let’s make our planet greener!
Rivers – the birthplace of civilisations, the carriers of history, the protagonists of many myths, and also the seats of many a conflict and resolution. What secrets do they carry? Here are some of our favourite books on Indian rivers – from tracing history, to contemporary commentary, these books give a lot more insight into our rivers that are the nation’s lifelines.
An intimate portrait of one of the world’s largest and widest rivers, River Traveller by veteran journalist Sanjoy Hazarika chronicles the author’s journeys down the river over more than two decades. Charting through the course of the river from Tibet to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Bangladesh, documenting history and observing the lives of people depending on it for a living, this book touches on multiple subjects.
Did you know that humanity’s first mirror was a body of water? Long before metal and glass surfaces, our ancestors peered into rivers and ponds to see what they looked like without a fellow being having to groom them to their liking. This discovery was so captivating (as the Greek legend goes) that Narcissus, son of the river god Cephissus, was unable to look away when he caught sight of his reflection.
For many of us, especially readers of this newsletter, the call of the wild is more than just an earworm; it is a constant tug at our knotted hearts and wandering minds that propels us to commit to nature one way or the other. The decision to do my bit for nature through the written word was a recent one.…
SOS was the winner of the GLF Short Story Competition for students aged 12 to 16, held in November. The winning story was chosen by celebrated author and conservationist Ishan Shanavas. Set in a dystopian future, SOS is narrated by a member of an evolved, novel species of technology-dependent humans. The story explores the gravity of the present when knowledge fails to translate into action.
Mukul Sharma is a professor of environmental studies at Ashoka University in Sonepat, Haryana. His book Dalit Ecologies: Caste and Environment Justice (2024), which is a sequel to his work Caste and Nature: Dalits and Indian Environmental Politics (2017), is shortlisted for the Green Honour Book Awards in the Fiction/Non-fiction category. Published by Cambridge University Press, it draws attention to the erasure of caste from the mainstream environmental justice discourse in India and champions Dalit perspectives to challenge “eco-casteism”. In this interview, he discusses his academic research as well as his pedagogic practice in detail.
The uniqueness of India and its Indianness lies in its natural diversity. The ancient sages and saints made efforts to bind man with nature. Since ancient times, poets have composed verses in Telugu language with nature as the focal point. In Telugu literature, animals like snakes, spiders and elephants were shown crossing the boundaries of devotion. The epic Kalahastishwara Mahatmyam Kavya, written by Dhurjati, the court poet of Sri Krishna Devaraya, is an example. Humans learnt the form of Satvik Bhakti from Shri (Spider), Kaala (snake) and Hasti (elephant), which are not domestic creatures.
The uniqueness of India and its Indianness lies in its natural diversity. The ancient sages and saints made efforts to bind man with nature. Since ancient times, poets have composed verses in Telugu language with nature as the focal point. In Telugu literature, animals like snakes, spiders and elephants were shown crossing the boundaries of devotion. The epic Kalahastishwara Mahatmyam Kavya, written by Dhurjati, the court poet of Sri Krishna Devaraya, is an example. Humans learnt the form of Satvik Bhakti from Shri (Spider), Kaala (snake) and Hasti (elephant), which are not domestic creatures.
What does it mean for a literary work to have land as the protagonist? Can land be the towering presence through which art flows? Land and its accompanying tales have contributed to the social, mental and spiritual construction of space. What role did landscapes play in the journey of societies and their understanding? Poet and philologist Kanya explores the enchanting intricacies of land in fiction.
It is high time architects, builders, and city planners make nature an integral part of design. Urban decay is largely because nature is seen as an ornamental factor. Is it high time for Rewilding cities?