Rohan Chakravarty's Blog, page 2

World Frog Day with the Purple Frog

Join the endemic Purple Frogs for some underground JOMO this World Frog Day!
Comic for my RoundGlass Sustain column.

Mahua Season

It's Mahua season in Indian forests! Cartoon for The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Carbon Credits

How carbon credits 'magically' transform the planet! From my GoComics page also available royalty free on CartoonStock.

Green Credits Programme

After earning a dubious reputation the world over, carbon credits are coming to India in the form of the Green Credits Programme. After decades of consistently failing to preserve wetlands, grasslands and scrublands, the MoEFCC and the Government of India refuse to even recognize these as crucial ecosystems. Cartoon from my column with The Hindu. 

Whale Hybridization

New studies have found that hybridization between two of the largest animals on earth- the Blue Whale and the Fin Whale, is far more common than previously thought. What's more, some of these hybrids have also found to be fertile, indicating the occurrence to be beneficial particularly for the endangered Blue Whale! 
Cartoon for Roundglass Sustain. 

Nepal: Mountains, People, Biodiversity

(click on the image for a larger view)

Every mountaineer dreams of summiting the Himalayas where they are at their mightiest- Nepal. As an illustrator and an orophile, my dream of summiting Nepal's mountains was through drawing them, and this map of our beautiful neighbour's biodiversity, mountains and people, created for the International Mountain Museum at Pokhara, was the perfect opportunity! From the tallest peaks in the world to the most pristine grasslands, from creatures as large as the Wild Yak and the bone-cracking Lammergeiers, to the diminutive Hispid Hare and the Himalayan Newt, from intricate architectural marvels like the Darbar Square monuments to the rustic Mustang Caves, here is Nepal in all its glory.

Nepal's majesty, mystique and aura can never be justly captured in illustration, and certainly not contemporary illustration. So when this challenge was thrown at me, I was convinced that incorporating stylistic elements from its indigenous art form Paubha (the precursor to Himalayan Thangka) would be the only way of doing justice to a project of this nature. I must convey a huge thanks to Samuel Thomas for facilitating a visit to the veteran Nepalese Paubha artist Lok Chitrakar's art studio, where I received some very important quick tips and insights into not just the art form but also the mind of the Paubha artists who he trains. 

The map will soon be on display at the International Mountain Museum. If you happen to visit Pokhara, do pay the museum a visit!

Marine Soundscapes and Ocean Health

Soundscapes recorded on acoustic recorders give us an idea of changes, both natural and human-made, to wild habitats.

What song would you play if you were a reef fish facing an acoustic recorder?

Cartoon for DW Environment.

The Indian Metropolis Growth Model

Growth, Indian metropolis style. Cartoon for The Hindu.

Termite Mimic Rove Beetle

Word of the day, especially while you're reading this comic: Pupaphobia. No, not a fear of pupae, but the fear of puppets! Meet the termite-mimic rove beetle recently discovered from Australia that grows an entire termite puppet from its abdomen to fool termites!
Green Humour for DW Environment. 

State of World Migratory Species

A hilsa, one of our most popular migratory fish imperiled by dams and overfishing, summarises the findings of the first 'State of the World's Migratory Species' report, published recently by the CMS (UN). 
Cartoon for The Hindu Sunday Magazine.