Lake Placid

Last week, while sauntering to my balcony in the morning with my honey lemon drink, with my habitual blissful state, I looked afar to the wetland down below and to my utter shock, I have encountered a site which jabbed at my heart like a dagger. The flock of frolicking birds that were a frequent and natural sight till then were found missing. I scanned the water for any sign of disturbance which might have scared the birds away and to my amazement I saw small heads of bamboo poles sticking out from under the water. On closer inspection, the shocking realization dawned on my that it was in fact a large fish net strewn across the water, secured by bamboo poles for catching the lovely birds. The heinous act made my blood boil and later investigation revealed that those culprits were non other than the construction labours who wanted to feast on those tiny birds. Although, that net has been confiscated and the labours are duly warned, the damage has been done and the birds flew to safer places when they have got the premonition of the impending danger. They have taken away with them the heavenly bliss which I always encountered while basking in the panoramic view of flock of birds taking flight in encircling precision. Carnivorous human being seems to seems to have invaded our tranquil campus which till now have been heavenly abode of endangered and migratory birds. Thankfully, other water bodies in the campus are still safe from the flesh hunters and birds can be seen serenely sitting at those placid lakes. I pray fervently each day for the birds to return but except for some stork varieties at random, the flocks have simply disappeared. Amazing is human greed, still amazing is their immunity to the ethereal beauty surrounding them..I feel immense pity for those soul who are not only blind to nature's bounty but they are actually capable of destroying the very beauty which can give them solace and eternal bliss..

Cobra worship

Amazing things people can do in the name of faith, belief and superstition. I have known a number a people who are great worshipers of Lord Shiva. Just a month earlier, in a village household, a cobra was discovered who just refused to budge from the corner where it coiled up and took shelter. Thinking it to be an auspicious event and a blessing from the almighty, the head of the household started offering him frogs everyday so that the snake did not go hungry and they didn't have to face the wreath of god. People too started flocking to that place just to have a glimpse of the miracle,.i.e, the snake, who stayed there for quite some and led quite a luxurious life and finally slithered away one fine day out of boredom. In yet another household, two black cobras used to frequent the backyards and were offered a bowl of milk everyday. Although, this pair never did any harm to anyone, yet it gave one a creepy feeling seeing them coming and drinking the bowl of milk. It always gives me shivers to see creepy creatures, and as for snakes, I can never dream of offering milk and keeping them in my backyard. I really appreciate the courageous act of those who can face a snake without as much as blinking of an eye. However, I can never see and tolerate people killing and dousing phenol on snakes out of fear. It is so pathetic and sad to see a snake die writhing in pain that it gives me goosebumps.During ancient times, snakes were generally confined to jungles, hilly and forest areas but in recent times, indiscriminate cutting of trees and clearing of forest areas for construction purposes have reduced the areas for these wild creatures and they started frequently the areas of human habitation. Snake menace in huge campuses like ours is a pretty common phenomena. It is like usurping lands which were rightfully theirs...Man made imbalance in the environment while making the life of wild creatures miserable, also put our lives at stake. Time is running out and we must create a balance to our habitat.

Cuckoo, the manipulator

Once I wrote something about cuckoo in my previous blog post. It seems that cuckoo has once again drawn my attention for yet another reason,i.e for their shrewd way of hatching eggs in the crows nest. The female crow in the gulmuhar tree nearby recently started hatching and one fine day, a male cuckoo came near the nest, sat on a branch and started crowing at the top of his voice incessantly.Both the crow soon left the nest to chase the cuckoo away and meanwhile the female cuckoo came out from her hiding and laid eggs on the crows nest. She threw some of the eggs below so as to make the quantity of eggs appear the same. The female crow returned after a while and didnt see anything amiss and started hatching again. After a couple of days, chicks came out of eggs and the female crow still weren't aware of the deception. When one fine day, the cuckoo chick started uttering the first cooing sound, the mother crow realised that she had been duped by the cuckoo duo. Mad with raze, she threw the cuckoo chicks from her nest and not even satisfied with that, she started pecking at them angrily. Fortunately, some villagers nearby rescued the chicks and caged and reared them till they were able to fly.
Most of the time it so happens that the mother crow do not even realize the deception and the cuckoo chick grows up under her care and later flies away. What a blatant example the cuckoo shows of forfeiting one's duty.

