A College in disguise

.We were returning from a visit to a knitwear factory at Tiruppur near Coimbatore. While we were about 10/12 kilometres away from our destination, a ship like structure became visible from a distance. My nephew who too was attracted, started shouting ship, ship. I protested, no It can’t be a ship, you don’t have a Sea here. He was not to be subdued. He promptly said, the Tsunami might have brought it here. Again I asked, then where is the Sea. He readily answered,  it was taken away by the Tsunami.

I took a photograph from that distance and when we were closing in, I got the vehicle stopped for further exploration. The structure turned out to be a College of Marine Engineering of Coimbatore. The photographs are appended.

 

                 

Maple Leaved Bayur Tree

Very recently I was staying with my brother at Coimbatore. I spent a fortnight at his Race Course Road residence. On the very first day, after dinner, I was walking around the colony, just to have a feel. After walking down about 100 feet, I started getting a very pleasant sweet smell in the air. Soon my nostrils got filled with that fragrance. Soon I could discover the tree laden with beautiful flowers which was emanating that queer smell. I would have attempted to take a photograph to capture the bloom, though I knew the built in flash was not adequate to get a good shot. Therefore I decided to return in the morning. When I reached the tree the next day morning, I was totally disappointed for all the flowers were lying on the ground. I understood that they are nocturnal in nature. Some how I could locate one which was still clinging to the branch as if to oblige me. I lost no time and could get a reasonably good picture after zooming in.

The white flower is quite large and with which I was not acquainted with. I asked the watchman guarding the gate about its name. He said it is “Venangu” in Tamil. Thereafter I consulted with my knowledgeable friends over telephone but none could help me to augment my own knowledge. I was also lacking the facility of transmitting the photograph over the mobile (Cell) phone.

When I reached Chennai I continued my exploration. Some amount of googling (flowers of India site) helped me to resolve the problem of identification.  It was the Maple leaved Bayur Tree (Pterospermum acerifolium). Incidentally it is a native of India and Myanmar. In Hindi it is known as Kanak Champa, Muchkund or Padm Pushp. In Bengali it is Rosukunda. In Sikkim it is known as Hathipaila. The tree has red wood which is used to make planks.

Chennai Crocodile Bank

During the month of April this year, I happened to be at Chennai (Madras). One day my extended family members evinced interest to visit Mahabalipuram (A World Heritage Site) and wanted me to show them around. I readily accepted for they believed in my  credibility  to be their guide. While proceeding to Mahabalipuram, after travelling 45 kilometres, there is the Madras Crocodile Bank. Since I could not visit this place earlier, I decided  to make a short break thereat. We parked our vehicle at the parking slot and entered the sanctuary after buying our tickets.

There was a time when the crocodile population in India was dwindling. Some feared that they may also become species near  extinction. With a view to protect and conserve crocodiles, alligators and other reptiles this farm was established way back in 1976. Incidentally this is a private initiative and not by the Government. The credit goes to Romulus Whitaker, the famous herpetologist, who was instrumental in its establishment along with few like minded friends.

To begin with some 30 crocodiles were brought here and due to the conservation efforts the population is now around 5000. Perhaps now it is going to be a problem of plenty.  Apart from the Indian species of Crocodiles and Alligators, their cousins from around the world have been brought in. However they seem to enjoy better and spacious surroundings as compared to their Indian counter parts. This centre is claimed to be largest zoo of such reptiles in the whole world.

Incidentally the water bodies as also the whole place stinks and one has to  muster a lot of endurance to withstand. While searching for an answer I found the place has very many big shady trees and thousands of cranes have made them their home. Their droppings are the reasons behind the problem. While visiting this place one needs to wear a cap or cover the head for protection.  

As is well known, India is also a home for venomous snakes. There is a community in Tamilnadu known as “Irulas” who are very skilled in catching venomous snakes. To conserve their art and provide them a kind of livelihood, Mr. Whitaker got them united and formed a Cooperative Society. They have a separate enclosure in the sanctuary where they regularly bring the snakes and and keep them in pots.  They extract the venom which costs anywhere between Rs.1000 to Rs.5000 per gm. Visitors are also shown the process involved.

