|| Shabdsaukarya ||

Building Walkways: Observation on Nest Duplication of Stingless Bee Trigona iridipennins

2014-04-17T13:00:00.000+05:30

Preeti S. Virkar*, Shivam Shrotriya & V. P. Uniyal

Besides the popular honeybees, Apis cerana and Apis mellifera, stingless bees are also reared for honey, having high medicinal value. The practice of keeping stingless bees is called meliponiculture. Naturally stingless bees nest in a variety of habitats ranging from cracks, crevices of trees, walls and
sometimes even underground. However, their specific nesting habits are not yet well studied. There are two methods of acquiring these bees from natural habitat- hiving & eduction. While first is destructive to the colony of stingless bees, second method consumes a lot more time. We are studying the reasons for this delay, which can make eduction technique efficient and adaptable to beekeepers. Our initial observations are reported in this article.

Find the article from here.

citation: Virkar, Preeti S, Shivam Shrotriya, and V P Uniyal. 2014. “Building Walkways : Observation on Nest Duplication of Stingless Bee Trigona Iridipennins Smith ( 1854 ).” Ambient Science 1 (1): 38–40.

Amar Anagoto, Amar Anahoto...

2014-03-11T13:20:00.003+05:30

“A thousand desires such as these...

Pause me, hold me, reach me,
Where no man has gone
Crossing the seven seas
With the wings of fire
I fly towards nowhere
And you ‒
Rivers, mountains, rain !
Rain against a scorched landscape of pain ” (Soundtrack of Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi)

I look at my tragedies, the pains I had no options to, the moments I cannot undo, personal failures, my mistakes and shame. It sends a tremble through my nerves. It is a feel of sudden collapse of a person I am. But do I collapse forever, do I never resurrect from my own ashes? May be I wouldn't have if I was a story of only dark chapters. And I'm not the only person with mistakes and disasters in life. I haven't met a single person without tragedies and sadness. I remember this passage from the Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller-

“Everywhere I go people are making a mess of their lives. Everyone has his private tragedy. It's in the blood now – misfortune, ennui, grief, suicide. The atmosphere is saturated with disaster, frustration, futility. Scratch and scratch – until there's no skin left.”

There is something that always keeps me afloat- a desire to stay happy. Among a thousand desires, the root one is to be happy. Life has made me to learn my responsibility for it. It is a right to me that I must protect against all forces. There is a poem that gives me philosophical guard against losses, failures and hurt. This poem defines my general take on life-

“Jibone jaha kichhu holo na sara
Jani he jani tao hoyni hara.
Je phul na futite jhorechhe dhoronite
Je nodi morupothe haralo dhara
Jani he tao hoy ni hara.
Jibone ajo jaha royechhe pichhe
Jani he jani tao hoyni michhe.
Amar anagoto, amar anahoto
Tomar binatare bajechhe tara.”

Three decades of wildlife radio telemetry in India: a review

2014-03-01T09:42:00.003+05:30

Authors: Bilal Habib, Shivam Shrotriya, Kuppusamy Sivakumar, Priya R Sinha and Vinod B Mathur

Abstract:

From 1983, there have been three decades of the application and development of radio telemetry for wildlife studies in India. In this article, we review 82 studies from India, covering 47 species from four taxonomic classes. We examine and discuss the trends in the selection of study species, habitats and objectives of radio-telemetry studies and the functional success of radio collars and tags. A strong bias for study species and study region is observed and researchers generally tend not to look beyond the traditional research questions. Habitats that are difficult to access, such as the Trans-Himalayas, the Himalayas and north-eastern India, are overlooked. Most of the studies aimed to infer primary information only, such as home range, migration and movement patterns and habitat preference (53.7%, 47.6% and 28.1% studies, respectively). We expect these trends to change with time as the development of technology allows researchers to explore further. We investigated the tracking histories of 483 animals and the records of 496 radio collars or tags, but detailed information could be acquired for only 330 collars or tags. Of the collars, 49% malfunctioned before the end of their anticipated life due to a variety of reasons, early battery drainage being the prevalent cause. The performance of different technologies and collar manufacturers was also analysed but the small sample size was an issue for most of the cases. Argos-based collars and tags generally failed to record most of the locations precisely and failed to transmit them successfully. Issues with permissions and capturing animals for tagging, particular to India, are also discussed. A uniform and centralized system for granting permissions and guidelines for capturing and handling animals would be beneficial to future telemetry studies.

