A book of tiny lives

Author Geetha Iyer’s new book, Miniature Giants, hopes to restore the reputation of insects

- NIDHARSHANA RAJU

SECTS are the quiet, unsung heroes of biodiversity.

They are small, and so they slip past our notice, but they have always been so vital in maintaining the balance in our ecosystem. While our attention gravitates toward majestic tigers, soaring birds, and towering trees, it is the tiny workers beneath our feet and above our heads who keep nature running like a well-oiled machine. They pollinate flowers, keep pests in check, and feed countless other creatures, forming the invisible scaffold that holds ecosystems together.

Understanding these very insects has, therefore, become not only important but endlessly demanding, and it is in pursuit of this challenge that Geetha Iyer, an author and independent consultant in education and environment, returns once again; now with her third book dedicated to unravelling the world of insects.