Rohan Chakravarty's Blog, page 51

Kottigehar Dancing Frog

An infographic done for ATREE PhD scholar and EDGE fellow Madhushri Mudke's study species, the endemic and endangered Kottigehar Dancing Frog. Found only in Karnataka's Western Ghats, the frog we have nicknamed 'Kappendra' can be seen having a dance-off with Kannada superstar Upendra in our infographic. A few 'teasers' that pay homage to the hand-drawn film poposters of Kannada cinema have also been designed in order to popularize the species in its home state. The infographic too will be translated to Kannada soon.
A big thanks to Madhushri for commissioning me for the project, and for taking me along to actually see the frog in its habitat. The infographic appears along with an article I wrote (my first!) on the Kottigehar Dancing Frog with Madhushri for Roundglass Sustain here. Thanks also to wildlife filmmaker Sugandhi Gadadhar for helping us with the Kannada translation of the teaser.
Read the split panels from the infographic below:

The Mauritius Oil Spill

On the oil spill by Japanese vessel MV Wakashio off Mauritius, which has prompted the government of Mauritius to declare a national emergency in the country, from my Gocomics page. The spill is expected to endanger marine life and livelihoods in an unprecedented manner.

Anti-National Hangul

Jammu and Kashmir's state animal, the Hangul asks some 'anti-national' questions in my column with The Hindu. 

Portuguese Man o War meets Vasco da Gama

So who's the first Portuguese on Indian soil? Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain. (The Portuguese Man O' War is a siphonophore, closely related to jellyfish, found commonly on Indian shores, and called so because of its resemblance to Portuguese warships known as man o' wars)

Maharashtra's State Mangrove Tree

Last week, the CM of Maharashtra made a historic announcement: the declaration of the mangrove Sonneratia alba, or White Chippi, as the state mangrove tree, making Maharashtra the first state in India to have a state mangrove symbol. Mangrove conservation however, continues to suffer from ill-conceived linear development not just in Maharashtra but all other states they are found in. In Mumbai itself, the Coastal Road and the expansion of the Mumbai Metro are taking a toll on the city's existing mangrove cover.
Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. 

Cicada Kinks

Sure, you can be kinky, but you can never be cicada-kinky! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

World Elephant Day and the Draft EIA

Dear MoEFCC, launching greenwashing publications on elephant conflict management on World Elephant Day makes no sense when you're all set to auction elephant habitat off to mines and development projects with the Draft EIA 2020.

Railway Line through Meghat

A proposal by the Central Government t expand the Akola-Khandwa Railway Line through Melghat Tiger Reserve could pose a threat to endangered wildlife like tigers and Melghat's flagship icon, the Forest Owlet, which was rediscovered from this forest. Fortunately, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra seems firm in his resolve to push for alternatives instead of expanding the line through the reserve and fragmenting wildlife habitat.
Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Governments and Indigenous People

At a time when conservationists around the world are realizing that the very foundations of conservation need a reboot to not just involve but revolve around indigenous knowledge, indigenous peoples of the world are facing persecution and injustice from their governments. In India, the most recent blow to the rights of forest-dwelling indigenous tribes is the Draft EIA 2020, which takes the rights to participate in decision-making and raise objections to developmental projects in their own lands away from them.
Cartoon from my Gocomics page on World Indigenous Day.

Capuchin Monkey Cartoons

Capuchin Monkey cartoons done for the Turkish kids magazine Arastirmaci Cocuk Merkezi.