Sustainable Living

The first thing you notice when you drive down to “Our Native Village” is how dramatically a landscape can change. You might begin stuck in a long beeline to get past Mekhri circle, but an hour later you find yourself off the tar, on a dirt road charting through an endless expanse of grassland. Positioned ahead against the horizon is a small passage through a vast expanse of trees. This longs to sound as a narrative from a Tolkien book, but it isn’t. It is the surprisingly unique entrance to the eco-resort, “Our Native Village”. Located roughly 30 kms from …

At about 3200 mt above the sea level rests a wonder of nature. The only way to get there is by trekking. Imagine a place, in the midst of snow capped mountains, full of colorful flowers for as far as you can see. The only sounds that you can hear are the chirping of the birds, with no signs of human encroachment in sight. It’s only in dreams that we can relish a place like this but Uttarakhand boasts of the Valley of Flowers, a nature’s magnum opus. Situated in the Chamoli District of the Garhwal Mountains, the valley was …

Kavita Saharia, a passionate blogger who writes about North Eastern India, shared this beautiful article on Kashmira Kakati and her amazing work in the field of wildlife conservation. This post is from her personal blog. Just few days back I told Kashmira  that she is one of  those extraordinary women who made Assam (India) very proud globally by her work. When I expressed my desire to write a post on her, the initial response was, ‘Thanks for saying such nice things about me, but it’s really the animals and still-remaining forests that Assam should be proud of! My role has …

Farming practices traditionally were of the natural and organic kind, whether it were huge hectare’s of land or just a small little garden. It kept the entire ecosystem in balance. It maintained a systematic balance between the soil, insects and birds, water and air. The total ecosystem around each plant is really one living system, one organism. And the health of each of the parts impacts on the health of the whole. The current practices of farming has direct implications on each of these parts, resulting in the once self sustaining soil being completely dependent as the organisms that made …

Deepak Amembal, a Mumbaikar to the core, puts together a delightful photo-blog of the Maharashtra Nature Park for Ek Titli Maharashtra Nature Park – Had heard and read a lot about this place being ‘the’ place for a nature lover. I love nature and I wanted a peek into this heaven. Conceived by the WWF-India in the late 1970s, an area of about 37 acres in the “H” Block of Bandra-Kurla Complex, which was earlier a garbage dump or land fill, was decided to be ecologically restored and developed as a Nature Park by MMRDA.   It is located on …

Kavita Saharia, a passionate blogger who writes about North Eastern India, shared this beautiful article on river dolphins from her personal blog. Happy World Environment Day This year we planned to celebrate the Environment Day by visiting Kukurmara a very small township at 40 kms west of Guwahati. This place attracts a lot of visitors because the river Kulsi here(one of the tributaries of river Bhramaputra) has the presence of approx 30 odd fresh river Dolphins. Around the world only four species of fresh water Dolphins are found, one of them being in India River Dolphin – Platanista Gagentica Gagenticahave …

Deepak Amembal, a Mumbaikar to the core, puts together a delightful photo-blog of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park for Ek Titli At the northern tip of Mumbai, in Borivili, lies the magnificent Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It encompasses an area of 104 sq km and is surrounded on three sides by India’s most populous city. It is noted as one of the few national parks existing within a metropolis limit in Asia and is one of the most visited parks in the world. The rich flora and fauna of Sanjay Gandhi National Park attracts more than 2 million visitors every …

The Sandalwood City of India or Mysore, as it is popularly known, is a beautiful city which boasts of a rich history, art and a culture still preserved in its splendor. From the famous palace to serene lakes, from placid temples to heaven-like gardens, the city has much to offer to the respite of the human monotony. Mysore can comfortably claim to be one of the greener cities in the country, thanks to the local authorities who have been very pro-active in preserving the ecology and making best possible efforts to keep it intact. Various large green patches, in and …

Her love for the beaches took Elsie Gabriel to Bali, where she was fascinated by unique turtle conservation efforts by the local government. Watching any living creature lay eggs is a breathtaking experience. It’s like stepping back in time where one forgets the madness the world comprises of and comes to appreciate the beautiful gift of life. It is creation at its best! I was in Bali, at the Moncot Sari Turtle Farm, Turtle Island, dedicated solely to turtle conservation. Here I was, watching the caretakers call out the vital signs of a healthy turtle, after carefully measuring and weighing …

When I first heard of Mawlynnong’s claim of being “The Cleanest Village in Asia”, I knew I had to plan a trip to see it. The village is at a distance of around 90 km from Shillong, and the road leading up to it has some of the most panoramic and breathtaking views in the country. Nestled in the pristine East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya the residents of this picturesque village along the Indo-Bangla border have learnt to live at harmony with Mother Nature and might very well become an example that urban folk  should emulate. Till over a decade …