NATURE LOVERS ..PLACES TO VISIT IN MUMBAI...2

I visited Green Park last evening.  A medium sized park, close to my home. Lush greenery can be seen in and around the park. I saw Gulmohor trees in full bloom, branches laden with fresh green leaves, red flowers and ripe red berries. The Gulmohor paves the ground with their bright red petals, which seem to have, a short lived life, of their own. There are other green shrubs, bushes and yes some big trees as well. Fully grown palms with big leaves making an effort to sway in the light evening breeze. A couple of overgrown banyan trees sending their branches high into the sky and their new roots into the ground make for a very arresting sight. At the height of summer, small berry like fruits drop to make the ground slippery. Huge overgrown rubber plants (trees really) dot one end of the park.  Many of the trees are shedding their leaves to welcome the monsoon rains – just a few days away. And the shrubs sprouting new leaves, in many myriad shades of green – I didn’t know that green could have so many shades.
 As I sit on the stone bench, I watch life in the park. On the walkway  I see people in various dresses walking briskly. I observe an elderly lady of about 60, looking younger than her age, dressed smartly, walking briskly along and conversing animatedly with her friend on the track.  Dressed in a bright orange dress, a young girl, with her personal music station glued to her ears, is ambling merrily along, oblivious to the world. Her only job seems to be walking while listening to her music. A portly man comes into view, his body creaking, puffing & pushing to continue walk. It seems that every step he takes, is a Herculean effort and he stops often to catch his breath. And a twenty something girl dressed in a body hugging sleeveless T shirt and shorts runs by, her entire body glistening with beads of sweat reflected in the evening sun. She seems determined to achieve her fitness goal – whatever it may be.

As I sit on the bench, my eyes are attracted to a very obviously pregnant lady getting her evening exercise, for her baby’s benefit. She walks slowly pulling her huge stomach in front of her. She smiles at me as she passes. I feel a bit guilty just sitting on the bench. On the far side I see a contrasting picture. Some children playing in the dirt ,obviously enjoying themselves.  Just some distance away a few young men are doing rigorous exercise, pushing themselves to the extreme, I think. I pause, linger on them and admire their commitment and their physique. Will I ever be able to do this, I wonder? And in this contrasting scene another aspect strikes me – neither the children nor the young men are self conscious at all.  They seem to inhabiting their own world and enjoying it too.

 The sun is setting and this constantly moving changing scene of people at their own pace is a kaleidoscope – constantly moving images in front of my eyes. I make a mental note that, from tomorrow, I will join them, in their quest for the proverbial perfectly fit body. As I get up to leave, the pregnant lady comes into view once

again and as she approaches me, she heads to my bench, and asks “why aren’t you walking today”?   I grin sheepishly at her and mumble saying I’m going to start from tomorrow. She laughs, heartily showing a perfect set of pearly whites, and in sing song voice says “you know, tomorrow never comes!”

I bend my head and make my way homeward.

NATURE LOVERS - PLACES TO VISIT IN MUMBAI ... 1

It was a frantic call that I got from an old friend of mine (old refers to the length of our friendship and not his age). "We must go out" he said. "Yes" I said "but where? Anywhere we can breathe freely" he said. The only place that came to mind immediately ,were the mighty Himalyas. A tad impractical I thought. But where could we go to in Mumbai and be among nature? And have a great time photographing as well.

           

            He said "I know the perfect place where we can spend a few hours and come back rejuvenated." I listened to him skeptically as he mentioned Sanjay Gandhi National Park.  After all, I had been there many years (actually ages) ago and what a disappointment it had turned out to be. To cap it all, I groaned ,at the thought of reaching the park gates by 7.00 am latest. I groaned again.