 

Demise of my beloved wife

 My late wife Pushpa

It is with deep anguish that I am to inform about the sad demise of my beloved wife on the 7th February (Current month) at the age of 64. She was able to withstand the pains of her ailment for over an year but she gave up at the end. Last November, she fell down and got her thigh bone broken. She was operated and a plate was screwed up. After 3 months she was able to move around with the help of a walker.  Unfortunately around May 1010, the plate fixed up also got broken and the surgeon attending her wanted to wait for few more months (before performing another operation) anticipating that the bones may get joined automatically. All the time she was bed ridden and under medication. She was already suffering from Arthritis for over two decades.

In between she developed Urinary track infection for which she was repeatedly treated. Because of prolonged bed rest, another problem which became painful were the bed sores right under her buttocks which were refusing to heal because of the dressings getting wet during urination. Finally Catheters were used assuming that the bed sores could become dry before we do the second operation. However they worked for two days and then got blocked because of the  puss mixed infected particles coming out. For the next two days urination stopped totally and we had to rush her to a nearby hospital.

After a day things improved a little. Various examinations were carried out. The blood examination revealed  that the haemoglobin level was 4.2 as against the normal 11.5. Similarly the platelets count was also alarmingly low. The WBC and other ingredients were also low. As an immediate step, two units of blood (O-) was given along with platelets. This brought about marginal improvement the next day. On the fourth day in the Intensive Care Unit, things went beyond our control. Since the bodies immunity was at its lowest, deterioration was faster and within a couple of hours, I was shocked to be informed by the doctors that she has suffered Cardiac arrest.

The next day we brought the body home and arranged her cremation. Alas! I could have brought her back alive.

Now let her Soul rest in peace.

(Note: I shall be away from my desolated home for over a month visiting my mother and relations and therefore will not be contributing anything here)

Munnar - Very high above the hills

 

During their stay in India, the Britishers, unable to cope up with the harsh summers, found their way up in the hills and exploited  cooler places  congenial for holidaying  thereat. It would be wrong to suggest that they discovered them as all those places were known to our monks and ascetics who had their dwellings in such places for seeking spiritual pleasures. They were required to traverse through the wild.   The infrastructure created by the British only served their own limited purpose. Such places came to be known as Hill Stations. There are several such cooler places in the state of Kerala. However only “Munnar” has the distinction of being a hill station. This place is situated 130 kilometers East of Ernakulam (Kochi – Cochin) on the Western Ghat mountain ranges. The area around Munnar is around 6500 to 8500 above sea level and therefore has cool and salubrious climatic conditions through out the year. Munnar in the local dialect stands for “three rivers”.

The land around Munnar is supposed to be owned by “Punjar” Royal family. Centuries ago, the ‘Pandyan’ dynasty ruling at Madurai, had to flee to avoid persecution at the hands of ‘Cholas’ who conquered their kingdom. The Pandyans finally reached Munnar and lived in peace. The Punjar royal family are descendents of the early Pandyan settlers. One John Daniel Munroe was the Commissioner in the service of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. During 1877 he obtained on lease an area of over 1,36,000 acres from the Punjar Royal Family for the purpose of establishing Coffee plantations. Subsequently the terms of lease were modified to include tea and other crops as well. At the outset Munroe established an Agricultural Society followed by a company “Kannan Devan Hills Plantation Ltd”. In 1976 Tata Finlay acquired the plantations of Munroe. Now that company is known as Tata Tea. A  legal battle is ensuing between the Tata Tea and the Punjar family as the later is striving to get back all its land.

Since one of my sister-in-law was brought up at Munnar, I know that it was a small sleepy town. It is only in the last two decades that it got transformed into a major tourist centre. The environment had to pay a heavy price for the developments that have ensued. A plethora of resorts/hotels have mushroomed for which thousands of trees were felled. The Government of the State belatedly realised the harm being caused to the environment and ordered demolition of many un-authorised structures.