Access full article here.

citation: Bilal Habib, Shivam Shrotriya, Kuppusamy Sivakumar, Priya R Sinha and Vinod B Mathur. Three decades of wildlife radio telemetry in India: a review. Animal Biotelemetry 2014, 2:4 doi:10.1186/2050-3385-2-4

Prey Preferences of the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia): Regional Diet Specificity Holds Global Significance for Conservation

2014-02-27T09:55:00.002+05:30

Authors: Salvador Lyngdoh, Shivam Shrotriya, Surendra P. Goyal, Hayley Clements, Matthew W. Hayward, Bilal Habib

Abstract:

The endangered snow leopard is a large felid that is distributed over 1.83 million km² globally. Throughout its range it relies on a limited number of prey species in some of the most inhospitable landscapes on the planet where high rates of human persecution exist for both predator and prey. We reviewed 14 published and 11 unpublished studies pertaining to snow leopard diet throughout its range. We calculated prey consumption in terms of frequency of occurrence and biomass consumed based on 1696 analysed scats from throughout the snow leopard's range. Prey biomass consumed was calculated based on the Ackerman's linear correction factor. We identified four distinct physiographic and snow leopard prey type zones, using cluster analysis that had unique prey assemblages and had key prey characteristics which supported snow leopard occurrence there. Levin's index showed the snow leopard had a specialized dietary niche breadth. The main prey of the snow leopard were Siberian ibex (Capra sibrica), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), argali (Ovis ammon) and marmots (Marmota spp). The significantly preferred prey species of snow leopard weighed 55±5 kg, while the preferred prey weight range of snow leopard was 36–76 kg with a significant preference for Siberian ibex and blue sheep. Our meta-analysis identified critical dietary resources for snow leopards throughout their distribution and illustrates the importance of understanding regional variation in species ecology; particularly prey species that have global implications for conservation.

Access full article here

citation: S Lyngdoh, S Shrotriya, SP Goyal, H Clements, MW Hayward, B Habib. Prey Preferences of the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia): Regional Diet Specificity Holds Global Significance for Conservation. PLOS One 9 (2), e88349

पत्राचार : दो कविताएँ

2013-10-27T15:18:00.000+05:30

एक कविता बड़ी पसंद है मुझे- जब मैं facebook पर था, तब भी साझा की थी। कविता काइसिन कुलीव ने लिखी है। शायद ये कविता अवचेतन में अब तक इसलिए अटकी है कि कुछ पत्रों के जवाब, जो लिखे थे, भेजे न जा सके। विचारों के ब्रह्माण्ड में कुछ समय-सुरंगों से वापस उन्हीं पलों पे लौट जाता हूँ- ताकि वो पत्र फिर फिर पा सकूँ, ताकि लिख सकूँ फिर फिर जवाब। पर पत्रों को पठाने का पल घटित होते नहीं पाता किसी भी सामानांतर संसार में।

दो कवि, दो संस्कृतियाँ, एक-दूसरे से एकदम अलग। लेकिन कविता तो एक पत्राचार है भावों का। देश, भाषा, समय को पार कर एक ही लय में गुँथी ये दो कविताएँ-

(१)

(काइसिन कुलीव की ये कविता मेरी डायरी में दर्ज हुई थी)

(२)

हर बार प्रेम-पत्र लिखने के बाद हर बार अपना

हस्ताक्षर करते समय

जरा काँप जाने वाली स्त्री

दोष देती है मौसम को

और फिर से शुरू करती है प्रेम-पत्र;

अबकी बार कोसती है शोर को,

खिड़की से आती हुई हवा को,

द्वार पर पड़ती हुई दस्तक को,

शेल्फ़ से गिरकर चौंका देनेवाली एक पुस्तक को,

बिस्तर पर बल खाकर गिरते समुद्र को,

बाहर बेफ़िक्र खड़े ताड़ को,

आखिर में वक़्त को।

घबराकर ढूँढती है सारा दिन किसी परित्यक्त को !

(श्रीकान्त वर्मा की कविता 'पतझर')

Is philosophy dead?

2013-09-05T12:22:00.001+05:30

Dr. Dave Ward's MOOC class on "Introduction of Philosophy" generated a stirring discussion on a statement made by Stephen Hawking about philosophy. The statement was taken from his book The Grand Design, which goes as follow:

" ... philosophy is dead. Philosophy has not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics. Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge."

I have always admired Hawking for his science writings and promoting scientific ideas to the common people. But this one was certainly a careless and poorly thought-out statement from a prominent scientist. And it forms an example of his mediocre understanding of philosophy and advances in philosophical studies. One definition of philosophy suggests that philosophy is about asking the right question, figuring out the right way to answer it and reasoning the answer with explanation. As far as a person is on the quest for knowledge, it falls in the domain of Philosophy. In this respect, even the people like Hawking and Richard Dawkins are philosophers themselves, until they don't turn into firm believer of only one way of looking at knowledge and stop their quest without considering other angles. Philosophy is not only as progressive as other fields of study, but also it often provides foundation for progress. If philosophy is dead, how and why the new branch of science (or philosophy) has emerged out- philosophy of science.

