A Glimpse Into My Closet

Emotions and Perceptions in the Animal World - part 3

2010-09-22T00:03:00.001+05:30

     Whenever I come across an animal, i usually take some time to observe it. A lot of interesting things can be seen by sparing just about 5 minutes of your time. A week back I was sitting in the institute library [ which happens to be OUTSIDE the institute luckily] and reading a book. I had been going to the library from a week but had not seen any dogs there. One rainy afternoon, this little dog comes into the premises, barking and whining his throat off. Wondering what had happened, my friends and I tried to calm him down first, but the dog just sulked and kept up the barking on a high note.

    Well, noticing that he was not in a mood to socialize, we just left him alone for sometime. As expected, he quietened down in 5 minutes and curled up on the floor of the parking lot only to be rudely awakened by the monsoon splattering carelessly over him. This got him back on his high vocalization track, which actually sounded like he was complaining and cursing the world around him. Soon we saw him slowly advancing towards the main door. Since I was the only one around at that time I allowed him to come up to the doormat.

      I noticed a couple of things about the dog's behaviour. The first thing was that he had a collar and a chain hanging on his neck. So, this means that he had run out of his owner's house. the second thing was that when he came into the gate, he was clearly nervous about something. He kept on barking and whining.... the way dogs do when they are either being chased or have stones thrown at them. He would not come anyplace close to a human.Probably someone had chased him or hit him with something. The barks seemed almost similar to us complaining about something bad that someone did to us !!!

     The next couple of things I noticed is when he came up to the doormat. I was keeping a watch over him, and he knew that. So he came up slowly towards the doormat, sniffing here and there in the air, looking around while doing so... and as he approached the mat, he knew that both of us were in clear visibility range of the other.

     What he did next really took my mind off its feet.... he purposefully avoided looking in my direction, but keeping a lookout for my reaction from the corner of his eye, came upto the mat... and acted as if he was looking for something else and not interested in the mat at all !! he was sniffing in the air, looking around [ except in my direction]... he was clearly using the " deceiving looks" tactic on me !!!

    Till the time I had my eyes on him he was using the tactics. Once I removed my eyes off him and went back to work, he quickly made himself cosy and at home on the warm and dry doormat. For a minute or two he did keep a look out for me from the corner of his eye, reducing direct eye contact, acting as if he was looking at something else. Later on he quietly went to sleep and did not even budge after I went close to him.

    Poor fellow must have had a scare I feel. Now on the mat, the sense of security returned, he dosed off happily.

     There are so many things that one can observe in animals that are very similar to humans.... its just that we should take some time to observe and understand our fellow earthlings. That is when we find that its not the speciation or language or even the intelligence that separates us humans from the rest of the animal kingdom... its the perception !

Lost inspiration and laziness

2010-04-15T22:13:00.002+05:30

Its been a very long time since I have posted anything on this blog page. Its mainly due to lack of inspiration to write [ one of THOSE moments everyone has] and a little bit of laziness [ genetic defect, sorry to say]. But the next one will be posted very soon. Lot of things to share.

Story time !

2009-11-08T22:39:00.003+05:30

Over the years I have come to understand that while describing an observation to anyone the best thing to do is to animate it. That is not very difficult for a comic like me [with a constant flow of imagination]. But i did not realize this till I came across a group of school kids who I had accompanied on a nature trail. Like people before me [read "EXPERTS"] I began with a monotone and a serious note on how one should go about identifying birds and the like while on a walk. After some time I saw that the kids were clearly not keen on the walk anymore.
Well, the walk did end quickly and I returned home. Once back I went through and old trunk with my books searching for something to read. I found an old book called " Just So Stories" by Rudyard Kipling.Upon finishing the book I realized what I been doing in any of my nature walks! weave out a story !!! or at-least animate it enough to keep people engrossed ! so then on I decided to animate each of my walks whether I was alone or with people [of any age group]. Further on, I kept reading a couple of the old stories written by both Indian authors as well as the English counterparts.
The more I read I came to realize a pattern in the writing. Most of what they had written were actually true observations ! The ones that you see in your day to day life [and tend to ignore it usually]. But these authors - they probably sat out in the porch, looked around, observed many things around them, added some amount of imagination and wove a beautiful story around it. All the stories that I had read till now all had daily observations about a particular organism written in an imaginative way !
This got me thinking.... if these guys were men of science..... just if... they would have brought out the first scientific papers on behaviour and intelligence of animals !!!
But they too knew their society very well. If observations like that had to be presented to the public without getting whacked and paraded nude in the town for wasting time looking at birds and insects rather than working, they had to weave out a story and target the right type of people for it to become well known.
I got to hand it out to the authors, for they had great marketing skills and really good imagintion too. They observed, wrote in form of a story and the best part -- target audience - childern !!!
Now with stories like that written, and children occupied reading them, no parent would object. Those guys got famous within no time !!
And what happened to their observations? They are still there, embedded in the story, waiting for people to realize that they existed in daily life and not just as a story.... waiting for people like us, the " scientifically inclined" class to decipher the observations to their true worth and yet enjoy the imagintion of the author.
Think over these few stories -
1] The thirsty crow - a common story where a crow seeks water from the bottom of a pitcher by dropping pebbles in it so that the water level rises
2] Rikki tikki tavi - a mongoose who accepts a human family as his own and defends the baby against a cobra [poor fellow gets killed because the mother of the baby "assumes" the blood on the animal's snout is that of her child]
3] The Jungle Book - one of the greatest books written by Rudyard Kipling where he shows that the jungle has a law of its own and most of the animals follow it. Those who don't will be thrown out of the jungle. The story also shows how some animals can be really compassionate towards beings of other species. It also shows that each animal has his or her own personality or charecter. It also shows that the humans have ignored seeing these traits in the jungle and its inhabitants.
There are many more of such stories which show that animals do have and individual personality, show emotions, can act silly, be brave, compassionate, and they do have their own language too. But I touch on that in the next post.
Thinking of all this, I began to take a different approach into looking at things. I began to "add spice" and life to how I was and what I was speaking.
I'd say, I'm having a much better time this way !!!

