“See, it is all shrivelled up but within one spell of rain, it will unfurl and appear like a plant that has been there forever,” says Kobita Das pointing at a small brown plant that is curled up. Atop one of the surviving rock formation on the banks of the Osman Sagar lake, the plant and those similar are too small to be noticed from afar. But they are there.
“They are living museums to enjoy, study and showcase,” says Ms. Kobita, who, as an independent researcher, spent years studying and documenting the flora and fauna on the Deccan Sheet Rocks. But as the destruction of rocks in Hyderabad gathers pace, the flora and fauna are disappearing fast.
“It is important to preserve them as they are unique to the sheet rock, superbly adapted to the conditions they live in and are incredibly beautiful miniature natural gardens. They provide a rich habitat for a variety of fauna, some of which live exclusively on these rocks. These include the Malabar Rock Toad, the Penninsular Rock Agama and the Fan-throated Lizard,” she says.