'Hawking is so evangelical about the notion of progress is he that it might as well be a religion'. Photograph: Murdo Macleod (Source here)

Physics is not a necessarily anti-philosophy and anti-religion stream. Another famous physicist, Fritjof Capra, is known for investigating parallels between philosophy and physics. How the duality of properties of sub-atomic entities as wave or particle is tackled in science... what does it even mean by saying "probability" or "likelihood" in statistical world... what is the whole mathematics of Bayesian and Information theory based upon- Information and perfect truth... and how do we understand these concepts... answers to these questions lead us to conjunction of science and philosophy. I've discussed the unity of science and philosophy in my earlier post as well. Referring to Kurt Gödel's incompleteness theorem, every self-enclosed logical system, the Principles of mathematics included, contains the seeds of its own incompleteness; and modern physics stands on the shoulders of mathematics.

Nicholas Blincoe from The Guardian, criticized Hawking's restricted view to see the 'progress'. Read his article also, titled 'Why does Stephen Hawking think science has overtaken philosophy?'.

Threat to wildlife from carnivorous pets: A case of cat attacking Indian Pipistrelle Pipistrellus coromandra (Gray, 1838)

2013-09-03T13:16:00.000+05:30

Preeti S. Virkar and Shivam Shrotriya

Citation: Virkar, Preeti S, and Shrotriya, Shivam. 2013. “Threat to Wildlife from Carnivorous Pets : A Case of Cat Attacking Indian Pipistrelle Pipistrellus Coromandra (Gray, 1838).” Zoo’s Print XXVIII (8): 25–27.

Ecology of urban wildlife is sparsely known despite its relevance in sustaining exclusive populations of many species and instilling environmental awareness among citizens. While a number of species have adapted to human modified habitats, domestic pets pose an impending risk to their populations. We report such an incidence from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) campus in Dehradun, Uttarakhand (30˚ 17' 2.47"N 77˚ 58' 30.48"E), a semi-natural habitat of forest and human-built areas with a large interface between wild and domestic life. On April 15, 2013, at 22:15 hrs, a semi-domesticated cat was spotted with an unusual hunt. A small bat was rescued from its mouth. The rescued animal was still alive, injured with visible but very small blood stain, a hole in patagia, and breathing rapidly.

X X X

Carnivorous pets, if kept without movement restrictions, can follow their natural instincts and hunt available prey in the surroundings. While their populations are sustained by human food provisioning (pet food and garbage), they are known to kill their natural prey as substitute food. Stray dogs have been reported forming hunting packs and killing wild animals as well as livestock (Bhatta 2008; Habib et al.2013). Cats particularly have been reared in homes to hunt on rodents for thousands of years. A considerable impact of domestic cats on wildlife of the United States of America has been estimated where free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4–3.7 billion birds and 6.9–20.7 billion mammals annually (Loss et al. 2013). Presence of domestic/semi-domestic cats and dogs turns into a concerning issue around wild/semi-wild habitats. Such areas are not only important for big, charismatic, well-known and threatened species, but also for small, cryptic, ignored and often Data Deficient (DD) species. Carnivorous pets around such areas could impose a threat to many small mammals, birds and reptiles by hunting them, and such events should be avoided to the best possible extent.

Read the complete article here.

Ecology and Conservation of Himalayan Wolf: Report

2013-07-13T18:03:00.000+05:30

Bilal Habib, Shivam Shrotriya and Y. V. Jhala

Summary:

Wolves in the trans-Himalaya of India and neighbouring countries are existing as small population facing numerous threat for their survival. Recent studies suggest that the wolves in this part of world are the oldest lineage and played important role in the evolution of modern day wolf-dog cald. Moreover, the distinction of these wolves is considerable to reconise them as a separate species. Almost no information pertaining their ecology was available and this project was initiated with an aim of generating basic information on the wolf of the Himalayas. Major objectives of the study were (1) to determine the status and distribution of the wolf in the Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan landscape of India, (2) to understand the level and pattern of human-wolf conflict, and (3) to identify the key areas of wolf presence for their conservation. We selected 17 high-altitude protected areas in three states of India, viz., Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, sharing the Trans-Himalayan landscape in India. Considering the rare records of wolf presence in scientific literature and the occasional reports of wolf-human conflict, conducting questionnaires was, therefore, adapted to cover the vast landscape in limited time duration. We developed customized indices for wolf-human conflict and wolf-presence to analyse the data collected during this survey. Distribution of the wolf in the Trans-Himalayan and Himalayan landscape falling within the three states was predicted by maximum entropy model using software MaxEnt. The range of habitat variables that limits their distribution was also estimated. Presence of wolf and the conflict level were estimated region-wise and state-wise and it helped in identifying the key areas of wolf conservation. Northern Kashmir valley, Leh and Changthang Wildlife sanctuary (WLS) in Ladakh and Kibber WLS in Himachal Pradesh are the prime areas of wolf presence. Although most of the wolf distribution is lying outside of existing protected area network and wolf conservation is dependent on management of these areas as well. A discrepancy in the nomenclature and identification of wolf populations in the region was found during the study. Is is of utmost importance to recognize any species and name it correctly to give an impetus to the conservation efforts. Therefore, a landscape level genetics study to sort out the issue regarding their nomenclature is also recommended.