Emotions and Perception in the Animal World - Part 2

2009-09-29T00:24:00.004+05:30

There had been a death in the family recently. Though death is perceived as "Sad" and "This should not have happened to him/her" by us humans, for me it is a good time to observe the emotional expressions of both humans and animals alike. For a long time there has always been that question that has been running in a researcher's mind - can animals perceive death? and how do they perceive it?
The death in this family came suddenly on sunday morning - a morning specifically kept for getting up late and spending the rest of the day virtually in bed. I am usually not the type who would go for a funeral, but this sunday was different [ EVER in my LIFE]. I was the FIRST ONE to reach the home of the deceased! Well, I went in rather sheepishly putting my head down, for I have one crazy nature. I smile or laugh whenever I see someone I know. Now, this comes out so spontaniously, that I smile and then realise that im at someone's funeral !
Well, getting away from the lighter note, I also realised that this was a good time to seriously look at peoples' faces and see what they might be going through. I was doing this initially, when I realised that the house dog was also around lying down at one corner of the room. Looking at the dog's sleeping face, I went into the great thought of whether the dog knew that one of the hands that raised it from a pup was suddenly gone? and went furthur to dwelve into how the dog percieved the dead body and the unusually large crowd that had gathered in his masters house bawling their hearts out on the floor?
For a moment there, I focused so much on observing the dog that I did not hear people chanting various hymns, ladies crying their hearts out, and the people moving around me. As for the dog, for quite some time he lay on the floor with his eyes closed like he was having his morning siesta. Later, he opened his eyes, looked around and nudged the servent maid to take him outside so that he could relieve himself. He did not seem to be bothered about the crowd at all. He just strolled out, finished whatever he wanted to do and strolled back in just as before.
Once he stepped back into the house, his behaviour changed a little. He seemed to have understood that something was wrong. He kept looking towards the servent maid repeatedly [ who had been crying for sometime now]. He went upto his master, who politely, took him and locked him up in a room. On his way to the room he saw the body of the deceased [ and im sure he would have sensed the familiar scent]. He did not do anything much except get into the room. But once inside the room, the fellow began to bark and howl. Well, the first thought that came to my head is that he may not be the type who would like to be locked up in a room. After 10 minutes he was allowed to come out again.This time, he hung his head low, and I could see a tear drop in his eyes. He quietly came out and settled in a corner, put his head down, and kept looking around at the faces closest to him.
As far as my "observations" were concerned, I feel that the dog could sense that someone from the house is the center of attention and that the person showed no signs of being the center of attention. It might have understood that the deceased will not be coming back. At the same time, it might take him some time to actually understand that the person is actually missing from his daily life, and after a couple of days he might just forget the person. The sadness and the sense of questioning in his eyes told me that he knew the end was here for the deceased even before his master did, and that he was trying to convey the message that he too like the rest of the family was sad about the demise.
I shall not generalize the conclusion to all animals, but elephants are as close to humans when it comes to percieving death. They too mourn at the death of one of the members of the family, get spooked by skeletons of one of their kind and CRY ! Dogs on the other hand, realise and are sad when one member is gone from their pack, but they soon get used to the member not being around and soon forget about it.

Emotions and Perception in the Animal World - Part 1

2009-09-28T23:07:00.004+05:30

People have always thought animals to be without the sense of emotions, with only "barbarism" and "brutality" in their blood. Everyone has conveniently overlooked the fact that we - Humans, have done nothing different when it comes to "brutality".
I was watching a documentary on elephants in Africa. The scientists there were getting puzzling stories and evidences about elephant attacks in certain parts of game reserves and national parks. Some elephants were found to be killing rhinos in certain areas and in other areas, some were seen killing cattle belonging to the tribes there. I will not go into the complete details of the film itself... but will give a brief outline of the outcome.
Well, upon good investigation, it was found out that the elephants killing the rhinos were all young males that were reaching maturity or that have just passed the initial phases, where as the elephants killing the cows were found out to be females, some young adults and some old. Upon thorough scrutiny of the killings, one startling conclusion was reached.
It was reported that those particular " deranged" males found in the reserve had a very shocking common history. All of them were rescued as babies and relocated into newer "elephant un-inhabited" areas of the park a very long time ago, during the civil wars. Due to the wars, people had wiped out patches of elephant population in parts of Africa. After the wars, the government decided to "distribute" the remaining populations all over.
PROBLEM - They could not transfer the adults with just man power present just after the wars. so they relocated the babies only. During this time some of the adults were killed in front of the kids, and the kids were left to fend for themselves in a completely new environment without their close knit family.
EFFECT- The elephants had no parental care and teaching, and upon losing their close knit family, they went into shock. They did grow up very well, but had signs of aggression, Post traumatic stress [PTS] etc. Besides that, upon reaching sexual maturity, the males did not know a female elephant let alone how to woo her. They tried bonding with what ever was alive. Rhinos were all around. The rhinos that refused the advances of the elephants would be killed. Not only that, the male rhinos were killed first [to reduce competition presumably].
For many years, people wondered why things like this were a common occurance. After trying quite a bit to understand, and finally understanding it, they tried an experiment.

They brought in older males from other parts of the continent and left them in the same reserve as the traumatised elephants. Within a year, the number of deaths became negligeble, and the "deranged" elephants were becoming less aggressive and more "normal". Soon all the elephants were calm and went about doing their normal jobs or walking and eating and mating with females of the same species. Though this result was significantly good in terms of "behavioural rehabs", many elephants still showed signs of aggression towards people.

