“When I was a child, every highway journey meant stopping at a petrol pump to clean insects off the windscreen. There were so many of them that everyone did it. Children today will probably never know what that looked like. It’s one of the best reminders of how much we have lost,” says Sohail Madan.
For 43-year-old Sohail, that childhood memory is more than nostalgia. It reminds him of a time when butterflies, moths, bees and birds were such an ordinary part of daily life that nobody imagined they could disappear.
Today, as founder and director of WildTales Foundation, Sohail has spent over 15 years helping bring nature back to forests, neighbourhoods and school campuses. His work has ranged from restoring damaged landscapes and growing native plants to creating butterfly corridors across Delhi.
Ask him where conservation begins, and his answer is surprisingly simple.
“People think conservation only happens inside forests or wildlife sanctuaries. But every balcony, every terrace and every backyard can become part of the solution.”
His words come at a time when scientists are warning that wildlife around us is quietly disappearing.
The State of India’s Birds 2023 report found that nearly half the bird species assessed are showing long-term declines, with around 178 species now considered to be of conservation concern. Around the world, studies have also documented sharp declines in insect populations, driven largely by habitat loss and excessive chemical use.
For Sohail, however, this isn’t just about numbers in a report. It is something he has witnessed first-hand.
Many people remember childhood afternoons chasing butterflies through gardens, waking up to birdsong or watching moths gather around porch lights after the first summer rain. Today, those everyday sights have become noticeably rarer.
Rather than simply worrying about the loss, Sohail decided to do something about it.
A childhood fascination that became a calling
Long before he began restoring habitats, nature had already shaped his life.
Born in Africa, where his parents worked as doctors, Sohail spent his early years surrounded by wildlife. Even after the family moved to Delhi, weekends outdoors and visits to nearby forests kept that fascination alive.
Today, as founder and director of WildTales Foundation, Sohail has spent over 15 years helping bring nature back to forests.
Like many young Indians, however, he chose a very different career path.
Engineering took him to San Jose State University in California, followed by a promising career in Silicon Valley.
On paper, everything looked perfect.
Yet something never quite felt right.
“I realised that I did not want to spend my whole life coding behind a computer. I wanted to be out in the field,” he tells The Better India.
The turning point came during a visit to a self-sustaining farm in Santa Cruz.
Instead of being impressed by technology, he found himself drawn to simple outdoor work.
“I remember working around the chicken coop and realising how much I enjoyed being outdoors, getting my hands into the work and being close to nature,” he says with a laugh.
Watching children explore the farm made the decision even clearer.
“I could see myself in those children. They were fascinated by mud, insects and plants. I realised I wanted a life that kept me connected to the outdoors rather than one spent creating hardware.”
Soon afterwards, he left engineering behind.
In 2010, Sohail joined the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), India’s oldest natural history organisation. Over the next 13 years, he worked on conservation projects across the country, eventually becoming Assistant Director.
In April 2023, he founded WildTales Foundation to continue that work.
“People ask what motivated me to dedicate my life to conservation,” he says. “For me, it never felt like a sacrifice. This is what I enjoy doing.”
The forest that changed everything
One place transformed Sohail’s understanding of conservation more than any other.
Delhi’s Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across nearly 32 square kilometres, is now one of the capital’s largest green spaces. Few visitors realise that parts of it were once heavily scarred by mining.
Working there taught him that bringing nature back is about far more than planting trees.
Birds need it not only for drinking but also for bathing and keeping their feathers healthy.
“People think it means planting thousands of trees. It is not that easy,” he says.
Instead, the real challenge is rebuilding the relationships that exist in nature.
Which plants once grew there? Which insects depended on them? Which birds fed on those insects?
“When those connections disappear,” he explains, “the whole system begins to weaken.”
Another challenge soon became obvious.
Finding native plants was surprisingly difficult.
Most nurseries stocked ornamental species imported for decorative gardens, while local plants that naturally supported birds, butterflies and insects were rarely available.
Rather than accepting that reality, Sohail and his colleagues decided to change it.
They established a nursery dedicated entirely to native plants.
Today, it produces nearly 10 lakh saplings every year, supplying restoration projects across Delhi and helping reintroduce species that had become difficult to find.
The impact was visible within a few years.
“When you bring back native plants, wildlife returns much faster than people expect. That is what fascinated me. You could actually see the difference.”
Why butterflies vanish when native plants disappear
One lesson kept repeating itself through Sohail’s years in the field: every plant supports life beyond itself.
Most of us see a plant as something that makes a garden look greener. A butterfly sees it very differently.
Many butterfly species lay their eggs only on specific native plants. Once the caterpillars hatch, they feed exclusively on those leaves. If those plants disappear, the butterflies often disappear with them.
Many people remember childhood afternoons chasing butterflies through gardens, waking up to birdsong or watching moths gather around porch lights.
Sohail points to the Common Mormon butterfly as an example.
“Its caterpillars feed on curry leaf plants. If curry leaf disappears from an area, the butterfly won’t simply shift to another ornamental plant. It can’t.”
The same pattern plays out across nature.
Native plants feed insects. Insects become food for birds. Birds disperse seeds that help forests regenerate.
“When we replace native plants,” Sohail says, “we’re not just removing one species. We’re breaking relationships that have developed over thousands of years.”
That is why, he believes, conservation isn’t about planting more trees. It is about planting the right trees.
Why beautiful gardens often fail wildlife
Take a walk through most apartment complexes and gated communities. You’ll probably find neatly trimmed lawns, ornamental palms and colourful imported flowers.
They may look beautiful, Sohail says, but they rarely support much life.
