RIP Polo!

Today I was saddened reading the death of Polo, South Asia’s only gorilla at Mysore zoo, Karnataka. He was 43! The normal life span of gorillas is 35, but Polo outlived that. Born in 1972, he was received from Dublin Zoo, Ireland, on August 8, 1995. Unfortunately he never got a mate in the zoo.





Earlier, a pair of gorillas, “Sugreeva and Sumathi” was the star attractions of the Mysore zoo.

Faces of India - 159

A sadhu from Barakar, West Bengal. He said he traveled from Varanasi to Barakar by foot. He rested at various temples on the way.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various
characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here. 
 

A Piece Of Sky From Past

Again from my archives.

The famous Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) was born in Pienza, Italy. This is the view of the arched wall from exteriors of the palace. I missed visiting the interiors as we reached Pienza late that day. I have read the interiors are grand and the movie “Romeo and Juliet” was shot in the courtyard in front of this palace. Hopefully I will get a chance to visit this beautiful

My Sunderbans Experience

Sunderbans is a strange place!

The mangrove swamp home to Bengal Tiger behaves strangely. Animals usually attack humans if they are disturbed but in case of Sunderbans Tigers they attack humans without being provoked. Their food is humans. That is why it is said: If you see a tiger in Sunderbans, next thing you know is, you are inside its stomach.











There are some 250 odd tigers in

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A face with name and story! He is Niranjan Raptan of Sunderbans. He survived 3 tiger attacks successfully and now works for “save the tiger” and “save Sunderbans” campaign. He was originally honey collector in these islands in his childhood but 42 years back he took up the job of forest guide. 

During one of the trip to interiors of the islands for collecting honey, his uncle and he was

Maharaja's Balance, Hampi

Maharaja’s balance; meaning a physical balance meant to weigh the King. The structure looks like three granite beams, one resting on two vertical beams, 15feet tall. The horizontal resting beam is sculpted in a more detailed manner. Only on close inspection the loops to hang the balance are visible.

Materials ranging from food grains to gold and gems were weighed against the Kings of

Salty Tea in Sundebans

The Sunderbans trip was a memorable one for me even though we couldn’t spot a single tiger. This often becomes a major disappointment to many tourists and they feel the entire trip is wasted, both in terms of time and money. It depends on the tourists, what exactly they want to do and see there. Chances of sighting a tiger are very less!




The resort we stayed was a well organized one, with

Faces of India - 157

A localite of Chandigarh, he was visiting the Rock Gardens, the day I was there. While I was trying to get into conversation with another tourist there for a photograph, this young guy requested me to take his photograph too. He stood in style, hands in pockets, a slight tilt in head, a faint smile; it is he who chose this backdrop for himself. I very happily didn’t let the opportunity slip.

Nek Chand's Rock Garden, Chandigarh

Chandigarh’s Rock garden is a must visit if you are ever there. Spread over twenty five acres of several thousand sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges, Nek Chand's creations combine huge buildings with a series of interlinking waterfalls. It can easily take 3 to 4 hours to cover the entire area. Luckily the day I visited the sky was clear and I got

Bringing Nature To Our Balcony

The Rainbow Episode
This happened years back. My elder daughter was a pre-schooler then. One evening she came back all excited. In her baby accent she announced proudly that she had seen a rainbow. Those eyes filled with wonder explained everything, yet I let her go on explain it with her thrill. It had amazed her beyond words. Her eyes were so full of disbelief and joy! The sky spreading

Monkey Bar - Restaurant Review

It is official! The Bars and restaurants are to remain open till 1 am! Finally the state government of Karnataka succumbed to youth pressure, the demand to extend deadline for this cosmopolitan city Bangalore. So, with the city waking up to nightlife extensions, new bars and restaurants are opening up to cash in this new culture! Bangalore did see a spurt in opening of new bars in the recent

Faces of India - 156

She is one of the Sunderban tribal artistes who put up the Tusu dance show for us.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various
characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here.

 

Sunrise Over Apartments

Where are the hills?
I see none around me.
Where is the sunrise on hills?
I see it through my neighbors’ apartments.
I just see their walls brightening, reflecting sun’s rays.
 .
 .
.
No sounds of distant waters dash,
 instead I hear the siren of office working hours.
The bending roads with honking motors
.
.
.

Whenever I read H W Longfellow’s poem “Sunrise on the Hills” I crave to see one, but

Photo Essay of a Village of Sunderbans, West Bengal

For this week’s Thursday Challenge: Landscape, I have a photo essay on a coastal village of Sunderbans.

From the resort we were taken on a small tour of a village there. I didn’t notice any major development. Very simple lifestyle of people!






The roads are newly laid ones after Tsunami of 2004 had destroyed the entire village.





A typical outdoor cooking space, outdoor kitchen. Dry