The female elephants on another part of the continent were also found to have a shocking common history. They had all lost their calves to humans. The problem started off when the elephants walked int the villeges and ate everything there is. The tribes had to shoo away the elephants.There were casualties from the humans side.Many times the shooing away would go too far. The men followed the herd and speared the elephants. For the sake of revenge over losing their own young the men killed the elephant calves. The females, went into shock and PTS and began to attack anything with a human scent on it. The easiest targets were cattle that would go to the grass plains to feed along side the elephants.
This so called War would have gone on and on if the scientists had not interviened. Different methods were sought after to keep the elephants out of the village and to keep the villagers safe. On the same lines, the tribes were convinced not kill little calves again.

VERDICT - The bull elephants got back to normal in some time in the presence of older elephants, while the females took some more time. Some of them did not make it actually. They were so stressed that it took a toll on their lives.

BEHAVIOURAL OBSERVATIONS - Elephants, unlike previously thought, are very much like humans. They are at the apex of their evolutionary line. They are highly evolved beings, having complex social stuctures, immense emotional values, a unique way of communication and much more. They too undergo stress as much as we do. and show the same symptoms if left unchecked.

Only after such incidents do we find that we are not AS different from animals as we thought we were. We can be equally barbaric and brutal just as the animals can be emotional and caring. It is high time we came out of our " Ignoramus Shell " and realised that we belong as much as they belong on this planet and all of us are an intricate, intertwined strand in the web of life.

Chaayachitra !

2009-07-05T22:23:00.004+05:30

Chaayachitra - or shadow art [ Indian term for Photography, though photography is to do with light not with shadows]. Well this photo says it all. I literally took the photo of this butterfly against the light, thus getting only a nice silhouette. The photo was not taken in this manner intentionally, but came out well ! This fellow had wandered off into the bus in which I was traveling.The bus had of course stopped [for a short break, and everyone except me had got down]. Took this oppotunity and tried my hand and interior butterfly photography. Will put up the butterfly photos soon !

Now you see me- now you dont !

2009-07-05T21:54:00.006+05:30

This moth was posing as a part of the bark of this small tree in Chickamagalur. Saw it before darkness, or else I would not have been capture him. One hell of a disappearing act I must say !

Another year added - remembering the first days

2009-06-09T19:30:00.005+05:30

Well, another year added to my life just a day back. While my phone went berserk with everyone's frantic messages and calls wishing me, I went back in time to my school days, sometime during the beginning of my 8th grade. I went back through the first science practicals of the 8th grade, where my science teacher went about teaching my class about insects and my friends [especially the gals] made faces and stuck out their tongues at the specimen collections,and the satisfied look on my teacher's face when she noticed that AT-LEAST ONE fellow took interest in the class.Well, that was the day started "experimenting". I had, at that point of time 4 pens. Each pen had a transparent body and cap. I began with the most common insect that i could find and capture - MOSQUITOES. I would gently tap them while they were sitting around so that I didnt squish them, then slowly put them into the pen cap followed by the pen so,when they woke up they could not fly out. I would then take them to school the next day, ask my science teacher for a microscope and go through the different parts. By this I learnt a lot, and later started applying it to other insects too. Every time my science teacher would ask me " so what did you bring today?" [ sometimes out of habit I would answer " chapatis and tomato curry" and she would laugh aloud.]
Thinking about it now makes me wonder, those were the days... but what happened after that?? where did all the "experimenting" go?? The answer lies in the education, the growing up and forgetting the times of fun thanks to the various circumstances that lead me away, and I unknowingly followed...

Grasshopper Nymph

2009-05-31T12:40:00.001+05:30

Baby's Signature - Mother's Pride - In the end, Everyone Died !

2009-05-31T11:49:00.005+05:30

One morning I happened to take notice of a newcomer to my garden. She was beautiful, especially in the early morning sun coming from right behind her. Within an hour she had settled down in a nice corner of the garden. She had strategically spread her belongings all over the corner, signing all over it,and sat inbetween... she was not going to move out anytime soon, nor was anyone going to make her do so. Within a day or two she had a big bag with her, which she guarded like a lion guarding his kill. A week later, the bag was oozing with a large grey blob. On looking closer, I found that the grey mass was actually was a mass of tiny bodies, hugging each other. They were less than a millimeter in size and as soon as they felt my presence thy began to move around and some of them even dispersed to the nearby plant...I felt really happy to be a witness to all that had happened. I took a photo of the proud mother and her little ones in the nick of time, for the next day the place was clean. No mother, no kids, nothing !! Someone had cleaned the place with a broom !! Now, who would be dumb, and so insensitive, as to clean the garden, and rid the place of a new and proud mother and her newly emerged babies??
A couple of days later, I did find some of her kids... wandering here and there, and to my happiness, 2 survived, had their own corners in the garden and had their own belongings spread around, duly signing all over, just like their mother before them... though sadly they too did not survive beyond a week or two. They too went missing after that, their belongings bearing fact that there had been a battle...

Flirting around !

2009-05-22T16:28:00.003+05:30

It took me half and hour to follow the Danaid Eggfly female just to get a photo. Just as she settled down [ and i had a small breather] the male approached her, sat in front of her and started vibrating his antennae and wings. Quietly, I got down on my stomach and approached them carefully. As I went closer, I noticed that the male eggfly was vibrating his antennae all over the female's head and antennae. Hmmm... looked like he was in a mood to woo her... and taking this opportunity, I took a photo of the romantic couple. The female, shy as can be, moved a little by the time I clicked...probably she had the feeling that they were being watched... [hmmm... I wonder why?? ]

Handicaps within the Invertebrates

2009-05-22T00:12:00.003+05:30

I was looking for insects in my garden one evening and found this jumping spider sitting on a banana leaf. I was quite surprised to find out that this spider had all his 4 legs on one side of his body missing !! This was the first time that I had seen a handicapped individual in the invertebrate kingdom [especially jumping spiders] who have survived !! But this spider was full of life... even with 4 legs [ all on the same side of the body] it was able to move [ little slowly, but surely] and to an extent JUMP !!! but with his other legs missing, I am sure that it would have posed a problem while hunting. I saw the spider only for a day. I dont know how it had lost its limbs, or how it had survived till then... but it sure showed that humans are not the only ones undergoing pain, trauma, and the like... for we are taken care of others around us, who will help us to survive. In the spider's world, others are waiting to eat you !!

