Research Paper
Explore our research papers and publications that delve into the rich biodiversity and cultural heritage of the Nilgiris.
Chhabra, Tarun, D. Mohandass and J.P. Puyravaud (2002). Eriochrysis rangacharii Fischer: A Keystone Resource for the Todas and an Emblematic Species for Nilgiris Wetland Conservation. Ootacamund: Study Report, Toda Nalavaazhvu Sangam.
Puyravaud, Jean-Philippe, D. Mohandass and T. Chhabra (2003). A Rediscovery of Eriochrysis rangacharii C.E.C. Fisch. (Poaceae) in the Nilgiri Mountains of Southern India. Candollea 58: 97-100.
Mohandass D., A.C. Hughes, Bruce M, P. Davidar and T. Chhabra (2016). Floristic species composition and structure of mid-elevation tropical montane forests (sholas) of the western ghats, southern India. Tropical Ecology 57 (3): 533-543.
Prabhukumar K.M., Tarun Chhabra, A.J. Robi, R. Jagadeesan, C.N. Sunil and I. Balachandran (2017). Rediscovery of Arisaema translucens (Araceae) and notes on A. Tuberculatum, two strict endemics of Nilgiris, India. Phytotaxa 306 (1): 85-90.
Prabhukumar K.M., C.N. Sunil, V.V.N. Kumar, N. Bhavadas, Tarun Chhabra and I. Balachandran (2017). Eleusine multiflora (Poaceae), A New Record for India. Nelumbo 59 (1)
Publications by Tarun Chhabra
The Toda people of the Nilgiris District in south India are one of the oldest indigenous groups in South Asia; they are also reportedly among the most studied and written-about in the region. While the field was dominated by Western scholars in the beginning, Indian researchers and writers began contributing to Toda studies from the early twentieth century.
The Toda Landscape
1992a Toda Festivities. The Hindu Magazine12 July, p. 2.
1992b Who Were the Stone Circle Builders? The Hindu (Magazine) 20 Dec, p. 12.
1993a Biodiversity Management: A Toda Perspective. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 4 (1): 3-4.
1993b Cinchona Forests: Sinking Rapidly. The Hindu (Magazine) 6 June, p. 4.
1993c A Journey to the Toda Afterworld. The India Magazine of her People and Culture 13 (Sept), 6-17..
1993d Myths of Creation: Toda. The India Magazine of her People and Culture 14 (Dec), 34-42.
1994 Forgotten Culture: Todas, their Life and Times. Frontline 23 September, 87-89.
1995a Journey to Nyool(z)n: A Toda Migration. The India Magazine of her People and Culture 15 (Feb), 62-71.
1995b Toda Myths and Natural Sites. The Downs Town Chronicle 7 July, 7.
1996a Kwattein: A Tribal Pilgrimage. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 7(1): 3-6.
1996b The Sanctity of Nature. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 7(3): 1-2.
1997a Nilgiris: Flowering Paradise. Sanctuary Asia 17(2), 14-29.
1997b Flowers in my Toda Garden. The Hindu (Magazine) 27 July, p. 11.
1997c Nilgiri Deity Peaks. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 8(1): 1-2.
1997d A Culture that is Unique The Todas of the Nilgiris. Stainless News (Newsletter of the Steel Authority of India) 17(4), 32-33.
1997e The Buffalo People. The Downs Town Chronicle 25 October, 12.
1998a Eco Psychology. Tahr Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association 9(1): 1-3.
1998b The Mountain Spirit. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 9(2):
1999a Effect of Development on the Todas. The Downs Town Chronicle 27 March, 13.
1999b The Nilgiris: Flowering Benedictions. Environ 6(4): 34-37.
1999c Todas of the Nilgiri Hills: Where Honey Enters Every Facet of Life. Beekeeping and Development 52 (Sept): 8-9.
2000a Rare Balsams in the Hills. The Hindu (Magazine) 6 Feb, p. 7.
2000b A Wild Bouquet from the Nilgiris. Hornbill (Bombay Natural History Society) July-Sept, 4-8.
2000c The Monsoon Season. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife & Environment Association) 11(4): 1-2.
2000d Toda Embroidery: Art Par Excellence. In Blue Nest: The Millennium Souvenir of the Nilgiri Hotel and Restaurant Association, 23-25.
2001d The Toda People: Wildland Plants and Values. International Journal of Wilderness 7(3): 35-37.