Know more about the species and project from here.

Citation: Habib, B., Shrotriya, S. and Jhala, Y. V. (2013): Ecology and Conservation of Himalayan Wolf. Wildlife Institute of India – Technical Report No. TR – 2013/01, Pp 46.

मेरी डायरी में दर्ज एक प्रार्थना...

2013-02-23T22:17:00.000+05:30

(डायरी के पन्नों से- 26-12-2010)

मेरे पास कोई प्रार्थना नहीं है। तुम्हारी मर्ज़ी ... ख़ाक में मिला दो चाहो तो। मैं साधन हूँ तुम्हारी मर्ज़ी का, मेरे पास तो कोई साधन नहीं है तुम्हारी मर्ज़ी के खिलाफ़ जाने का। तुम ही तो प्रतीक हो मेरे सामर्थ्य से परे मेरे योग-क्षेम के निर्धारण का ...

ईश्वर के आवंटन की दूकान में खड़ा था। पुरोहित कहता है- आँखें बन्द करके, हाथ जोड़ सच्चे मन से जो भी मनोकामना कहोगे, यहाँ पूरी होगी। मैं आँखें बन्द कर अपने अन्दर के समन्दर में कई गोते लगा आया, बहुत ढूँढा बहुत खोजा, लेकिन एक अदद मनोकामना नहीं मिली। बाइबिलकार के शब्द याद आये - जो ईश्वर है, उसे क्या पता नहीं [मत्ती 6:8]। क्या माँगू जो तुम ईश्वर ही हो। तुम से माँगा जा सके ऐसा है ही क्या, या फिर तुम्हारे पास है भी क्या देने लायक। अपनी मर्ज़ी के खिलाफ़ जा कर तो तुम खुद कुछ नहीं कर सकते। तुम ही नियम और तुम ही अपवाद, तुम ही स्तिथि और तुम ही गतिमान, एकमेव प्रतीक तुम ही कैसे हो... । मेरे अज्ञान और मेरे 'सीमित के निरपेक्ष' के एक नाम- तुम्हारे बंधे हाथ कभी खुल सकें, यही प्रार्थना है...

A Mesmerizing evening of Mohiniyattam

2013-02-21T22:54:00.000+05:30

Padmashri Bharati Shivaji is a synonymous name to the art of Mohiniyattam, a classical dance form from Kerala. Literally meaning "the dance of the enchantress- Mohini", the dance is deeply rooted in femininity, Lasya (grace) and Sringara (beauty) forming the quintessence of this dance form. It was an unforgettable experience to be present at her mesmerizing performance on some of the episodes from ancient Indian literature. "Mohini" is presented as a philosophy of return to the poise, an equilibrium in life. When hassles of life, confronting ups and downs, lead to a weariness- a passionless feel drops upon, Mohini appears in any form, takes away to a frolic joy and a joyous serenity, and revives the heart to face life again. Mohini- she is a deity, a friend, a beloved, a mother...

The concert took place on 18th Feb., in the auditorium of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. She presented "Bal-Ganapati", a sopan from "Geet-Govindam", "Omanathinkal Kidavo" a lullaby in Malayalam composed by Irayimman Thampi and several others. Sadanam Rajagopalan (vocal), Srikumar (edakka), Jayant Das (mrudangam and mardalam) and Shyamala Bhaskar (veena) accompanied her to a perfect synchrony.

Bal-Ganapati:

Geeta-Govindam Sopan:

Omanathinkal Kidavo- a Lullaby:

Cherishing visit to Kashmir Valley

2013-01-31T11:31:00.000+05:30

December 2012, at the beginning of winters this season, I paid a short visit to Kashmir valley for a quick survey for my Ph.D. work on the wolves of the Himalayas. As already discussed in my recently published paper on the taxonomy of wolves, wolves in the Kashmir valley are a puzzle and we are addressing this issue. Beauty of Kashmir valley always remains eye-catching hunt for photographers. I'm sharing a few clicks during this visit.

