Assambirds

When Golaghat Welcomed the World: Inside Dr. Robin Banerjee’s 1994 Visitor Logbook From left to right: The Late Dr. Robin Banerjee , the pioneering wildlife filmmaker and conservationist; Dr. Henry Noltie , a renowned taxonomist from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE); and Dr. Fred Naggs , a distinguished British malacologist and Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, London. By turning back the pages of Dr. Robin Banerjee’s 1994 visitor logbook, we reveal how the visionary naturalist put Golaghat on the global conservation map, drawing elite scientific minds from across the world to his doorstep. Most people remember Uncle Robin Banerjee for his enchanting collection of dolls, artefacts, his vivid ...

Bicycles, Books, and the 1990s: My Days at the Golaghat District Library The old Golaghat District Library which was located near Kushal Konwar Balya Bhawan School at Mission Club Road during the 1990s. There is a distinct aroma to the 1990s that the internet generation will never quite understand. It was a blend of rain–soaked earth, the grease of a bicycle chain, and the musty, comforting scent of old pages in a library. Whenever I think about those days, I am instantly transported back to 1990s. I was in Class 10, standing on the precipice of growing up, and the Golaghat District Library was my sanctuary. After passing my matriculation, I joined Golaghat Commerce College. That transition came with a n...

The Common Map in Jibjibe The Common Map Butterfly ( Cyrestis thyodamas ) earns its name from the intricate, network–like pattern of thin black lines across its white wings, which bears a striking resemblance to a cartographic map. The delicate wings of the Common Map Butterfly reveal a profound truth: the most meaningful cartography is not found in static atlases, but in the vibrant biodiversity of our own backyard in Jibjibe. I have always loved the word "map." My fascination with cartography began in the 1990s, when I first started reading National Geographic . Every month, the magazine arrived with new, intricate maps, and I was captivated by every one of them. It is fascinating to see how humans inhabit ev...

An Encounter With The Kafkaesque Guest A Chinese Mantis ( Tenodera sinensis ), encountered on a summer morning, inspired by the absurd anxieties of Gregor Samsa and the ancient, prehistoric world it outlived. Waking up to find a prehistoric visitor on my bedroom wall felt like a surreal intrusion from the world of Franz Kafka. On a quiet Tuesday summer morning, I woke up to an unexpected guest. As I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a praying mantis perched on the wall, just two feet from my face. (It was a Chinese Mantis Tenodera sinensis .) For a moment, I lay there paralyzed, utterly fascinated by its bizarre anatomy—those impossibly long legs, a needle–thin body, two sweeping antennae, and an ov...

The Boudha An illustration of Boudhanath Stupa: devotees, pilgrims, and locals circumambulating the monumental dome of the Great Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Boudha—affectionately known as Boudhanath Stupa, Jarung Kashor , or Khasti Mahachaitya —stands as one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this iconic landmark is both a vital spiritual sanctuary and a premier magnet for travelers exploring Kathmandu. Ever since I moved to Nepal in 2025 to teach English at North Pole Boarding High School in Jibjibe, Rasuwa—thanks to a wonderful opportunity from Mr. Krishna Bahadur Tamang—I had been longing to visit the Kathmandu Valley. So, after four busy months in Ji...