Ancient Architects - Changing Rocks to Soil

2009-05-21T23:46:00.003+05:30

During one of the outings, I happened to notice something quite like never before. I was on the lookout for butterflies, specially the smaller ones, so I was lying on the ground to get a better view. Crawling ahead in the same position I happened to come close to a small rock. This rock had 2 small holes in them. At first glance it looked like someone had driven a couple of nails into the rock. But, on looking closer I saw a lot of ANTS walking all over the rock, inside the hole and outside, carrying bit sized rock pieces and throwing them in the most orderly fashion ! After making sure that it was a rock that the ants were digging into, I took a break from butterflies to observe the ants. These creatures, I must admit, are the greatest architects !! They were using their sheer numbers and their tiny brains in building themselves a new home THROUGH a ROCK !! now what better protection do they need?? Home is a STONE fortress, and the army is about a MILLION strong !
Coming to think of it.... why did we humans think of something like this before?? we got bigger brains and the same number of individuals !!

Natural Wallpaper !

2009-05-21T23:15:00.004+05:30

Walking on a road running right through the Eastern Ghats one fine summer morning, my friends and I were looking for butterflies. We were on an outing specially for identifying and photographing them. Since there was no traffic THAT early in the morning, we were walking right in the middle of the road.... and we found something . Upon further examination I was able to decipher what the creature was. The poor fellow must have tried crossing the road sometime when a big vehicle ran over him/her. The fellow had become a Wallpaper instantly ! poor dear !!! Hope the creature is identifiable !

Dancing dolls - An apt name for this flower

2009-04-14T00:29:00.003+05:30

Saw these flowers growing in one of the coffee planters house. The lady who planted this plant told me that it was known as "Dancing dolls". A very apt name,for these flowers look like small dancing toy dolls [ the type you would find in local shops in villages]. They grow in bunches and hang down from the tip of the plants. They resemble small bells to me, and they actually dance in the wind!

An Ancient Predator - philia for some and Phobia for others

2009-04-14T00:21:00.004+05:30

Well, you usually do not get this predator sitting out like this and posing for the camera... im one of the lucky ones who got this ancient and magnificent creature sitting outside its tunnel like webbed den. It thus gets its name - tunnel web spider. It belongs to the oldest species of spiders in the world. a very beautiful creature indeed !

Morning Dew on a Jasmine flower

2009-04-14T00:15:00.004+05:30

The morning dew was sitting like pearls woven into the flower petals. It was truly a beautiful morning!

Weaver Ant !

2009-04-13T23:58:00.003+05:30

Not a very good photo, but this was as clear and as close i could get without being swarmed !!

pretty mushrooms !!!

2009-04-13T23:50:00.001+05:30

one beautiful Horizon- one beautiful evening @ Kabini

2009-04-13T23:41:00.004+05:30

Beautiful evening -- Beautiful horizon.

Coorg -- In the Land of Coffee

2009-04-13T23:26:00.004+05:30

The best part about being in Coorg.... the coffee blossoming season !! In order - the flower buds, the blossomed flowers, and the dried flowers after 48 hrs from blossoming.

Checkered keelback on the water surface

2009-04-13T23:21:00.001+05:30

One pretty Little thing - The Red Perriot

2009-03-16T18:29:00.003+05:30

I was out on a walk one afternoon looking out for birds. I came to a small pond full of Bronzed frogs. Forgetting the birds for sometime, i stopped to admire the colourful amphibians. Thats when i found this little fellow... fluttering around unnoticed [till now]. I followed this pretty thing for about 20 mins, till it finally sat down near some moist soil to soak up the nutrients. This is the best photo i could get in that 2-3 second gap. And what a beauty it is !!!

Awesome Photo !

2009-03-14T16:56:00.003+05:30

This is one photograph that I really liked. We usually try to take a photo of some bird because it is "rare" or "not so common". We rarely think of the "very common" ones just because they are ALWAYS around. But this photograph shows that even a " common" bird taken at the " right moment" will look really awesome.
Even though the photograph is of a pigeon, the way it has been taken and the timing of the photographer is to be greatly appreciated. This is to show that beauty lies in everything.... its up to you to see it...Photo courtesy the Internet.

Together we live - Divided we freeze!!!

2009-03-14T16:19:00.003+05:30

It was around 7 that misty morning...and there was a boat safari scheduled for only 2 guests. We got moving thinking that the fog will part [ great expectation, we came to realize later]. We made through the fog like a couple of blind people[ for we were not even able to see the water]. After about 15 mins of what i would call " assumption driving" we came to the conclusion that we would have reached a particular resort further upstream to us. Well, luckily for us, we WERE ACTUALLY there !

After finding the river bank, we slowly and surely followed it upstream. at a particular point the river curves. There was a large clump of bamboo at the curve. This is the favorite spot for Bonnet Macaques. Since it was misty and we had no hope of finding anything else,we were wishing to see these monkeys atleast. To our luck, the whole troop was there... huddling at the bamboos edge, the younger ones a little inside the clump too... they were hugging each other for warmth and the elders who were awake by then were actually seen licking the moisture off each others fur. In that cold and misty morning, this was the best photo some of us could get.