Dal Lake- view from Chashm-e-shahi

Hokar sar wetland, a Ramsar site

A view after snow fall in Anantnag

Manasbal lake, one among such jewels of J&K

Sinking a day (Dal Lake)

Observation on Nest-Site selection by Indian Giant Squirrel in Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha

2013-01-04T16:39:00.000+05:30

Anup K. Pradhan, Shivam Shrotriya and S. D. Rout

Abstract:

Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a top canopy dwelling species. The nesting of this squirrel was observed in Karlapat WLS in Odisha. 80 km² area out of 175 km² was covered by walking transects. The species was found to select a particular tree height for nesting. Further the personal interviews were made to understand the threats to the species in the sanctuary area.

Find this article with the issue from here.

Citation: Pradhan, A. K., Shrotriya, S., & Rout, S. D. (2012). Observation on Nest-Site selection by Indian Giant Squirrel in Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha. Small Mammal Mail, 4(2), 12–13.

HARELA (हरेला)

2012-12-17T19:52:00.000+05:30

Months back I talked about the inauguration of an organization- Harela, in Pithoragarh district, in this post. The organization has come up with their first brochure, giving introduction, vision, mission and objectives. I'm sharing the content of the brochure-

"HARELA" the word symbolizes for greenery and prosperity in its roots. HARELA, the society, is a way formulated from the ideas of conservation and living in harmony with nature. It provides a platform to generate, share, develop and enact the thoughts and concepts of nature conservation and believes in the approach of Reconciliation Ecology, hence it tools community involvement and applied science. It works with the local communities, government agencies and organizations and individuals with similar objectives on equal participatory basis.

Vision

"A shared responsibility and contribution by everyone to maintain the co-existence of human and nature."

Mission

"To develop the local models of nature conservation based on community participation, traditional knowledge and applied science; and disseminate the learning for global cause."

Objectives

To innovate, learn and apply the concepts, methods and techniques favoring conservation of nature, ecosystems and wildlife with the consideration of meeting the needs of local communities

To network with Community based organizations (CBOs), Government agencies and organizations, groups and individuals working for similar goals

To impart the understanding of ecological reconciliation and scientific information among the stakeholders using and managing natural resources (e.g. - CBOs; government authorities)

To gather and promote the use of traditional knowledge in the benefit of nature and people
To ensure the dissemination of knowledge and experience earned through our work for global use.

HARELA was registered (2/2012-2013) under society registration act 1860E, as a society in April, 2012 and aims to work nationwide. We initiated the work in the area of Shantikunj, Didihat in the district of Pithoragarh. Shantikunj is a pocket of dense forest of about 19 acres developed and conserved by the efforts of Vriksha Mitra Kunwar Damodar Singh Rathor, now in his 80s. We are taking steps to continue his efforts with the involvement of the locals around the area and expanding our work in other parts of Uttarakhand. We welcome every support for further improvement and development of HARELA.

Contact the organization for further information and their work- info.harela@gmail.com

Identity crisis | Down To Earth

2012-12-09T12:25:00.000+05:30

I recently shared the scientific article on problems of taxonomy and identification of Himalayan wolf- Wolves in Trans-Himalayas: 165 years of taxonomic confusion. A popular magazine on environment and conservation issues of India, Down to Earth, has covered this article for the general audience in their December 15, 2012 issue.

With the title "Identity crisis" the article has collected and shared the views of scientists and experts on different related subjects.

यकीन से डरता हूँ...

2012-11-22T00:29:00.000+05:30

हाल ही में पढ़ी हुयी कुंवर नारायण जी की एक कविता दिमाग़ में चक्कर काट रही है-

"उसके यह सन्देह प्रकट करते ही कि पृथ्वी नहीं
शायद सूरज घूमता हो

पृथ्वी के चारों ओर !
उसके चारों ओर इकट्ठा होने लगते
उतावले लोग। फिर एक बार
गैलीलियो की तरह
उसकी हत्या करने के लिए उतावले लोग।

झूठ या सच से नहीं

इस तरह यकीन रखने वालो के बहुमत से
डरता हूँ
आज भी! "

कितना सरल होता है एक 'सच' पर यकीन करके आँखे मूँद चलते चले जाना। परख करना ही खोट होता है, क्योंकि हम तो हरवक़्त 'सच' जानते होते हैं। फितरत है... नज़रअंदाज़ कर देना कि हर सच महज़ एक विशिष्ट दृष्टिकोण होता है, जो पुख्ता या कच्चा हो सकता है लेकिन संपूर्ण नहीं। किसे पता था कि पूरब में सूरज उगता है, या कि सूरज उगता है इसलिए पूरब है।

Wolves in Trans-Himalayas: 165 years of taxonomic confusion

2012-10-27T13:14:00.000+05:30

Shivam Shrotriya, Salvador Lyngdoh and Bilal Habib

Summary:

