Sometimes I wonder what makes us exclusive as a species on Earth? Do we really have some kind of superiority over the flora and fauna without which we may not survive? With multiple species of wildlife being threatened by human exploits, perhaps there is a need to remind ourselves of our dependence on our planet and the lives it supports while acknowledging our existence as just one of the many species. In this issue, we celebrate life on this planet… I do not know if a cockroach or a cow would be considered wildlife, but it seems only right to see all of them as our brethren… along with yetis who could be a figment of the human mind… Enjoy some of our selected fare from around the world on World Wildlife Day today.
Poetry
Katsaridaphobia by Aditya Shankar. Click here to read.
Kissing Frogs by Rhys Hughes. Click here to read.
Pirate Blacktarn & the Worm by Jay Nicholls. Click here to read.
Yeti by Jared Carter. Click here to read.
Giraffe’s Dad by Tagore has been translated from Bengali by Professor Fakrul Alam. Click here to read.
Jibananda Das’s Where have all these Birds Gone & On the Pathways for Long… have been translated from Bengali by Professor Fakrul Alam. Click here to read.
Non-Fiction
Humbled by a Pig: Farouk Gulsara meets a wild pig while out one early morning and muses on the ‘meeting’. Click here to read.
Breaking Bread: Snigdha Agrawal has a bovine encounter in a restaurant. Click here to read.
Rabbit Island: Suzanne Kamata visits the island of Okunoshima, where among innocence of rabbits lurk historic horrors. Click here to read.
The Ocean & Me: Meredith Stephens writes of her encounters with sea creatures in South Australia. Click here to read.
An Encounter With Snakes: Devraj Singh Kalsi, amuses with his hilarious take on snakes and snake charmers in his home. Click here to read.
Bugs of Life: Sohana Manzoor, highlighting her ‘affection’ or the lack of it for bugs. Click here to read.
Fiction
Maya and the Dolphins: Mohin Uddin Mizan weaves a story around dolphins in Cox Bazaar, Bangladesh. Click here to read.
Memory Gongs: Rhys Hughes reflects on the cycle of life. Click here to read.
Navigational Error: Luke PG Draper explores the impact of pollution on wildlife. Click here to read.
The Llama Story: Shourjo shares a short fun piece written from a llama’s perspective. Click here to read.
Naughty Ravi: Naramsetti Umamaheswararao writes of an awakening of kindness to fellow creatures. Click here to read.
One Small Ancient Tale: Tagore’s story about two wild birds has been translated by Nishat Atiya. Click here to read.
The Parrot’s Tale: Tagore’s powerful story has been translated by Radha Chakravarty. Click here to read.
Borderless 