Leap of Fear and Faith

2009-03-14T15:50:00.004+05:30

During one of the evening jeep safaris at Nagarhole National Park, Kabini, I decided that we take the riverside route. The driver, looked up at the sky, nodded and turned into the route that led to the riverside. The road was a little moist and slippery. But we had a big vehicle with big tyres [ which means that the vehicle would take the whole road space and we would not fall OFF it !!]. Anyways, we went up the road hoping to find some pachyderms or atleast some jungle fowls... but to our luck all we could spot for an hour were a huge group of Hanuman Langurs. We stopped to take a look at one particular little baby, who at that moment was sitting all alone on a branch quite close to the jeep.Just as the vehicle came to a halt, the kid gave a screeching call, and in a flash the mother[ we had not noticed her till now] came down from another branch grabbed the lil' fella zoomed up the tree with amazing speed and agility and while all of us looked up with open mouths and the obvious mixed expression of surprise and disbelief. One of us managed to time himself right and got this awesome photo just as she jumped from one tree to another. Well, after this little incident we actually concluded the safari by bumping into a large herd of pachyderms !!

Checkered Keelback - up close

2009-02-12T14:08:00.004+05:30

This keelback was under the fuel barrels trying to get away from a really hot mid-day sun. We got a call from the maintenance department and the voice at the other end said that they would kill it if we did not arrive in 5 mins. The same "flight pattern" followed as usual.... in 2 mins people saw Vikram sir, Deena and myself and 2 cameras flying towards the maintenance department. Well, Vikram sir got some photos from a distance, but knowing Deena.... she got this close up, and clicked just as the snake was pulling its tongue into the mouth. Look carefully, and you can see 2 small extentions in front of the mouth..... the tip of the tongue!!! After the photo shoot, I helped the keelback into a clump of bamboo where it would be safe [till the night atleast]. Deena, you are great !!!

Egret - Reflecting shaky thoughts of a shaky future

2009-02-12T14:02:00.004+05:30

Thinking about the future.... brrr... egret reflecting shaky thoughts.... nothing is sure !!!

Small Blue Kingfisher !!!

2009-02-12T13:52:00.003+05:30

This little fellow was found sitting on a bamboo branch in a small part of the backwater of the Kabini river called President's Road. Deena seems to have caught this little fellow at last, after trying for almost the whole time she was there [i guess]. Beautiful !!!

Full Moon at Kabini- through the telescopic lens

2009-02-11T15:06:00.003+05:30

Full moon overhead, and cool breeze in the hair. Overall, a b-e-e-e-utiful night. The land was absolutely illuminated, so much so that if one stood at the water's edge, we could see right across the river to the Nagarhole National park. This was the perfect night in the month of December, on the banks of the Kabini, at Orange County Resorts and it was time to set up the telescope and show the guests the moon. As I was painstakingly setting up the telescope, and talking about star gazing to the guests, Dina brought out her tipod and camera and tried her luck at taking a nice photo of the full moon. Well, I should say she did get a good photo....

Nest of the Red Rumped Swallow

2009-02-11T14:53:00.004+05:30

The best part about being in Kabini, is the amount of biodiversity you can find if you step out of your room.While walking around, one can see many birds, insects and other type of " creatures" too... but if you are really the interested type and would like to explore, you are likely to find such nests and if lucky, you might find nestlings in it too... photo of the red rumped swallow nest courtesy my dear friend Dina.

The Red Eye !!!

2009-02-11T14:47:00.003+05:30

Why it is called the "Red Eye" is pretty obvious from this photo... found this fellow sitting in the middle of the pathway going towards the restaurant at Orange County, Kabini. Hmmm... wonder whether it was hungry???

Classy Lacy Moth !!

2009-02-11T14:33:00.003+05:30

During one of the early morning bird walks, Dina and myself happened to get a glimpse of this lacy moth that looked like a piece of torn frilly frock that small girls' wear....very pretty indeed !!!

Game of Life??

2009-02-11T14:14:00.003+05:30

This is the simplest example I could give of man trying to win the " Game of Life" playing against all other living beings on this earth. We are trying to win at all costs, without realizing the consequences, trying to "strike out " everything in our path. We are so narrow minded in our thinking that, all we see is ourselves in the place of " kings" and " rulers" of the earth... little noticing that we are merely one strand of the many in this web of life.

Baby Rat Snake - Upclose and Personal !

2009-02-11T13:47:00.004+05:30

One fine morning, I was on a walk towards the coffee lounge at Orange County, Kabini. Just as I was leaving the cabin, the intercom rang like hell. It was from one of the restaurant service boys. In a much hurried voice and in his uncanny mallu accent, he said " Sir, come fast, there is a snake in the coffee lounge"[ to be read in a mallu accent too, mind you]. The next few mins, people saw my friend Dina and me flying out of one door into the garden, over the grass, and into the coffee lounge.[ which literally took us about 3 mins flat]. Upon seeing the little snake, we slowly made our way towards it [ still huffing and panting]. The snake turned out to be a baby rat snake [ and a very cute one at that] and it was hiding in a small hole between the wooden flooring. The only thing separating us from the snake was a pane of glass, kept clean by the service boy. Dina tried hard [ and in different angles too] to get a couple of good photos of the snake.... and after 15 mins of clicking away, she gave up. taking the camera from her, I tried the same stunts[ not in the angles that she tried]. Lying on the ground, i was so close to the snake's face, that i could have kissed it good morning !!! [ it could have done the same too]. But there was this pane of glass to avoid the " close encounter" from happening. Well, that did not stop me from going close enough to get " Saint Gobain-ed"[ a must see ad, hilarious !!] and this is what i could get.... first time i'm seeing a rat snake, and my first photo of that !!! And all thanks to Dina for this opportunity...

Dog gone Dolly !!!

2009-02-06T11:17:00.004+05:30

It has been about 6 months that I have been in kabini. Its almost everyday that I have to go to Jungle Resorts before a safari. The whole setup and construction of this place is really good and I always love going there... one of the reasons is to meet a nice little dog named Dolly. Not many people know that the dog is there... so she is not used to seeing many new faces. the first time I went with the boat driver to collect the permit for the safari, I was told by him that "this dog may not allow you to stand there and will bark at you" please bear with it till im done taking the permit". Me, having both good as well as bad experiences with dogs walked on skeptical of what might be around the corner. but when we got there, to the drivers surprise as well as my own the dog did not bark at all... infact she came towards me with her tail wagging and wanted me to pet her. In awe, the driver said, " will you fancy that? she did not bark at you!!! you sure have a way with animals sir !!! she has never.... in my 10 years of coming here... made friends with ANYBODY so QUICKLY!!! you are made for the job sir.... to be with animals... and the like".

