The Last Wave - An Island Novel

 

I am delighted to announce the publication of my first novel, a story based entirely in the Andaman Islands. It is titled  'The Last Wave - An Island Novel' and has been published by Harper Collins India. The book is deeply an ecological story but also centrally about the history, geography and the people of these islands - you'll get a sense of it from the blurb appears at the back of the book (see below)
The book should be stores across India in a couple of weeks and it's just gone up on Flipkart and is available at a special pre-publication price. Click here to order

Do certainly check it out. It will shortly be available on amazon too and a ebook version will be out soon as well. I am also trying different ways to make the book available in the islands as well and if anyone has suggestions on how than can/should be done, please surely let me know. I'm also going to keep my facebook page, twitter account and blog busy and occupied with things, discussions, pics etc. related to the book, so do follow. 

http://www.flipkart.com/last-wave-island-novel/p/itmdv8f6ag2hehzs?pid=9789351361916&affid=nme

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

The Last Wave - An Island Novel

Ever the aimless drifter, Harish finds the anchor his life needs in a chance encounter with members of the ancient and threatened - Jarawa community-the 'original people' of the Andaman Islands and its tropical rain forests. As he observes the slow but sure destruction of everything the Jarawa require for their survival, Harish is moved by a need to understand, to do something. His unlikely friend and partner on this quest is uncle Pame, a seventy-year-old Karen boatman whose father was brought to the islands from Burma by the British in the 1920s.

The islands also bring him to Seema, a 'local born'-a descendant of the convicts who were lodged in the infamous cellular jail of port Blair. Seema has seen the world, but unlike most educated islanders of her generation, she has decided to return home. Harishs earnestness, his fascination and growing love for the islands, their shared attempt to understand the Jarawa and the loss of her own first love, all draw Seema closer to Harish.

As many things seem to fall in place and parallel journeys converge, an unknown contender appears-the giant tsunami of December 2004. The last wave is a story of lost loves, but also of a culture, a community, an ecology poised on the sharp edge of time and history.

A falcon and an elephant

(An unpublished piece written in December 2013)

The months of October and November 2013 saw what was, arguably, one of the most intense conservation campaigns in recent times – NGOs, the media, the Nagaland government and local communities came together in a high decibel, high visibility effort to protect the migratory Amur Falcons as they transit through Nagaland on their journey from south eastern Siberia and northern China across to the continent of Africa. The campaign that was a combination of enforcement and awareness, was fuelled by reports from previous years that 1000s of these birds are hunted during their stay in Nagaland. And if available information is anything to go by, it has been considerably successful with the hunting threat having been successfully mitigated this year.

            Then on November 6, in what was a fitting culmination to the campaign as also the short stay of these millions of birds in Nagaland, three falcons were fitted with satellite transmitters to help track their monumental onward journey. At the time of writing, about two weeks after the fitting of the transmitters, the birds are very much in the middle of their spectacular journey. From Nagaland they travelled south to somewhere along the east coast, then turned west, flying across the Indian subcontinent, past the west coast of India (birders in Goa reported seeing a few Amur falcons around November 9) and across the oceans to Africa (Amur falcons, satellite-tagged in Nagaland, tracked over Arabian Sea, Susanta Talukdar, The Hindu, 15/11/13). On November 20 the three birds with the satellite transmitters had all reached the African coast – two of them were on the Somalia-Kenya border, while the third was on the Somalian coast. It’s a voyage that has enthralled bird lovers in India and across the world. It’s helped keep alive the magic of nature’s wonder and a sense of achievement in an otherwise beleaguered conservation scenario (see http://falcoproject.eu/en/content/amur-falcon-partnership for migration maps and more on the project)   

            The respite, however, was only momentary. Just a week after the falcons were fitted with the transmitters, and about the time they were probably flying the skies over the Wankhede stadium where Sachin Tendulkar was playing the last test of cricket career, came the tragic news of another train accident in North Bengal involving an entire herd of elephants. In what is by far one of the most ghastly such accidents ever, the Guwahati bound Kabiguru Express running at nearly 80 kmph rammed into a herd of nearly 40 elephants as they were crossing the tracks in the Chapramari forests. Seven animals including a pregnant female were killed and several others were injured. Nearly 50 elephants have been killed in the last decade on this killer track in North Bengal that connects Alipurduar and Siliguri; 17 of them in 2013 alone.

            There really are no words to describe what happened and the criminal callousness with which these accidents continue to occur. Perfunctory noises are being made as always – charges are being traded, an FIR has been filed, the FD has said that watchtowers will be put up to keep a watch and there have been reports of some technological solutions being put in place to avoid another such disaster. We have to wait and watch to see what will finally happen and how these solutions will finally work, but if history is anything to go by, we can only continue to expect the worst.

            A falcon soaring high above the Arabian sea; an elephant dangling lifeless from a railway bridge (the photo can be used with the article) – one, we can only imagine, the other brings us back hard and painful to solid reality. Moments of hope continue to be drowned out in oceans of despair as we seem to continue with a death wish we’ve made out for the other denizens who came to this planet much before we did.

