Sign in

Namrata Kolachalam

@namratakolachalam.bsky.social
1.3K followers 110 following 8 posts

Journalist in Mumbai. Bylines: @TheAtlantic, @Slate, @Citylab, @RoadsKingdoms, @AtlasObscura, @FiftyTwoDotIn, @TheWorld, @NPR, etc

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 07/04/2026
Donald Trump’s threatening message to the Iranians shows that he believes he is completely unconstrained by American law, international law, Congress, or public opinion, @dgraham.bsky.social argues:
bit.ly
Trump Threatens to Destroy an Entire Nation
Trump’s position is that if he wants to wipe out a "whole civilization," then that is his decision to make.
3124884
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition. Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
13674819819710
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Recently nominated for a True Story Award, this piece examines how the recovery of Poland’s bison raises difficult questions about its coexistence with people.
newlinesmag.com
Learning How To Live With Poland’s Bison
The conservation success story raises difficult questions about how to coexist with a species brought back from the brink
062
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
ProPublica @propublica.org · 12/12/2025
ProPublica spoke to about 150 people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.” We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words. ➡️ This is what they wrote: propub.li/3MTlm33
Handwritten notecard. Prompt at the top asks: What object was most devastating for you to lose, and how have you been coping? Answer below: Dentures. Were thrown away and coping isn't somthing I can do. It’s made me feel ugly, unworthy, can’t go get a job with no teeth. So how can get off the streets until another pair can be made?
10630131459
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Nina Lakhani @ninalakhani.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
‘It’s hell for us here’: Mumbai families suffer as datacentres keep the city hooked on coal www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
‘It’s hell for us here’: Mumbai families suffer as datacentres keep the city hooked on coal
As Mumbai sees increased energy demand from new datacenters, particularly from Amazon, the filthiest neighbourhood in one of India’s largest cities must keep its major coal plants
23328
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
"We are in this situation where we’re racing to collect knowledge...That race between knowledge and obliteration is really one of the through lines of the book."
030
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 03/11/2025
Last year, 43 monkeys escaped from a primate breeding and research facility. Now a strange coalition of animal-rights activists and MAGA loyalists is demanding that all lab animals be set free. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/vS1MOq
4306
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Here's my second story for @theworld.org about elephants moving into Andhra Pradesh and the consequences of climate change + habitat loss on these communities and this amazing species. Photos by @justinnisly.bsky.social. Huge thanks to @earthjournalism.bsky.social for the support!
0104
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Here's the first of two stories I reported for @theworld.org on elephants moving into Andhra Pradesh for the first time in 200 years, and what that means for the species and for people. Grateful to work w/my awesome editor @ginak.bsky.social and photog @justinnisly.bsky.social, take a look!
072
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Justin Nisly @justinnisly.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Indian Gray Hornbills still feel like dinosaurs to me. Four of them came by our flat today, biggest crowd yet. #birds🦉
A grey bird with a long tail, red eyes, and a large bill with a sharp, striking casque above it. 
A grey bird with a long tail, red eyes, and a large bill with a sharp, striking casque above it. 
Two Indian Gray Hornbills in a similar pose next to each other on a branch.
A grey bird with a long tail, red eyes, and a large bill with a sharp, striking casque above it.
0125
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
The Baffler @thebaffler.com · 30/09/2025
In “Extraction,” @triofrancos.bsky.social examines the politics of lithium mining in South America—and the complexities of the energy transition. @materialistjew.bsky.social spoke with her about imperfect trade-offs and the nature of democracy.
thebaffler.com
Schrodinger’s Element | Ajay Singh Chaudhary
In her new book, Thea Riofrancos homes in on the extraction of lithium—and the thorny problem of an ecologically sound energy transition
15826
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Elizabeth Kolbert @elizkolbert.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Trump administration wants to roll back regulations on HFCs (very potent greenhouse gases) OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF THE APPLIANCE INDUSTRY.
wapo.st
Here’s why one industry is worried about Trump’s latest climate rollback
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it would rewrite a Biden-era rule aimed at limiting hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas.
514155
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
NEW: A bold “rewilding” initiative to reintroduce jaguars and turtles in Argentina raises tough questions about whose vision of nature is being restored, writes @bysammeadows.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
newlinesmag.com
‘Rewilding’ in Argentina Raises Thorny Questions
Endangered jaguars and turtles are being reintroduced in the forests of Chaco province — but whose vision of nature is being restored?
044
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Yale Environment 360 @yalee360.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Israeli forces have attacked a seed bank in the West Bank city of Hebron, destroying equipment used to reproduce heirloom seeds, according to the group managing the facility.
e360.yale.edu
Israeli Forces Allegedly Bulldoze Palestinian Seed Bank
1713
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
A passionate advocate for the desert and its many inhabitants, Radheshyam's passing is devastating for the conservation community and the species he loved so deeply indianexpress.com/article/indi...
indianexpress.com
Known for efforts to save Great Indian Bustard, wildlife conservationist dead in Jaisalmer accident
Born in the village of Dholiya, Radheshyam Pemani was deeply influenced by the Bishnoi community's centuries-old tradition of environmental stewardship.
