trails in the

Earthy Speaks Podcast, hosted by The Young Environmentalist Manya Harsha

 
I hope New Year will provide new opportunities and journeys for my work related to nature and I will find  improvised ways of storytelling to express my passion towards biodiversity conservation. 
 
 

Living Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: An Owl’s Distress Call

by admin· February 10, 2021· in Environment, Nature, Photography, Writing· 0 comments · animalstories, birdstories, conflict, conservation, delhibird, ferals, observation, owl, poem, respect, stories, urban, wild, wildlife
  ‘With an expression that seems like we are scowling, Known as the masters in the art of prowling, Some do give a sign of their presence with a screech,  Definitely we prefer homes that are out of human’s reach, Maybe in the woods, scraps or an old building, Whichever suits a perfect spot for hiding, If our choices make you wary, Life otherwise for us will be scary, The ability to turn our heads around, Keeps us away from dangers that can hound, Our piercing look is haunting as some may say,  But that helps us fix our focus on our prey, Sometimes funny or uncanny, you might find our bobbing act, That’s a way to adjust our vision as a matter of fact, There is much more you can know about us, If you let go of all that eerie fuss, Persecuted for centuries as a representative of bad omens and death, It’s time for you to change this blind faith, There are many more things that need your attention, Stop indirectly harming us with rodent poison and pollution, For your pests our clan provides a solution, Far better than the chemicals which lead your race into the path […]
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So Far 2020 For a Nature Enthusiast

by admin· December 29, 2020· in Environment, Nature, Photography, Writing· 1 comments · environment, nature, photogaphy, poem, writing
Various reasons kept me at home, travel was not an option in 2020, but there was a silver lining In the beginning of 2020,  it seemed like the option left for me was to focus more on home biodiversity and keep reading on topics regarding nature. It was time to keep the writing about nature without hindrance and thankfully there were opportunities to share those with others through websites. First one to get published in the year 2020 was my poem about Great Indian Bustards and the issues they face in their fight against the danger of being extinct from the face of Earth. The Great Indian Bustards’ Plea was published on spillwords.com and was one of the few contributions that I shared with this website in the year 2020. In March I was selected as Gallery Member of the Month for Saevus Wildlife for that month. This gave me an opportunity to showcase my images and share my experiences in the Saevus Wildlife social media handles in their Tete-a-tete with Gallery Members and also my interview was published in their magazine June-Nov edition. As the lockdown in India due to Covid 19 was announced and we had to stay indoors […]
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Mankind’s tryst with missing and messing nature

by admin· September 11, 2020· in Environment· 2 comments · conservation, earth, environment, our planet, wildlife
                                       
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A Pet’s Covid Dilemma

by admin· June 30, 2020· in Animal Rescue· 0 comments
A PET’S COVID DILEMMA…. I am a pet next door, Who looked for people to pat me more, Out from home I got a lot of attention,  Always made most of that situation,  Goofiness was my trait, And everyone fall for that bait, How wonderful were those days, There were smiles on everyone’s face,  Suddenly everything changed, What led Humans to stay as if caged? Every day when my human take me out for the task, Why he always have to wear a mask? From what I could hear, They have a disease to fear, When we walked people won’t come near, My walk became more easier, As for few days the roads were clear, It was only me and my human on my rear, At home all my family were there, Glad to have their love and care, But still I could sense the tension in the air, When my neighbours didn’t place their hands on my hair, I could feel how much they love to pat, But stayed away and refused to act, No more cuddles and sweet talk, They just said Hi and took a walk, I looked up and saw some in their balcony, When our […]
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A Mother’s Sacrifice….

by admin· May 14, 2020· in Animal Rescue· 2 comments
(Representative Image) It was not a regular day for her, she has to go near human settlements. Food is scarce; the old ways of searching for food haven’t been forgotten by manmade obstacles have covered their paths—ones that they have used and known for centuries. Roads and vehicles of various sizes send shivers down her spine.  The most dangerous are the railway tracks that they have to cross in their search for water. A metal giant rolls itself through those noisy paths and smashes everything that comes its way. Only a few days ago one of the male elephants got hit by it—the train. She and her herd had stood helpless, watching his body being dragged for a few meters before the locomotive finally came to a halt.  She told herself she will never allow her child to go near those tracks. But now, she will have to go near the village to get food for herself and the young one. It is not easy to get there. The fence surrounding the fields has been electrified. A mere touch could prove fatal for her. It is also difficult for her to hide in the field. Villagers know her herd will […]
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