Lifescapes Gallery

Long before Richard Bode’s bestseller on life’s little lessons, the boatmen of Kabini had learnt the selfsame ‘art of living’ in their little floating classroom: the Coracle! Living, as they did, on the banks of the Kabini, the Coracle was their friend, philosopher and guide: a constant companion as they went about the business of Read more >>

Coracle, Kabini | Posted in Culture, Kabini | 6 Comments »

If you were to call someone a ‘Drongo’ on a visit to Australia, be prepared to either show a clean pair of heels or to settle it outside, man to man. For, down under, the term is used to refer to someone who’s a stupid no-hoper. The slang originates from a famous racehorse of that Read more >>

Black Drongo, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 1 Comment »

For a photo-essay that celebrates the finest in nature photography, the viewers may be forgiven for wondering how we allowed this image to pass without that most basic of photo editing techniques: red-eye correction! They could also be forgiven for wondering if the Editor had a bad case of ‘red eye’ syndrome after a late Read more >>

Black-shouldered Kite, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 9 Comments »

The cult of the Freemasons and the rituals of the Masonic lodges may remain an eternal mystery to those of us who’re on the outside. But in the lush environs of Kabini, there exists another esoteric group of masons that creates lodges whose construct is predicated to the creation of life, and whose artistry has Read more >>

Potter Wasp, Kabini | Posted in Insects, Kabini | 28 Comments »

Whether you’re part of the Dragonfly Squadron, the Butterfly Command, or the Bug & Beetle Corps, you’d do well to steer clear of the airspace around Kabini. This is a biospheric Bermuda triangle, where identified flying objects fly in but don’t fly out, and nothing’s heard of them ever after. This ‘No Fly’ zone is Read more >>

Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 8 Comments »

In this age of reality shows and talent hunts, there’s somebody who’ll fly away with all the honours if there was to be a test of cross-terrain adaptability for the animal kingdom. When it comes to hunting in the waters of the Kabini, the Osprey, or Fish Eagle, prefers to let his talons do his Read more >>

Osprey, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 13 Comments »

In the grasslands of Kabini, which boast some of the world’s largest concentration of herbivores and their predators, the one constant of life…is death. Here, where the various roles in the food chain are played out unerringly on a daily basis, the consequence of such a well stocked larder is a large proportion of leftovers. Read more >>

Long-billed Vulture, Kabini | Posted in Birds, Kabini | 9 Comments »

Brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, cousins; you’ll find every branch of the Leopard family living, quite literally, on a branch…totally at home in a comfy tree-house in Kabini. But that isn’t the only reason why leopards tower above the rest in the big cat stakes. They are considered the most complete cats as they are adaptive Read more >>

Leopard, Kabini | Posted in Kabini, Mammals | 481 Comments »

We all know of people who’ve been called, not very flatteringly, as chameleons. We tend to find a lot of such specimens populating the portals of Indian polity, and their ability to change colour is legendary; predicated, as it is, to the political power equations at the moment. Surprisingly though, the Chameleon himself has very Read more >>

Indian Chameleon, Kabini | Posted in Kabini, Reptiles | 18 Comments »

He’s the common Joe of Indian reptilia, and is spotted more often than most snakes, without being as unwelcome a presence. Unless you were a country cousin of Mickey and Minnie’s, in which case, you went around on your furry, furtive way hoping not to meet this mugger up a dark alley. For, the Rat Read more >>

Rat Snake, Kabini | Posted in Kabini, Reptiles | 22 Comments »