Sundarbans
When UNESCO declared Sundarbans as a world heritage site in 1997, it said “The immense tidal mangrove forests of Sundarbans (India & Bangladesh) Forest Reserve, is in reality a mosaic of islands of different shapes and sizes, perennially washed by brack-ish water shrilling in and around the endless and mind boggling labyrinths of water channels. The site supports exceptional biodiversity in its terrestrial, aquatic and marine habitats; ranging from micro to macro flora and fauna. The Sundarbans is of universal importance for globally endangered species including the Royal Bengal Tiger, Ganges and Irawadi dolphins, estuarine crocodiles and the critically endangered endemic river terrapin (Batagur baska). It is the only mangrove habitat in the world for Panthera tigris tigris species.”
The project is a proposition to explore and experiment with the ideas of environmental sound, video, spatial architecture, experience, awareness and listening. My research is based on the region of the “Sundarbans” (largest mangrove delta of the world located in Eastern India and Bangladesh) which according to the World Wildlife Fund (India) is “lying in the low coastal zone and is more vulnerable to the effects of the changing climatic conditions such as floods, cyclones, relative sea-level rise, and coastline erosion.”
Few excerpts of sound from long duration recordings
It is a representation of the Sundarbans mangrove delta region as a reservoir of soundscapes, imagining the whole ecosystem to be a musical orchestra which is transforming due to ongoing ecological changes. This research in the long term will be significantly important in proposing mangrove preservation methods and policies.
Conversations and interviews from Field trip 1
Conversations and interviews from Field trip 2