What is life like in the Sundarbans? Annu Jalais Weighs In

If A City Forgets Itself, What Lies Ahead? We Ask Harini Nagendra

n this episode of From The Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker speak with ecologist and writer Harini Nagendra about the lost ecological memory of Bengaluru — a city once shaped by lakes, wetlands, trees and commons that sustained both biodiversity and community life. Drawing on decades of research into urban ecology, Harini traces how cities slowly sever themselves from local water, food and ecological systems, and what disappears when nature is treated as expendable real estate. The conversation moves through Bengaluru’s forgotten lake networks, migrant relationships with urban nature, vanishing traditions of foraging and shared spaces, and the possibilities of restoring biodiversity in rapidly expanding Indian cities. This is a conversation about memory, urban futures, ecological grief, and the difficult work of rebuilding relationships between people and the landscapes they inhabit. ABOUT: Harini Nagendra is an ecologist, author and public scholar working on urban ecology, sustainability, forests, commons, and biodiversity in Indian cities. She is Director of the School of Climate Change and Sustainability at Azim Premji University: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/people/harini-nagendra Official website: https://harininagendra.com/ ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harini-Nagendra/3 On X: https://x.com/HariniNagendra On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harini.nagendra/ Profile on edX, including course material and background: https://www.edx.org/bio/harini-nagendra TALKS: Harini Nagendra on Bangalore's history through its trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Zo0C_NliY&t=2s On ecology and sustainability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k714Y_gpR1U From Bangalore's lakes to detective mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeT1hQtcK5E History, activism and the Antropocene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V4tig2pARk What happened when the British chose India's trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30dmqoofUXs Nature in the city: Changes in Bangalore over time and space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8XJ7AYVe2M Thinking ecologically about Indian cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2IKCCvkzso Let's talk climate change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMm_OX_mA-8 BOOKS: NON-FICTION: Nature in the City: On Bangalore's ecological history, its lakes, trees, urban memory, and sustainability: https://www.amazon.in/NATURE-CITY-OIP-Harini-Nagendra/dp/0199495467/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1 Cities and Canopies: An exploration of trees in Indian cities: https://www.amazon.in/dp/0670091219/?bestFormat=true&k=cities%20and%20canopies&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_11_de Shades of Blue: On water, lakes and urban futures in India: https://www.amazon.in/Shades-Blue-Harini-Nagendra/dp/0670099694/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1 BOOKS: FICTION (Historical mysteries set in 1920s Bangalore, weaving ecology, history and social life into detective fiction) The Bangalore Detectives Club: A sharp young woman in 1920s Bangalore quietly begins solving crimes in a city divided by empire, class and custom: https://www.amazon.in/THE-BANGALORE-DETECTIVES-CLUB/dp/140871518X/ref=sr_1_2?sr=8-2 Murder Under A Red Moon: A murder in colonial Bangalore draws amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy into a web of secrets, politics and social tensions : https://www.amazon.in/Murder-Under-Red-Moon-Detectives/dp/1408715236/ref=sr_1_3?sr=8-3 A Nest of Vipers: As danger closes in around her family and friends, Kaveri investigates a case that reveals the darker undercurrents of the city : https://www.amazon.in/Nest-Vipers-Bangalore-Circus-Detectives/dp/1408715244/ref=sr_1_5?sr=8-5 Into the Leopard's Den: Kaveri’s search for the truth leads her into the worlds of royalty, power and hidden violence in princely-era Bangalore : https://www.amazon.in/INTO-THE-LEOPARDS-DEN/dp/9357316175/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1  EOM Contact us: Email the Podcast [marginlands@gmail.com] Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aratikumarrao/] Prem Panicker on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/prempanicker] Prem on Substack [https://prempanicker.substack.com/] From The Marginlands on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/FromTheMarginlands]

