Capturing the Soul of the Indian Wild

A male Vigor's Sunbird demonstrates remarkable aerial skill, hovering to feed on the nectar of a Scarlet Firebush. This high-energy maneuver is a perfect example of ornithophily, or flower pollination by birds, a beautiful exchange of energy.

The piercing eyes of a Lion-tailed Macaque, one of our most endangered primates. Found only in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, its magnificent silvery mane, sparkling with raindrops, gives it a uniquely wise and ancient look.

A frame I searched for over two years. Here, a powerful beam of morning sun slices through the jungle's dark canopy, illuminating a spider's intricate web. This is the magic of Mumbai's peerless wilderness, captured in October 1996.

An Indian Fox on the run, captured with a slow shutter to convey a sense of urgent motion. For me, a frame that feels alive, even if blurred, tells a more powerful story of the animal's spirit than a perfectly crisp snapshot.

A male Indian Peafowl, our national bird, in full display to court a peahen. This flamboyant show-off is a classic ritual in the wild, a visual spectacle to establish supremacy and ensure the continuation of his lineage.

A harrowing scene unfolds as a pack of feral dogs chases a female Nilgai into a wetland on the outskirts of Jaipur. This image is a stark document of the rising threat that free-ranging dogs pose to India's native wildlife.

The Blue Oakleaf butterfly reveals its flamboyant beauty. When its wings are closed, it is a perfect masquerade of a dry leaf, but when open, it transforms into this delirious flash of vivid blue, a true cloak and dagger artist of the Mumbai wilds.