It is ironic that the elephant is the India’s National Heritage animal and Bholu, the elephant with a cap and a green light in his hand, the mascot of the Indian Railways. It is tragic then to realize that the one wild animal that trains of the Indian Railways have killed the most is the endangered Asian Elephant. We are surely capable of much better than this!

Sansar Chand – The end of an era?

(Editorial - April 2014 issue of the Protected Area Update)

Sansar Chand, known as the most notorious wildlife poacher and smuggler in the country, died recently in Jaipur due to lung cancer and related ailments. He had been taken to Alwar from Delhi in connection with a case related to the killing of tigers in Sariska TR and was shifted to Jaipur when he developed some health complications.

He was, perhaps, the most hated and despised man in India’s wildlife and conservation community and understandably, there is a collective feeling of relief and even jubilation. It’s been very visible, for instance, in the world of social media. While the strong emotion might be understandable it is a moot point whether we fully understood Sansar Chand’s larger connections and contexts. While there may be no doubt that he operated with unmatched audacity and impunity, little is known or understood of the larger eco-system that he worked within.

It is obvious that he could not have operated if he did not have support from multiple sources – a network of people in the communities in and around forests; those in positions of authority and power who were willing to co-operate (perhaps for money) and a legal system that is slow and inefficient. But this is not all – there are also issues of the history and cultures of communities that continue hunting in the wild; issues of society, politics and attitudes in relation to many of these communities that are branded criminal communities; issues related to the overall socio-economic agendas of the country and its policies; the criminal justice system and the unabated demand for wildlife goods in national and international markets.

These, obviously, are much easier to write about, than to actually deal with in the field and that is precisely the point. Any individual will have to take responsibility and be accountable for the choices he or she makes but we cannot stop just there. Unless we get a better handle on the larger dynamics, our focus will remain on the individuals who are the tips of the iceberg - the symptoms and not the cause of the issues that we seek to address. An efficient legal system could have kept Sansar Chand in jail for longer or he might have been felled, much earlier, by a forester’s (or a policeman’s) bullet. He was eventually taken away by cancer because like any other individual, he was mortal. He had to go - this way or that.

The same, however, cannot be said of the challenges that Sansar Chand came to epitomize – these are more than evident to anyone who cares about wildlife conservation in this country. They are all around us and these are certainly not the creation of one single Sansar Chand.

In memory of Dr. Prakash Gole

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Remembering ‘Sir’

In memory of Dr. Prakash Gole

(A heart felt tribute by his student and my colleague in Kalpavriksh, Sharmila Deo - from the latest issue of the Protected Area Update)

An eminent economist and ecologist, an internationally acclaimed ornithologist, a prolific author of environmental books, and a visionary with a passion for conservation of nature is how the world knew Dr. Prakash Gole, our 'Sir' who passed away recently. He edited the Journal of Ecological Society and his extensive work on conservation and restoration of wetlands and wetland birds, especially the Bar-headed goose, Sarus crane, Siberian crane, and the Black necked crane is recognised the world over.

I was fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to attend the one-year course on 'Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Nature Conservation' run by  the Ecological Society, which was established at his initiative in 1982 in Pune. Along with various conservation and restoration projects that the society carried out under his leadership, he constantly emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary learning and developing a holistic view, be it in terms of development, landscape planning or any other facet of conservation. He motivated hundreds of people who came to him from various spheres - students from various faculties, homemakers, and professionals - to study and contribute to the field of environment.

               Our classes with him were a mix of many things, all united with one goal - love for the environment. Sir instilled into us that just harbouring a love for nature was not enough and that each of us had to strive for its conservation as well. He made us aware of the rampant destruction of the environment in the name of development, and taught us to observe our consumption levels, both as a society, and as an individual.

               A man of few words, and not one to give in to banter or futile ‘time-pass’, he dedicated most of his time in the pursuit of his varied passions – all through his work. This quality of his was most evident on field trips. After walking in the Himalayan landscapes for hours, he would announce a lunch break of 10 minutes and if we had the energy to protest, he would generously extend it to 15. While most of us utilized that time either eating leisurely or just lying peacefully under the clear skies, he would be done with his meal of one sandwich in a couple of minutes and set off immediately to wander around with his binoculars waiting for his young students to revive.

               Although no one said it in front of him, Sir was not spared the jibes of 'sustainable living' and 'watching his consumption levels' by seeing how little he actually needed even to eat. Even after crossing 65 years, his energy and stamina was commendable. Till date, we cannot discuss or read anything related to Ecology without Sir's memory fleeting by.

              

Contact  Sharmila Deo at sharmiladeo@gmail.com

(For a full copy of the PA Update please write to me at psekhsaria@gmail.com)

Also check http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.in/2014/02/protected-area-update-no-107-february.html

KABIR-NAMA

Kabir-nama 42

Papa bhi...TV bhi

It's past 10 pm and we're trying to get Kabir into bed to sleep. The threatening and the sweet talk's not working so we trying some emotional blackmail.

Me: Kabir, Papa ke saath aake so jao
Kabir: TV dekhne ke baad aata na
Me: Papa ko koi bhi pyaru nahin karta
Kabir: Nahin, mein karta na, TV dekhne ke baad
Latha: Kabir, Papa jyada important hai ki TV jyada important hai
Kabir: TV bhi important hai mama - Dono important hai...

PROTECTED AREA UPDATE NO. 107, FEBRUARY 2014

Here is the full list of contents of the new issue of the PA Update. IF you would like to receive the entire 24 page newsletter as a pdf file, please write to me at psekhsaria@gmail.com
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PROTECTED AREA UPDATE
News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia

Vol. XX, No. 1
February 2014 (No. 107)

LIST OF CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
The perils and promise of mass-scale bird watching

NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
ANDHRA PRADESH
- DRDO Missile Test Range proposed within Krishna WLS

ARUNACHAL PRADESH
- Tiger photographed in Dibang WLS

ASSAM
- Three rhino poachers held at Rajiv Gandhi (Orang) National Park
- FD dismisses NFR’s proposal for iron pillars inside Gibbon WLS to prevent accidents with elephants

GOA
- Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal visits the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

HIMACHAL PRADESH
- Villagers inside GHNP surrender guns, promise to protect wildlife

KARNATAKA
- Proposal for Wesley Bird Sanctuary
- FD needs veterinarians with expertise in handling wild animals

KERALA
- Fear of foot-and-mouth disease epidemic in wildlife in Kerala

MADHYA PRADESH
- FD alleges that villagers nearly killed two tigers when Pench TR staff was away on election duty

MAHARASHTRA
- Tadoba Andhari TR leopards to be radio-collared to track them, prevent human-animal conflict
- Increased camera fees raises over Rs. 6 lakh for Tadoba Andhari TR
- Cattle grazing poses threat to newly notified Navegaon-Nagzira TR: FD

ODISHA
- Fisherman gunned down in a mid sea gun battle at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary
- Villagers from the Sunabeda WLS take stand against Maoists
- Odisha proposes to shrink Satkosia TR
- 32 families relocated from the core zone of Similipal TR

UTTARAKHAND
- Fossil National Park proposed in Lapthal in Pithoragarh district

UTTAR PRADESH
- Centre releases first ever financial sanction of Rs. 24 lakh for Amangarh TR

WEST BENGAL
- Authorities arrest 45 involved in wildlife smuggling in border areas of West Bengal

READERS’S WRITE

IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS UPDATE
NATIONAL NEWS
- MoEF directs GIB range states to have recovery plan; Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat ready with the draft

ANDHRA PRADESH
- Dugarajapatnam port threat to the Pulicat Lake
- Flamingo festival at Pulicat

GOA
- Flamingoes at Carambolim Lake after five years

GUJARAT
- No Greater Flamingos in the Great Rann of Kutch this season

MADHYA PRADESH
- Farmers around Bhoj wetlands give up chemical agriculture

MAHARASHTRA
- Three month bird survey in Sanjay Gandhi National Park
- Opposition to research project on forest owlets near Melghat TR; other researchers back the project

ODISHA
- Poaching incidents in Chilika

UTTAR PRADESH
- NGT asks Uttar Pradesh to fix ESZ around Okhla Bird Sanctuary

The FRA, PAs and WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
- Official circulars/ guidelines related to applicability of Forest Rights Act in PAs

MAHARASHTRA
- Community Forest Rights (CFRs) rejected in Melghat TR

WEST BENGAL
- Gram sabhas stop FD from clear felling forests in vicinity of Jaldapara WLS
- First gram sabhas formed in Sunderbans TR

IN THE SUPREME COURT

Remembering Prakash Gole

A DECADE AGO

PERSPECTIVE
Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction

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Protected Area Update
Vol. XX, No. 1, February 2014 (No. 107)
Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria
Editorial Assistance: Reshma Jathar, Anuradha Arjunwadkar
Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan, Peeyush Sekhsaria
Produced by The Documentation and Outreach Centre
KALPAVRIKSH
Apartment 5, Shri Dutta Krupa, 908 Deccan Gymkhana, Pune 411004, Maharashtra, India. Tel/Fax: 020 – 25654239. Email: psekhsaria@gmail.com

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Publication of the PA Update has been supported by

- Foundation for Ecological Security (FES)
- Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust, C/o FES
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - India
- Bombay Natural History Society
- Action Aid India
- Donations from a number of individual supporters

Ikkat - At daram in Hyderabad

Ikkat

Ikkat or tie & dye is one of the best known and considerably complex traditions in weaving - something that the Nalgonda belt in Andhra Pradesh is quite famous for. The process involves elaborate calculations and markings on the yarn followed by different stages of dyeing to finally get the complex and beautiful patterns that the tradition is well known for. Here are some pictures a trip a couple of years ago to the village of Kunthlagudem in Nalgonda

the weftthe weft to the left. the warp has been laid out for marking and tying to the right

the weaver works on the weft as the warp is stretched across the length of the house