2002 Sacred Context. Down To Earth 11(6): 46-48.
2003 A Green Record. The Hindu (Magazine) 27 July, p. 5.
2005b How Toda Traditional Ecological Knowledge Addresses Global Climate Change. Paper presented at the Global Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration (www.ser.org/iprn Earth in Transition [EIT] project showcase and on Compact Disc), Zaragoza, Spain.
2007b The Traditional Relationship of the Todas with Honey. In Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains, 253-264. Kotagiri: Keystone Foundation.
2007d Churning Stick Flowers. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 16: 14-15, and subsequently in The Local (Nilgiris) 1(7): 2.
2011 Prisoners of Time. Tahr (Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association) 18: 1.
2012a Toda Sanctification of Freshwater Sources. In Protecting Wild Nature on Native Lands: Case Studies by Native Peoples from around the World. Proceedings of the Second Native Lands and Wilderness Council, edited by Vance G. Martin, and Sharon Shay Sloan. Boulder (CO): The WILD Foundation. Vol. 2: 84-110.
2013a Toda Relationship with the Mukurti National Park. Newsletter of the Nilgiri Natural History Society 3(2): 12.
2015a Sacred Hills of the Toda People of South India: A Plea for World Heritage Status. In Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values. Tenth World Wilderness Congress Symposium, compiled by Alan Watson et al, 176-181. Fort Collins (CO): USDA Forest Service Proceedings, Rocky Mountain Research Station; RMRS-P-74.
2018a Dairy Temples and the Sacred World of the Todas. Pastoral Times 31 March, p.7.
2018c The Todas. In Lions 100 The Nilgiris, edited by N. Krishnamurthi and Tariq Aziz. Ooty. Pp. 82-83.
2020a The Toda People: Stewards of Wilderness and Biodiversity. International Journal of Wilderness 26 (1): 18-33.
2001a Satyrium nepalense D. Don in the Upper Nilgiri Plateau, with Emphasis on its Ethnobotanic Link with the Toda Tribals. Zoos’ Print Journal 16(1): 408.
2001b The Toda Landscape. In The Human Landscape. India International Centre Quarterly 28(1): 53-69. Also published in book form in The Human Landscape, edited by Geeti Sen and Ashis Banerjee. New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited and India International Centre.
2001c Wilderness and Dependent Peoples: The Todas of the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. In Wilderness and Humanity: The Global Issue.
2006 Restoring the Toda Landscapes of the Nilgiri Hills in South India. Plant Talk 44 (April), 28-32.
2007c Toda Relationship with Nature as an Indication of Ecosystem Health. In Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values. Proceedings of the Eighth World Wilderness Congress, compiled by Alan Watson et al., 487-495. Fort Collins (CO): USDA Forest Service Proceedings, Rocky Mountain Research Station; RMRS-P-49.
2020d Toda Sanctification of Nature. In Forest Dweller’s Art of Living: Their Values and World View, edited by P.K. Misra and B.V. Raviprasad. Mysuru: INSC Publishing House (IPH). Pp. 26-34.
2023 Twenty-First Century Toda Recollections of the British Raj. In The Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Orient Black Swan.
2008 The Toda Relationship with Wild Nature: Indicators of Ecosystem Health in Tamil Nadu State, India. In Protecting Wild Nature on Native Lands: Case Studies by Native Peoples from around the World. Proceedings of the First Native Lands and Wilderness Council, edited by Julie Cajune, Vance G. Martin, and Terry Tanner. Boulder (CO): Fulcrum Publishing. Vol. 1: 113-141.
2009 A Unique South Indian Tradition: Toda Dress and Embroidery. In Pika-Pika: The Flashing Firefly. Essays to Honour and Celebrate the Life of Pauline Hetland Walker (1938-2005), edited by Anthony R. Walker. New Delhi: Hindustan Publishing Corporation. Pp. 183-218.
2017 Toda Food Habits over the Years. In Anthropology of Traditional Indian Food, edited by B.R. Vijayendra et al. New Delhi: Aayu Publications. Pp. 71-81.
2016b Development and What it means to the Todas. (Paper presented at the inauguration of the Devaraj Urs Centre for Developmental Studies, Mysuru; available on YouTube).
2012h Toda Floral Knowledge. In Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Manohar. Pp. 306-309.
2012g Sacred Waters of the Todas. In Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Manohar. Pp. 804-810.
2012f Nilgiri Peak. In Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Manohar. P. 650.
2012e Todas and Rhododendrons. In Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Manohar. Pp. 785-786.
2012c Balsams (Impatiens). In Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Manohar. Pp. 114-116.
2012b Toda Nalavaazhvu Sangam. In Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, edited by Paul Hockings. New Delhi: Manohar. Pp. 930-932.
