Watch | How sea turtles help face cyclones
The Hindu
A video on how sea turtles are fitted with tags that help scientists predict cyclones
Sea turtles on Reunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, are being fitted with special tags to help researchers collect data about cyclones.
Tropical cyclones have a devastating impact on the islands of the southwest Indian Ocean, including Madagascar, which is affected by an average of 1.5 cyclones a year. The most inhabited coastal areas are the most exposed, so predicting the cyclones’ outcome and impacts is a major concern.
Threatened by humans due to the affects of poaching and overexploitation, sea turtles are now helping to protect them. The special initiative, called STORM (Sea Turtles for Ocean Research and Monitoring) is a partnership between the Kelonia care centre and the Atmosphere and Cyclone Laboratory of the University of La Réunion.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.