Native trees and food crops have supported local biodiversity and livelihoods for generations and continue to pave the way for a stable climate.

But as foreign and exotic species take over the world, India is no exception. Ask a kid from a well-off household to name a purple fruit and they are likely to shout “blueberry” than “jamun”.
 

Food fads are diminishing our local knowledge and landscapes beyond recognition. These new habits rely on unstable, invisible markets that can easily crash within a changing climate – both environmental and geopolitical.
 

Our food choices determine how much water we use, how much carbon we emit and to what extent wildlife populations continue to be part of our millennia old food chains.

I was magnanimously lucky to have visited India’s many national parks and experience wildlife up close during my teenage years, through internships with a number of environmental organisations. It created in me a love for life so great, that it changed my future forever.

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I created these particular illustrations for my beautiful niece who turned one this year. They are meant to simply spark joy and draw her interest in all the beauty that surrounds us silently—and takes part in running the world—whether we adults notice it or not.