What is life like in the Sundarbans? Annu Jalais Weighs In

In the second episode of Season 2 of From the Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker speak with environmental social anthropologist Annu Jalais, whose 27+ years of research in the Sundarbans reveals a world far more complex than standard conservation narratives. We explore human–tiger coexistence, forest labour systems, migration, gender shifts, and the hidden hierarchies reshaping life in one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth. In this episode: Why Sundarbans tigers behave differently The ethics and risks of forest labour Migration, education, and new hierarchies Marriage, gender, and changing aspirations Conservation, governance, and local realities Climate change vs lived experience SHOW NOTES About Annu Jalais: https://krea.edu.in/sias/dr-annu-jalais/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVRtVEdGcWYtTkY2d2dNUjYtN1NoQkZtcmh2d3xBQ3Jtc0trZThmQzlGeTNIU3c2ZHV0b2Y1Zl85d1E3S213RVRXeUlCZ2NMeEhyLXdlMkFTcjBFd1VHZ01iMzRTWjlYVy1iTWJkMFJadGlpZ2w5OGotMnRWX3U4Z2pKd1FtUTBDT2FEelZkMG5WendjOWdSUjlIdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fkrea.edu.in%2Fsias%2Fdr-annu-jalais%2F&v=G1Jh8z6U4vU] Annu Jalais's published works: https://krea.academia.edu/AnnuJalais [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazI4eFpkSWlHeHdSaUtRNVpFb3h6djIxblVxUXxBQ3Jtc0ttdnhOYzg4bVJ4RW5QTVBfbkpCcWs2REpiMFA2UHQ0YV91aU90eEhmbmY5c2xIMlg3d25RcDV0VmxZaVVWOVdualBwWm5SbC01a1lTZHM0aUc2dzBQSXJmQ180VTZrbUR4ZDFRX0VuSXRtaGg5Z1Qybw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fkrea.academia.edu%2FAnnuJalais&v=G1Jh8z6U4vU] Annu Jalais's Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDB5VXhFcTJrMGEtX2UxdWFUZ1hCclpiVGFId3xBQ3Jtc0tsZkNnWUMteXRpcC1ySUs2bGVob2dFZzBXT2IyTkVJaDdIcUc2SzJ1cVgyWThoUzhITFBHVFMwTmZOUlZtdlpja1JMN3NkWUY0My1fRmk2WmxCZ29ZZ0d3WlVkbmVPS1FpX2RYZ3dBXzZWVk52T1lTUQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fcitations%3Fuser%3DnNJU5f8AAAAJ%26hl%3Den%26google_abuse%3DGOOGLE_ABUSE_EXEMPTION%253DID%253Da62ac8708083bd89%3ATM%253D1778393619%3AC%253Dr%3AIP%253D49.47.194.174-%3AS%253Dyo0-Jk5GSc68oiE_Z4kTDnY%253B%2Bpath%253D%2F%253B%2Bdomain%253Dgoogle.com%253B%2Bexpires%253DSun%2C%2B10-May-2026%2B09%3A13%3A39%2BGMT&v=G1Jh8z6U4vU] Book: Forest of Tigers: https://www.amazon.in/Forest-Tigers-P... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbjdfd09jek5zYXFSMWpOaDYyZWFZT0ZucVpmZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsd2t4SkcwM2RhVVNReFpxT1ZpNUZaN05TTHNaNURIc1VmNVM0elV0ZGVCWFJERGllX0dIQmVYMTFYc2l3NFZuVGVWbHFLejZpbU1CX2lMeHotVGt6Z0tObU5SajBxdnN4STBFSUVBdHI5VXpiS0FLOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.in%2FForest-Tigers-Politics-Environment-Sundarbans%2Fdp%2F113804749X%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fsr%3D8-1&v=G1Jh8z6U4vU] Book: The Bengal Diaspora: Rethinking Muslim Migration (Multiple authors): https://www.amazon.in/Bengal-Diaspora... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHFyU0oyRlZ0bTlWU0p2WHBIakl5Qk9lalg2QXxBQ3Jtc0tubmNWNk5rWmZLWU1FZ25KZmxzNDFacUs4TzBha2ltSXI3djdKQVVfazNZaHNBMG9zNVktcUZyMEJCb3NIZFJBdC0wd3lOZlFPZHp4Wi1nM0pLb3lxNWFrN3NMUXdSNDBSTmlzVkEyRFd4UnpvWFItbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.in%2FBengal-Diaspora-Rethinking-migration-Contemporary%2Fdp%2F1138592978%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fsr%3D8-2&v=G1Jh8z6U4vU] WATCH, LISTEN: The story of the Sunderbans, podcast featuring Jalais, Arati Kumar-Rao and Rajesh Kumar Shaw:    • The Story of Sundarbans | Podcast Series |...  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnATDwEyaE4] Podcast: Tigers, tiger food, and mental health in the Sunderbans:    • Annu Jalais - Tigers, Tiger Food, and Ment...  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhMLr5eq9BQ] Podcast: Making ethnographic sense of beasts, people, wild environments:    • AfterLab with Annu Jalais: Making ethnogra...  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33N9jC2Ag1g] Podcast: The Sunderbans is losing ground:    • S3 Ep.3 The Sundarbans Is Losing Ground: D...  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCV0USywAk] Talk: Chronicling a Forest, at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet:    • Chronicling A Forest - Tata Steel Kolkata ...  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjSfLkPiqeE] Podcast: Scholars Speak, with Annu Jalais:    • Scholars Speak; Episode 1  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGsUCVgU-Q] Contact us: Email the Podcast [marginlands@gmail.com] Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aratikumarrao/] Prem Panicker on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/prempanicker] Prem on Substack [https://prempanicker.substack.com/] From The Marginlands on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/FromTheMarginlands]

Air, Water, Food, Health: Our Future In Whose Hands?

