NATUREism...

1. “Sir, there’s an otter!”  a boy shouted, pointing at a dog splashing into stagnant water. The group burst into laughter. We were in the middle of birdwatching, standing on a narrow road with water on both sides—on one side, the backwaters (lagoon), and on the other, a pool of still, stagnant water. But when I turned toward the lagoon, I  did  spot a real Otter. It just stretched its neck out of the water and looked at us! Before I could show the kids, it vanished underwater like a ninja. Otters are  that  fast! We were on a birdwatching walk near a government school in Puducherry — a beautiful coastal location with a serene landscape. Just behind the school flowed the beautiful Mullodai lagoon, its rich mangrove vegetation rich with aquatic life attracted countless birds. As part of our EVS textbook lesson 'A Busy Month', we had planned this birdwatching activity. Before heading out, we gathered the students for a quick discussion. "What birds have you s...

Cyclone Ditwah changed the weather and sparked a few questions. It is 12 noon on Dec 3, 2025. At this hour of the day, I will usually be sweating a lot, sitting in my office space at home, because that room gets hot easily with not much ventilation. My water bottle and hand towel often come to my rescue. However, today and for the past couple of days it has been the other way around. It is cold. Sometimes freezing cold. Yes, it is December. But it is Chennai. As I was growing up, I have seen and experienced only three weathers (mostly): hot, hotter, and hottest. Of course, rains and winters will be there but hot days stays vividly in my memory. But these days, things are different. I am wearing a jerkin inside the house—something completely unlike me or anyone living in Chennai. This time, it is Cyclone Ditwah that is doing the damage. According to TN SMART – TN system for multi-hazard potential impact assessment, two regions in Chennai (Manali new town & Ennore) has rec...

It was the day after Diwali. The street looked a little smoky, and the air still carried the smell of crackers and sweets. On one corner stood an old neem tree, tall and dense with leaves. Thanks to a local belief, it is now mariyaathaa  (local God) and had never been cut down. Among its thick leaves sat two familiar neighbourhood birds: a crow and a koel. Crow:  Hey Koel, what’s the matter today? No  koo-koo ? You usually start at 4 a.m.. My alarm clock has performance anxiety because of you. Asian Koel:  Don’t even ask bro. I slept at 2 a.m. The  pattaas  just wouldn’t stop. And one rocket landed next to my branch and exploded. I’m still hearing bells. Crow: Aiyo! That’s terrible. Every year it’s the same story. This time it felt worse, even my nest was vibrating like a washing machine on spin mode. Asian Koel: Mmm. I could feel that too. The decibel levels are on an increasing trend. Crow: Should we retaliate? I could do a strategic, well-aimed...

"I’ve crossed 13 boxes!"  shouted the youngest participant at the camp - a little girl bursting with excitement. Her joy was met with a loud cheer and applause. She had just won the bingo game, played in pairs with adults, mostly parents, out in the forest. It was a cold morning. Aranya forest was wide awake and renewed by the late-night shower. With the chorus of bird calls, wind-swept branches, and damp leaves, a bunch of enthusiastic children stepped onto the trail. They walked down the rough forest path made of pebbles, fallen leaves, and red sand. As they watched each step, they were also deeply immersed in their surroundings - eyes wide, bingo sheets ready, and pencils sharpened. Soon, a bird call rang out. One of the children, certain it came from a bird, quickly crossed off the bird call box in the bingo sheet. They didn’t know it was the white-browed bulbul singing from the canopy. Moments later, a different sound echoed through the trees, a mix of sharp chirps ...

What does data tells us about Chennai's rainfall? Image generated by Meta Ai Chennai's connection with rain is dramatic. There may be a strong downpour one day, followed by dazzling brightness the next day. Recently, I have noticed a peculiar trend of sunny mornings followed by rainy nights. Perhaps the rain does not want to disrupt our daily commute during the daytime. In my previous piece, we have seen the trends of rainfall patterns in Chennai in the last decade. I got this idea of going a little deeper into the 100 years rainfall data to find more exciting insights. Here we go… Chennai Rainfall by season in the last 100 years. Data source: IMD Broadly, a few things are quite straightforward: February to April is generally dry, with either no or very little rainfall recorded. May to September has seen occasional rainfall, serving as a perfect relief from the sweltering heat. October to December is when the actual show begins. According to the data, these three months account...

Navigating a rainy street in Chennai. Generated by DALL-E AI Chennai was gearing up for a heavy downpour last week, and preparations were in full swing. Schools were closed, and private offices were advised to function remotely. People, as usual, were doing panic buying—because what’s a little rain without some chaos at the grocery store? My neighbour told me that the shops were practically empty. No vegetables, no fruits, no candles, no bread—basically, all the essentials were gone. And for those shops that still had stock? Well, they were selling items at five times the usual price. Because, obviously, what better time to make a quick buck than during a potential flood, right? Meanwhile, the news channels were filled with intense debates on changing weather patterns, potential floods, and the damage that might occur— all the negativity you can imagine. Panic was in the air, and I could sense it creeping into my own home. We were switching on the motor more than once a day, chargin...

About six month ago, my friends and I were birdwatching at Perumbakkam lake, one of the popular locations in Chennai. During our visit, we noticed this intriguing event - an uncanny encounter between Catfishes and a Spot-billed Pelican. It was a nice winter morning, an unexpected shower helped cope the weather. We drove down to the Perumbakkam lake, enroute T-Nagar and Old Mahabalipuram Road. The road looks quite occupied, from the cyclists pedaling their way along the corner to the bikers carefully maneuvering their way in between buses and cars. It wasn’t busy. It wasn’t calm as well. Peaceful Perumbakkam lake flourishes amidst urban encroachment  We reached the spot at around 7 am. A mustering of Painted Stork busily foraging the waterfront, immediately caught our eyes. It’s heavy yellow beak with down-turned tip, the dark orange head and light pink elongated slender legs are nowhere to miss. Meanwhile, there were a flock of Northern Pintails with its head dipped inside the wa...