Why the jungles of India? Every perspective of India is filled with grandeur, mysticism, and awe, and the Indian wilderness uniquely captures this feeling.
Lara Morakhia and Siddharth Morakhia are a mother- son duo who have traveled extensively over some of the most remote terrains of Africa and Asia. Central to these expeditions, Lara and Siddharth sought to capture and share the beauty of our world’s natural heritage and cultural diversity through artful and intuitive photography. Their travels led them to the creation of the book Jangala — The Mystical Jungles of India. We spoke to them to learn more about their journey into the wild.
What inspired you to work together on this book?
We enjoy traveling across India and experiencing the various facets of culture and diversity that are waiting to be discovered. After the global pandemic, we were left with a sense of emptiness with our urban lifestyle and sought to reconnect with nature. We have always been interested in wildlife because these moments are deeply gratifying— it is not easy to track big animals, and finding them after hours, if not days, is extremely rewarding. Furthermore, in the presence of such creatures — especially in the wild— there is something authentic to experience: we witness primal behavior, see and feel all emotions, and realize we share this planet with some genuinely incredible life forms. We wanted to share this adventure and feeling as best we could with as many people as possible — hence, we compiled Jangala – The Mystical Jungles of India with our library of photos and moments captured over the years.
Why the jungles of India?
The answer begins with India herself. As a place, India presents a highly unique experience through various lenses — be it culture, sights, and even cuisine. Every perspective of India is filled with grandeur, mysticism, and awe. The Indian wilderness captures this feeling in a very unique way. India’s wildlife holds a magical array of biodiversity in the cover of mesmeric and dense jungles. For instance, the wilderness across India is home to four out of the five taxonomical Panthers (the lion, leopard, snow leopard, and tiger), the clouded leopard, elephants, sloth bears, monkeys, and an even more extensive population of raptors and colorful birds.
Furthermore, the shifts in landscape are equally as dramatic as one can find serene forests on the edges
of Himalayan mountains, deserts, and lush farmland. Interestingly, this particular slice of India tends to fly under the radar vis-a-vis a more “conventional” view of a crowded and chaotic India. A journey across the Indian wilderness is refreshingly peaceful, and we often find ourselves in a space where our perception of time differs from what we are used to in our everyday lives. In short, we wanted to capture this natural beauty and inspire others to embark on a similar journey to experience this unique part of the world.
Tell a story that touched you the most on these trips.
The honest answer is that every moment related to being in the wilderness was unique, and selecting just one vignette as the most touching would be unfair. One particularly unique aspect of the Indian wilderness is the mythology and remnants of human culture that complement every adventure. For instance, it’s common to see the occasional shrine or ruins of a temple dotted around various forests. Furthermore, certain birds and animals have mythological or spiritual connections. For example, the Greater Coucal is a bird that local tribes in central India believe holds a specific type of supernatural power. This bird is often seen as a harbinger of a big cat sighting in some Indian forests. Indeed, we took this to heart, and although doubtful at first, we were excited every time we spotted this bird. While the results were not scientific, we did see this bird moments before we saw the melanistic leopard in Kabini for the first time — after many failed attempts! Since then, this bird has become a good luck charm for us!
What challenges did you face in bringing together this book?
Naturally, shortlisting pictures from our extensive library was tricky as we felt we had many print-worthy shots that deserved to be included! Producing the book in the middle of the pandemic, however, was the main challenge. The sporadic in-person hours meant we completed most of our work remotely, which required meticulous coordination with designers, and as a result, timelines were stretched. Given the quality we were committed to, we refused to cut corners on the finished product and slowed down to produce the best result. At the outset, we were focused on creating a book that met the highest international standards and could do justice to the grandeur of our subject matter: the Indian wilderness. We brought forward a piece of work that captures this sense of awe.
Why a coffee table book and not any other small book?
The large-scale format captures the majesty and awe of the Indian wilderness. Seeing these pictures through a phone screen or small-format book does not convey emotion and feeling compared to seeing birds, animals, and wild colors in person. We wanted to replicate that feeling; a large format was the only way.
Tell us a little about the magnificent animals.
The moment one locks eyes with a wild tiger is incredibly special. Without any protective cover of the glass, we realize that, as humans, we have entered a different domain — one where we are not necessarily the most powerful. These animals do not hide their emotions; we can instantly see aggression, fear, tentativeness, and even power. They wear no masks and bear their personalities for all to see. Witnessing these emotions unfiltered is captivating — we lose sense of time in the presence of feelings so pure and natural. Any moment with these animals could very well be our last. There are no guarantees in the wild, and each sighting could be the continuation of a series of shared experiences or, just as quickly, the final moments together. As such, every sighting is unique and develops into a core memory. It is something we hope everyone can experience at least once. We hope Jangala awakens your desire to explore the wild!
Authored by Team Trumpet Blowers: Dr. Rajul Matkar is an obstetrician and gynecologist with 34 years of experience in practice in India. She has been working in Dubai for the last 14 years. She’s always had a keen interest in educating people. She has conducted numerous awareness camps for women’s health, osteoporosis, menopause, cancer of the cervix and breast, as well as nutrition and gut health in Mumbai and Dubai. She runs an annual Breast Cancer Awareness event, Pink Cooking Challenge, every October. Over the last nine years, she has been on a food journey and continues spreading awareness of the importance of recognising and eating healthy food to her patients and teenagers. She blogs about food, beauty, and lifestyle on Instagram, @rajul_25.
