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Journalism of Courage

Ranjit Lal

Lal is an author, environmentalist and bird watcher.

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What the tiger and the dog learned in the wellSubscriber Only

June 18,2025 10:00:04 AM

A tiger and a stray dog fell into an abandoned well in Kerala’s Idukki district. Just what did they say to each other?

Mon, Jun 16, 2025

Each of these colours was a superpower in its own right in the natural world

How our earth is more than a pale blue dotSubscriber Only

June 16,2025 15:27:48 PM

From deep blue night skies to flowering yellows that attract bees, from the fiery reds of blood to the orange of roaring fires – colours signal the fullness of life and love

Sat, Jun 21, 2025

In the Yamuna in Delhi, gulls were snatching up namkeen thrown at them by people

Two memories that recount how water nourishes and ravages in equal measureSubscriber Only

June 07,2025 07:30:27 AM

From the American River to the Yamuna in Delhi – the ducks, the gulls and the slipping sand

Fri, Jun 06, 2025

Coppersmiths, the small dumpy green fellows with streaked chests and red, yellow and black around their eyes, can't help but look like solemn clowns (Credit: Ranjit Lal)

Funny Birds: From militant flamingos to crafty crows, there’s a flock of them that make you laughSubscriber Only

May 28,2025 01:00:10 AM

Take time to look at the jungle babblers, like dishevelled policemen, bouncing up and down your glass door or charm your partner with dancing cues learned from the Sarus cranes

Mon, May 26, 2025

Mushrooms occur in a bewildering variety, from microscopic moulds to varnished shelf-like mushrooms, growing on tree trunks and boughs (Credit: Ranjit Lal)

Why mushrooms have magical stories spinning around themSubscriber Only

May 21,2025 17:15:40 PM

Mushrooms are a form of fungi that continue to be studied extensively to discover, sometimes the magic, and at other times the menace, they can unleash

Wed, May 21, 2025

Why extinction is not the siren to wait forSubscriber Only

May 19,2025 17:50:06 PM

From the Asiatic lion to the Indian rhinoceros to the Pygmy hog, we only try to save our fauna when they’re close to extinction

Mon, May 19, 2025

Laws of Attraction: How animals and birds chase loveSubscriber Only

May 07,2025 12:36:03 PM

Animals and birds are not very different from humans when it comes to looking for the right partner

Wed, May 07, 2025

No childhood is complete if you haven’t blown a delicate dandelion and watched its puffballs explode – each carrying a little seed (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Leaving home: How seeds find their way into the worldSubscriber Only

May 02,2025 17:10:49 PM

Many seeds are deliberately taken from one place to another and become crops. Occasionally, they become an invasive species

Fri, May 02, 2025

How do dainty butterflies migrate cross-country without being blown off-course?

Why I’m always curious about natureSubscriber Only

April 25,2025 19:09:19 PM

Start questioning how flora and fauna have survived Earth for millions of years and it’s impossible to resist looking for answers

Fri, Apr 25, 2025

A swirl of smoke: The season of the rosy starlingSubscriber Only

April 19,2025 10:00:57 AM

The loud and fast bird is stopping by North India on the way to Eastern Europe during its annual winter migration

Sat, Apr 19, 2025

While scientists accept that the long train could be an encumbrance, judging by this photograph of the peacock in the razor wire coil, he clearly managed to get out safely

Why Charles Darwin was sick seeing a feather in a peacock’s tailSubscriber Only

April 09,2025 07:00:51 AM

While it head-butted his theory of natural selection, Darwin emerged with the theory of sexual selection as a way to emphasise that, perhaps, females kept their eyes on beauty in selecting their mates

Wed, Apr 09, 2025

There are happier ways to get out of bed: listen to the musicians of the airSubscriber Only

April 02,2025 10:00:33 AM

From the blue-whistling thrush to the mellifluous red-whiskered bulbul and the ear-piercing calls of the peacock, nature has its way of bringing in the day

Tue, Apr 01, 2025

From the tiniest to the largest, how the ladies call the shotsSubscriber Only

March 29,2025 10:32:24 AM

Be it the African mole rats, killer whales or the spotted hyenas, females rule; it's all about survival

Sat, Mar 29, 2025

The leopard sitting perfectly camouflaged in the dappled cover, obviously waiting for its prey (Photo credit: Ranjit Lal)

Tiger, Tiger Out of Sight: Why the big cats are elusive in our national parksSubscriber Only

March 21,2025 21:41:42 PM

These days people expect to have tigers on the tap on wildlife safaris. But what does that mean for animals and their habitats

Fri, Mar 21, 2025

Why we need flies: For chocolates, mangoes and moreSubscriber Only

March 12,2025 10:00:00 AM

Flies are big-time pollinators which have never got the credit they deserve for this service

Thu, Mar 13, 2025

Why you need to be swifter than the birdsSubscriber Only

February 26,2025 07:00:59 AM

Birds are creatures of habit, and while they flit from branch to branch, you need to keep a keen eye to catch a glimpse of them

Tue, Feb 25, 2025

Hermit crabs are born with cushy tushies, which are prone to being pinched, pulled and munched on, so they have to find themselves: helmets for their bottoms (Photo credits: Ranjit Lal)

What’s causing hermit crabs to riot under waterSubscriber Only

February 19,2025 06:00:16 AM

In their attempts to seek out abandoned shells of sea snails to save themselves from predators, they are prone to a property-grabbing lifestyle and notorious for shifting residences – one shell at a time

Fri, Feb 21, 2025

Mother Nature’s mindboggling nano-engineering that helps reptiles and insects stick to surfacesSubscriber Only

February 05,2025 15:54:49 PM

The setae are bendy and ultra-flexible, allowing them to follow and stick to the contours of the surface they are on — no matter how infinitesimal they are.

Wed, Feb 05, 2025

Keep an eye out for these on your morning walk on the beachSubscriber Only

January 30,2025 18:04:29 PM

When crabs, snails, plants and birds come out to play

Thu, Jan 30, 2025

Our maestro has not managed to attract a sloe-eyed gentle girlfriend but it’s still early days and here’s hoping that he will

The croon of the magpie-robinSubscriber Only

January 24,2025 16:33:53 PM

He sings virtually non-stop from say, 5 am to sometimes as late as 9 am, by which time the sun is high and getting hot. And no, sensibly he does not indulge in the sort of leaping and prancing hijinks that many pop singers do

Fri, Jan 24, 2025

How birds, tigers and bear use feet as weapons of defenseSubscriber Only

January 14,2025 17:48:22 PM

From climbing trees to ripping prey, from scuttling up tree trunks to using feet as hands, evolutionary engineering is at work in Nature

Tue, Jan 14, 2025

The cheetah, with a 110 kph top speed, has quicker acceleration than a Ferrari (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

How most animals can give any 4WD a run for its moneySubscriber Only

January 08,2025 17:54:35 PM

Our wheels may speed us over specialised roads but over natural, rugged terrain, animals will beat our vehicles hands down

Wed, Jan 08, 2025

Why do some migratory birds lose their way?Subscriber Only

January 04,2025 14:42:18 PM

A Little Gull spotted in the Chandu wetlands near the Sultanpur National Park, far off its course, drew birders from far and wide

Sat, Jan 04, 2025

Winter travel special: How a Corbett safari ended in an encounter with a wild elephant overdosed on testosteroneSubscriber Only

December 29,2024 06:00:37 AM

I must have been in the middle or towards the end of the ‘queue’ when I was suddenly confronted by all the pioneering leaders rushing pell-mell back urgently whispering ‘Pagal haathi! Pagal haathi!’

Sat, Dec 28, 2024