Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
to
to
Exclude
Only includes titles with the selected topics
to
In minutes
to
1-27 of 27
- The revered chief of a news agency tries to maintain journalistic integrity as his bureau and a rival agency vie for viewers following a terrorist attack.
- This is beautiful love story and Action Revenge movie.
- One of the most famous Entomologist of the last Century, and Black Magic expert so called the 'Prince Wizard' finds the way to travel till nowadays to stop the creation of a corrupted superheroes army.
- Official music video for rock band RANN's song 'Meant to Be'. Inspired by grunge and industrial rock MTV videos from the 1990s.
- The Agarias, the traditional salt farmers from western India, have been making salt in the western parts of India, for the last six centuries and are condemned to live a life of misery and great despondency. The film traces the year long life of the otherwise a resilient community.
- Cracked Earth. Thirst. Lack of Water. This is what comes to mind when one thinks about desert. However, the Rann of Kutch is much more than that. The Rann of Kutch is spread over 30000 square kilometres in the north west of India in the state of Gujarat and some parts of it extends up to Southern Pakistan. One part of the Rann borders the Sea. In this vast desert, the easiest animal to sight from a distance would be the Wild Ass. The wild ass is in fact the star attraction of Rann. The Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur) with a single population of less than 5000 individuals are found in and around Little Rann of Kutch, and have been classified as "Near Threatened" by IUCN. A species with a single population in a locality can be easily wiped out by an epidemic. Till 1960 there was a small population of Wild Ass in Greater Rann of Kutch. The bonding between the members of the herd is often a great source of joy for the tourists. The wild ass displays no sexual dimorphism in its colouration. So both sexes look alike and it is difficult to differentiate the male from the female from a distance. The wild ass show great cohesiveness and displays behaviour that increases social tolerance. The Wild Ass is between 3.6 feet to 4.1 feet tall. An adult male can weigh up to 240 kgs while an adult female weighs up to 200kgs. The Wild Ass has a unique adaptation to survive in the desert. In the skull of the Wild Ass the nasal bones are raised, forming a bump on the snout which increases the nasal cavity. So when it inhales the dry desert air, the air gets moistened in the nasal cavity before entering into the lungs. The Wild Ass herds remain within 2-3 km radius of a water source and they intermittently rest throughout the day. The Rann also has lot of grassland ecosystems. The Banni grassland covers a massive 2500 sq. kms. The seeds of the grasses are a favourite food of cranes and other birds. About 70 species of grasses and 50 species of legumes are found in the Rann. Every year, a huge number of cranes and other migratory birds land up in these grasslands as they find sufficient food and an ideal habitat. One can find the passage migrant, the Grey hypocolius feeding on the berries of Salvodora persica. The scrubland may appear to some as not forests, however careful scanning of the area may suddenly reveal some very interesting and rarely sighted birds and mammals. On first glance, one may mistake this Short-eared owl to be dried up vegetation. So good is the camouflage that the owl remains standing on the ground without it getting detected. Unless one is watching intently from a close distance or through a binocular, the movement of its eyelids won't be noticed. A slight movement in the bush may reveal a Francolin or if one is lucky then one can sight a Mcqueens bustard. At times the tip of the ear of a fox may be all that one can initially see. However careful approach and patience is often rewarded with excellent sightings. Among the lesser carnivores there are two types of fox species found in the Rann of Kutch. The Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) can be easily distinguished from its black tail tip and the desert fox or white footed fox (Vulpes vulpes pusilla) has a white tail tip. They are cute and they are intelligent as well. In the early morning the Indian fox families are known to play with each other. They are curious. And they keep an eye on each other's antics. They feed on gerbils, ground nesting birds, eggs, grasshoppers and other insects. Along with the migratory birds there are many raptors that use the grasslands as their wintering site. The raptors feed on other birds, carrion as well as on smaller mammals and carnivores. Many life and death battles play out in the Rann every day. Win, Loss, Life or Death depends on the combatants maximising their natural strengths in these battles. So when an