Well, that was the day where I made friends with a dog within 5 mins. But unfortuantely, I was not able to visit her for 3 months after that. The second time I went to Jungle Lodges, early in the morning... I saw her out on a walk... and the moment I shouted " dolly" she came running like a furious current of wind and jumped right onto my lap, so much so that I almost fell backwards. From that day on, she did the same thing whenever she knew I was coming.

Before leaving my job at kabini, I visited her for the last time... this time too she frantically jumped up and down waiting for me to play with her and pet her. The photo says it all.... after that, i kept her name as " dog gone dolly" for all the jumping and frolicing that she did, bid her farewell, trying hard not to get tears in my eyes in front of the driver and came away... HMMM.... i really miss that ol' gal.

She has no name and she does not exist - Mayaanamika

2009-02-06T10:48:00.004+05:30

As I entered the gate, there she was... standing and smiling,waiting for me to approach the main door. I have been with her for quite some time now and have seen her almost everyday, but today, today she was looking different. There was a shine in her long silky hair and a glint in her eye. Her smile conveyed the message of warmth and care,beckoning me to go ahead and step through the door. I was mesmerized... I had never seen her like this before ! For a moment it looked as if she was waiting to give me a big hug. With a look of doubt [ and frankly a little expectation], i walked through the door and into the house and ..... Nothing happened !!!!
In a way, thanking my stars that i did not get a hug from her at the place we were standing [ though deep down I was wishing i should have got one] I went in and met everyone sitting at the dining table, wondering what they had to say if I had been given that hug.... but the rest of the day went as "normal" as possible. When it was time to leave, i bid farewell to all and got out of the door. Before i got onto my bike, I turned around for the last time to say bye. Just as i turned, i felt a sudden tug on my shoulders and the warmth of another body close to mine. Just one sentence fulfilled my expectation.... "Thank you for being around".
As for me... only closed eyes and a big smile was seen on my face as i embraced her. The feeling was TOO great for words....

Fire Dance -1

2009-01-20T19:36:00.003+05:30

These guys had come to perform the fire dance @ Orange County, Kabini,during Christmas. As usual I was trying to get a couple of photos of the flames as they went whizzing past the performers' heads'. I did manage to get one really nice shot...seeing these guys, i was wondering whether they can go to schools to teach little kids how to spell since they were moving the fiery sticks in a particular fashion, like it spelt something. Upon taking one really nice photo, it got me wondering whether or not to tell the performers that COW is spelt C-O-W and not C-O-U !!! [ or probably they were trying to spell C-O-U-P-L-E, for all the couples there... did not have the heart to ask them... specially after that spectacular performance ]

CREEPY & CRAWLY

2009-01-20T19:11:00.003+05:30

A few of my friends and I were sitting in one of the friend's room and chatting away to glory. Suddenly out of nowhere this little fellow [ for he was a very young tarantula] appears on the window sill and sits still... watching and waiting[ for its in their blood to do that]. I can still remember the looks on the many faces... some with their mouths open[ not in awe and admiration but to scream, which failed to come out]. Frantically pointing their fingers at the " Big Hairy Thing", they beat a hasty retreat from the room into the safety of their own... one even reasoning that the same might enter his room sometime and that his room windows were open !!
As for me, I quickly sped to pick up my camera and was back to take a close up of the tarantula. while I was doing so, one weak voice came from behind the door " Since you are not afraid, why dont YOU show the "BIG HAIRY THING" the other side of the window and make sure that he stays there? " One glare and that was the end of the advice session [thankfully from all who were present]. But anyways, I was able to get a good photo of the spider, and for me that is all that mattered. After the photo session I kindly showed the spider the other side of the window...... and made sure that the people who stayed in that very room keep the windows closed during the nights !!! till date, if they ever open the window in the night.... they remember the glare on my face !!! he he he !!!

Peacock Pansy !!!

2009-01-20T18:57:00.003+05:30

Found this beautiful butterfly by chance... Dina and I were actually looking out for a baby rat snake that had ventured into the reading lounge, Orange County Resorts, Kabini. After a half hour chase through the tall grass and the lantanas, not forgetting the "touch me nots" [ for I was greatly affected by their thorns], We got it to sit down and STAY there for 3 mins!!! and this is what i got [not as expected though].

Caught in the act

2009-01-20T18:45:00.003+05:30

This big gecko was hiding behind a lamp... thinking it would not notice my friend Dina tried to take a photo, but in vain.. after about 15 mins, the gecko shows up at the place where Dina could get his head and just as she clicked he turned around to show his lovely eye, as if to say " i see you are back... why are you staring down from the top of the lamp?" ... and after Dina took a photo of the eye, the gecko struck out his tongue over his eye and licked it clean... too bad she could not get a photo of THAT !! It then went off hunting for some small insect that flew too close to the light.

Peregrine Falcon

2009-01-20T18:25:00.005+05:30

One of my next sketches... loved the eye... only the head... had to have a memory on paper. One of my best sketches.

Jungle Gossips

2008-12-19T18:33:00.004+05:30

These elephants were probably discussing the migrating paths, where the good grazing grounds and water holes are to be found. Hope the young one in-between is listening carefully !!! its going to be REALLY useful especially if you are an elephant you know!!! Hope they were not talking about us... :-) Photo courtesy Mr. Vikram Nanjappa

Our Little Boy !!!