As told earlier, this area was identified and acquired for the development of plantations. Tea and Coffee plantations cover the major portion of the territory. Additionally at Munnar and adjoining rural areas, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Garlic and Black Pepper are extensively cultivated.  There are lakes, streams, a dam and several National Parks within a radius of 20 kilometres of Munnar. The flora and fauna and bio-diversity of the area attracts thousands of tourists annually and a good number being foreigners. One more important event being the blossoming  of Neela Kurinji (Strobilanthus) in the mountains and valleys once in 12 years and some times even once in 7 years. Its said to be blue every where but looks purple or violet.. This flower has medicinal properties and is used as a traditional medicine for several ailments.

Photo:http:// myhappyjourney.com

Around 15 kilometres from Munnar  the Ervakulam National Park is the protectorate of the endangered Nilagiri Tahr (a kind of mountain goat). This particular specie is native to India and is found on the higher edges of the Western Ghat ranges. Initially they were spotted in the Nilagiris (Ooty) and hence the name. Incidentally Nilagiri stands for Blue Mountains and the association is with the flower named above. All over the country the Nilagiri Tahr number a bare 2000 and the largest herd of around 800 are resident at  Ervikulam. Normally they are found in groups and their habitat is 6000 feet above the mountain ranges. They are very strong physically and weigh around 100 kilos. They are also not shy of tourists. They may come nearer to you without any fear and will pose for you unhesitatingly. They are under threat and their population is dwindling. One main reason being the greedy humans who hunt them whenever possible. The second reason being their inbreeding. Because of clusters of human population on the hills, they are unable to keep in touch with their distant folks scattered  on the mountains.

Since exhaustive information is available on Munnar in the wikipedia and the net, I am cutting short. The main motivating factor was to show the Nilgiri Tahr encountered by us during our short visit. 

Photos: PN Sampath Kumar

Pichavaram Mangrove Forest - Second largest in the World

In tropical and sub tropical countries where ever a river meets the sea, back waters and estuaries get created. In certain places there could be swamps as well. These places are ideal grounds for a type of evergreen vegetation known as Mangroves. They have the capacity to sustain in saline waters. They also have a queer root system which partly remain in the air and some penetrate deep in the waters. The roots hanging above the water surface also have the capability of drawing its oxygen directly. Their seeds also have the ability to germinate when they are still on their branches. The water body surrounding the Mangrove Forests, affords a conducive climate for a variety of marine life, including various species of fish and prawns.

World’s largest Mangrove Forest formations are found in the Indian Sub Continent. They are the “Sundarbans”, 60% of which is in Bangladesh and 40% in India, the home of the famous Bengal Tigers. The second largest Mangrove Forest is also in India known as “Pichavaram” created at the confluence of Vellar and Coleroon rivers on the Bay of Bengal. This is spread over an area of 2800 acres (11 square kilometres).

The availability of different habitat types such as channels, creeks, gullies, mud flats and sand flats and adjacent sea shore offers ideal habitat for different species of birds. There are at least 177 species of birds inhabiting 

the area. Amongst others, one can view birds like Watersnips, Cormorants, Egrets, Storks, Herons, Spoonbills and Pelicans. The season between November to January is considered to be most fascinating for bird watchers as during that period the bird population is maximum, inclusive of  migratory birds from different countries. Apart from the eco-diversity of this forest, the mangroves were  instrumental in protecting the hinterland during the devastating Tsunami in the recent past.

Traversing through hundreds of channels leading to the sea is an experience which can not be simply explained in words. The Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation has a boat house at the spot offering boat rides through the groves. It is preferable to opt for the slow moving boats instead of the mechanised ones. The sea front is equally beautiful. The sea water creates fascinating patterns on the sands more akin to modern art.

 

Pichavaram is reachable from Chennai via Chidambaram (Railway Station). From Chidambaram Pichavaram is at a distance of 16 kilometres. Although accommodation is available at Pichavaram as well, but it is better to make Chidambaram the base for one can have the option of different types of accommodation as well as food.  