“We’ve been conditioned to value appearance over nature,” he says.
The biggest example is the manicured lawn.
Lawns demand constant watering, mowing and fertilisers. Yet they provide very little food or shelter for butterflies, bees or birds.
“Lawns are almost like green carpets. They look nice, but very little lives there.”
Instead, Sohail believes our gardens should look a little more like nature.
That means planting native trees, shrubs and grasses, letting fallen leaves become compost, and resisting the urge to trim every corner into perfect symmetry.
Such gardens may appear less polished, but they quickly become alive with activity.
Butterflies return to lay eggs. Bees begin visiting flowers. Birds arrive in search of insects and fruits.
“The healthiest gardens aren’t always the neatest,” he says. “They’re the ones where nature is allowed to do what it does best.”
Connecting Delhi’s butterflies, one garden at a time
After years of restoring forests, Sohail began asking himself a different question.
Could cities become part of the solution too?
That idea led to the Delhi Butterfly Corridor Project.
Delhi’s forests lie mostly around the city’s edges. Between them stretch roads, buildings and concrete, making it difficult for butterflies and other pollinators to move safely across the landscape.
Instead of creating one massive butterfly park, Sohail’s team chose a different approach.
They encouraged schools, parks, hospitals, residential societies and even individual households to grow small patches of butterfly-friendly native plants.
Each garden may seem insignificant on its own.
Together, they form stepping stones that allow butterflies to move across the city.
One of the project’s biggest successes came from a Government Senior Secondary School in RK Puram.
Students planted native host plants, documented butterfly species and transformed their campus into an outdoor classroom.
The project ended up changing more than just the garden.
Children began observing insects instead of ignoring them. They created information boards, recorded species and became active participants in conservation.
The initiative was so successful that the teacher leading it received the Best Teacher Award in 2022.
“When children start noticing butterflies,” Sohail says, “they begin asking questions. That’s where conservation really begins.”
5 simple ways to welcome birds and butterflies back
The good news, Sohail says, is that you don’t need a large garden to help wildlife. A balcony, terrace or even a few pots can make a difference.
Most of us see a plant as something that makes a garden look greener. A butterfly sees it very differently.
1. Skip chemical pesticides
The biggest change starts with what not to use.
“If we kill every insect we see, we also wipe out the insects that birds, butterflies and bees depend on,” Sohail explains.
Healthy gardens regulate themselves. Homemade compost and healthy soil encourage earthworms, microbes and beneficial insects that naturally keep pests in check.
2. Grow native plants
The plants we choose decide which birds and butterflies visit our homes.
Sohail recommends starting with species that naturally grow in your region. Curry leaf, lemon, milkweed (Calotropis), pattharchatta and native flowering climbers like desi madhumalti are excellent choices for butterflies.
Instead of highly modified ornamental flowers, he suggests native marigolds and indigenous roses, which provide far more nectar for pollinators.
“Many ornamental plants have been bred mainly for appearance. Native flowers still provide food for the insects that need them.”
3. Plant for birds, not just butterflies
As butterflies return, birds soon follow.
Fruit-bearing native plants such as mulberry, karonda and phalsa offer food, while grains like bajra and jowar attract seed-eating birds.
“The greater the variety of plants,” Sohail says, “the greater the variety of life your garden can support.”
4. Keep water outside all year
A simple bowl of water can become a lifeline.
Birds need it not only for drinking but also for bathing and keeping their feathers healthy.
“Don’t wait for peak summer,” he says. “Keep water available throughout the year.”
5. Let nature be a little untidy
Perhaps the hardest lesson is resisting the urge to keep everything perfectly neat.
A few fallen leaves, wild grasses and naturally growing plants create shelter for insects and improve soil health.
“Nature knows what it’s doing. Sometimes the best thing we can do is step back and let it grow.”
A change that begins at home
People often tell Sohail that wildlife belongs in forests, not cities.
He couldn’t disagree more.
“Delhi has more than 400 bird species. Mumbai is home to around 70 leopards. Bengaluru still has leopards on its outskirts, and Bhopal shares its landscape with tigers,” he says.
“Wildlife is already around us. The question is whether we’re making room for it.”
Every native plant added to a balcony, every pesticide-free garden and every bowl of water placed outside creates another safe stop for birds, butterflies and insects trying to survive in growing cities.
On their own, these actions may seem small.
Together, they can transform neighbourhoods.
‘Make space for yourself too’
Sohail believes conservation isn’t only about protecting wildlife.
It’s also about rebuilding our own connection with nature.
He encourages families to spend more time outdoors, whether in a forest, a neighbourhood park or simply in their own garden.
“We are animals of the forest,” he says. “Being surrounded by green is good not only for our physical health but also for our mental wellbeing.”
His favourite advice has little to do with gardening.
Birds arrive in search of insects and fruits.
“If you’re creating a butterfly garden, make space for yourself in it too. Put a chair there. Have your morning tea there. Sit with your family. The more time you spend outdoors, the more you’ll notice the life around you.”
Perhaps that’s where change truly begins.
Not through grand conservation campaigns, but through everyday choices — planting a native sapling, leaving out a bowl of water, or watching a butterfly settle on a curry leaf plant.
The windscreens of our childhood may never again be covered with insects.
But every Indian home has the chance to become a small refuge for nature. A balcony filled with native plants, a chemical-free garden or even a single water bowl can help birds, butterflies and bees find their way back. And if enough homes make that choice, the next generation may once again grow up thinking birdsong and butterflies are an ordinary part of everyday life — exactly as they should be.
All pictures courtesy Sohail Madan.
