SLICE OF LIFE

A Chamelion,we think are more successful in the herd of animals.
Its because he goes with the time and in the end comes out succesfully of all the testing situations.Can we all be chamelions????But then we want to stand tall in the storm and test our persistence.Do you think it works.Nope!! they are the first ones to break down.Have you seen the broken trees on the roadside after the storm? Weak ones still standing tall.Still we try to repeat the same again and again despite knowing the facts.After spending considerable hours I realised its values that determines the behaviour.And probably values are more difficult to inflence or modify.Values are the core of person's character.Are we giving enough value to persons character?Do we have recognition system to evaluate persons character or it is just a part of children's education curriculum .Do we remember this while performing our roles? Or the evaluation is purely on parameters and scale of success.Values are changing and so are we.

PUG MARKS OF RANI

The other day it was a sunny morning at Jim Corbett Park.Wanted to see some really wild ones ,but all had lazily hidden themselves in some unknown shrubs.Forest Ranger was desperately trying to convince me that the pug marks are fresh and maybe the wild cat has just crossed the road.But its always like that since last four years.Every year I visited remembering Sir Jim Corbett but all in vain.While speaking to the villagers inside the park I overheard that these forest officials have made pug marker for different species to create and maintain the mystery and charm in the wild life santuary.How do you feel if someone shows you the pug mark of Rani the Tigress in the mid of jungle and that too very confidently after sitting for a while and looking from different angles.Atleast I feel shudder in my spine and this feeling of adventure brings me to this place again and again.

Environment,Ecology and 'Neel Gai'

The move to shoot Blue Bulls popularly known as "Neel Gai" is shocking to save the crops.There is a news in Hindi daily today that hunters have been called by UP government on a contract of shooting these shy creatures at rupees one thousand per antelop.This comprehensible act should be condemned at all levels.
This is in view to curb the menace of destruction of crops in districts of Banda,Bulanshahar,Muzzafarnagar,Shahjahanpur and Pilibhit.How can these kinds of decisions can to be taken by so irrespossibly??.They are a protected species under the wild life protection Act 1972.
In Haryana and Rajasthan also they cause damage of crops worth of crores every year.Due to tendency to run over the road they are menace for highways also.But due to strong pressure group created by Bishnoi's and also since this creature carries the name of "Neel Gai" the sentiment to shoot the animals has strong resentment among the villagers of Haryana and Rajasthan.Goverment also bows down under there pressure and they gained lot of attention after the court took strong views against Salman Khan and Nawab Pataudi for killing of other antelopes.
These are shy creatures and come out in open only due to lack of food and fodder.The reducing forest cover and conversion of wastelands into agriculture lands has led to blue bulls coming out in open and destructing the farmers’ fields all over the state.As winter advances the scarcity of fodder in forest forces these animal species come out to adjoining village areas of forests,and attack their fields at night.The animals descend on the fields in herds, making it easy for them to damage large areas of farmland within a matter of minutes. These animals have been frequenting for the past many years and often destroy their standing crop of maize, wheat, sugarcane, fodder like barseem as well as seasonal cash crops.
This animal can run upto 50 km per hr thus destruction is within a very short span of time.There population is definitely on increase in northern india and probably that is the reason why it has been termed as low risk of extinction by IUCN Red List. The population density in central india is .07 animals per sq km.But we should not forget that these species are available in India only.
If at all we need to curb the menace it should be tackled keeping the environment in mind.Millets and grasses should be sown in forest and the conversion of wasteland into agricultural land should be stopped. Better forest management and wildlife management should be ensured by the forest and wildlife department so that they remain in their natural habitat. If they are confided to the forest a proper eco system is maintained and their growth and extinction is maitained.By this the menace of destruction of crops can be avoided to a large extent.
Help can also be taken from the Nath tribes who are excellent trackers and adept at capturing and handling wildlife.A method should be devised wherein they can be trapped and dropped to there natural habitat.This will definitely help in a balanced approach towards the environment and maintaining the eco system.

Dying Vultures

Today I was talking to some environmentalist about the decling population of Vulture's in Delhi.A surprising fact came to notice that that there population is dwindling mainly because of unethical practices used by human beings.Rampant use of antiinflamatory drugs which has diclofenac in it by vetenerians to releive the pain of old aged cattles is the main reason.If these cattles caracss is consumed by vultures it creates a dehydration and ultimately resulting in kidney failure. Just consume this fact that two decades ago the poulation was more than 80 million reduced to not more than 4000 today.Now IUCN(International Union of Conservation of Nature) has listed these as endangered species.It is same like Tiger and one horned Rhino.It is a dangerous sign for declining population of scavengers.Who is going to clear the dead caracass of animals?The whole eco-cycle is going to get affected.It will lead to increase in the poulation of dogs who feed on dead animals making them more ferocious and spread of rabies.Now the floods in major north indian states large population of cattle had been dead and caracass of animals unattended.This has all the reasons for outbreak of epidemic pollution of waters,a long lasting stench of livestock caracass making life unbearable.