Recognition of different species and taxonomy of canids (wolf, fox and dog family) has always been a subject of contention among the experts. For example, scientists argue about the species number of canids to be 34 to 38. Approximately 13 sub-species of Grey wolf are recognized worldwide. However, discovery of Himalayan wolf from India as a new species has been in news in recent time. Several studies, based on molecular techniques, looked into the evolutionary history of wolves and dogs of the world and provided new insights. The major outcomes of these studies showed that the Indian populations of wolves- Trans-Himalayan wolf and Peninsular wolf- are two distinct and the oldest lineages of the wolf-dog clan. Trans-Himalayan wolf is the oldest and has diverged from others about 800,000 years ago, corresponding to the major geologic and climatic upheaval of the Himalayan region. These studies suggested the recognition of the lineages as a different species or sub-species.

Wolves from (a) Kashmir valley, North-west Himalayan region of India (courtesy: Mir M. Mansoor); (b) Sikkim Zoo - Captive-bred individuals, wild individuals were captured from Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Trans-Himalayan Landscape (courtesy: Pankaj Kumar); (c) Leh- Ladakh, Trans-Himalayan Landscape (courtesy: Y. V. Bhatnagar); (d) Peninsular India, central Indian Landscape (courtesy: A. Patil).

Identification of wolves from the Himalayas has remained an issues since their first description by Hodgson in 1847, which was based on morphological dissimilarities. Even the latest techniques of molecular identification have not solved the issue entirely, leaving one or other aspect unaddressed. Conservation importance of the wolves of Himalayas has already been underlined for their uniqueness as the most ancient lineage of the world. Moreover, their population in the wild is supposed to be around only 350 individuals and very limited information on their status, distribution, ecology and behavior is available. Nothing could be worse than extinction of an species without proper recognition. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun has taken the task not only to study the basic aspects of status, distribution, conflict and ecology and help in formulating the conservation strategy, but also to address the issue regarding their proper identification.

Read full article in Current Science.

Citation: Shrotriya, S., Lyngdoh, S. & Habib, B. Wolves in Trans-Himalayas: 165 years of taxonomic confusion. Currect Science, vol. 103, no. 8, pp. 885-887 (25 October, 2012).

प्रलय का करके सृजन

2012-09-22T15:47:00.001+05:30

एक समय था जब मैं लिखना सीख रहा था- अपने अन्तस् को काग़ज़ पे उकेरना- कविताएँ, कथाएँ और बातें। नया उत्साह था, थोड़ा बहुत प्रकाशित भी हुआ। फिर कुछ हुआ कि लिखने का मोह मर गया। बरसों-बरस न कुछ लिखा, न कुछ छपा। लेकिन इंसान कब तक अपने आप को खुद से ही छिपाए रख सकता है... अपनी एक पुरानी रचना आप सब से साझा कर रहा हूँ...

यह कविता 10 वर्ष पहले ईसवी 2002 में प्रकाशित हुई जब मैं 13-14 वर्ष का था। यह मेरा अब तक का आख़िरी प्रकाशन है। हाँलाकि लेखन एकदम कच्चे दर्ज़े का है, लेकिन शुरुआत तो सबकी कच्ची ही होती है। उन दिनों मैं साम्यवादी विचारों से बहुत प्रभावित था। घर पर दर्शन का अध्ययन करता था, सो आत्मा और मन की शास्त्रीय धारणा की झलक भी दिखती है।

WII ARS, 2012 Photo Competition

2012-09-21T01:07:00.000+05:30

My two photographs were selected for award in photograph competition held on 18th September during XXVI Annual Research Seminar, 2012 at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Sharing these pictures with you...

Picture category: Flora and Fauna
Place: 3rd


Ruddy Shelduck, Changthang WLS, Ladakh

Picture category: Non-theme
Place:consolation

Lamayuru village, Ladakh

वैराग्य और सांसारिकता

2012-09-05T11:29:00.003+05:30

उदास खामोशी और एकान्तिकता ज्यों मेरी सदा की संगिनियाँ हों। कारण और परिस्थितियाँ तो चलायमान हैं- बदलते ही रहते हैं। पर ये कसक भरी उदासी ख़ुद में बिल्कुल निर्दोष है। ज़िन्दगी है और ज़िन्दगी के किस्से हैं। किसी तल्ख़ मौसम ने मन में बीज बोया होगा तो सवाल उपजा- दुनियादारी तो रास आती नहीं, संन्यास लेना बेहतर नहीं होगा? मेरे गुरु लामा ख्यिम्पो रिगज़िन ने हँसते हुए जवाब दिया- "ये वैराग्य है- लिया या दिया नहीं जाता, इस तक पहुँचा जाता है। ये संसारिकता से भाग कर शरण लेने का साधन नहीं है। जाओ पहले दुनियादार बनो, जूझो इससे। साबित तो करो कि संसार तुम्हे विचलित नहीं कर सकता; इसकी खुशियाँ, इसके आँसू, इसके दर्द और उन दर्दों से राहत का मज़ा, ये सब तुम्हे और बाँधे नहीं रख सकता। जितने हम डूबे हैं सांसारिकता में, संसार उससे कहीं गहरा हम में है। खुद को खाली किये बिना कुछ और हो पाना संभव है क्या? राग है दुनिया, उससे होकर गुज़रे बिना वैराग्य कहाँ?" और अब नयी तल्ख़ी है ज़िन्दगी को ...