eastern imperial eagle tries to predate on a desert fox the battle strategies decide the winner. The eastern Imperial Eagle is an amazing predator. It weighs between 2.45kgs to 4.55kgs and is between 28 inches to 35 inches tall. On the other hand the Indian desert fox weighs between 1.8 kgs to 3 kgs. It is an omnivore and predates on rodents, gerbils, insects as well as on fruits. So who will emerge victorious in a battle between Eastern Imperial eagle and desert fox? The eastern imperial eagle tries to use its strength of attacking from the sky and tries to flush out the desert fox from the vegetation. But the desert fox tries to remain within the dense patch of forest. So the eastern imperial eagle is forced to land close to the vegetation. The eagle tries to move step by step towards the desert fox to scare it away and push it into the open. The fox realising its vulnerability in the open, dashes from one patch of the forest to the other. The eastern imperial eagle, using its massive wingspan of 5.9 feet to 7.1 feet, can dive from the sky at a high speed and with its talons and beak inflict a death blow on the desert fox. In the bush, the fox is agile. The fox can jump over vegetation whereas the eagle can't fly within the thorny vegetation, as its wings will get entangled. If that happens then the predator will become prey. The Indian desert fox is choosing its battle field based on its strengths. So the eastern imperial eagle has no choice but to land on its feet and come face to face with the desert fox. The battle is now even. The massive wingspan advantage of the eagle is neutralised. The eagle made many attempts to flush out the desert fox from the bush after which it decided to quit the battle. By sticking to its strengths, the cunning desert fox survived to live another day. If one thinks of Rann as only a desert than it is far from the truth. During the monsoons the seawater as well as the rainwater flood it. As a result many wetlands form inside the Rann adding to the diversity in the habitats available for birds and wildlife. In some of the wetlands you can find both the Greater Flamingos as well as the Lesser Flamingos. The flamingos wade in the shallow water with head upside down, sieving small invertebrates, algae and other aquatic life from the muddy bottom using their tongue. The high concentration of beta-carotene in the algae imparts the characteristic pink colour to the flamingos. According to folklore, these beautiful tall, pink birds were the honoured guests of King Lakho Fulani, who was born more than thousand years ago in 920AD. This legendary king Lakho Fulani had forbidden the hunting of flamingos. Today they are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. These days flamingos are categorised as resident of Kutch by the Gujarat Forest Department as large-scale breeding has been confirmed. Along with flamingos large flocks of Pelicans are also found in the various wetlands in Rann. During noon the intensity of the thermals or updrafts of warm air rising to the sky is higher. So, the Pelicans use these thermals to fly up in a circular path without expending much energy. In the desert ecosystem of Rann of Kutch, the lives of camel, the proverbial 'Ship of the Desert', is closely interlinked with the wetlands. The maldharis rear the camel and daily bring them to the waterholes. The camels can drink 70 to 100 litres of water at one go. These camels have interesting adaptation for surviving in the heat of the desert. The thick fur on top of the body of the camel provides shade and insulation. So it takes time for the external heat to enter into the camel's body through convection and radiation. The camel has better tolerance to heat as it can increase its body temperature to as high as 42 degrees centigrade. This temperature would be lethal for human beings. More interestingly camels can sustain such temperatures without sweating. Camels save about 4 liters of water by postponing the onset of sweating. Unlike camels, humans sweat much sooner and lose water from the body rapidly. Unless our body is rehydrated, it would prove fatal. The Maldharis drink camel milk. Most of the time it is their only food throughout the day. Camel milk has got high levels of iron, vitamin C, protein and powerful antimicrobial properties. Research studies have shown that intake of camel milk is good for diabetes as it results in significant reduction in blood sugar, insulin resistance and improving lipid profiles. Camel milk is also good for autistic children. Recently consumers have become aware of the benefits of camel milk. So camel milk sells at Rs. 55 whereas cow milk sells anywhere between Rs. 30-38 per liter. India's largest milk marketing cooperative is now collecting 10,000 litres of camel milk per week from the maldharis which helps the maldharis in leading a sustainable life. During