            On the appointed day, a week day, I pulled myself out of bed early and after a quick shower drove to the park to meet him. I was surprised that he was accompanied by his wife – a photographer herself. So, after paying the entry fees, we were in the national park. It did surprise me a bit, as it looked very different to anything I had seen earlier. There were big trees lining the road creating a green canopy along our drive. On the sides of the road I saw people, young and old, men & women, of all ages and sizes, huffing & puffing as they went about their morning jogs or walks. Elderly gentlemen were walking at a sedate pace and young lively girls were jogging with their pony tails doing a rhythmic dance by themselves.

            We drove up a steep gradient to a place which had a watch tower and a dome. Here we saw people engaging in yoga, doing pranayama, stretching exercises and some just meditating. Immediately the tranquility of the place enveloped us and I could see all of us breathing a bit easier already. We got out of the car with our photography equipment and nobody paid us a second glance. It was here that we had come to be one among nature and to see if we could quench our thirst for some lovely photographs.

            We started wandering around the gardens and were truly amazed at the greenery of the place. With no body to disturb us we looked for great photo opportunities and got a few good shots. I did not know that flowers photographed from close quarters could look so good. Or dew on a flower bud could glisten like a diamond in the early morning sun. Or a lizard would look us in the eye and wait till we finished clicking him.

The flowers were a riot of colours and you could (even with the naked eye) see the many hues of green. With no one to disturb us we went on clicking pictures for about one and a half hours. I learned quite a bit on photography from my friends wife – what angles to shoot, how close to go, and many other details. She took it upon herself to give me pointers and I happily accepted her tutoring.

   We then tried our luck at the Lion Safari. The park organizes for a group of 15 people to be taken in special vehicles to see the lions in the park. But as we were not 15    (the bus load) we had to wait. And being a week day not many people were coming our way. So after a frustrating wait of a half hour we left the park a tad disappointed but  fully refreshed and rejuvenated. The reason for us to come to the park in the first place.

And we decided that we would do these small couple of hours trips as often as we could to connect with nature to nourish our souls – badly in need of nourishment living in the hustle bustle that is Mumbai.

DISMAYING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

The whole world was watching, with bated breath, when Shri Anna Hazare went on a hunger strike to get the Jan Lokpal bill passed. Reams of newsprint were devoted and prime AIR time was consumed in his fight. Indians, the world over, spontaneously joined  in his campaign and the struggle of the common man against corruption took on life of its own.

Such, was the power of one man, that every political heavyweight (and light weights too) made appropriate noises, to demonstrate, that they were against corruption. Steadfast in his resolve, his hunger strike continued, till Indian parliament passed a “sense of the house” resolution, calling on Anna to end his fast, promising to pass a strong Jan Lokpal bill, in the winter session of parliament. This, indeed, was a very strong movement, that galvanized the entire nation into action – supporting the anti corruption movement. And that too, in spite of opposition to (many sections of) this bill, by very senior ministers, expressed very obtusely.

And now we have, what seems to be, a “theatre of the absurd” going on. First, Arvind Kejriwal owed dues to Government,which he disputed in the media. If he really wanted to dispute it, the IT laws provide for appeals to a competent authority – but he didn’t utilize this route. Instead, he took his personal fight, with the Income Tax department, to the public (media) domain. And then, quite nonsensically, he tells us that he is borrowing money from friends and sends a cheque and a letter to the Prime Minister. Why this emotional appeal? How completely childish and absurd. And he goes completely ballistic on television.

When questioned about the use of money, donated to Anna’s movement, being deposited into his NGO’s account – we have an answer, which defies logic. He is on record, to say that we will be refunding the money to those donors, whose details are incomplete. How preposterous.  If you don’t have a donors name, for example, or an address, etc. how can you refund the money? And what was the need for this financial juggling, in the first place?

And madam Kiran Bedi,  has not covered herself in glory either. A Magsaysay award winner and a police officer, with an unblemished record, she now justifies on National television what she did – flying economy  but billing business class. And this, without batting an eyelid. Any junior executive, in a small organization, knows that this is a wrong practice, and if discovered, there could be punishment, as harsh as a job loss. It is purely UNETHICAL to say the least. No junior executive can or will, ever justify going by bus and claiming taxi fare – because he has a critically ailing grandmother. Just not done. Period.