030
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
NPR @npr.org · 19/05/2025
Hindu temples offer prayers for a path to the U.S. But some in India were stunned by the way the U.S. deported Indians despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friendship with President Trump. From @diaahadid.bsky.social and Omkar Khandekar
npr.org
Indians still pray at 'visa temples' after the U.S. deported migrants in chains
Hindu temples offer prayers for a path to the U.S. But some in India were stunned by the way the U.S. deported Indians despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friendship with President Trump.
1814935
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Go Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
India’s forests are disappearing, but not on paper On March 30, bulldozers rolled into Kancha Gachibowli, a lush, 400-acre tract of forested land in Hyderabad, a city in India’s southern Telangana state, with sounds of distressed animals echoing in the background. dialogue.earth/en/forests/i...
dialogue.earth
India’s forests are disappearing, but not on paper
The country’s biodiversity-rich forests are failing to appear in official records due to non-classification and legal loopholes, leading to fears over their protection
02713
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Nautilus Magazine @nautil.us · 20/04/2025
What does it mean to see ourselves as animals? Does it change how we treat other life on Earth? How are we alike or different from our fellow animals? We asked renowned Stanford University professor Robert Sapolsky. 🧪
nautil.us
We Could Have Been Warthogs
The peerless animal wisdom of Robert Sapolsky
1317
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Scroll @scroll.in · 11/04/2025
During the hearings, #WhatsApp had listed the number of persons who were targeted using #Pegasus by country over the two-week period. The users were spread across 51 countries. Read more: scroll.in/latest/10812...
066
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Emergence Magazine @emergencemagazine.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
“This song came into being in that place and time…with the cloud forest, and all of its inhabitants—its rivers, its fungi, its birds, its creatures, its mist, its histories, its possible futures—as our co-author, as the co-creator.” @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
buff.ly
Song of the Cedars - A Conversation with Giuliana Furci, Robert Macfarlane, César Rodríguez-Garavito, and Cosmo Sheldrake
Bringing in the voice of the forest, four members of the More Than Human Life Collective share the story of co-composing a song with the Los Cedros cloud forest in Ecuador and explore how its…
0185
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
The Verge @theverge.com · 07/04/2025
The rise of ‘Frankenstein’ laptops in New Delhi’s repair markets
buff.ly
The rise of ‘Frankenstein’ laptops in New Delhi’s repair markets
Technicians in India’s refurbished laptop shops give discarded electronics a new life.
4547
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 19/03/2025
6/15 Using CMIP6 climate model data, we identified nine Indian cities (pop. >1M, Census 2011) expected to see some of the biggest rises in dangerous heat index days, selecting one city per state.
113
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
In particular, all the major South and SE Asian rivers will eventually struggle, so Pakistan, India and China will come into increasing conflict over water Note - all three have nuclear weapons www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Glacier meltdown risks food and water supply of 2 billion people, says UN
Unesco report highlights ‘unprecedented’ glacier loss driven by climate crisis, threatening ecosystems, agriculture and water sources
24417
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
"More biodiversity on American lawns could soak up carbon, better mitigate floods, support pollinators that propagate our food and host the insects that form the crucial early threads of the terrestrial food web. 'But lawns do none of those things,' Tallamy said."
021
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Navin Sigamany @navin.blog · 17/03/2025
I had fun talking to Rahul for this! indianexpress.com/article/indi...
indianexpress.com
Beyond biryani and haleem: How Hyderabad’s food culture tells the story of migration and evolution
While haleem and biryani dominate Hyderabad’s food scene during Ramzan, the city’s culinary landscape extends far beyond these festive staples. From kaddu ki kheer and khowa jalebi to pathar ka gosht ...
063
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
"before the first abortion ban went into effect, the rate of sepsis for this patient population was remarkably steady. After the first ban was passed in 2021, it shoots up by more than 50%" @propublica.org's Lizzie Presser on the increased threat of sepsis, post-Roe:
pbs.org
More pregnant women face life-threatening sepsis in wake of strict abortion laws
In the years since the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion and since Texas instituted one of the country’s strictest abortion bans, the state has seen an increased rate of sepsis among wome...
19902379
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Important, disturbing look at U.S. deportation efforts, including yesterday's flight of more than 100 Indians who traveled for 40 hours in handcuffs and leg chains: indianexpress.com/article/citi...
indianexpress.com
Inside US deportation of 104 Indians: ‘Handcuffed, legs chained, struggled to use washroom for 40 hours’
The US military aircraft — a C-17 Globemaster — that the Donald Trump administration deployed made four pit stops for fuel refilling before landing at Amritsar Wednesday.
