Amidst horrifying visuals of war crimes in the Middle East, and a heart that bleeds for the children in Gaza, a disturbed mind keeps itself distracted by moments in the company of nature. Sighting a Malabar Trogon is definitely something that lifted our hearts during the recent Periyar buffer trek.
01.03.26
An evening of forest stories, slow conversations and simple flavours with Manju @mann.summer.rain . Grateful for the shared learnings, thoughtful films and a taste of forest ingredients through @forestpost.in . 🌿
He doesn't want me to work!
And I dug out a poem Tasnim sent me last year:
*In other words*
Bukowski
the Egyptians loved the cat
were entomed with it
instead of with the women
and never with the dog
but now
here
good people with
good eyes
are very few
yet fine cats
with great style
lounge about
in the alleys of
the universe.
about
our argument tonight
whatever it was
about
and
no matter how unhappy
it made us
feel
remember that
there is a
cat
somewhere
adjusting to the
space of itself
with a delightful
grace
in other words
magic persists
without us
no matter what
we may try to do
to spoil it.
#catlover #petlife #buwoski
@sushmitamandal@janvpi@skanila@atypicalmalayali@offthestrike@anu_cheeran_@meeraforest
In a world shaped by fast-paced consumption, even a fruit becomes a commodity. But what if preservation means knowing when not to take?
@mann.summer.rain , founder of @forestpost.in and researcher, speaks about Mootti, a fruit that feeds many animals, and micro-ecosystems. Yet, in our rush to consume, we forget that not everything that grows is meant for us.
Watch our CulturePrompts episode to listen more about how culture drives entrepreneurial growth while keeping communities close.
#forest #culture #communitymatters
An ethnographic field visit to the Anamalais that was aimed really to check on the health status of a young Muthuva bamboo weaver we work with. Her enthusiasm in showing us around her pristine surroundings seemed to mask her illness. The richness of her hamlet and in her spirit lies beyond what meets the eye.
#sustainableliving #mudarchitecture #muthuvaculture #ethnography #conservationstewards
A barbet that will no longer sing. At our Ollur garden. @zabna_river@unnikrishnansoolapani@meeraforest
This image will always remind me of a Wislawa Szymborska poem.
Seen from Above
Translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh
A dead beetle lies on the path through the field.
Three pairs of legs folded neatly on its belly.
Instead of death’s confusion, tidiness and order.
The horror of this sight is moderate,
its scope is strictly local, from the wheat grass to the mint.
The grief is quarantined. The sky is blue.
To preserve our peace of mind, animals die
more shallowly: they aren’t deceased, they’re dead.
They leave behind, we’d like to think, less feeling and less world,
departing, we suppose, from a stage less tragic.
Their meek souls never haunt us in the dark,
they know their place,
they show respect.
And so the dead beetle on the path
lies unmourned and shining in the sun.
One glance at it will do for meditation —
clearly nothing much has happened to it.
Important matters are reserved for us,
for our life and our death, a death
that always claims the right of way.
~
Waiting for the bus back from the Edamalayar valley, this culvert has become a regular perch for the mats and baskets I bring back for @forestpost.in
Every piece a reflection of the artisanry of the Muthuva women for whom bamboo weaving is close knit to their way of life.
This wait in the middle of the forest always seems surreal. A gurgling stream below. Sounds of cicadas in the canopy. And then there's enough time to spot birds in the thickets... One time it was the paradise flycatcher with @sushmitamandal . And the last time it was the Malabar Trogon @josephrahul_
Such rewards don't come everyday!
#WeavingCulture #SlowLiving #IndigenousKnowledge #Handmade #BambooWeavers #MindfulTravel
A weekend of food, forests, and shared stories 🌿
From wild edibles and beeswax balms to the soulful Intuitive Cooking workshop with Chef Vijhay Ganesh — this gathering at One Little Earth was all about rediscovering our connection with what truly nourishes us.
Thank you to everyone who came, shared, and celebrated with us 💛
#OneLittleEarth #ForestPost #IntuitiveCooking #WildFoodTrails #SustainableLiving #CommunityGathering #KochiEvents #FoodFromTheForest
Bringing you a curated food experience from the African origin Siddi people in the Uttara Kannada region of the Western Ghats. There will also be singing and dancing around the sacred drum Damam, possibly the only tangible link they have with their roots.
When chefgokuny , sumeshmang and mann.summer.rain spent two rainy days in Damami, a Siddi community-speared tourism initiative in Yelapur, it was to walk some wild food trails with Manjunath and his family in search of Siddi culinary elements. Despite the incessant rains we managed to forage at night, cook together, and taste some of their unique flavours. What conspired is this collaboration, thanks to Good Earth's support and enthusiasm.
Hopefully a beginning for many more such immersive experiences around forest people and their knowledge. To celebrate our syncretic culture, a real need of these times.
#ForestPost #FromtheForest #FromTheTribals
#SupportLocal #EmpoweringCommunities #IndigenousKnowledge #Sustainability #TraditionalKnowledge #TheSaltOfTheLeaves #SiddiCommunity #BangaloreEvents #BangaloreFoodies #CulinaryJourney #ForestToTable #LiveMusicBangalore