harsh climatic conditions, when the resident livestock die, they are thrown away for the scavengers to scavenge. During daytime feral dogs scavenge on the carcass. The heat of the day forces many wildlife species to conserve their energy and come out in the night. The lesser carnivores and other scavengers don't let an animal kill go waste. However, life is tough for scavengers like jackals as the carcass is first appropriated by wild pigs. There is a very clear feeding hierarchy among the scavengers. First the adult wild pig feeds on the choicest of pieces. It even hits out at the piglets. Once the adult wild pig has left, the piglets own the carcass. When the jackals come close to take a scrap the piglets chase the jackals away. Even after the wild pigs vacate the carcass there is no respite for the jackals as feral dog dominates over the jackals. In situations when the jackals are feeding alone they are very cautious about persecution from people. They immediately abandon the carcass when a light is shone on them. Increasing the intensity of the light very slowly and then turning it towards them inch by inch over a period of time makes the jackals feel more comfortable. Even then they are very conscious and run away after taking a few bites. These scavengers perform a very important ecological role. They sanitise the ecosystem by recycling the precious nutrients like calcium and phosphorous, locked up in the carcasses. Shepherds say that Jackals and wolves predate on their cattle. Earlier they used to blame their fate. Unfortunately, these days they are readily retaliating by poisoning the carcass and killing the pups in dens due to which their population is reducing rapidly. However, there is one place in the Rann where the jackals are welcome. In a temple on top of a hill called Kala Dongar, a renunciate Sadhu had started offering his food to the jackals. Years have past. The sadhu is no longer there. The temple has become big and is attracting many visitors. However, the temple authorities continue to provide khichadi, a form of rice mixed with lentils, to the jackals when the Sun is about to set. The person after placing the Khichadi bangs the vessel and the continuous sound of bells signal to the jackals that the food is placed. The jackals appear to have been conditioned by the sound in a pavlovian manner. The Jackals are fearful and are constantly on the watch. Even here there is no respite from the feral dogs. Some jackals come only after nightfall and all they get are a few morsels. Porcupines are a shy species and come late in the night to scavenge on the food and leftovers scattered by the visitors. It is a sad sight to find them chewing plastics. A once wild place is bearing the brunt of sudden influx of large number of people. The Rann is being impacted due to increase in industrialisation, mining and agriculture. We the human beings are the dominant species on earth. These mammals, birds and other species don't have champions. We have the intelligence and the ability to take actions to change our wasteful habits. Hopefully we can preserve these places for posterity so that the call of these beautiful animals and birds can continue to resonate in this fragile landscape for years to come.
- Over the span of a winter day, Rann quietly observes an intricate network of people, plants and animals, challenging our notion that deserts are empty barren expanses of nothingness. Here in the Little Rann of Kutchh, endangered species like wild ass (Equus hemionus khur) compete with domestic cattle from bordering villages. Invasive mesquite threatens to choke the desert but also provides food, shade and firewood. The ubiquitous beat of the borewell pump reminds us that here in the middle of 'nowhere' there is the life and labour of Agariyas who pan salt in the harshest of conditions. The desert is never empty. Rann simultaneously reinforces the spectacular beauty of the earth's natural landscapes while reminding us how profoundly it has been shaped by human and animal activity.
- 2011– 38mPodcast Episode
- 2015– 27mPodcast Episode
- Episode: (2018)2017– 28mPodcast Episode
- Episode: (2022)2019– 1h 3mPodcast Episode
- 2021– 1h 15mPodcast Episode
- 2020– 43mPodcast Episode
- 2017– 1h 52mPodcast Episode
- 2011– 38mPodcast Episode
- 2021–Podcast Episode
- 2018– 1h 12mPodcast Episode
- 2020– 54mPodcast Episode
- Jab insaan ke paas khone ke liye kuch nahi hota to paane ke liye poori duniya hoti hai. Shiv ab ye samajh chuka hai ki usse kamar kas kar mehnat karni hi hogi kyunki uska ghar kafi peeche chhot gaya hai. SSC sir ke star student number one rank to le aata hai lekin usse Khanna ko bech deta hai. Idhar iss dhokhe ke baad SSC apni life ki sabse badi ladayi ke liye tayyar ho raha hai to udhar Shiv depression ke kale badal se ghir chuka hai. Kya nayi hope ka suraj phir niklega?
- 2018–Podcast Episode