2008-12-19T17:47:00.004+05:30

Found this young fellow sitting on a bare tree, screaming ... and for a long time, almost a month I found him sitting on the same branch screaming his throat out. This is a juvenile Changeable Hawk-Eagle . A very pretty sight you know, seeing him sitting atop his branch and screaming away, not bothered about the dozen eyes which are looking at him from inside the noisy mechanical beast known as the jeep. After a month, found him one day... on the ground, resting a foot on the head of a small careless snake... and within a week of this incident he flew away.... to a different location, probably exploring his parents territory or probably in search of his own.
I call him our little boy because he was always there, a guaranteed sight during the safaris, so much so that all of us associated him with as a part of our team... but, just like kids,one day they leave home and establish their own. Though little boy had shifted base from the tree, we did see him close by and after some time we could only hear him... at a distance... screaming his throat out... and our team was very happy to know that our little boy was still around.. somewhere.......

A day's end in Paradise

2008-12-19T17:29:00.004+05:30

One of those days which ends in the "Perfect & Happy" style... even as i took this photo, I stood with my mouth open and my jaw dropping like a whale feeding on krill in the ocean !

The Divine Intervention

2008-12-19T16:59:00.006+05:30

'Tis was one of those days when the weather became a little cranky.... and the clouds covered the sun and the skies like a little child showing its disappointment by throwing things around.This cloud cover reminded me of the myths and legends created by the ancient people, saying that some sort of trouble or " bad time" is close at hand... and then suddenly.... there was this little gap in the clouds from within which the sun-rays hit the earth... aah !!! The gods have shown the light from the heavens!!! That means the bad times will not prevail any longer....
and just as suddenly as the weather got cranky, the clouds disappeared after the short spell, the sky cleared and the sun shone as bright as ever... needless to say that evening on the boat safari everyone present just happened to spot a tiger by the river side!! really, divine intervention indeed...

The beauty in a Butterfly's wings

2008-12-06T23:25:00.004+05:30

Followed this Crimson Rose for about 10 mins... and just as i thought it was going to settle down on some lantana flowers... and clicked, LO !!! i got something i did not expect to get.... the beautiful hind wings ONLY !

Hmm?? What?? Are you looking at me??

2008-12-06T23:22:00.001+05:30

Tiny Bush Frog !!!

2008-12-06T22:58:00.005+05:30

Found this fellow jumping up onto the glass door of the cabin... really cute fellow! These frogs are really tiny and have excellent "gripping" capabilities, thus they can virtually cling onto any surface. they are excellent jumpers too !!!

This is what tigers eat for supper

2008-12-06T22:47:00.004+05:30

Found this skull neatly placed on a wooden stump during a safari... its a Gaur skull. Gaurs are the largest bovines in whole of Asia weighing upto a ton atleast. The males weigh upto 2 tons. This animal is the favorite prey for Tigers. The skull looked kinda nice on the stump. At that point of time i was wondering how BIG the tiger must be to have eaten SO much meat !!! WOW!!!

...and I caught his eye

2008-12-06T22:43:00.002+05:30

Little Guy - Big Leaps !!!

2008-12-06T22:09:00.006+05:30

I was walking down the path to the boat jetty when something moved in the grass... thinking that it was another grasshopper i did not pay much attention. Then there was that movement again and this frog came right out form under the bush onto the walking path... this was the SMALLEST ITSY BITSY frog that i had ever seen... it was the size of my THUMB NAIL !!!! for a moment i was hesitant to pick up the little fellow [ i have real big fingers you know ! ] But then i eventually picked it up and then.... the BEST PART - the frog was too TINY for my camera to FOCUS !!! it took me an awful lot of time to coax my camera into focusing the tiny fellow... and this is the best [ the ONLY] photo i got...
After that, i had to let the poor fellow go. and he did GO AND HOW !!! one big leap.... gone !!! nowhere to be found !!! such a little frog ... jumping to the height upto one grown human's thigh upto a foot !!! these creatures are AMAZING!!!

Robberfly - Reflecting thoughts !

2008-12-06T08:55:00.004+05:30

Caught this robberfly.... deep in thought. I guess he was reflecting on the things he had done to other insects, or reflecting on what he had TO DO to other insects... he he he !

Misty Skies and Tranquil Waters

2008-12-04T18:35:00.004+05:30

It was a beautiful sight... calm waters below and mist above... rising from the surface at places... and in the midst of all the mist, was this lone tree... standing as if time stood still... giving the whole river a mysterious look [ kind of like one of those scenes form the movie " Lake Placid"]. could not help but to take a photo of the tree...

Beautiful Sunrise @ Kabini

2008-12-04T18:20:00.003+05:30

One misty morning, I was on the boat going across to Jungle Lodges and Resorts, prior to a morning boat safari.... lucky for me I had my camera in my pocket. The actual colours were much better than this photo though.

My team !!!

2008-11-26T22:47:00.004+05:30

This is my team of naturalists @ Orange County, Kabini. Dina, Myself and Narendra. Special occasion was our staff day. Dont go by the look on my face please.... i had just returned from a safari!!!

Bl(h)issful moment !!!

2008-11-26T22:36:00.003+05:30

Found this cobra @ Orange County Resorts one fine morning... got a good look @ the fangs, and they creeped me out... Brrrrr .... photograph courtesy my dear friend Dina Nishtar.

Burning Desire - II

2008-11-26T21:22:00.004+05:30

Just trying my hand at capturing the flames of a bonfire.... these came out to be pretty good... in fact better than I expected.

" Burning" Desire

2008-11-14T18:19:00.001+05:30

This Bonfire was from the tribal dance @ Orange County, Kabini. The flames were looking so beautiful, trying to wind around the logs of wood.... kinda reminded me of the burning desire I have in my heart ie; to accomplish something great in the field of Wildlife and Biotechnology.

Early Morning Jackpot !!!

