Dhritiman Das

Ecologist. Equally fascinated by grasslands, galaxies, geopolitics and good cinema. Evidence over ideology. Nonviolence always. Views are personal.

[Dhritiman Das @dhritiz]

A fantastic collaborative effort! @jayanta_malla @assamforest @manasnptr @DurrellWildlife @aaranyak @IUCNssc @IUCNsos @HabitatsTrust @HCL_Foundation @bibhabtalukdar #Pygmyhog #grasslands #Manas

[Himanta Biswa Sarma @himantabiswa]

A dash to freedom🐗

The release of 15 pygmy hogs into the wild at Manas National Park under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme marks another milestone in our efforts to restore fragile grassland ecosystems and protect one of the world's rarest wild pig.

[Dhritiman Das @dhritiz]

@aaranyak @bibhabtalukdar @BibhutiLahkar

[India Wildlife News @IndWildlifeNews]

Assam wants to shrink Kaziranga's eco-sensitive zone from 10km down to just 1km. Conservation group Aaranyak says: not so fast — the boundary should follow ecology and law, not a single round number.

Aaranyak's new position paper calls for protecting the nine wildlife corridors linking Kaziranga to the Karbi Anglong hills, safeguarding flood-escape routes for rhinos and tigers, and consulting local communities before anything is finalised.

Read the full story: https://t.co/PhA7ljtY8C

#Kaziranga #Assam #Bokakhat #Kaliabor #KarbiAnglong #Guwahati #EcoSensitiveZone #Aaranyak #RhinoConservation #IndiaWildlifeNews #WhenWildThingsMakeHeadlines

[Fermat's Library @fermatslibrary]

Chandrasekhar died exactly 31 years ago today. At 19, on the boat from India to Cambridge in 1930, he worked out that a white dwarf above ~1.4 solar masses could not remain stable. Eddington publicly rejected the result. 53 years later, Chandrasekhar won the Nobel Prize for his work on stellar evolution.

[Helping Rhinos 🦏 @HelpingRhinos]

The Indonesian government has announced plans to capture the last known wild Bornean rhino in efforts to conserve the species via IVF. Bornean rhinos are a subspecies of the Sumatran rhino, with just 2 known individuals, one in captivity & one in the wild.
https://t.co/sURxGp21Fd

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

You may know Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes from 7 Khoon Maaf. But her story began long before the film—a few centuries ago, in Bengal. In 2021, we followed the trail down a narrow lane off GT Road—and stood before the real Susanna’s tomb. A Thread. 1/26

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

This map shows the rain and rivers of the Indian subcontinent. India's rainfall geography is less about latitude than about where moisture-laden monsoon air runs into mountains. Source: https://t.co/tEqHbaDgBq

[Brahmaputran Bharatiya @tricolor_tribe]

Victor Banerjee, 1985. In the royal film premiere, Leicester Square, London.

First high profile BJP candidate from West Bengal during peak Communist rule, 1991.

In a riveting & irreverent interview he said, "I was a born Hindu, I shall die a Hindu".

[Manas Tiger Reserve @manasnptr]

A workshop on Rhino Conservation & Grassland Management was held today at Bhuyanpara Range, Manas TR. Experts, field practitioners and key stakeholders share knowledge and strategies for strengthening rhino conservation and grassland management. @aaranyak @wti_org_india @WWFINDIA

[Natural Philosophy @Naturalphilosy]

Each one of us has built up this competitive, ruthless civilization, in which man is against man.

— J. Krishnamurti

[NASA @NASA]

Yesterday's total solar eclipse in parts of Europe – and the partial eclipse in parts of North America – gave us spectacular views. @NASAHQPhoto was on location to capture the sights. See more: https://t.co/IQ6yWeVbXl

[Arun Yogiraj @yogiraj_arun]

Work in progress (stone)

[Himanta Biswa Sarma @himantabiswa]

ZERO snake bite deaths in last 5 years. Sounds surreal?

It's the reality in Demow CHC and Model Hospital where the dedicated team of doctors have treated over 4,000 snakebite patients since 2018 and through timely interventions, prevented loss of precious lives.

