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Indian Express
a day ago
- General
- Indian Express
When nilgais came to town: Wildlife in the heart of Ahmedabad
Monsoon had just arrived and as I stood on the balcony watching the first rains, I saw an animal soaking wet, standing under a tree outside our housing society. At first, I assumed it was a cow. But, I noticed that it was slimmer and had two tiny horns on its head. It was a nilgai. They have always been there, on the outskirts of the city. More recently, I had seen a small herd of nilgai, nervously walking in a densely populated lane. And, last month, when I was returning from Delhi, while landing, I had seen a herd of nilgai on the periphery of the airport. I realised that their habitat was slowly being destroyed and they were coming closer to the city. Interestingly, they did not appear to be afraid of human beings. Nilgais, also known as blue bulls, have been observed in various areas of Ahmedabad in recent days. With their iron-gray-bluish coat and a dark mane, a sensitive wet snout, a short stiff black tuft on the throat, white beauty-spots on both cheeks and those beautiful large watery kohl-filled eyes, they have been spotted around the airport, Motera stadium, Koteshwar, Bhat village on Karnavati Road, near New LJ College and the Shahibaug area. I have been wondering how and why they have suddenly found the courage to enter a big city like Ahmedabad and wondered what is happening in the areas they have lived in for so many years. They are protected animals, but some have been observed in urban areas, causing conflicts with humans. One night, when the chowkidar (security guard) was on leave and the gates of our housing society were open, I discovered why. Suddenly, there was a commotion and from the balcony, I saw about five or six nilgais rushing into the compound, driven by the municipal corporation staff. When I asked around, I discovered that herds of nilgai often enter the city and are chased. It makes them run helter-skelter, colliding into two-wheeler-riders, injuring themselves and others. From my balcony, I saw that the nilgais looked frightened and lost, as they tried to find their bearings in a city that seemed to have no space for them. Maybe, soon they will be a new addition to Ahmedabad's fauna, alongside cows, buffalos, bullocks, camels, horses, donkeys, cats, stray dogs and armies of langurs all around. Their population was increasing and the encroachment of urban development into their natural habitat meant less space for them. Perhaps, they will be safe in Ahmedabad — its last name ends with 'gai', meaning cow in Gujarati. I will not be surprised if soon they are fed, worshipped and domesticated. In the meantime, I love watching them, even if they resemble ungainly horses. Their presence in Ahmedabad is a new phenomenon, as they walk around looking suspicious, eating leaves, flowers and berries. If you spot them again, let them be, if you can. You will see them standing still, with heads held high, gazing at the stars, a tiny oasis in the middle of a busy city. David is a Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author, artist and art critic
India.com
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
7 Ruskin Bond Books That Are Perfect for First-Time Readers
Anaika Sohal May 16, 2025 This was the first novel written by Ruskin Bond at a very young age of 17, This novel is about an orphaned boy who stays under the strict guardianship and runs away to explore India, to discover its beauty from which his guardian has shielded him. ( All Image Credits: Amazon) This book was published in 1980, it's about a little girl who trades her leopard's claw pendant in return for a blue umbrella. This book is perfect for all age. This book is about a collection of short stories that introduces you to the bond's childhood life and its adventures. In this book, he is shown as a shy and imaginative guy. This book was set during the revolt of 1857, and it's a blend of fiction with historical events. And talks about a British girl who is sheltered by an Indian family during the turbulent times. It's one of the beautifully written collections by Ruskin Bond that covers fleeting encounters and forgotten places. And is best if you want to slow read. This novel by Ruskin Bond is a story which is subtle yet hopeful of a struggling writer in a sleepy North Indian town. People who love stories related to small towns can read and relate to it. This book is a collection of fourteen short stories and is Sahitya Akademi Award-winning collection of his that dives into Bond's deep connection with Dehradun, its people, and its fading landscapes. ( All Image Credits: Amazon) Read Next Story
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Retired police officer launches collection of short stories
The launch of 'A', a collection of short stories by retired police officer and author Chilukuri Rama Umamaheshwara Sarma, was held on Sunday at the Jubilee Hills International Centre. The event saw the presence of senior journalist K. Srinivas, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning children's writer Pattipaka Mohan, authors Mohammed Khadeer Babu and Unudurthi Sudhakar, as well as writers Manasa Edluri and Sujata Elpuri. Speaking at the launch, the guests praised the diversity, realism, humanistic perspective, engaging narrative style, and subtle humour woven throughout the work. The speakers further pointed out that each story adopts a different style of narration, resisting any formulaic pattern, and offering sharp insights into human nature and hidden motives with apparent ease. 'A' is Sarma's second book following his retirement, after a policing career spanning over three and a half decades. His first work, 'Nenu Shaanta Kuda – O Jeevana Katha', was well received.
New Indian Express
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Glimpse into Heritage:
For ages, stories told, written, shared in Kannada were parables, folktales and myths meant to convey moral lessons. But with the turn of the 21st century bringing a wave of Western influence on thought and education, the Kannada literary world saw a landmark transformation – the emergence of the Navodaya literary movement, united by a style that considered one's immediate surroundings and contexts. 'The content changed as our Indian Kannada writers started writing in ways inspired by English stories, addressing social concerns and contexts,' explains Sahitya Akademi Award-winning translator Susheela Punitha, whose recently-released translated collection of short stories, A Teashop in Kamalapura (Harper Collins, `399), seeks to make stories from this crucial period of Kannada literary history accessible to English readers. 'Together, we tried to bring alive the concerns and social norms of the last decade of the 19th century and the first three to four decades of the 20th century,' explains Mini Krishnan, the editor of the collection. A major focus for Punitha and Krishnan was ensuring the representation of key Navodaya writers from diverse social contexts, including women and Muslim writers that are often sidelined. 'It is my hope that this collection will lift the curtain of opacity about early fiction from a time when all the journals were run by men and nearly all the writers were also men. Today, the balance is shifting rapidly. Ownership and management might still be largely men, but there is a cohort of writers and translators who will never again be behind a wall of silence or invisibility,' says Krishnan. Works included in the book are stories published within 1900 to 1985, like Panje Magesharaya's 'At a Teashop in Kamalapura' to Masti Venkatesha Iyengar's 'The Story of Jogi Anjappa's Hen', and 'Between Rules and Regulations' by Sara Aboobacker. Punitha notes that while Kannada readers may be familiar with the names of these writers and older readers with some of the stories, most stories will be unfamiliar to younger readers. For Punitha, the process of compiling these stories was almost archival. 'Almost all these stories were published only in local magazines of those days like Suchitra Bharathi and Madhura Vani, and I was only able to get these from archives. In translation, this will be the very first time that people would be reading many of these stories, maybe even all these stories,' she says. It is not the fame of the writer or the story that binds these tales together but, as Punitha says, the question of whether they have literary relevance today. 'I was looking for stories that would have a modern impact and be relevant almost a whole century later – it's not just like we're reading them as museum pieces,' she says. With an increasing number of young people in Karnataka, particularly a lot in Bengaluru, not being fluent enough in Kannada to easily peruse its literature, Punitha and Krishnan hope that this book serves as a gateway. 'When I'm thinking of English readers, I'm not just thinking of non-Kannada speakers; I'm also thinking of my own grandchildren who can speak in Kannada but not read or write in it. This present generation hardly knows about their own literary heritage,' says Punitha, adding, 'I hope that they take away with them an understanding of the rich heritage that we have in Kannada writing and read beyond this collection – reading the Pragathisheela, Navya, and Dalit movements as well.'