जयशंकर प्रसाद की कथा 'देवरथ' आर्यमित्र और सुजाता के माध्यम से मानव-मन के विचलन को जैसे उद्घाटित करती है। इन्द्र-प्रजापति संवाद में जैसे इन्द्र के शब्द हैं- "सब कुछ से मुक्त" हो जाना तो "कुछ भी नहीं होना" ही है [बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद]। ये वैराग्य और सांसारिकता "यथास्तिथि से पार जाने (और पार पाने) की अन्तर्निहित भावना मात्र है" [ऐतरेय ]।

Sweet Home: Pithoragarh

2012-07-21T18:10:00.000+05:30

On 16th of this month I visited to Pithoragarh, my sweet home. It was Harela, a festival of greenery and prosperity celebrated in Kumaon region, and a group of friends inaugurated newly formed organization with the same name "HARELA" at Shantikunj, Didihat. The mission of this organization is to promote nature conservation by the approach of reconciliation ecology. I must elaborate about the organization in some other post; here I am sharing some frames captured during this short visit.


Night Lights of Pithoragarh


Shantikunj, Didihat (Pithoragarh)


Dharani Maata temple as Shantikunj

Shraavan ka rang haraa re...

Lyuda- the delicious fern

नींद की पुकार: एक कविता पाठ

2012-07-05T17:58:00.000+05:30

"नींद की पुकार" भावनात्मक एवं शाब्दिक सौंदर्य से परिपूर्ण अति सरस रचना है। वीरबाला जी की ये कविता जब मैंने पहली बार पढ़ी तो जैसे भादों की भारी बरखा में भीगी हुई श्यामल संध्या में डूबता उतराता रहा। कैसे चुन चुन के प्यार, बिछोह, उलाहना और यादों की बूँद-बूँद को कविता की लड़ियों में पिरोया है, जो सीधे दिल पे बरसती जाती हैं और भीतर कितनी ही गहराइयों तक सिहरन उमड़ जाती है। मैंने कोशिश की है कि उन एहसासों को आवाज़ में ज़ाहिर कर सकूँ। शब्द कितना छू पाए हैं अपने अर्थों को, यह जानने और मुझे बताने का भार मैं आप पाठकों और श्रोताओं पर छोड़ता हूँ।

PLAY HERE

Poem- Neend ki Pukar by Veerbala (find the poem from here)
Recitation and Music editing- Shivam Shrotriya
Master Music Track- Long Dusty Road to Agra by Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasiya
Other Music Tracks- Piya Tora Kaisa Abhiman by Shubha Mudgal and Hari Haran

जिन्हें नाज़ है हिन्द पर वो कहाँ हैं?

2012-06-07T16:19:00.001+05:30

Recently read this article in HT about whistle blowers "Unafraid to spill the beans"

Infuriated me! couldn't do anything so i wrote down a few lines

"ये कैसी घुटन है क्यूँ सांस नही आती?

क्यूँ चुप हैं सब , कुछ आवाज़ नही आती!

कैसी हैवानियत है, इस मुल्क में दो नन्हे बच्चों का, गला घोट देने में

एक पूरी कौम को ज़रा सी शर्म नही आती "

[V. Shreedharan (Jan 24, 2011, Palakkad) and his sons Vivek (10) and Vyas(8) were found hanging inside their house in Palakkad. As secretary of Malabar Cement Ltd. Company, he had written to the Kerala CM about corruption in the company only to withdrew the allegations and quit the job in a month]

"मैं चुप हूँ क्यूंकि, ज़मीर मर गया

आत्मा सो रही

मेरे खुदा मुझे दोज़ख दे

आज फिर कोई इंसान चीखा! हाँ के वो मरा मेरी खातिर!

और मैं चुप रहा"

"जिबह हो जाऊं , तो मेरी कुर्बानी मकबूल हो,

और कुछ ख़ुबाब का दरिया बहे,

जो बहा ले चले मेरे मुल्क को,

जवाल से उरूज़ की ओर"

"मेरे खुदा बस अब खौफ की असीरी से छुड़ा दे!

