Weaver II

Sigma 100-400 OS C @ 220mm, f6, Nikon D750 Using the most basic equipment women in India can turn out impressive items of unique character. We have many things home from India ranging from Tussar silk to wool and end up buying more from the UK (Sihora rug [Urbanara] being the latest addition). Assam

Painting

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @70mm, f2.8, ISO 100 (+1.33 EV), Nikon Z 6 Women in the background are pouring water (the river) over the symbols. Spectacular, grand or small and simple, temple. Shiva is a great protector of animals. But it mainly is a destructive force. Every Hindu sees destruction as rebirth and renewal. Hard to argue with that. Varanasi

House Sparrow

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 110, Nikon Z 6; Morning sun; young male house sparrow (ssp. indicus) from the earlier (first) nesting; I can hear the chirping as I type and can observe them in the thickets (London periphery) but I am one of the luckier ones. Once numerous granivorous bird of the thick bushes retreated to wilder areas where they can find insect and nest. The decrease in numbers is noticeable also in India, about 20 % in Rajasthan whereas in other areas (like Andhra Pradesh) up to 80% decline. Rajasthan

Forest IV; Stump-tailed Macaque

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @280mm, f8, ISO 250 (+2.7 EV), morning, Nikon Z 6; The trees are the conspicuous part. The forest is a complex of organisms of various orders and vital links among them. The whole layer of life on this planet is like this. Assam

Hoolock Gibbon II

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 1250, Nikon Z 6; Assam

Water Monitor III

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 280 (1/160s), Nikon Z 6 High in the canopy (about 10 m); the massive tree makes the smaller lizard look smaller yet. Older large monitors will climb a tree if they feel vulnerable. Manas Forest, Assam

Fisherman

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @70mm, f2.8; Nikon Z 6; Men look often for specific species and use more techniques to catch the fish. On our way back we bought three fish. Meghalaya

Sea Eagle

Sigma 100-400 OS C @400mm, f6.3 (1/250s), Nikon D750 Morning, white-bellied sea eagle, mangrove forest (NP); Odisha

Betelnut Harvest

Sigma 100-400 OS C @100mm, f5, Nikon D750 Late morning, Meghalaya Betel leaf is the main crop for Khasi people here. Most plantations are on steep slopes mixed with the surrounding forest. Tall palms that have tops chopped off are used for growing this viny plant (piper) that climbs up the tall sun-exposed trunks. Tea gardens in Assam use a similar way of growing pepper (piper genus) on the tea-shading trees. The harvested leaf is used in combination with the betel nut (for paan, a popular chewing stimulant) which is the second main crop for trade. The betel nut palms (Areca palm) start fruiting ten years after planting. Just like with the river, the inherent inclination of the locals is not to overexploit their resources, though there are always ways to “get more”. The same goes for getting rid of all living nature from their environment.

Saltwater Crocodile

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @460mm, f8, Nikon Z 6; Noon, low tide; 4.5 metre male getting onto the bank; Odisha

Fishers

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @50mm, f2.8, Nikon Z 6; Women fishing using rods Meghalaya

Sacred Pools II

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @25mm, f8, Nikon Z 6; Morning, Meghalaya

Forest III

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @70mm, f2.8, Nikon Z 6 Rain gave us a chance to capture rainy season forest when the foliage is wet. The forest is still lush and a bit of a rain is all that’s needed to bring the look back. Well sheltered places such as big trunks would need a true downpour to become wet and saturated. Assam

Forest II

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @33mm, f2.8, Nikon Z 6; Early afternoon, Assam

Capped Langur

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 1800, Nikon Z 6; Assam (Manas)

Forest

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @53mm, f2.8, Nikon Z 6 Noon, showers; Assam (Manas)

Grassland

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @60mm, f7.1, ISO 100 (+0.4 EV), early morning The compact forest fragments into moist deciduous forest mixed with extensive grasslands forming jungle of its own character. What can look like a neat meadow under the trees could often hide a van. The terrain is uneven and clumsy to walk through, full of deadwood, not that people go for a walk here. Animal paths rule this world. The shot from the jeep’s top captures the landscape in its lush aspect. It’s not long since the last rains. The river flows are good and soil saturated. A minute from where I had a quick pee two leopards walked down the track side by side, one of them melanic form. Assam (Manas)

Gaur

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @680mm, f8, ISO 1800, Nikon Z 6; Indian gaur grazing some 20 min. before sunset Tracking the gaur in Thailand/Burma border region, we didn’t manage to get a good shot but we saw how agile they are in steep muddy terrain where we struggled at times. Despite the size of this bovid, it’s like an all-terrain 4 by 4. In Manas, the gaur have flatter ground jungle to roam. Assam

Manas River

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @64mm, f7.1; Nikon Z 6; Early morning. Bhutan’s largest river system enters the lower foothills and spills onto the floodplains. Its branching and greatly fluctuating flow creates a dynamic landscape of alluvial grasslands and subtropical mosaic forest surrounded by semi-evergreen jungle. At least 33 tigers live in this wilderness. Two calves were born in a healthy rhino population. Rangers and units face relentless pressure and danger from poaching - it is resolute, uncompromising protection or nothing these days. Assam

Women From the South

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @45mm, f2.8; overcast morning, Nikon Z 6 Travelled from far, Hyderabad. Everybody feels the festive mood; smoke is rising in Goa. Kali and Krishna killed something they knew is permanent (with and without ‘a’) part of the world on this day [they did it] because forms are part of it as well. Note that the entire face of the lady in the middle is hued in ochre (lightly painted). by Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi

Boat

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @28mm, f2.8, ISO 100 (+1/3 EV), Nikon Z 6 30 min. before sunset; a dragonfly hovering above a canoe. Brahmaputra tributary confluence

Hoolock Gibbon

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @450mm, f8, ISO 280, Nikon Z 6; Morning; female western hoolock gibbon leaping in the canopy. Assam This desperately protected alluvial plain evergreen forest symbolises a trend. Along with Bengal slow loris, other primates, several cats including leopard and elephants, with which we had a peculiar encounter, the gibbon is trapped in this desperately protected jewel. There are two options for these isolated islands of nature left. They both involve us. To slowly degenerate into a caricature of nature, or reconnect with its basal network (the foothills of the Patkai range here) and remain part of our world.

Brown-winged Kingfisher

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 2200, Nikon Z 6; Slight crop (APS-H at the max); heavy mist shortly after daybreak; a magical encounter with one of the mangrove specific species. Odisha

Making the Warp

Sigma 100-400 OS C @120mm, f5.3, ISO 100 (+1/2 EV) Patience and a lot of work go into making fabrics with simple tools. Women measure out threads as they prepare warp for the handloom. Assam