Dia Mirza needs no introduction. And yet, the person who shows up in this conversation is not quite the one her public life has made familiar to us. Yes, she is the longest-serving UNEP Goodwill Ambassador India has had, and yes, she carries the full weight of that role: the access, the diplomatic constraints, the careful calibration of when to speak and how. But what drives her goes back much further — to a childhood in Hyderabad spent watching cobras without fear and absorbing, through a mother's quiet alarm, the first inklings that the world's body was getting sick. In this episode, we talk about mangroves under threat in Maharashtra, the extractive mindset that patriarchy and profit share, why environmental stories still can't find mainstream oxygen, and where -- despite everything -- she finds reasons to keep going. We're releasing this on World Earth Day — it felt like the right day to begin Season 2, and Dia feels like the right person to get the season started. SHOW NOTES: ABOUT DIA MIRZA Official UN profile: https://unpartnerships.un.org/dia-mirza [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbW1FVUVuQ25WUDgxVmRnTWw2ck5JR21BMGJDd3xBQ3Jtc0trR2VOUGtVRWlrLTVJYjhmanZkbzlFZ3hQNUlQSnQwVU9faWpsMHBiQ2oxWkJueHhUUHYwcWRyLUxnSmJfdGRrWHJYdjVvWmFLUzFDdmRXT2pEdVYwN2V0MlgtQkVZYUYwMmg3dGhRR090TkVZM1lnTQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Funpartnerships.un.org%2Fdia-mirza&v=VufD4JhxbLU] Where it began: the UNEP announcement of Dia's appointment and mandate: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbEVJZVZOSDJpeWR3TWNBN0NZbkFaUlZmcGF2d3xBQ3Jtc0tsVmlyaEhhSmZsU1lEaF9KaUhRVjhkUWtwb09NTjExZkR5Qkg0U1FMZHkyWTRZckkyMjB5MXNsZk1kSXp1RC0yd2w5V0xFbk9xMUtYOW10eDIxUXUwUVZHTGg1SWJYSW1BYy1Ud2RtV2Q1Mmk0Mm1aWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unep.org%2Fnews-and-stories%2Fstory%2Fdia-mirza-appointed-un-environment-goodwill-ambassador-india&v=VufD4JhxbLU] IFAW wildlife advocacy award: https://www.asianstandard.co.uk/dia-m... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1ZlTDM3aXZzTllaTHhsUXZzdlVrbzdscV9vQXxBQ3Jtc0ttT0hNUVJuWXpIM18xMFpXcjF4eElKWi0wWDV5QkhrWDhZLWt0YnRQaENqcW1CdFRpWWRFWUF2V1laMnIyTzJ2REZDMHpDamZIQjlXUFhyMFRLUXFjVlc2b3ZieDY3b1JCNnRiNVZMWm1jOVpfcDN2OA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asianstandard.co.uk%2Fdia-mirza-lights-up-london-with-ifaws-wildlife-advocacy-award-a-voice-for-indias-environment%2F&v=VufD4JhxbLU] Detailed Wiki entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dia_Mirza [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbUs1bFYwXzhFQjF5VnhEVWNaai1rVm1JaVNUUXxBQ3Jtc0tuMjJVdlVCU2JBWUIzVUMwQ2R6MnkxdVV2Ull0Z2hqRzY0bDF6RklMUGNIU1RYT1hNMmlUbXdGTGVZbWNlZFd1VGlTcnJtajJXOFFYR0xKb1FhSFVaaEZkQm9FODR0a19VNWdyNkloTXgwZTg3YXBwNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDia_Mirza&v=VufD4JhxbLU] On Global Landscapes Forum, Dia traces her environmental awakening to witnessing plastic wase in the Himalayas: https://thinklandscape.globallandscap... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1RETnNrQjlRcHZKN0dpY0w0NEFnQThxTTB6UXxBQ3Jtc0tubDlEbEFScU9FeVRaUGxyMlFWbzY0dklERFlTZU40ODhyVHBfTnNQem0tX3NhQnNzYzUyQWR6ZTBLdjFNVXBVZWNqTlVscTc1VGlueW1xWFY3MHdab2s1Zjd0NVZjLWdaX2lJUktLa1RCQ2l3UTF0Zw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fthinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org%2Fcollection%2Fdia-mirza&v=VufD4JhxbLU] DIA'S TALKS: A December 2023 conversation, where UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Dia Mirza talked about the urgent need for climate action: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa21WNmVfUEd2czRzWUl2bEI3dHVWczV4cmc3UXxBQ3Jtc0tscGVfMVNDc2xyN0R6b1pYM0dPaUpnbzJYNEpqLVp6X3lrQ2lxVVRUYl9PMmU2VDdreVZpLURIeDBlWlJIY1VKamRVd2tlX2hzR1JrQzNwSWZVSjUzNmhmNWZFcWdtTXUxN20tVEJlWXVla1I3ZFlPdw&q=https%3A%2F% Contact us: Email the Podcast [marginlands@gmail.com] Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aratikumarrao/] Prem Panicker on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/prempanicker] Prem on Substack [https://prempanicker.substack.com/] From The Marginlands on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/FromTheMarginlands]

