Blog
Under the Ashoka Tree: A Lesson in Quiet Strength
Every morning, while walking through my school campus, I pass by a tall Ashoka tree that stands silently near the pathway. At first glance, it looks like just another tree among many, but one day my attention was caught by something unusual—bright red-orange...
Only Change is Guaranteed
The season is changing, the year is changing, the world is changing, and so are we. For the longest time, I had a large inertia about my principles and the world around me. But today, I believe that change is the only permanent thing in this universe. This change...
Seeing Trees Differently: Lessons from an Urban Nature Walk
Organising a nature walk may seem straightforward—find a forest trail, and a group of enthusiastic participants will readily follow. However, the experience changes in an urban setting. City life moves at a faster pace, and places with rich tree diversity are often...
Treeding adventures and the Sapota Tree
The day went by collecting fruits, cutting fruit and munching on watermelon. As evening approached, my neighbour, Dr Punith and I started our evening shuttle badminton play ritual. Before the play, every day, we walked past some trees, 5 different ones, including...
The Timeless Witness
At the edge of a winding road stands a banyan tree, its roots sinking deep into the soil, its aerial strands swaying like threads of time. In the heart of the village, another banyan grows from an old stone platform, the circular seat around it now cracked with...
My Encounter with Trees
I have been lucky to live among trees since my early childhood, which I spent with my family (parents, brother, and sister) in FRI (Forest Research Institute), Dehra Dun. My father was a research chemist, and my mother, a housewife, was also the secretary of the...
The Tree Leaf that Raised a Wasp
How often do we pause to look beneath a leaf? Have you ever felt curious about the secret lives of insects and how they interact with trees or other creatures? Every tree we pass by holds a secret and a new story waiting to unfold. My story is about one such...
Not Alien, Nor Exotic
When I started my PhD research field work, I had to change my shoes until I found a pair of thick-soled leather shoes that would survive the thorns of the Prosopis tree. The thorns were unlike anything I had seen, similar to Acacia, but longer, and extremely easy...
The Whistle Tree
The delicate light green leaves tremble in the heat, providing much-needed respite from the sun. I stand with my family on the side of the road at the start of our village, looking up at the grandeur of this gnarled old tree. We're waiting for the bus to go back...
How Mangrove Trees Whisper to Dolphins: Nature’s Secret Language in the Sundarbans
The Sundarbans is a place where trees talk to the sea. Not with words, but through the silent language of seasons, salinity, and survival. As the tides ebb and flow through this labyrinth of mangrove roots, an extraordinary conversation unfolds between the forest...
मैं पलाश हूं
मैं पलाश हूँ , सदियों से परिंदों के सुकून की तलाश हूँ, मौसमों की पहली पुकार हूँ, और अब, शायद… तुम्हारी याद में खोती जा रही एक आवाज़। में हूं एक पुराना, सीधा-सादा पेड़ — ना ज़्यादा ऊँचा, ना बहुत घना ,पर जब वसंत आता है, तो पूरा जंगल मेरी ओर देखने लगता है। मुझसे कोई...