So, we now have a situation, where the two most prominent faces, of Anna’s movement have tarnished their own image (with a little help from one Digvijaya Singh). Most important – the usually lethargic middle class, had come out of its stupor. But with this credibility gap – the movement (however well intentioned) will suffer from a crisis of credibility.

And, these players don’t seem to have learned their lessons, at all – when Government spokespersons, like Vilasrao Deshmukh and company, COMPLETELY  BYPASSED  them and spoke directly to Anna,  during the closing stages of his hunger strike.

Lessons not learned. Is this the beginning of the end? Is this a requiem, for a promising people's movement? Or will people still come out and support it, in droves, as they did last time?

Or, will people, like Justice Santosh Hegde, come to the movements rescue (about time new blood is introduced!)

The Painful burden of being Sachin Tendulkar

India won the first test against the West Indies yesterday (09 November 2011) at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium New Delhi. The margin of victory 5 wickets with a day and a half to spare.

However, the anchors & commentators on most channels carrying this news went ballistic on another topic. Sachin Tendulkar. And how he did not get his 100^th. century in this test match. How, he has gone 7 (or is it 8) matches, without scoring a century. And the dim witted anchors spent a lot of AIR time discussing what was wrong with Sachin and his batting. Even the print media were not to be left behind. The fact that India won the test was almost relegated to a footnote. Prime time (or should I say space) was occupied with a discussion of how Sachin goes into his shell and how he has to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea (whatever that means.)

Reminds me of how Sachin was hounded only a few years ago. “Endulkar“ screamed one headline. Time to hang up your boots, said another. And cricketers the world over were only too glad to pillory him. Tendulkar bashing should be declared an international sport. Remember Greg Chappel’s comments. And Adam Ghilchrist’s. And the recent disparaging remarks of Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi, about Sachin quaking in his boots, when Sohaib ran up to bowl to him.

Yet time and time again he has defied all the doomsayers and come back emphatically in the only way he knows – with his bat.  Remember this is Sachin Tendulkar. The only batsman on this planet to get 15,000 plus runs in a game that he has made his own – for 20 plus long years. The immensely talented, humble, controversy free, sportsman to have played the game, in its long history.  The sublime maestro whose appetite for winning is only second to his appetite for runs. 

This is the same Sachin, who, we put under tremendous pressure to score runs, almost at will. And if he doesn’t we find fault with him. But remember, he too, is human. Like all of us. Let’s give him the space he deserves. And sooner than later he will delight us. As he has been doing, all these years. Quite regularly. And as we all look forward with bated breath, I just have one message for him – take your time pal. And when you do score the 100^th. Century, savour the glorious moment. And I will join you in your quiet celebrations as you send a thankful prayer, heavenwards.

And quietly I will say thank you Sachin for entertaining us these long years. You have given us immense pleasure. You truly are Bharat’s anmol “Ratna”

From an unabashed and unapologetic Sachin Fan

Experience of a lifetime!

It was a few years ago that watching TV on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I came across a documentary on “The great Migration” in Kenya & Tanzania. Watching the documentary, I gazed transfixed at the spectacle unfold before me – something unimaginable and something I hadn’t seen before. It struck a chord in me and that was the beginning of my quest (or research) on the great migration.

I decided I simply had to see and experience this phenomenon. Little did I know that it would take me three long years to achieve my dream. I researched Kenya – what all is there to see, which are the best times of the year to visit, places to stay and what we could realistically expect to see. Slowly and steadily I narrowed the areas of interest (there is so much to see) and then began the search for a travel iteriniary that would fit my time & budget requirements.