Celebration/Lamentation of Evolution

The months of Shrawan and Bhadrapad are the months when nature is at its best.Rain droplets,clouds playing hide and seek,moist air with fragrance of flowers around signifies love and longing.These are the months when everyone is breeding,whether it is mosquitoes,insects,reptiles,canines,flowers and plants.All the flora and fauna around at their best looking ecstasic and appearing more green ,bright and vital.There are no figures to corroborate that how much human beings breed during the period,but it is fact that opposite sexes get most promiscous during this time.It is a celebration of evolution of all living beings.It can be seen vividly seen in the writings of the indian texts by poets and story writers.In bollywood movies it has a very special significance and some of the very best song sequences has been created by the lyricists of all the times.''Mere Naina sawan Bhado'',''Lagi Aaj Sawan ki Jhari hai'',''Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke'' are the some which comes to my mind.Thumri's and Kajri's of classical music has been based on these themes and aspects only.Mythologically it is mentioned in hindu texts that during the same period Lord Shiva and Parwati united.Devotees celebrate the festival of Teej to take the blessings from Parwati for marital bliss, happiness,health and vitality of their husbands in the Sawan month.In the Folk songs of Teej one can see the imagery of monsoons, rains,black clouds and the longing of woman to meet her lover.

With so much of love in the air during the month of Sawan,our diffrent state governments feel feared to face and cope up with it every year.Who can forget the pain of Mumbaikars two years back with all these fantasies in background.Fear Psychosis grips us all on the advent of monsoons.How funny is the situation when administrators blame it to rain god.In a study it has been revealed that Mumbai can only cope up with 40 mm of rains.How do we tell the rain god not to pour more than this???Or else why we even need the rain in Mumbai.Two days of rainfall in Delhi and city goes for toss.Still after so many years of continuous failing we are unable to tackle the situation and city going berserk.Come on lets join hands together to pray from the god to exclude cities like Mumbai,Delhi and Kolcutta from rainfalls.Ultimately we have to be dependent on these policymakers and administrators who are not able to develop the infrastructure to tackle the situation.This is the price we pay for development.We get far far away from the small pleasures which we long for.Instead of enjoying we bemoan and lament the monsoons to get rid off as fast as possible.Living in Metro's we do not have any pleasurable memories associated with it.Next generation would not be able to associate Sawan's significance which is in our writings and scriptures with current state of affairs.

Vultures in Sky

Today I see vultures in sky, after a long time.Dont know where they have been these days.Maybe the dirt,refuse and caracass of animals have stopped coming to dumpyard close to my place.Some crows were seen feeding a bit of morsel of the caracass to their young ones last week on the roadside.Every morning 15-16 truckload of dumpers are seen offloading the refuse of delhi on the borders of Ghaziabad.Still its unknown to me if any standard practices are followed to manage this whole garbage.Broken trucks where each part of the machine is rattling its own song have been assigned to carry the whole heap of garbage out of the city so that it looks clean and habitable.But its pity to see these mean machines also been discriminated on the basis of its creed amongst the fleet of vehicles of Delhi government.

A truckload of dirt and garbage emitted from the beautiful and posh houses of Delhi is being carried in most wretched conditions.Uncovered trucks carrying the rubbish and refuse with hoards of crows looking for their prey, roaming around is an interesting to watch.Before it reaches the dumpyard half of it has already offloaded on Delhi Roads to make Dirty again.And God forbid if you are behind these trucks specially on two-wheelers,you dont know what is going to happen with you apart from being exposed to unhygenic viruses.

Dear Vultures you have done a great job by rejoining.I feel happy to see you roaming in round and around the sky.Being custodians of keeping the city clean whom can we depend upon???????????

deserts

How the vegetatation changes on small distances travelled.While travelling from Haryana to Rajasthan on can experience the same.This part of Aravali range you can find all the green vegetation and fields and just 5 Kms across in Rajasthan the things are just changed.The Shrubs and the dust in the air makes you realise that you are in desert.Anyway these roads are less travelled and no habitat across the roads.Your eye sight finds difficult to fathom the distance of village with large areas of field lying barren for ages.Even the Rain God doesnt have a very favorable response at these places.Maybe the places are destined to be like that.

Lets see if a mankind with latest inventions do some change in their charecteristic outlook when country is progressing GDP's is growing and all things happening we can call ourself moving towards developed nation.