मैं बेख़ौफ़ आँखें खोल के देखूं उसको

उस तौकीब की नज़रों से मिला दे!"

Follow the case at- http://sonuram.blogspot.in/2011/02/v-sreedharan-case-to-follow.html

Another visit to Spiti Valley

2012-06-02T17:21:00.000+05:30

I recently paid another visit to Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh for my research work on Himalayan wolf. Spiti is the northernmost area of Himachal and it shares boundaries with Laddakh and Tibet. This Trans-Himalayan valley samples the splendor of nature in this harsh, rugged and serene landscape and its unique flora and fauna. Here are a few frames captured through my camera:

Udaas si wo shaam thi...

Break from Trek

Kanum base (5000 mt.)

Be-imaan Mausam

This one is from Kufri Nature Park, Shimla

How to Generate a Good Idea (at Moments of Genius)

2012-05-04T14:02:00.000+05:30

Big Think is one of the leading blog platform on internet nowadays and the information they provide is on high merit. Their mission is stated as "we aim to help you move above and beyond random information, toward real knowledge, offering big ideas from fields outside your own that you can apply toward the questions and challenges in your own life." Another gem added to this treasure is- Moments of Genius, Using Cognitive Science to Unleash Your Hidden Creativity, a blog by Sam McNerney. Here is a cross-post of a recent article on this blog (May 3, 2012, 12:00 AM). I hope the readers will find it interesting.

"Several years ago, Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister conducted a study that measured the productivity of computer programmers. Their data set included more than 600 programmers from 92 companies. According to Susan Cain, author of the recently released book Quiet: The Power of Introverts, DeMarco and Lister found that what distinguished the best programmers was not experience or salary, but privacy: personal workspace and freedom from interruption.

x x x

The lesson? Picasso was right. “Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” So was Steve Wosniak, who in his memoir explained that, “most inventors and engineers I’ve met are like me … they live in their heads. They’re almost like artists… And artists work best alone …. I’m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone… Not on a committee. Not on a team.”

But let’s not forget that during that collaboration and feedback from other people are essential to the creative process at certain points. This is why English coffeehouses were central to the Enlightenment. As the writer Steven Berlin Johnson says, “[they] fertilized countless Enlightenment-era innovations; everything from the science of electricity, to the insurance industry, to democracy itself.” They were a place where ideas went to have sex, as Matt Ridley says. (Replacing a depressant – alcohol – with a stimulant – caffeine – didn’t hurt either."

Read full article...

Radio-Telemetry Studies in India - Issues and Way-Forward

2012-04-13T01:20:00.000+05:30

Bilal Habib, Shivam Shrotriya, K. Sivakumar, V. B. Mathur, P. R. Sinha

Abstract:

Radio-telemetry was first introduced in India in 1976. Since then telemetry technology has advanced significantly and has been used to study a wide array of animal species in different habitats. We have reviewed information obtained from 76 studies conducted so far in India using telemetry and evaluated the performance of the transmitters used, mainly for their functional success. We have reviewed the tracking histories of 455 animals from four major taxa: Mammalia (28 species), Aves (11 species), Reptilia (7 species) and Pisces (1 species). The transmitters used in the studies were of 6 types: conventional VHF collars, Argos-only equipment (PTT tags and collars), GPS collars with Argos uplinks, GPS collars with Iridium uplink, GPS collars with VHF or UHF ground downloads and GPS collars with GSM download. Detailed information was obtained for 221 VHF collars, 82 Argos-only tags, 15 GPS-Argos collars, 4 GPS-Iridium collars, 8 GPS-ground download collars and 5 GPS-GSM collars. These transmitters were from 13 companies, with Telonics (n=119), Sirtrack (n=71), Advanced Telemetry Systems (n=46), Wildlfie Materials (n=30), AVM instruments (n=24) and Vectronics (n=13) being the major suppliers. Of 328 different collars/tags checked for failure during use, problems had been encountered with 161 collars/tags, i.e., 49 % of the total number of collars used. Other issues related to telemetry studies, namely the efficiency of equipment, cost considerations, appropriateness of studies, animal handling and care, permissions, need for national guidelines and future directions, are discussed in the paper.

Read the complete article from here.
Find this Envis Bulletin from here or here.

Citation:Habib, B., Shrotriya, S., Sivakumar, K., Mathur, V. B., & Sinha, P. R. (2010). Radio-Telemetry Studies in India- Issues and Way Forward. In K. Sivakumar & B. Habib (Eds.), Telemetry in Wildlife Science, Envis Bulletin: Wildlife and Protected Area, Vol. 13, No. 1 (pp. 03–19). Dehradun: Wildlife Institute of India.