021
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Whitney Bauck @whitneybauck.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
What are we to make of the biodiversity crisis, and the weight that comes w/ knowing our species' role in driving it? My conversation w/ @elizkolbert.bsky.social and Craig Foster (My Octopus Teacher) is a cover story for the latest issue of @atmosmagazine.bsky.social: atmos.earth/elizabeth-ko...
atmos.earth
Elizabeth Kolbert and Craig Foster: Holding Onto Awe Amid Biodiversity Loss | Atmos
Elizabeth Kolbert, Craig Foster, and Whitney Bauck discuss alarm and wonder amid the biodiversity crisis.
03511
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 01/12/2024
Payal Kapadia’s drama of women’s solidarity, “All We Imagine as Light,” a major prize-winner at the Cannes Film Festival, pays radiant homage to Mumbai and its people. Justin Chang reviews.
newyorker.com
The Gorgeous Mumbai Rhapsody of “All We Imagine as Light”
Payal Kapadia’s drama of women’s solidarity, a major prize-winner at Cannes, pays radiant homage to a city and its people.
212615
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Aaand the Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF is off to print. Really cut it close here -- our 1st launch event is Dec 21 at Champaca Bookstore in Bangalore! 😅 We're hoping to do events in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, London, & maybe Hyderabad & NYC too... watch this channel! www.blaft.com/products/the...
The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF with Babasaheb Mech Head
56734
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Justin Nisly @justinnisly.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
phone snaps from my walk home in bandra last night
A 3-story concrete home with the tropical water damage that adds charm and gravitas to old Mumbai buildings. An external staircase has a metal railing with an art deco pattern. In the bottom right, a glowing sign advertises snacks from a small shop, with a grey-and-white cat in front of it. In the bottom left, a silver four-door car.Graffiti that reads "CEASEFIRE NOW!" on the back of a sign. In the background, people stroll along a broad sidewalk.The roof and eaves of a yellow bungalow peek out above a wall covered in flowering vines. In the background, palm trees are silhouetted against the night sky.A Suessian array of leaves, fronds, vines, and trunks surround and tower over a weathered bungalow. A blurred autorickshaw and two-wheeler pass in the foreground.
1132
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Scroll @scroll.in · 04/12/2024
A new study has revealed that the world’s longest venomous snake, the king cobra, is not a single species, as previously thought, but rather four genetically distinct species. Arathi Menon explains the significance of this latest finding.
scroll.in
King cobra has four distinct species, finds new study
The latest findings have significant implications for the conservation of the reptiles, say experts.
2166
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Sushmita @sushmitaw.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
People have been appreciating India's stance at CoP29. I hope and wish India will apply principles of equity and justice when it comes to pushing for anti-environmental, pro-corporate laws and regulations
031
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Prachi Deshpande @prarochana.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Nagraj Adve lucidly spells out the implications of the failed COP29 discussions and the climate challenges looming before us, particularly in India, in the "In Focus podcast" of the Hindu with G. Sampath. Listen!! megaphone.link/THGU9916067771
megaphone.link
COP29: Why are developing countries so disappointed? | In Focus podcast by In Focus by The Hindu
Nagraj Adve speaks to us about how we can understand the outcomes of COP29 with regard to carbon markets, and how we can assess the same in terms of progress on climate finance.
041
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Justin Nisly @justinnisly.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Since the internet is loving Payal Kapadia's push for good projection: just recalled that when All We Imagine As Light kicked off MAMI Film Fest, she apparently huddled w/the projectionists all day, & even sent across town for a special lens, to ensure the best experience for everyone.
4268
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Diaa Hadid @diaahadid.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Two Pakistani journalists dived into the country's most scandalous murder, and unpacked an incredible story of a society girl, a poet, a city and a country. They made a podcast, now a book (and I profiled them for @npr.org!) images.dawn.com/news/1192993... www.npr.org/2023/08/07/1...
npr.org
132
Reposted by Namrata Kolachalam
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 20/11/2024
Slumdog billionaire: Gautam Adani’s redevelopment scheme raises Mumbai hackles www.ft.com/content/9bafa390-bf42-46…
ft.com
Slumdog billionaire: Gautam Adani’s redevelopment scheme raises Mumbai hackles
Locals and opposition parties denounce Indian tycoon’s plans for Dharavi slum made internationally famous by 2008 film
2278
Namrata Kolachalam @namratakolachalam.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Hi all! New here, and looking forward to interacting in the bsky ecosystem. To start, here's a story for @theworld.org about the World Chess Championship, beginning today. Could an Indian player become the youngest champion in history? theworld.org/segments/202...
theworld.org
Can India reclaim its rightful place in the chess world? - The World from PRX
Toward the end of September, India achieved a historic victory in chess — winning the gold medal in both men’s and women’s Chess Olympiad in Budapest — considered the Olympics of chess. This double vi...
141