Slaty breasted rail: Freshwater species at home in Rajasthan?

By Rosamma Thomas*

Kishan Meena lives on the edges of Lake Chandlai, about 30 km from Rajasthan capital Jaipur. He is well known to wildlife and nature enthusiasts, since he spends much time outdoors, on the fringes of the lake, taking note of the large number of birds that arrive at the lake or breed there. When he sets eyes on a bird he has not seen before, he alerts other birder friends and sets about learning more about his new acquaintance.

On June 10, 2024, as he was out near the lake, he found a bird that he knew was not a common visitor to his state – the Slaty breasted Rail (Lewinia striata), with its slate-grey neck and foreneck, and a bright red beak.

This reporter had never laid eyes on this Rail before. So she too went on the internet to see what she could find, and discovered that the May 18, 2024 volume of journal Indian Birds had recorded a sighting of this bird in Barmer in November 2022. The journal noted that this was the first photographic record of the bird in Rajasthan. The distribution of this bird is along eastern Uttarakhand and eastern Nepal and Arunachal Pradesh, central and peninsular India and even into Sri Lanka.

Its large range area and healthy population numbers have caused the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to list it as a species that is of LC (least concern) category. However, rapid climate change and shrinking freshwater pose threats not just to this species, but all life. And if the species is now extending beyond the area earlier listed as its range, it is a matter worth scientific investigation.

Kishan Meena is quick to disseminate information about any new developments at Chandlai Lake to local reporters – and sometimes even reporters a thousand km away, as in the case of this writer. He specializes in just the area near his own home, the 20 sq km Chandlai Lake.

For many years, he has also been fine-tuning his photography equipment, and now has a collection of advanced lenses and other photography equipment to capture birds with great attention to detail. His photographs help to make identification of birds accurate.

Meena, however, is not a man with a job or a regular income. There are wildlife enthusiasts who help in his work, and he makes a living offering visitors to the lake information about the birds and their habits. With no government or other support, Meena continues to document the birds at Chandlai, working with dedication and enthusiasm, and finding the work itself sufficient reward.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

The ultimate all-time ODI XI: A personal selection of icons across eras

By Harsh Thakor* This is my all-time best XI chosen for ODI (One Day International) cricket: 1. Adam Gilchrist (W) – The absolute master blaster who could create the impact of exploding gunpowder with his electrifying strokeplay. No batsman was more intimidating in his era. Often his knocks decided the fate of games as though the result were premeditated. He escalated batting strike rates to surreal realms.

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

Search This Blog