With many countries enforcing lock-down conditions in attempts to stop the spread of CoVid-19, the disease caused by the latest Coronavirus, people are finding different ways to keep active. Many are turning to art as a way to pass the time as well as to produce something that is appreciated.
Mahseer Trust Indian lead trustee, Derek D'Souza gave up his laptop for his daughters' amusement and education. He turned his hand to clay modelling, starting with a model murrel (Indian snakehead) before moving on to hump-backed mahseer (above), GT (giant trevally), shark and sailfin.
Sadly, his supplies of modelling clay were quickly exhausted, so Derek is now searching for other artistic avenues.
Sheik Imran (above), who runs the Bangalore-based Carp Kings Bait Factory and the Bangalore Anglers' Strike group has also been producing artwork. This time, he has been creating large (24" x 36") pencil sketches of various freshwater fish species.
Annotated with morphological and meristic features, these works are a useful guide for identification of some of the fish commonly caught by anglers fishing venues around the southern Indian states.
If you have been busy during the lock-down, please share photos or videos with us through our social media pages. Communication is a great way to beat boredom.
We are also keen to continue regular discussion of various issues, to ensure they do not disappear from public gaze. On both Facebook and Twitter there are discussions about the news suggesting India's rivers are cleaner than in living memory. More worrying are stories emerging in various media about the lock-downs giving space for polluters and poachers to operate with impunity.
Join the debates and help to keep awareness growing. Many of the threats to river habitats are best addressed by locals coming together to fight for their rights.