Wildlife art and illustration: stone sculpture and painting - some experiments in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Author Details: M. Eric Ramanujam has been a wildlife illustrator for over two decades and has a background in the advertising industry. Since 1997 he has been involved in full time conservation and has been part of a team which undertook wildlife surveys in the Kaliveli region near Puducherry, Eastern Ghats and Adyar wetland complex in Chennai. His main sphere of interest is the natural history of the Indian Eagle Owl Bubo bengalensis. S. Joss Brooks established Pitchandikulam, a forest community in Auroville, and was one of the pioneers of re-establishing the indigenous coastal vegetation of the region. He was the lead consultant to the prestigious Government of Tamil Nadu's Adyar Poonga wetland restoration project in Chennai. He is the recipient of the Dr. Triloki Nath Khoshoo Award in 2010 for his contribution to eco-restoration initiatives.Author Contribution: SJB evolved the concept of painting and carving wildlife in stone. MER undertook the preparation of the sculptures, and prepared the manuscript with inputs from SJB.