Book on dangers of decreasing insect population launched

Naturalist and educationist Geetha Iyer spoke about the world of insects at the launch of her book Miniature Giants – Insect Stories Beyond The Ordinary at the Alumni Club of Anna University on Friday.

The book was launched by the Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS), of which Ms. Iyer is a life member.

MNS president K.V. Sudhakar received the first copy of the book, which was released by the chief guest, Preston Ahimaz, naturalist, author and former State Director, WWF-TN.

‘Storytelling matters’

“This book is not a handbook, it is storytelling. If I tell people in scientific jargon how the population of insects is decreasing and how dangerous it is for humankind to live without them, nobody would understand. That is why storytelling matters, I have written about my observations,” Ms. Iyer said in a conversation with Mr. Ahimaz.

The conversation covered the lives of insects such as wasps, flies, butterflies, and the author’s experiences of travelling across the country for decades.

“I want students, the young, and the old to know about the life of some of these organisms that we see around us and how important they are to our own lives,” she said.

“We are not doing enough as a society to conserve nature, but books and functions like these go a long way in encouraging people to conserve nature and in making them aware of what surrounds us,” Mr. Ahimaz said.

The evening concluded with a reading from the book.