Life in the urban jungle: Three environmentalists bring Mumbai’s wild rhythms to the heart of Lower Parel

Tuk tuk click clickrdquo environment journalist Kartik Chandramouli talks in a Morse codeish tongue these days While environmentalists might as well develop their own code language given how tough itrsquos getting for them to be heard these days Chandramouli is only gearing up for his upcoming session on sounds from the wild The avid naturalist will be joined by fellow nature lovers Sejal Mehta and Sahir Doshi in a twopart series that leads up to a musical culmination at the Echoes of Earth green festivalPorpita porpita PICS COURTESYSACHIN RANE WIKIMEDIA COMMONSldquoOur idea is to raise awareness about conservation through sounds A majority of our perception of wildlife is through visuals but when you start listening it opens a whole different world We want people to attune themselves to that untapped dimensionrdquo Chandramouli says The sonic exploration doesnrsquot stop at birds he assures us ldquoDid you know even insects emit their own calls There are mammals like the bat that communicate in ultrasonic frequencies that we cannot hearrdquo he addsWersquove heard that the popular Lower Parel venue antiSocial can get pretty wild on busy nights but Chandramouli joined by Mehta might be the first ones to prove the rumours right The duo will play sounds recorded from animal habitats for an interactive quiz session for the attendees see box ldquoWersquoll have a few giveaways for winners as wellrdquo he reveals Wersquore all earsSahir Doshi performs a rap at a marine walk PICS COURTESYSAHIR DOSHI on InstagramThe idea of listening to these sounds has much more utility than for recreation he says ldquoAnimals often exhibit specialised sounds for specific purposes Mating calls social contact calls calls to hunt all help us understand how an animal behaves in a changing ecosystemrdquo he addsMarine conservation communicator Sahir Doshi has a slightly tougher job his favourite animals mdash the intertidal marine creatures of Mumbai mdash canrsquot talk to him ldquoTrying to understand whatrsquos going on with these creatures is really difficult because we do not share any sensesrdquo he says Rest assured Doshi will give them words rhyming ones at that at the event Rap songs dedicated to species like the Blue Buttons and barnacles will give participants a virtual marine walk experienceCoppersmith BarbetldquoThese animals cannot talk but their behaviour speaks volumes about Mumbairsquos ecosystem Just last week the Porpita porpita species washed ashore in Mumbai These are organisms that usually signal the impending onset of monsoon in Mumbai The sighting helped us understand how climate change is affecting marine life cycles In that sense they are constantly speaking to usrdquo Doshi revealsThe nature educatorrsquos rap performance which he calls ldquoan extremely simplified version of a science lecture to spark an interest among young audiencesrdquo will be followed by a neo jazz electronic fusion performance by the Shigeto Live Ensemble We donrsquot know about you but it sounds like a plan to usGuess whoCoppersmith Barbet Voted as the official bird of Mumbai in 2011 by a public poll organised by the Bombay Natural History Society this bird is named after the sound a coppersmith makes when striking metal The ldquotuk tukrdquo sound that makes the background score for evenings in Mumbai is courtesy this bird ldquoPeople hardly see it because of how tiny it is but if you look closely you can see a splash of green and red Participants are always surprised to finally have a visual reference to the sound that is so familiarrdquo says KartikFemale Koel and Male KoelKoel The Koel finds itself in quite a similar quandary While most people have heard or at least heard of the Koelrsquos ldquokuhurdquo through popular media very few recognise the bird when they see it The male and female Koel look distinct from each other Keep an eye out for this sweet songbird at the quizIndian Ocean Dolphin Creatures like dolphins are constantly communicating with each other through clicks and whistles There are naturalists in Mumbai who are studying these creatures closely It requires heading underwater and using listening devices to catch their ultrasound callsON November 15 630 pm onwardsAT antisocial Mathuradas Mill Compound Lower ParelLOG ON TO districtinENTRY R1179 onwards