#AssamCares

[Northeast Now @NENowNews]

A rare black-and-golden cicada has been recorded in India for the first time, with researchers from Aaranyak and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust documenting Huechys fusca in Assam’s Manas National Park.
https://t.co/LvPVLIyKMY

[Jayanta Mallabaruah @jayanta_malla]

Positive Headline of the Day!

Rare Black-and-Golden Cicada recorded in India for the first time in Assam's Manas..

A remarkable discovery in Assam's Manas National Park has added a new species to India's biodiversity records, with researchers from Aaranyak and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust documenting the rare black-and-golden cicada, Huechys fusca, in India for the first time. The discovery highlights the extraordinary and still largely unexplored insect diversity of Manas and reinforces Assam's importance as a global biodiversity hotspot.

As we continue to protect Assam's rich natural heritage, our focus remains on conserving not only the iconic species that attract global attention but also the countless smaller and lesser-known creatures that play important roles in our ecosystems. This discovery reminds us that Assam's forests still hold many scientific stories waiting to be uncovered.

The first Indian record of Huechys fusca was documented by Koushik Rajbongshi, Jonmani Kalita and Karan Barman of Aaranyak's Threatened Species Recovery Programme, along with Dhritiman Das of the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. The researchers recorded the cicada during a field survey in the Bansbari range of Manas on May 20, 2024, near the Bangale Hat-Dhuwa forest camp.

The cicada was spotted perched on the trunk of an Okshi tree (Dillenia pentagyna) under clear, sunny conditions. Although the sighting lasted only about a minute before the insect flew away, the researchers successfully identified it as Huechys fusca Distant, 1892. Their findings have been published in the July 2026 issue of Zoo's Print.

Previously recorded across parts of Southeast Asia, including Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Borneo, the species had never before been documented in India. Its discovery in Manas significantly extends its known geographical range and adds another fascinating species to India's cicada fauna.

We believe that discoveries like this strengthen the case for continued scientific research and habitat protection. Manas is already celebrated for its tigers, rhinos, elephants and other threatened wildlife, but this tiny insect shows that the park's biodiversity extends far beyond its better-known inhabitants.

Our vision is to make Assam a centre of biodiversity research where every species, however small, is valued and protected. The discovery of one rare cicada has opened another window into the extraordinary natural world of Manas—and reminds us that Assam's forests still have countless stories waiting to be discovered.

#JayantaMallabaruah

[Manas Tiger Reserve @manasnptr]

From village volunteer to Rashtrapati Bhavan: How community conservation is putting Assam on the national map..!!

[Dhritiman Das @dhritiz]

@titanwatches Thanks for solving the issue🙏

[Dhritiman Das @dhritiz]

@titanwatches @TataCompanies What happened to my smartwatch sent for repair? Ticket No: TKT-0068406105 | Job No: JOAEI34262700342. Despite repeated follow-ups, there has been no satisfactory update from customer service. This level of service is not expected from the Tata Group

[Dhritiman Das @dhritiz]

@purbabharatigas @PNGRB_ @PetroleumMin Why is the customer login not accessible? Why is the company website not functional for customers?

[Bigpearl @pearlcardii]

This scene is an example of top tier creativity during Hong Kong’s golden era.

[NERCORMS @NERCRMSociety]

Tiny yet extraordinary, the Pygmy Hog—the world's smallest wild pig—survives only in the grasslands of Assam. Protecting its habitat means preserving one of the Northeast's rarest wildlife treasures.

[Sanjay Kumar IAS @skumarias02]

The Asian Elephant family is close knot and led by an experienced matriarch. Here's a beautiful moment from Manas NP, where the bold but cautious matriarch leads the herd to cross the forest track, keeping the calves shielded in between.
@tourism_assam
@rameshpandeyifs

[Skyroot Aerospace @SkyrootA]

ORBIT ACHIEVED. 🚀

Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 has reached orbit. India's first privately developed orbital rocket has completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a ~450 km orbit, making India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.

History is made. 🇮🇳

#Vikram1 #JourneyToOrbit #SkyrootAerospace