Hi, I’m speaking to the most passionate, naturalist/researcher/herpetologist-on-ground in the Andamans - Nariman Vazifdar. We discuss the biodiversity of the archipelago – which is mostly unexplored islands with individual unique species.  He speaks about the rainforest of the islands and he enlightens us about the hardwood Bullet wood tree and the Superior wood; and the historical connection involving British rule and the Japanese and their impact on the local indigenous tribes, flora and fauna. Nariman also speaks of invasive/introduced species like stray dogs which are now a threat to ..read more

I am speaking with two plant and tree lovers, basically tree experts with extraordinary insights, botanical facts, myths, history, current issues and personal stories relating to four florae of their choice. My guest Mallika Ravikumar is a lawyer-turned-writer. She writes about history, culture and nature has authored over six books mostly for children. Nishanth Srinivas is based out of Shillong, and is working with an NGO called Conservation Initiatives. He specializes in satellite mapping and is interested in human–elephant interactions and landscape ecology. Show notes coming soon on my blo ..read more

Show notes are now on earthymatters.blog In episode #33 I’m speaking to Dr Suresh Kumar, a remarkable wildlife biologist from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who specializes in animal ecology, migration and movement studies, conservation biology. In his pursuit of wildlife conservation, he has discovered a new species of pheasant, studied macaques, used satellite telemetry to obverse the distribution of olive ridley turtles, tagged and followed the long-distance migration patterns of the Amur falcon, and mapped habitats of the Great Indian Bustard. My second guest is Amarjeet Kaur, Toge ..read more

The dugong is a Schedule 1 species in India, accorded the same protection as the Tiger but we barely know anything about it. My three amazing guests on episode#32 are researching Dugongs in three coastal pockets of India and doing a fantastic job as far as I can tell. I learnt a great deal about a mammal in my backyard which I was clueless about till now. Hope you enjoy listening to Prachi Sachchidanand Hatkar, Chinmaya Ghanekar and Swapnali Gole of their work with Dugongs as much as I did. Cover Dugong Photo Credits: Darius Quadros. Researchers photos courtesy Swapnali, Chinmaya and Prachi ..read more

Transcript coming soon on Earthy matters (my blog). Radhika wears multiple hats as a coastal geographer, geospatial analyst, National Geographic Explorer. She is a Research Fellow at the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions working with wetland conservation in Asia. She recently completed her PhD at the National University of Singapore. We discuss the world's largest delta in detail covering the mangrove species, the only tiger species that lives in a mangrove and which probably has to climb a tree twice a day during high tide; the adapatibility of species, a resilient community and t ..read more

My guest is already famous for his visually enticing maps but he is not a cartographer by profession. I am speaking to one of India’s rising young, inspiring artist (NIFT) and author, Sudarshan Shaw whose keen sense of perception and belonging, passion for depicting, preserving local art, and love for natural history is tangible in his stunning artworks which goes way beyond creating maps. Thank you for joining me. Show notes/transcript will soon be available on my blog Earthy Matters. In the meanwhile do listen and share ..read more

I speak with Ishita, a very brave and humble hero who happens to one of the pioneers of responsible tourism in a high himalayan desert called Spiti where she is the co-founder of Spiti-Ecosphere, a multi-award winning eco-tourism enterprise. Listen to what it takes to make toursim viable in a time when there were no proper roads to spiti (20 years ago to now) and how they face and overcome challenges post pandemic and succed at community based toursim in sureal Spiti ..read more

In Part 2, I continue my conversation with Jayanthi Kallam, Executive Director of Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre in Bangalore and part of her amazing team including Subeksha, Ranjana, Samiiha and Veerababu to find out what it takes to make a wildlife rehabilitation centre an efficient and successful one. Show notes for Part 1 & 2 are already up on my blog: Earthy Matters ..read more

We may all have at some point in our lives have called an animal rescue centre. But how many of us know you know what goes after the animals is picked up? How many people does it take to look after an injured animal? What goes on behind the scenes? I’m speaking with the Executive Director of Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC), Jayanthi Kalam and the ARRC team in Bangalore to find out what makes a wildlife-rescue centre a professionally run enterprise. Listen to her explain the different goals and roles that are part of the wildlife rehabilitation process. I’m also speaking with a w ..read more

It is not every day a yet-to-hatch cuttlefish looks straight at you through its thin egg membrane. The incredible photo ( on the podcast cover) is taken by Shaunak Modi. He tells us about his unique experiences on his journey of discovery as the co-founder of Coastal Conservation Foundation and a key member of the Marine Life of Mumbai. Listen to his amazing stories and find out how CCF in collaboration with other organizations is bringing the treasures of the sea to the people of Mumbai and taking citizen science to new shores and the minds of locals. You'll be surprised. The show notes for t ..read more