Kavita Kanan Chandra

Despite a name that comes from its stiff military gait, the Greater ‘Adjutant’ Stork in Assam needs protection due to its seriously dwindling numbers.
To its rescue has risen an unlikely guardian – Purnima Devi Barman, 37, of the NGO Aaranyak – whose impassioned campaign has influenced public opinion and boosted the chances of survival of this rare species.
Purnima Devi Barman has campaigned relentlessly for the conservation of the Greater ‘Adjutant’ Stork since 2009. The results are being se...

When fisherman Nandkumar Pawar from Bhandup, a suburb in Mumbai, visited Andaman & Nicobar Islands in 1996, he was thrilled to see the Jolly Buoy Island — the coral paradise in Andamans. After the tsunami of December 26, 2004, though, he was disappointed to see the devastation there. But a visit to Baratang Island, lush with mangrove forests that remained unscathed after the tsunami, was a revelation for him. The dense mangroves had protected the island and continue to protect its coastlines ...

Mansingh Dhanraj Rathwa is painted riding the bull on the wall of Town Hall
Kavita Kanan Chandra
The vibrant figurative painting in bold colours attract your attention. It is the Pithora art of the Rathwa tribe, traditionally confined to the inner walls of tribals’ huts. The folk art has now stepped out of its seclusion to find prominence on the city’s urbanscape. The exterior walls of the Sayajirao Nagar Gruh (Town Hall) in Vadodara’s Akota locality have been artistically adorned with Pithor...

Reduce, reuse, upcycle: As one alights from a train at the railway station, paintings giving a three-dimensional effect and scrap sculptures lift the mood.
Kavita Kanan Chandra
From streets to railway station, in Vadodara scrap takes the form of sculptures to soothe the senses of harried commuters. Reduce, reuse and upcycle is the motto of artists here as they create art that now adorns the streets and railway station.
The city’s association with art goes back to the times of erstwhile Mahara...

travelogue on Puducherry

Centuries ago, the young Shakya prince Siddhartha Gautama meditated under a peepal tree in Bihar for over 40 days and attained enlightenment as the Buddha. Buddhism was born under this peepal tree in the quiet town of Bodh Gaya, and the city is now one of the holiest sites in the world for Buddhists.
As devotees arrived from across India and Buddhist countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Korea, China and Japan, Bodh Gaya evolved into an important pilgrimage centre and tourist site, buzzi...

If there’s any seed that’s considered auspicious during festivals, til it is! Til ke laddoo, til barfi, til ki chikki, til pitha, til gajjak, til rewari, yellu bella, yellunde and tilkut are sweets synonymous with Sankranti. The tiny seeds of til or sesame pack a nutritional punch as they are enriched with proteins, calcium, iron, vitamins, and minerals. It naturally warms the body, provides energy, and boosts immunity.
Sesame is extensively used for making sweets and savoury dishes, seasonin...

Satvik food gained popularity, especially during the pandemic when people cooked more at home. Post-Covid, there was a heightened awareness about food sources and greenhouse gas emissions, leading many to embrace a plant-based diet rooted in Ayurveda.
However, preparing Satvik food requires specific dos and don’ts of cooking. Only fresh and seasonal ingredients are used for cooking. The cooked food is to be consumed within a few hours. “Satvik cooking is simple cooking which does not destroy ...

Kavita Kanan Chandra
I was truly enamoured by the majestic cat on my trip to the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. The mornings and afternoons were spent on the tiger safari, a thrilling ride along the bumpy dirt roads in dense forests or dry deciduous vegetation. Evenings at the cottage, which exuded the charm of a colonial forest bungalow, were much more relaxed as fellow travellers engaged in convivial conversations, bonding over tiger tales.
There were tig...

There was a faint whisper of a song coming from afar. Draped within the folds of a warm blanket, I strain my ears to try and catch the tune. I was ensconced n the warmth of an artistically decorated room adorned with frescoes within a refurbished century-old haveli (mansion). The chorus of voices that seemed to cascade towards me made me leave the comfort of my seat and I threw open the intricately carved jharokha (window). A chilly mid-December breeze touched the warmth of my cheeks. In the ...

The charming lanes of Udvada are lined by 100-year-old Parsi bungalows, exquisite in architecture but falling apart in front of our eyes
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The former dastur’s grand, three-storeyed house runs like a train, with one room opening into another, each packed with furniture and bric-a-brac—four-poster beds, mirrored almirahs, an old gramophone, a grandfather clock, large yellowing photographs.
“My grandfather built this house for ₹9,000. That was 100 years ago,” says 70-year-old Russy ...

Every year, this tribal district sees an extravagant darbar, the legacy of a 19th century colonial custom

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It’s summer in the Dangs, and the teak trees that dominate the landscape are almost bereft of leaves. The few that cling on to the branches are pale and yellowing. Dry leaves crunch beneath my feet and I sink an inch or two into the forest floor.

But summer is a lucrative season for the tribal community of Dang district. Also called the Dangs, this is the smallest district ...

For the date farmers of Kutch’s dry deserts, rainfall is really bad news
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A constant monsoon drizzle follows us as we make our way to Baladia village in southern Bhuj. The semi-arid landscape of Kutch has perked up with the monsoon and green vegetation dots the parched land. We pass by the occasional herdsman, in all-white flared kurtas, dhoti and turban, and women in eye-popping embroidered abhas.
But for date farmers, rainfall is bad news. It is harvesting season and the damag...

The car turns off the Sanand-Nalsarovar road onto a muddy track leading to Rethal, a village in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district. The track has turned slushy from a light drizzle, so I opt to walk across the furrowed castor fields.

On a small clearing are a series of shabby shacks supported by bamboo poles. Corrugated tin plates and plastic sheets cover the shack, feeble protection against the elements. This is where nine families of Dafers, considered an extremely backward tribe of Gujarat, have...