Thar Desert

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Malini Saigal
  Introduction The term ‘Rajasthan’ was first coined by James Tod, the 19th century British annalist as ‘the collective and classical denomination of that portion of India which is the "abode of [Rajput] princes”' (Kothiyal 2016:3).[1] The colonial construct carried over to independent India…
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Malini Saigal
  A hundred years ago, when the fascination with evolution was as its peak, scientists put forward the idea that the general reverence by humans for trees and forests harks back to a subconscious memory of arboreal existence. It was suggested that the unreasonable fear of storms, high winds…
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Malini Saigal
The Thar bio-region supports a fascinating and resilient vegetation, that is rooted as much in the harsh terrain as in its culture and everyday traditions. We look at the sub-regions in this seemingly uniform landscape, and its wide variety of hardy desert trees, shrubs and grasses that survive and…
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Yashaswini Chandra and Malini Saigal
Sahapedia is collaborating with Rupayan Sansthan, Jodhpur, with a view to revitalise the institution.  A series of web modules on different aspects of the history and folk culture of Rajasthan and western South Asia is being produced as part of this collaboration. The research for the modules…
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Malini Saigal
The pale shades of dawn spread gently upwards from the eastern horizon. The rest of the sky is still a dark indigo sprinkled with stars. Slowly, dim shapes emerge from the gently undulating land, like actors on a darkened stage waiting for the lights to come on. Lone thorny trees stand like shadowy…
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Malini Saigal
  The harsh landscape of the Thar Desert supports a surprisingly large number of hardy, drought-resistant plant species. These plants have adapted to the desert conditions of sandy soil, scarce water and long hours of strong sunlight. Some have deep root systems to tap into low groundwater…
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Yashaswini Chandra
Photo by DHEERAJ PAUL   PHOTOS BY DHEERAJ PAUL AND DINESH KHANNA   ‘. . . O, sweet [bird] Kurjan You are like my sister Lower your wings And come close to me Allow me to write my grievances on your wings And my greetings on your beak. Hasten, sweet bird Go to my dear one.’ (excerpt…
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