Category list
- Western Ghats
- The Western Ghats are a collection of heterogeneous geological formations that separate the wet Malabar Coast from the arid interiors of the Indian peninsula. They play a key role in directing the South Western monsoon and providing water to peninsular India’s thirsty plains. Starting at the tip of India at Kanyakumari, the mountains rise abruptly from the sea and plains. The Western Ghats continue in a nearly unbroken 1,600 kilometers mountainous spine and end at the Tapi River on the border between Maharashtra and Gujarat. From Karnataka northwards, the Ghats meet the expansive Deccan Plateau. The northern reaches of the Ghats, called the Sahyadris, are younger volcanic mountains and are a unique physical feature in South Asia. Compared to the southern Ghats these ranges are lower in elevation. The Sahyadris fall in steep, dramatic ‘ghats’ (steps) to the sea along the Konkan coast north of Goa. It is here, in places like the hill station of Mahabaleshwar, that one can see the obvious reasons for the name “Western Ghats.”
The southern Western Ghats include the Ashumba, Anaimalai, Cardamom, Palni and Nilgiri Hills. These hill ranges are made up of very old horsts that were uplifted in Pre-Cambrian times. Biologically rich, the Western Ghats are blessed with high rates of endemism (a term used to describe species that are isolated to a limited area and found nowhere else). In recent years as a global alarm has sounded on declining biodiversity, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka have been designated as one of 25 “Global Biodiversity Hotspots.” This designation made by Conservation International, one of the leading organizations dealing with biodiversity, considers the two mountain ranges as one critical unit under threat from anthropocentric forces.
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh is a nation that is regrettably too often confused with negative stereotypes. I lived there for many years between 1973 and 2001 and learnt to love the land, the people and their language. One of my concerns was the rapidly disappearing forests that I had grown up in. Bangladesh hosts several forest types that have managed to survive its rapid population surge in the 20th Century. There are moist deciduous pockets left in Madhupur, wet evergreen rainforest on the eastern borders and the incomparable mangrove swamps of the Sundarban in the south- west. Sprinkled across the alluvial plains are sacred trees and ancient monuments. These ficus trees grow in the middle of busy markets, along lonely roads and even wrapped around crumbling buildings. They are revered by the population, irrespective of religious conviction.
- Sri Lanka
- The island nation of Sri Lanka has many connections to India, geologically, biologically and culturally. Yet it is a distinct entity with numerous unique features. The island, located south east of the Indian peninsula, is composed of plains, low hills and a central mountainous area. I have been very interested to observe parallels and connections it its landscape and biodiversity with the Western Ghats.
- Mizoram & India's North East
- Mizoram is one of India’s smallest states wedged in the remote North East between Bangladesh and Burma. Historically (and to this day) the hills of the North East were a veritable frontier that separated the plains Indians from South East Asia. Mizoram’s small population (less than 1 million) boasts India’s 2nd highest literacy rate (just after Kerala). Mizos are thought to have originally migrated from southern China hundred of years ago and their language has Tibeto-Burmese roots. The state is composed of very rugged mountains with mixed evergreen, deciduous and bamboo forests. Jhuum (slash & burn) cultivation is quite widespread and a matter of concern given the limited ability to the lands to replenish themselves between short cycles. There are a number of different highlights in terms of birds, animals, plants and reptiles. I have been interested to explore Mizoram’s forests during my few trip there visiting my wife’s family. The pictures here highlight some of the landscapes near the capitol Aizawl as well as near Pwangpui, the highest peak in Mizoram (2,165m).
- The Andaman Islands
- The Andaman Islands are a remote and fragile archipelago located in the eastern Bay of Bengal. They belong to India but are closer to Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, both physical and biologically speaking. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are composed of the tops of an ancient mountain range that stretches from Arakan south down to Sumatra. They are located on an unstable plate boundary between the Indo-Australian and Asian plates. The tsunami of December 26th 2004 devastated communities living on the coasts of the Nicobars and Andamans. The Andamans host a variety of tropical habitats and still retains some of India’s finest tropical rainforest. It is an excellent birding site with 8 endemic and four near endemic species. The Andamans are in the news today because of the fragile populations of indigenous people whose existence hangs in the balance as various forces race ahead with development plans on the islands. The pictures in this gallery were taken in the very accessible Wandoor and Mt. Harriet National Parks as well as on Havelock Island.
I have focused my images and writing on the geographic areas that I know intimately. Initially I focused my work on Bangladesh's forests and India's Western Ghats. I am now starting to build a portfolio on Sri Lanka's landscapes, cultural sites and biodiversity. I look forward to getting to know India's North East better.