Our trip here was long, with three plane rides and two stopovers, losing a full day in transit with the time changes alone. We have arrived here in the middle of a heat wave in the Indian summer. In other words, it is hot. Very, very hot, even by Indian standards.

As we drove from the airport to the Wildlife Institute, I was struck not just by the heat but by the signs of the impending monsoon. Although the forests are still green, there is a thick carpet of dried leaves, brown and crackling. But the signs of the coming rains are to be found in other features of the landscape, with the deep ditches, wide gratings across the roads, and rocky washes that will soon be filled with water. Steeply pitched tin roofs and raised walkways at the Wildlife Institute speak of the two and a half meters of rain this area will soon get. Most of the rainfall comes from July to September, but I am hoping for an early relief from the heat.

The institute itself is buzzing with activity; students clutching books, researchers standing in the causeways discussing plans, and an assortment of forestry officials and other government workers strolling the campus. There are only a few classes in session right now, with the course-based masters program students gone from campus to complete the final stages of their work for their degree.

On the grounds of the Institute, there are monkeys which can be seen perching on the roof lines, slinking along the eaves, or laying in the shade of a tree. This morning’s walk brought sightings of 6 butterfly and 3 dragonfly species, along with the bird calls of many, unidentifiable species. The interpretive walk on the Institute grounds was a lovely way to start the day.