Cheetahs, Tigers, People, & Forests: Raza Kazmi Walks Us Into India's History

In this season-ending episode of From The Marginlands, Arati and I dive deep into Indian forests, not just as ecosystems but as archives of memory, power, and change. Our guide into this layered terrain is Raza Kazmi, who helps us explore how history helps explain present-day conservation realities, from the shifting fortunes of tiger populations to the erasure of forest places from both maps and memory.  What stories do forests tell when we stop treating them as static backdrops and start reading them as historical texts? And how do human policies, economic forces, and cultural blind spots shape the fate of forests and the communities entwined with them? This is a conversation about loss, certainly, but it is also about interpretation, about continuity, and about what it means to see land and life in their full, historical depth. Errata: Raza meant to say "Kispotta" clan when he said Kerketta clan while referring to their totem. ABOUT RAZA KAZMI: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razakazmi_rk/ Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/raza-kazmi/portfolio Raza's bio: https://www.currentconservation.org/people/raza-kazmi/ https://sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/article/meet-s.e.h.-kazmi-and-raza-kazmi TALKS/INTERVIEWS Forests, History, and Conservation: A wide-ranging talk on forests as historical landscapes, conservation beyond numbers, and how memory reshapes ecological understanding:  https://youtu.be/cnRMhAcWJBw Personal History & Conservation Trajectory: An interview weaving Raza’s personal journey into forests, his family history, and the intellectual path that led him to wildlife history:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLrCP4gsOoQ ESSAYS & OPINION The Lost Character in Aranyer Din Ratri: The Kechki Forest Rest House: A meditation on forests, cinema, and memory, using a vanished forest rest house to explore how places slip out of India’s cultural and ecological imagination: https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/the-lost-character-in-satyajit-rays-aranyer-din-ratri-the-kechki-forest-rest-house-10039903/ As India’s Tiger Numbers Rise, a Troubling Trend Can Be Seen (Indian Express, 2023): A sharp critique of headline tiger successes that mask habitat loss, uneven recovery, and deeper structural failures in conservation policy : https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/raza-kazmi-writes-as-indias-tiger-numbers-rise-a-troubling-trend-can-be-seen-8548504/ The Last of the Forest Giants: Exploring the story of Central India’s wild buffaloes and their struggle for survival in a shrinking landscape : https://www.wildlifeconservationtrust.org/the-last-of-the-forest-giants-central-indias-wild-buffaloes/ Birdwoman: Raza Kazmi on Jamal Ara, India’s first “birdwoman,” whose pioneering ornithological work in Jharkhand laid the foundations for regional wildlife history and whose legacy Raza helped recover : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/if-indias-first-birdwoman-were-alive-jharkhands-wildlife-would-have-been-different/articleshow/104723327.cms More stories: An archive of Raza's writings in the Hindu, covering a vast expanse of themes: https://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/raza-kazmi-3786/ PODCAST: Fragmented Forests — Stories from the Subverse: A conversation on capitalism, extraction, charismatic wildlife, and why forest fragmentation — not just species loss — defines India’s ecological crisis: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JjrPtvXgICqSfYlY4MtfC Contact us: Email the Podcast [marginlands@gmail.com] Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aratikumarrao/] Prem Panicker on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/prempanicker] Prem on Substack [https://prempanicker.substack.com/] From The Marginlands on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/FromTheMarginlands]

WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR HUMANS & LEOPARDS TO SHARE LANDSCAPES? WE ASK VIDYA ATHREYA

Leopards live far closer to us than most of us realise — not just in forests, but across farms, villages, and city edges. In this episode, Arati and Prem speak with Dr. Vidya Athreya, one of India’s leading carnivore ecologists, about why leopards are so remarkably adaptable, why encounters in human-dominated landscapes are increasing, and what the science actually says about conflict and safety. We unpack common misconceptions, the gaps in policy, and what real coexistence looks like in a country where people and big cats share space every single day. Contact us: Email the Podcast [marginlands@gmail.com] Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aratikumarrao/] Prem Panicker on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/prempanicker] Prem on Substack [https://prempanicker.substack.com/] From The Marginlands on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/FromTheMarginlands]