2008-11-14T17:53:00.001+05:30

This morning on the jeep safari @ kabini we happened to see 2 peacocks. One of the guests began to jump about saying that seeing 2 peacocks early in the morning is a sign of good luck and that we will see a tiger today... I of course just smiled and nodded. We were on our way into the forest from the main road when a jeep came zipping past from the opposite direction. He told us that there was a leopard on the road opposite to the one we had taken. So, we back about 10 kms and lo!!! found not 1 but 2 leopards !!! It was a mating pair and we had seen this pair a couple of times earlier this month too.
It was good to see the "Honeymoon Couple" once again. But when it came to photographing them the female was very shy. It just zipped past like a rocket, as shy as a newly wed gal !!!

Things are not what they seem to be !

2008-11-12T07:30:00.001+05:30

Now, one cant help wondering why anyone would put up a photo of few crows flying.... but these crows are not what they look like. The crows @ Orange County, Kabini are just a little more than crows. These crows take to the air in Bramhiny kite fashion and use the thermals and the strong winds to move about. They hardly flap their wings !!! They soar from one rooftop to another and back again... and the best part is that the youngsters have been learning this art from their parents throughout. Some bold adults even fly over the water surface and swoop down like a Bramhiny Kite and catch fish [ though many of the times they are clumsy and the fish gives their "talons" a slip].
Sometimes it makes me wonder whether these birds are brought up by crows or by the Bramhiny Kite !!!

Blood Thirsty Fly !!!

2008-11-08T09:03:00.001+05:30

Found the fly sitting on the resort's elephant !!! Whacked it , stunned it , removed it from the poor pachyderm's skin and lo!!! what a proboscis !!! This fly was was a blood sucker!!! I had seen this fly earlier on one of the documentaries on T.V. but had never seen one live and up-close till date. I learnt that this fly regularly visits elephants and other large mammals especially large herbivores and drinks blood. This fly also has another habit... it lays eggs in holes of ground nesting insects like bees. but the first one to emerge out are the fly larvae !!! Thus making this fly a REALLY WICKED insect.To keep the bees attacking the fly while raiding the nest, the fly mimics the colour patterns of the bee. The amazing part is that the fly does not enter the nest, instead it hovers over the entrance and literally SHOOTS the eggs into the hole !!! Now I know the usefulness of those BIG EYES !!!

But what really takes the cake is the proboscis !!! Such a saber like mouth part IS required if you have to drink blood through the hide of an ELEPHANT !!!

Diwali- The meaning is dying out

2008-11-08T08:37:00.001+05:30

I know its a bit late, but i had to show this.... the true meaning of " DIWALI" or "DEEPAVALI" is dying out. Ask any of the grandparent generation the meaning of diwali and they will tell you [ with a great sense of pride] that it is to celebrate the win of good over evil. They will also take great efforts to tell you the story behind it too [ great effort because they have to make you sit in front of them for that long !!! ] But the later generations seem to have lost the whole concept of celebrating diwali. All they can think of is how many crackers to buy and to burst and enjoy the evening at someone elses agony. No one ever thinks of the pain and effort taken to make those crackers or how much damaging it will to one's health even, and of course to the environment too.
This photo of the candle taken on the night of diwali depicts its dying meaning.

Elliots Shield tail

2008-11-03T21:14:00.001+05:30

The day began with a lot of running around... I was off on a safari early in the morning. the moment I returned someone hastened me to a corner of the resort and pointed at a worm like creature kept on a newspaper. A good friend of mine confirmed this to be an Elliots Shield Tail snake. Shield tails are small blind snakes which usually live under the surface of the soil, and have worms and earthworms as food. This snake was like an overgrown and colourful earthworm rather than a snake !!! But after a couple of photos it was decided that the snake has had enough and it should be on it way to safety. So a little handling by me and the snake was off foraging under some bush at a distance... away from all those busy feet that could kill it. What a way to start my day !!!

Malabar Pied Hornbills !!!

2008-11-03T21:03:00.001+05:30

During the boat safaris I never fail to spot at least one of these magnificent birds. They are invariably out sitting on the bamboo and looking at us like they are telling us to go back to where we came from. They usually emerge out at the time of sunset and they do so in large numbers. The largest number I counted are 16 hornbills all sitting almost in a row on a bamboo clump. This one of the photos I happen to get, courtesy Mr. Vikram Nanjappa.

Morning Dew during winter @ Kabini

2008-11-02T16:41:00.001+05:30

I go for bird watching in the mornings [every now and then]. The first thing that catches my eye are the pearl laced cobwebs strewn all over the ground. some of them extend from one shrub to another and blocking the path that i usually take to the river side. so i take some time and indulge in observing the pearls... however i always wonder.... where does the architect of the web disappear when it becomes cold and dewy??? i have never located a single spider close to the web... hmmm... till maybe mid day.

Glory lily or Gloriosa superba

2008-10-31T11:12:00.001+05:30

Glory lily or Gloriosa superba exhibits one of the most beautiful flowers and in the best colours too. This flower was photographed at the Orange County Resorts, Kabini. This was the first time i ever saw this flower in complete red colour [ normally it is half red and half yellow]. But it was awesome none the less!!! Unfortunately this flower had a very short lifespan and withered away on the same evening this photograph was taken.

One of my favs !!!

2008-10-27T23:39:00.001+05:30

This is one of my favorite birds... the Philippines Eagle. Saw this close up in a National Geographic magazine. The stare itself mesmerized me for a moment before i decided that it should enter into my sketch book. The majestic look and authoritative "stare" in the eyes have gotten me weak in the knees and the first thing i did was to place the magazine on my desk and bow down.... not only with due respect to the " King of the Philippines sky" , but even to the great guy who scaled up the lofty trees to get such a great shot of this magnificent bird. HATS OFF !!!!

2008-10-27T23:26:00.001+05:30

There they were... standing under a large and shady tree. My first doe with the fawn during my visit to Kanha National Park few years back. They were looking so cute together that i had to replicate the photograph into a sketch [ though obviously the photo has come out better]. Unfortunately lost the photos during travel back to Bangalore.