Wild Life Week

Once upon a time, no its not that long, I was a boy of 15 years and studying in the 9th standard in my small town. Wild life week was at the doorstep. The Forest Department was organising many competitions for the school children. Essay writing, Poetry, Painting as also Photography. Every thing centred around wild life. Since I had my box camera, I thought of getting into the competitions. The problem, however, was where to get the wild animals. Then I remembered that there were some deers (antelopes) kept in a small enclosure within the local Palace compound. I went there with my box camera, only to be disappointed, as there was a tall wire mesh around the enclosure which prevented a clear view. Nevertheless I took some snaps but it was disgusting.

Two days later some one informed me that the tribals have caught a leopard and the same has been presented to the Maharaja and it is kept in a cage inside the palace. Once again I was on my way to the Palace. Immediately when we enter the main gate, to the left there is the famous Danteshwari temple. By its side there is one more enclosure with a gate. It leads to the living quarters of the staff and the garage where the limousines of the prince were kept. There it was, the leopard in a cage. A young tribal was also stationed nearby as its care taker. It was not  fully grown, rather it was a cub. Again the problem was how to get a clear photograph. The iron bars in the cage were creating problem. I was not all alone. A friend of mine was also accompanying me. He looked around and found that to the left there was a compound wall with a small grilled entrance. Corn was grown inside and it almost looked like jungle. We thought if we could make the care taker bring out the leopard cub (which was chained) and take  to the corn field, we may have a nice capture. I offered 2 Annas (1/8th of a Rupee) to the young tribal and sought his cooperation. With the money in his palm, he relented. He took out the cub from the cage and brought it inside the compound where corn was growing. With the chain in his hands, I was doubtful if I could get a photograph which could seem natural. I requested him to leave the chain but then he was not prepared. Alternatively I asked him to sit there with the chain touching the ground. He did that and I took two or three snaps. Two of them were out of focus but fortunately one snap came out reasonably well. This paved the way for my entry into the competitions. There was a little  bit of disappointment, when I was awarded a third prize in the district level. Obviously the judges were looking at the picture quality and they had no inklings of the efforts put in. The prize consisted of a bundle of publications of the Forest Department.

Here is one more snap for which a flash bulb was used. For each flash a new bulb was required to be used which was a little prohibitive, cost-wise. The animal captured here, though belongs to the same family, but man has domesticated them.

My first Camera

While loafing around the Internet, recently I came across a picture of an Agfa Box Camera, which used to be one of the prized possessions with me for quite some time, some 55 years ago. The picture seemed to be peeping into my eyes as if asking me if I recollect any thing associated with that box. I was then a boy of 13 years and after persistent requests my dad yielded and bought me one. He also reminded me not to ask for funding for the film rolls every now and then. The camera was a basic one with a lens, a filter, very few aperture settings and with the provision for a flash unit which could be mounted on the shoes provided on its body. There were other similar cameras without any lens and they were known as pin hole cameras.

Discovery of the picture prompted me to go through my old B/W  photo albums so as to enable me to refresh my memories associated with that Camera. Particularly I was interested to locate the photographs I had taken at the Air Strip when the Home Minister, Mr. Govind Vallabh Pant,  landed in my small town. Since I was the only one holding a camera, I could find my way to the IAF aircraft and very close to the minister. There were, however, limitations in taking snaps. The camera would permit only 8 snaps for a roll of film and therefore there was no freedom of taking any number of snaps as the modern day digital cameras could afford. I did take few photographs and exhausted the capacity. The town had a small photographic studio run by one K. Narsingh Rao. Necessarily we were required to go to him for processing. Incidentally I had caught on my film a wealthy businessman garlanding the minister. It seems that the studio owner  informed him about his photo showing him with the minister.  The businessman came to me personally and wanted me to part with the photograph as well as the negative. In return he offered me 10 rolls of the 120 film (Ilford) and thus I could replenish my stock of raw material. I very much needed. I was too happy as I was not required to beg my dad for funding for this purpose.

My searching the old albums though brought back many old memories, I could not find the photograph, I was looking for. However, there were many others and had different stories behind them. Incidentally I got this one below, a tribal fishing under the famous Chitrakot water falls and I could relate it to my own obsession these days, blogging and waiting for some one to come by and drop a comment.   