So after all arrangements were in place we (my wife & I) ultimately landed in Nairobi. I had planned to take in the Giraffe Manor & the Karen Blixen Museum. However Nairobi weather had other plans for us and we spent the afternoon cooped up in our hotel room (it was raining cats and dogs). The next day we headed out to the Aberdare National Park – a charming old world nostalgic place with a charm of its own. On the way I got a great pose from a male Impala- staring curiously into my camera lens. At the resort we saw warthogs, impalas and gazelles, saw huge wild elephants and African buffalo. The resort is located adjacent to a salt lick and animals come here all through the day and night. There are excellent viewing galleries – both enclosed and open – for viewing the animals. What a wonderful experience seeing a herd of elephants, warthogs, buffalo come together in one place. An amazing sight that we saw was a huge buffalo driving away a full grown elephant from her part of the salt lick when he came to close. And the elephant scampering to safety!!

The next day was a long trip to Lake Nakuru (meaning dust in Swahili). On the way from Aberdare to Nakuru we passed through some wonderfully scenic countryside – crossing the equator and viewing the Thomson falls enroute. I later learned that this area is called the “great rift valley”. After a brief stop we entered the Lake Nakuru National park. The first sight of the lake literally takes your breath away. A very large salt water lake, resembles a sea of blue with assorted “islands of pink” where the flamingos congregate. The first sight is a pre cursor to the many delights that Lake Nakuru has in store for us. As we came to the visitors point, we alighted from our vehicles and came face to face and up close with not just greater & lesser flamingos but with pelicans, cormorants and storks as well. Perched on trees above us were some of the most majestic birds I have seen from close range – eagles, and vultures. I was a like a small child let loose in a butterfly garden chasing after the butterflies – my excitement new no bounds. I tried to capture as many photos as I possibly could. And then I just stood mesmerized and watched this amazing spectacle unfold before me. I lost my sense of reality and forgot others who were there - - it was just the birds and me – and they had me in a trance. This beautiful reverie was broken when a huge two horned rhino decided to look us up. I suspect he didn’t like us trespassing on his territory so our local guides herded us to the safety of our vehicles. Mr. Rhino passed us harmlessly by and gave us a sly grin on the way and seemed to say “get me on your film fast – this show is for you, guys”! And we gratefully went click, click many times over

After this bit of exhibitionism, we took a drive in the park. And we were surprised to see a few hippos lumbering in the green grass, herds of Zebra frolicking around, stopping to look at us curiously, before bounding off lest we get too close. A bit further we saw giraffe in twos and threes towering above everything else, munching away and keeping an eagle eye on us. Huge herds of Thompson’s Gazelles and Impalas were on view almost everywhere. We even sighted some waterbuck – “larger deer in my common parlance”. We were told that waterbuck are rare. Exhilarated we spent the night at resort at Lake Naivasha (meaning cold water in Swahili). We were surprised to see a Hippo and a giraffe (at night) on the Resort premises. It was our first encounter with beasts in the wild at night. Felt a bit eerie.

The next morning took us across the equator to our first stop in the great rift valley – Thompson Falls. Here the Ewaso Nyiro river falls from a height of 70 meters making a breath taking spectacle of water cascading down a steep fall. After taking a few pictures we were off to THE Masai Mara game reserve. It was our first sight up close & personal with wildebeest the animals we had only seen in pictures and on TV. At first sight they seemed to be a cross between a cow and a horse – but we later learned that they were a almost a species to themselves belonging to the Antelope family. They are lean animals with a brown beard and horns.  They look menacing (an adult can grow up to 4.5 ft and weighs 250kg) but most often they leave tourist vehicles alone – focusing on their routine – grazing on the grass. They live in herds as there is safety in numbers. They are prime prey for the predators of Africa – Lions, Cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas. 

