Saturday Feeling: Finding a balance between conservation and luxury tourism

For most students of a certain vintage from Chennai, ‘turtle walks’ were a fixture on the calendar. Between November and February, we’d follow volunteers of the Students’ Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) along the beach at night hoping to spot nests of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles. I continued as a half-hearted volunteer well into my 20s, tagging along with friends who were deeply committed to relocating the nests to a hatchery and then releasing hatchlings into the sea so that they wouldn’t be eaten or crushed by traffic. As I said, I had little devotion to the turtles, but there’s no doubt there’s something magical and transformative about sitting on a moonlit beach, listening to tides crashing on sand, and waiting every year for a massive creature that’s swum thousands of miles to return to the same beach to lay her eggs. And then months later, there’s the incomparable feeling of the tiny, prickly flippers on your palms as you release them into the ocean, waves lapping at your feet and carrying the creatures away. A ji le apni zindagi, Simran moment, for other 90s kids. I was reminded of this a couple of months ago when I met a remarkable young research associate from Nature Conservation Foundation who works on reef fish communities in Lakshadweep. She’d done the same walks as a pre-teen in Chennai, about a decade after I had, and it had led her to a career in conservation. The memory resurfaced last week, when Neha Sinha sent me photos of this year’s second round of mass nesting at Rushikulya, which she writes about lyrically, while asking, ‘Can we leave turtle nesting beaches alone?’

There’s much to be said for exposure to wild creatures and nature at an early age. As Jane Goodall says, it reminds us that “we are part of and not separated from the rest of the animal kingdom”. One way to make that contact is through wildlife tourism, though it always brings out proponents and opponents, who can rarely find common ground. Proponents talk about the benefits of showing people their interconnectedness to nature and promoting conservation, while the opponents worry about local inhabitants being deprived of access to the forest, landgrabbing and overtourism, among other very valid concerns. It’s the idea of finding a balance between luxury, tourism and conservation  that Anita Rao Kashi tackles in our big story this week. And now, on to the other great stories to read in Lounge this week.

Meet the healer to the global elite

Trend watchers would refer to Dr Issac Mathai as the doctor to King Charles III and Queen Camilla in India—and he doesn’t play down the fact that he is a holistic health consultant to everyone from Rajinikanth to the late Tina Turner. He is the founder of Soukya International, a medical institute and retreat in Bengaluru. As a practitioner of integrative medicine—which integrates Ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga and homeopathy with allopathy—Mathai says his role requires him to not just be a doctor to his clients, but also a friend, advisor and psychologist. He talks to Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran about his rather enviable career as doctor to the rich and the famous, integrative medicine, and why wellness holidays are a good idea. Read more.

Ramzan in the Memoni kitchen

Memoni cuisine has been shaped by migration, travel and trade, a beautiful mélange of influences that tells the history of the community as well as its culture. Memoni cuisine has been shaped by migration, travel and trade, a beautiful mélange of influences that tells the history of the community as well as its culture. During Ramzan, a range of special dishes are served, from lightly spiced samosas to delectable kebabs and rices, writes Arzoo Dina. Read more.

Isn’t it time Snow White learnt stranger danger?

For most of us, while growing up, fairytales were a stepping stone into the magical world of stories, and it is only natural for us to want to pass on these tales— which often spell comfort—to our kids. But isn’t it time that we demand better of them, asks Avantika Bhuyan, after taking her daughter to watch Snow White, which trots out the same old story without any updates for the modern generation of children. Isn’t it time that we get some respite from these stereotypes of good and evil—and the protagonist waiting to be rescued? Read more.

IPL and the big swing

Ever since T20 came into the picture, the focus for cricket’s administrators, tirelessly pushed on by the broadcasters, has been to make it a six-hitting carnival of ever-increasing high scores. Pitches have gotten flatter and more even paced, grounds are smaller, bats are bigger, and fielding restrictions have made the IPL a bowler’s nightmare.  As IPL administrators push for a game where every ball results in a boundary, is there any hope for the art of bowling, asks Rudraneil Sengupta. Read more.

A guide to buying a portable photo printer

Portable photo printers are making a comeback, merging the convenience of smartphones with the thrill of holding instantly printed photos in your hand. In a world dominated by digital screens, there’s something undeniably special about holding a printed photo in your hands. It’s tangible, personal, and evokes a sense of nostalgia that a digital image often cannot. Abhishek Baxi traces the return to printed photos and picks the best portable printers to buy. Read more.

When diabetic chefs bring cheer to the kitchen

A diagnosis of diabetes usually leads to advice about avoiding sugar-heavy foods, carbohydrates and stress—but if one is a professional chef in a busy kitchen, it’s near impossible to keep away from these. Yet, a number of chefs with diabetes have found ways to continue in their careers without compromising on either their health or the taste of the food they serve. They have changed the way they cook, the way they think about food, and how they run their kitchens, exploring healthier cooking techniques, developing low-carb and diabetic-friendly menus, and educating their team members about the importance of mindful eating. Deepa Natarajan Lobo speaks to insulin-dependent chefs who have become an inspiration to their colleagues and guests. Read more.

Unseasonal snow that comes as an omen

It’s late March, and for most people across India, it will seem like a trick of the mind to imagine that it is still winter in the Himalayan regions. While most of the country has suffered from unnaturally hot winter and spring months, there has been a decent amount of winter snowfall in the Himalaya. But snow season has shifted from December-January to February-March—and unseasonal snow caused an avalanche that buried 8 people in Uttarakhand a month ago. January and February have been the hottest on record, and with stock market gurus predicting a bumper year for FMCG stocks on the back of rising demand for ACs and fridges, it’s going to be a miserable summer. Bibek Bhattacharya reads the signs of the fast-unraveling climate crisis we’re witnessing. Read more.

A sip of homegrown sake in Bengaluru

At her makeshift laboratory in Yelahanka in Bengaluru, chef Maia Laifungbam’s is recreating sake, or Japanese rice wine, in India. In June, the chef, who is also a certified sake brewer or touji, will launch two sake products in Bengaluru and Mumbai. There’s junmai, a clear and refreshing sake, and nigori, a cloudy version with a stronger flavour. She is also in the process of setting up a brewery, where guests can sip on freshly pressed sake with a stronger flavour and higher sugar content than brewed version. There is a growing appreciation for Japanese culture across India, an increased interest in Japanese cuisine and a surge in Indian tourists visiting Japan, writes Geetika Sachdev after hearing Laifungbam’s plans for Indian sake. Read more.