 The color effect credits to Picasa

Home Making - Weaver Birds

Recently I came across a video of the Weaver Birds 
building their nests. It is really enjoyable

Obamas visit Humayun’s Tomb

 

The visit to Humayun's Tomb, which is quite deserted on normal days near the Nizamuddin railway station, was a crash course in Persian, Indian and Central Asian architecture and history for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

In an exclusive interview, director K K Mohammad said, "President Obama asked many questions. He was very, very inquisitive about Dara Shikoh."
The President and the First Lady's history lesson went something like this. They arrived at the 30-acre architectural wonder with an army of security personnel and US media. They were shown photographs and a model of the tomb.

Mohammad, who is a historian and an architect who works for the Archaeological Survey of India, was the couple's lone guide.

The couple strolled along the manicured lawns. Since 2000, the Aga Khan Foundation has made huge efforts to save this grand monument, spending more than Rs 7 crore (Rs 70 million).

The AGF has won an international award for its restoration work on the monument. This world heritage site is so grand that many architects love it more than the Taj Mahal in Agra

.

'It would be kind of tough to build this in the US'

At the entry point, it is inscribed that the tomb is a precursor to the Taj Mahal.
The design carved in red stone and lime mortar is an architectural marvel because it depicts 'an ornamental cosmic symbol'.

Spread over 30 acres, it has three kilometres of water channels and 2,500 plants in the complex

.
Its 25,000 square metre pathways give a majestic touch to the 16-metre tall main structure.

The Obamas were given some facts about the Mughal Emperor Humayun, the son of Babar, the founder of the Mughal empire in India.

Mohammad told the couple that Humayun's Tomb was built over nearly a decade beginning around 1565. The main work was completed in 1572. The tomb contains over 100 Mughal graves.

Obama found it interesting that some 500 years ago that such a giant structure was built in just seven years in India. He later told journalists "I heard it was built in seven years? I give credit to the contractor. This kind of thing if we build in the US, it would be kind of tough."

'Delhi is a modern city, rooted in history'

"Delhi is such a modern city," Obama said, before pointing to the mausoleum and adding, "but rooted in such a civilisation."

Mohammad says on listening to the history behind the monument, "President Obama told me India has withstood the rise and fall of empires. I am sure India will lead the world."

"I told the President, India has 28 world heritage sites. New Delhi has three of them," Mohammad added. "The Red Fort, the Qutub Minar and Humanyun's Tomb. I explained to him that all other sites in New Delhi are due to its historical importance, but this site portrays both Indian history and architecture. At other places, gardens were added later, but in this monument, the garden is an integral part. I told him with pride that India had technology to conceive such monuments and execute it."

"I also explained that this structure has Persian, Central Asian and Indian architecture. That's so unique. It's an amalgamation of three streams of ideas," Mohammad said.

'Dara Shikoh has a US connection'

Mohammad says the President asked several questions about Dara Shikoh and that made the conversation very interesting.
Dara Shikoh was the elder brother of the last major Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal.

"Mr President," Mohammad told Obama, "there is a Dara Shikoh, US connection too."

"Dara Shikoh was defeated by Aurangzeb in a power struggle. He was a great man with a vision. He wanted all school of thoughts and religion to live in harmony. Akbar succeeded in spreading that philosophy, but it was Dara Shikoh who conceived it, beautifully," Mohammad added.
"President Obama was very impressed by Dara Shikoh's philosophy and asked me questions."

"Dara Shikoh," Mohammad said, "translated the greatest Indian text, the Upanishads, into Persian. It was later translated into Latin and French. That copy reached the US. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American philosopher, was introduced to Indian culture through Dara Shikoh's translation of the Upanishads."

"I told the President that Dara Shikoh rests here."

 
When President Obama went to Humayun and Dara Shikoh's tombs, Mohammad says he folded his hands, as if to pray.
"As far as I can remember, there were no photographers there."

Courtesy rediff.com