This is a visual experience created for the visitors of the online platform ‘Living Waters Museum, a virtual museum that collects and curates visual narratives about the Water Heritage of India it also wants to put the rich and diverse traditions of water practices in India. I collaborated with them as one of the contributors of a photo essay. My role was to bring out the beauty and diversity of a wetland named Thol.
Thol is an artificial lake that was built in 1912 largely for irrigation. The water body occupies a total area of 699 ha (6.99 sq.km.) and its periphery is 5.62 km long. In 1988 it was declared a bird sanctuary and is now home to more than 150 bird species. Thol holds an historic significance and is a great example showing the importance of wetlands.
Twigs and Tails of Thol is a story which takes you through a journey that seeks to highlight the timelessness of this Ramsar recognized wetland. People and nature have coexisted, and beautifully, for several decades, and the aim here is to continue telling the story that is often forgotten, through photographs. However, wetlands like Thol are increasingly affected threats of different kinds from growing urbanization to intensive agriculture, industrial development and the risks of climate uncertainty. The story outlines some of these challenges, briefly and suggests that the beauty and biodiversity of Thol needs to be maintained for future generations.
Visit the Virtual Museum and view the final output. Click here.
The GIF here shows the effect on Thol because of the conditions of the growing urbanization and shows the changes it has gone through over the years! The GIF is a snap from every year since 2007 to 2020 on the 20th March.
Thol plays a very important role in the existence and survival of its beings. However it is a two way cycle, Thol is also dependent on its beings. There is interdependence of mankind and nature. Here are somethings Thol needs to thrive as a wetland.
This movie was made as a part of the project, to showcase the importance of Thol as a wetland.
P.S This isn't the part of the exhibit, it was our initial take on the story, however due to lack of resources we couldn't continue with this format. This video just briefly talks and shows the treasures Thol beholds.
TWIGS AND TAILS OF THOL
To read more about this project click here. It is a detailed curated research done as a part of this project. My role was to scrutinize information from various sources, like websites, research papers, books and PDFs and verify them on field by personally visitng the site.
Would like to extent my thanks to Mrs.Sara Ahmed, Saachi D'souza, and Bhargav Padhiyar for the constructive feedback and guidance. Adding some photographs below for a enlarged experience.
