Rohan Chakravarty's Blog

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It is easy to dismiss Delhi as the world's most polluted capital. But Delhi's choking rivers, stifled city forests, disappearing ridges and wetlands are still home to a stunning array of biodiversity. Migratory birds thronging on the banks of the Yamuna, bats flying out of its famed monuments, Nilgai bumping into joggers in city parks like Jahanpana Forest, and leopards, jackals and hyenas scrambling for refuge in the remaining vestiges of the Aravalli ridges are still occurrences in a city characterised by unplanned suburban expansion and an ever-growing human population. Delhi's proximity to India's oldest mountain range, the Aravallis, blesses the national capital with a diversity in vegetation like no other, with ridge specialties like the Dhok, Pilkhan and varius hill shrubs rubbing shoulders with Red Silk Cotton lining the capital's avenues. Endangered birds like the Egyptian Vulture make Delhi's busy highways its home, and Greater Flamingos, Pallid Scops Owls and migratory raptors still make its wetlands their winter home. 
In a city that withstands ecological annihilation from unmitigated development every week, wildlife fights for survival and space alongside Delhi's citizens. I hope that this map of the biodiversity of the capital will play a part in giving prominence to aspects of Delhi that the real estate industry would prefer to render invisible to the city's residents.
A huge thanks to Ms. Monalisa Sen of ICLEI South Asia for commissioning the illustration! The illustration is a freely downloadable resource available on ICLEI's website. 
Special thanks to my friend, wildlife conservationist and author Neha Sinha for her breakout publication 'Wild Capital' which served as an indispensable resource in the process of creating this illustration. 
Some snippets from the map are below-

With stars like the Taiwan Blue Magpie and the Swinhoe's Pheasant to rarities like the Taiwan Thrush- meet all the thirty Taiwan endemic bird species in this new illustration! 
Prints, tees and merchandise out on my Redbubble store here, shipped worldwide.

Last year in March, commissioned by Roundglass Sustain, I travelled to Jessami, a Naga village in the remote north-eastern corner of Manipur. Inhabited primarily by members of the Chakhesang tribe, Jessami's residents have historically hunted birds and other wildlife as means of sustenance. Now, the village and its residents are actively involved in the conservation of the region's birdlife and wildlife, with Manipur's State Bird the Hume's Pheasant being the cornerstone and the pride of the village.
This illustrated map details Jessami's rich biodiversity- to be used both as a handy tool for locals and guides, as well as collectibles and souvenirs for tourists and wildlife enthusiasts. The map's visual style and illustrated elements pay homage to weavers of the Chakhesang community, whose art is passed only in person intergenerationally, and created seldom with any monetary motive!
A big thanks to Neha Dara and Megha Moorthy of Roundglass Sustain for trusting me with this project, Weyepe Mekrisuh and Asset Weyzah for guiding me during my field visit and for sharing their immense knowledge of local history, topography and culture with me. Thanks also to Mr. Weyzah for opening the doors of his home to me, where Mrs. Weyzah generously taught me her family recipe of Eromba, and where his uncles and aunts gave me invaluable insights into the community's art and fabric.
I urge fellow birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts as well as those looking for enriching artistic and ethnographic experiences, to visit Jessami and support the Jessami Village Council's efforts to sustain the tourism models that they have instituted to safeguard the avifauna and the wildlife of the region, including the iconic Hume's Pheasant, an IUCN Vulnerable species. More information about Jessami can be accessed on this Roundglass Sustain article of which this map illustration is a part.

I had the opportunity to team up with Birdlife Montenegro once again over a short but delightful collaboration. Project PACON aims to promote sustainable ecotourism and popularize biodiversity in Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro. I created these cartoon illustrations on three iconic bird species in three ecotourism sites in the three countries respectively- the Rock Partridge at Lovcen (Montenegro), the Green Woodpecker at Tuzla (Bosnia) and the Common Kingfisher at Sopotac (Croatia). The cartoons will be seen on displays and merchandise at the respective sites.
Thanks to Zoran Popovic and the Birdlife Montenegro team for choosing to team up with me again!

Thanks to a very dynamic bunch of folks from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, I got an opportunity to draw cartoons for their technical forum held in Bonn in December 2025. Here are some of the many cartoons created over three days of intensive technical sessions on various aspects of disaster risk reduction.
A huge thanks to Lukas Edbauer and Tamar Marjana for collaborating with me!

Joining online from India, I drew cartoons for the Global Resilience Partnership's COP 30 Resilience Hub . The sessions encompassed a wide variety of discussions, collaboration AND action. Here are some of the cartoons from the COP30 below-











































To view the entire gallery, click here. And to watch the session recordings, visit the COP Resilience Hub Youtube channel. 
A huge thanks to Anastasia Brainich and Karen Bennie of the Global Resilience Partnership for the continued association!

A big thanks to the Global Resilience Partnership for continuing my association with the COP Resilience Hub this year as well! Sharing some cartoons created live during the opening session of the Cop Res Hub (11th November 2024).




Cartoons from a session on indigenous and youth activism at the Cop Res Hub, 11th November 2024.




Cartoons from a session on financial innovation for climate aid for informal sectors, with speakers from SEWA and Atlantic Council, 12th November, 2024.




Cartoons from a session on climate resilient infrastructure in Latin America leading up to COP 30, with an emphasis on indigenous leadership, with speakers from Avina, the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, and HE Razan Al Mubarak, the COP28 UN high level champion. (12th November 2024)



Live cartoons from a session on aligning finance with nature-based solutions, with speakers from IUCN, Alluvium and CEEW(13th November 2024).






Live cartoons from a session on anticipatory action for climate risks and disasters, with speakers from ICCCAD, Ground Truth Solutions, UNICEF and AMERICARES. 13th November 2024.

A big thanks to the Global Resilience Partnership for continuing my association with the COP Resilience Hub this year as well! Sharing some cartoons created live during the opening session of the Cop Res Hub (11th November 2024).




Cartoons from a session on indigenous and youth activism at the Cop Res Hub, 11th November 2024.




Cartoons from a session on financial innovation for climate aid for informal sectors, with speakers from SEWA and Atlantic Council, 12th November, 2024.




Cartoons from a session on climate resilient infrastructure in Latin America leading up to COP 30, with an emphasis on indigenous leadership, with speakers from Avina, the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, and HE Razan Al Mubarak, the COP28 UN high level champion. (12th November 2024)



Live cartoons from a session on aligning finance with nature-based solutions, with speakers from IUCN, Alluvium and CEEW(13th November 2024).






Live cartoons from a session on anticipatory action for climate risks and disasters, with speakers from ICCCAD, Ground Truth Solutions, UNICEF and AMERICARES. 13th November 2024.

Cartoons created for the Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies' gathering of their climate and environment portfolio grantees, which were designed as caption contests for the participants. While the cartoons I am posting here bear my original captions, the cartoons initially displayed to the participants were captionless, inviting them to team up over filling in the caption clouds, resulting in a delightful icebreaking and team-building exercise, as well as some truly hilarious and ingenious captions!
A big thanks to the RNP team for the opportunity.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to draw cartoons on one of the most desired mammals on my wildlife wishlist- the Mediterranean Monk Seal. The cartoons are meant as commuication resources for SPA/RAC's Mediterranean Monk Seal Project, to unite biologists, conservationists, funders, governments, fishers and citizens in the conservation of the Mediterranean Monk Seal. 
Thanks to Julie Belmont and SPA/RAC for this fun commission!