At our resort we gasped at an amazing sight right in front of our eyes. In the Mara river, about 50 Hippos were lazing together periodically letting out grunts and snorts from their snouts. Some of them began playing games with each other but most were content to laze around. What a sight this was. And on the banks of the river a lone alligator (or was it a crocodile) was sleeping(?) with its jaws wide open and not moving an inch. And this just outside the perimeter of our hotel. And on the lawns of our hotel gazelles were quite common. We rested a bit because the last 20 odd km of our drive was on very bad roads and every bone and joint in our body was creaking. Late afternoon we went for our first game drive on the plains of the Masai Mara. One inescapable fact strikes you on these plains is the game reserve is really huge. Till the eye can see, there is just vastness – green grass with millions of wildebeest grazing and running helter-skelter. To break the monotony you see gazelles, zebras and giraffe also on these plains. But this one aspect that overawed all of us, was the scale of the Masai Mara – saying it is huge is a classic understatement. Imagine our excitement when we saw up close and personal a lion resting in the late afternoon. A full grown male, he just couldn’t be bothered by the din of tourists. He momentarily wakened, looked around regally and went back to sleep. No wonder he is called the King of the jungle. And the other animals kept a respectful distance from him, lest he awake.

We also saw a spotted leopard resting on the rocks. A lone guy looking disdainfully at mankind - he was just gazing into the distance in a meditative state and couldn’t be bothered about noisy tourists. Warthogs dot the landscape of the Mara as well. As you travel further you see huge Baboons (male) as well as the Topi – a kind of large deer. And all live in harmony giving each other healthy respect. 

The next morning was an early wake up at 4.00 am for a Balloon ride across the Mara plains. This, is a once in a lifetime, must do, experience. In the space of an hour, we were able to see one of the Natural World’s wonders – the great migration. Millions of wildebeest, crossing from the Serengeti in Tanzania, into Masai Mara in Kenya, in search of grasslands. It makes for a breathtaking, wondrous view from the balloon. We got a good view of the torturous winding of the Mara river and the forest cover it supports. After the ride were treated to sumptuous champagne breakfast on the plains of the Mara with a big buffalo watching over us ( I suspect hungrily as well). It was then time to head back to the hotel for some well deserved rest and a late afternoon uneventful game drive.

The next day was spent in back breaking travel from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti across some of the most wonderful sights ever imaginable. If you can keep your bones together you will see (as we did) a pride of lions – one particular lioness had smelled a kill and was full of concentration. A herd of elephants taking a long time to decide whether it is safe to cross the road with these humans watching us. And a small mischievous elephant being gently prodded to toe the line by the elders in the group. It made for a fantastic photo opportunity. They did decide after ages to cross the road with the largest elephant bringing up the rear and not letting us out of his sights – even after he had crossed. The spotted hyena look at you perhaps as their next meal. You will see a variety of birds as well as some ostrich on the plains. One scene that is permanently etched in our memory is a group of wildebeest chasing a young lioness and the lioness running away – scampering to safety. Until that moment we thought it to be the other way round. But we were told – expect the unexpected in the Mara. We crossed over into Tanzania at the Isebania crossing point.

On the Serengeti we saw some fantastic birds – like the white headed buffalo weaver bird, the Kori Bustard, Secretary Bird, Egyptian Vultures, Bald Eagles, etc. 

On the plains of the Serengeti one thought was etched in the mind – vastness is what? It is so vast that you feel insignificant in the midst of nature. The rest of our trip on the Serengeti was as terrific as it had been earlier – we were fortunate to see a leopard drag his kill of a gazelle onto a tree in like 5 seconds. We also saw a pride of lions basking in the sun as well as lone lioness enjoying her lunch – a recent kill. We also saw a Hyrax a member of the elephant family but miniature in size. At one end of the Serengeti is the Nogrongoro crater a large volcanic caldera teeming with wildlife. The trip into the crater is really something and once in the crater you feel dwarfed whenever you look up. And we had a black 2 horned Rhino cross the road in front of us – a lumbering giant who seemed to take forever to make up his mind to cross the road – which he eventually did. We saw huge flocks of greater and lesser flamingos on the crater floor. 

At our final destination Arusha national park we were privileged to see the black & white Colobus monkeys in the tree tops. Here we also saw water buck in large numbers. 

I still carry the extremely vivid and fond memories of this trip and on quiet evenings I hear a whisper of the spirit of the Serengeti saying “I have much more to offer you.” And silently I resolve that I will be back again!