Tiger on the prowl

Wonder of wonders, there is a female leopard on the prowl, seen in our campus for quite sometime now along with her two cubs. Seen at first atop hills surrounding the campus, it later started venturing out, perhaps on the look out for food for the cubs. People's apprehension knew no bound and evening walk has become a thing of the past. As the campus was a big forest earlier, and trees have been mauled down to build this concrete world, the wild inhabitant's life became jeopardized and they had to hibernate in whatever small forest area that remained within the campus. Now that food is getting scarcer, in spite of the danger involved, they venture into human territory. As of now, the leopard has not harmed a soul but as a tiger is a tiger, people are paranoid. Oblivious to all these commotions however, the leopard is roaming around, sometimes seen sitting leisurely on the roadside or sometimes mistakenly entering half constructed quarters. Our quarter is located near a small wetland and I for one is wishfully thinking that perhaps the leopard will frequent the wetland at night at least once and I could see it for real. But till now, luck is eluding me..I can visualize in my mind's eye what a spectacular scene it would create, the spotted beast amidst pristine green and sparkling water..I have seen only deers amidst greenery and that picture is still imprinted on my mind..roaming free spirited wild animals with their multi hued colors, seen in the wilderness is a million dollar view and I would thank the almighty a thousandth time when i am blessed from experiencing such a view..that too from my own balcony...

nature's fury

There goes a proverb in Assamese which when interpreted means thus; On the onset of spring, BORDOICHILA (wind) goes to her mother's place. However, when she returns, she returns with a vengeance, destroying whatever comes on her path. I have seen BORDOICHILA yesterday night, and oh how!

Yesterday night, while basking in the ambiance of spring cultural fest in the campus and getting soaked in the heady and scintillating bihu dance performance, we heard the distant rumbling of an approaching thunderstorm. However, before we could reach our car, big pelting raindrops and gushing wind hit us on the face, taking our breathe away. We anticipated the thunderstorm late at night and was completely taken by surprise. The wind was so powerful that it blew away most of the roofs of the thatched housed in the nearby village. As the wind blew in a spiraling pattern, it just demolished whatever came on its path. How transient and small we felt as we just watched nature's fury being unleashed and was helpless and powerless to do anything about it!

At this juncture, numerous thoughts has crossed my mind and I felt an urge to unwind and share my musings. While there is tremendous advancement and hi-tech inventions every other day, at the other end, natural disaster is claiming more and more lives in different parts of the globe. It is a pity that despite numerous disaster mitigation and management workshops, seminars and conferences, and despite chalking out agenda of action, disaster is causing and will continue to cause untold misery and havoc in people's lives, be it in J&K, or Pakistan or Italy. One of the most important factor causing maximum causality and damage in a disaster like earthquake and storm is poor housing condition. So quality housing should be one of the priority action in any disaster management and mitigation plan.

My new abode

I have recently moved to my new abode, overlooking an unique wetland, frequented by varieties of migratory and local birds. From our elevated balcony, which is some 50 mtrs above the wetland, the view is irresistibly beautiful. Most of the wetland is covered with vibrant green grasses, and pools of water can be seen only intermittently. Unseen to the naked eyes, birds settle in the grassy parts of the wetland and only when they takes flight are they visible to viewers. And what a spellbinding, soul stirring scene it creates!

Right there in the middle of the wetland, there are two date trees, laden with fruits. These are wild dates and not the delicious ones imported from Arab countries. Yet,the trees give a panoramic view of the wetland, like an artist's canvass unfolding before the eyes. Towards the far end of the wetland, there are naturally grown trees, creepers,shrubs and bushes, giving it a unique appearance, as if there is a rainforest in the vicinity of the wetland. Along with birds and insects, there are reptiles too including python and green flying viper. The other day, a python was seen lying across the road leading to our quarters, blocking traffic for a while. It later slithered towards the wetland below.

From the ripples created in the water and from the attentive stork's unwavering and alert stance, it is logically deduced that fish population is present in the pools of water, although we are yet to see a stork catching it's pray. The specialty of the wetland is that it is not fed from rainwater, rather from a spring from below. For this reason, water always remains, despite scorching heat.At one time, the grassy part was utilized by the villagers nearby to grow one variety of rice named "Bao Dhan" during rainy season and Corn was grown in the relatively drier area
during summer.

Be it rain or scorching heat,when I look across my balcony, I can feel a somnolent serenity enveloping the atmosphere and it inundates my soul as I inhale the fresh air and raw earthy scent wafting through the air. To me, it is an epitome of spiritual fulfillment and inner bliss.

Oh..heavenly bliss! Finally I could hear the sound of thunder yesterday night. I was jolted awake from my deep slumber and I hastened to the balcony to get the feel of first drop of rain on my upturned face. For the first half an hour, there was just the wheezing sound of wind blowing and i was feeling almost disappointed when first drops of rain fell on my face. My ecstasy knew no bound..The steady downpour thereafter lasted for almost half an hour and the smell I longed to inhale pervaded all my senses. The trees with dancing leaves already promised me a vibrant, beautiful and heavenly morning and I could already visualize the excited chirping and frolicking of morning birds.The panoramic view of the mountains afar, which I have been missing for the past two weeks will unfold before me tomorrow like a Michelangelo painting. How content I'm feeling today after days of restless longing! i love u mother earth and always want to see u in ur majestic glory..