REMINDER - 11 April 2024 | XCHR Conversations | Rahul Alvares | Snakes of Goa and its other reptiles and amphibians

[XCHR Info]

Dear Friends, 

A GENTLE REMINDER!!!

XCHR CONVERSATIONS

Join us for Conversations on 

Rahul Alvares' book,
Snakes of Goa and its other reptiles and amphibians

together with

Aaron Savio Lobo
Conservation scientist

Thursday, 11 April 2024 | 6 pm
Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Porvorim

Please join us for tea at 5:30 pm.

Snakes of Goa

and its other reptiles and amphibians

[book blurb] Models, famous people, actors, these are not difficult to photograph, they love the attention, they will readily pose. But snakes are an entirely different cup of tea. You get too close to them and they hiss and snarl. If you are too far from them, they all look alike. These pictures of the known and unknown snakes and reptiles of the beautiful, small state of Goa were leisurely shot over a decade by Rahul Alvares, Goa’s well known snake-handler and wildlife photographer.


Rahul Alvares was born while his parents lived out on a farm in Thane, near Valpoi, at the foot of the Western Ghats in eastern Goa. To the consternation of his mother, he was visited by a snake while sleeping in his cradle. His passion for wildlife took him to the Pune Snake Park and then to Romulus Whitaker’s Crocodile Bank outside Chennai, where he got further opportunities to hone his snake handling skills with members of the Irula tribe. His first book, Free from School, which recorded this education, has been translated into Hindi, Marathi, Indonesian and Chinese. Besides snakes, Rahul Alvares has also developed his passions for wildlife photography, high speed motorbikes, body building, and even singing occasionally in a heavy metal band: obviously, in some way, all these hobbies appear to be compatible with his reptilian brain! His large collection of bird photos appeared in Birds of Goa, written by the celebrated ornithologist, the late Heinz Lainer, and published by the Goa Forest Department. His website is rahulalvares.com.

Books
• Alvares, Rahul. Snakes of Goa and its other reptiles and amphibians. Parra: Ocotillo Bloom, 2024.
• Lainer, Heinz and Rahul Alvares. Birds of Goa. Panaji: Forest Department, Government of Goa and Goa Foundation, 2013.
• Alvares, Rahul. The Call of the Snakes: Real Life Stories by a Young Snake-catcher from Goa. Mapusa: Other India Press, 2003.
• Alvares, Rahul. Free from School. Mapusa: Other India Press, 1999.


Aaron Savio Lobo is a conservation scientist interested in understanding the ecological and socio-economic costs of aquatic food production systems and developing innovative solutions through applied Research, Capacity development, and effective Outreach. His work spans over two decades in several countries and settings in Asia and West Africa. His forte lies in effective communication, particularly in multi-stakeholder environments. To this effect, he has worked with Governments, development cooperation organizations, international NGOs, academia, civil society, and local community groups in developing practical and policy solutions to address context-specific marine sustainability and development challenges. He is a member of the 12-member global IUCN SSC Marine Conservation Committee and was a Gates scholar at the University of Cambridge, where he received his doctorate. He is a senior advisor to the Wildlife Conservation Society - India.


Illustration: Bina Nayak

Xavier Centre of Historical Research
B B Borkar Road, Porvorim, Goa 403521, India
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