Upcoming Event
My office beyond clouds: Exploring the trans-Himalayas
Photos: Abhikhek Ghoshal and Udayan Rao Pawar
Abstract: How would it be if I told you that my office is beyond the clouds? Since 2009, I have been involved in wildlife research and conservation in the Himalayas. My interests and projects took me to places where many people might visit for a vacation, trekking, hiking and camping, but not many would like to spend a youth-time. Literally beyond the clouds, the Indian Trans-Himalaya offered me offices ranging from a spacious village house to sooty, damp and cold herder’s camps. During wildlife surveys, while hopping from one valley to another across a 20,000 km2 area in the Himalayas, numerous times I have been left speechless just by the sheer scale of the mountains and the (small) scale of (my)self. At other times, a sudden sighting of a herd of blue sheep or ibex has given adrenaline rush. While a glimpse of a species, as charismatic and elusive as the snow leopard might be a life-time experience by itself; observing wild-goats, manoeuvring on the precipitous cliffs, just to reach a patch of grass, teach us how they make an extremely tough and unforgiving life look so easy. And at the heart of my professional and personal journey are relationships. Relationships with the people, with the valleys, with the glacial lakes and streams, the turquoise sky, and my horse (mare), Noor. Irrespective of work and the challenges, it’s these relationships that keep attracting me back to my home, beyond the clouds.
About the speaker: Abhishek is a Wildlife Biologist with Nature Conservation Foundation and Snow Leopard Trust. He has been working in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh since 2009 on ecology and conservation of snow leopards and its prey species. During his leisure time he writes for magazines like Sanctuary Asia, Caravan and Saevus. During weekends he often goes for long distance cycling, driving trips and hiking.
About the speaker: Abhishek is a Wildlife Biologist with Nature Conservation Foundation and Snow Leopard Trust. He has been working in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh since 2009 on ecology and conservation of snow leopards and its prey species. During his leisure time he writes for magazines like Sanctuary Asia, Caravan and Saevus. During weekends he often goes for long distance cycling, driving trips and hiking.
4th December, 2018, 4 .30pm
Place: Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore
Place: Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore