Writing Natures’ first issue ‘Nature and its Speculations’ comes together as a way of situating and dislocating our understanding of nature and ecology. The issue is a developing proposition around how one experiences, acknowledges, relates with, creates connections and knowledge around nature in relation to one’s own situated context. What are the terminologies and vocabularies that we can excavate? Does nature haunt? Can we examine our surroundings through the lens of politics and ritual? What are the landscapes we find ourselves embedded in?

To introduce our writers, 

Aakash Karkare leads us through a tale of the city of Mumbai, and its relationship to the rat, the feared rodent met with a degree of fascination. Traced through their arrival on merchant ships from Hong Kong, they were also migrants much like the rest of Mumbai’s population. 

Sayak Shome writes a story set in Miraya, a fictional lagoon on the eastern coast of India. The protagonist Sambhu catches an Iratika dolphin by mistake and he considers the moral question of profit and livelihood versus considering the value of life itself. Between existential necessity and morality, Sambhu and his family encounter suffering firsthand. 

Indranjan Banerjee considers the anatomy of mercury and presents a set of measurings through time, synapses and body, queering the liquid metal, a story that runs viscous. 

Pamziuliu Gonmei reflects on the Anuai-bang, scientifically known as Saurauia Punduana, a local plant in Manipur which is considered to be endangered yet remains bountiful in the memory of her community. Having grown up with the plant and its various uses being used in home remedies, games and foraging, the author finds its significance in the stories that have been passed down and paint a vivid imagination of the plant, a silent protagonist. 

Linthoi Chanu tells the story of a conundrum in a town, where a sacred grove is to be transformed into a community park in the name of progress. Soon, a simple yet effective way of tackling the problem is revealed, much to the mirth of Ta Thambhal, the local storyteller. 

Sudeshna Rana writes about her hometown Dhanbad, also known as the coal capital of India. Beyond the mines and ecological destruction, the author situates herself back in the place she comes from and rediscovers its natural beauties with a set of friends. 

The Eco Fiction Writing Lab presents a carrier bag of travel fiction, weaving together perspectives of the common water hyacinth. The piece builds on the rich implications that the hyacinth has on its local ecosystem, especially when introduced to a body of water. The family of hyacinth plots its growth. 

Annalisa Mansukhani embarks on a photo essay on landscapes of belonging through the annals of memory, considering location as a link. Her vivid essay takes a poetic turn towards an enchanting set of hues. 

Sonam Chaturvedi takes us through a story told through the rings of an aging tree. Her piece embarks on an emotive journey alongside a different species. 

Suvani Suri excavates evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis’ cephalopodic sonic theories through a series of speculative sketches in the form of a review of her recovered album.