Mahseer is a fish belonging to carp family. It is found in the shimmering freshwater of Himalayan rivers especially Jhelum. Kashmiris prize this fish. Since Pakistan constructed Mangla Dam on the river in 1967, it became almost extinct on Indian side of the border. Scientific name of Mahseer is Tor. The name is composite of two words Mahi which means Fish and Sher meaning Tiger. It is a huge fish with size going up to 9 feet and weight more than 50 kilograms. It has a great strength and is very difficult to get hold on to. That is why …
Category: India
Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary
It is situated in the Dhubri and Kokrajhar of Bodoland Territorial Council. It is situated in the North East India. The area is still pollution free and is full of wildlife both flora and fauna. Chakrashila wildlife sanctuary is home to many endangered species of birds and animals like Golden Langur, Assamese Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, Leopards, Barking Hyenas and Wild Boars. Golden Langur (Presbytis Geei) which is on the verge of extinction is found here. It was spotted here in 1986. There are bats, rodents, mongoose & flying squirrels. It is home to 34 species of animals, 272 species of …
Vidurashwatha: The forgotten Jallianwala of the South India
Just like April 13, 1919 is etched in the minds of Indians for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, April 25, 1938 is one of the days that the people of Vidurashwatha village in Karnataka find hard to forget. Vidurashwatha, a nondescript village in the Kolar district of the state. It gets its name from a banyan tree (ficus religiosa) said to have been planted by Vidura. Vidura is known for being staunch supporter of truth. When all the great men like Bhishma and Dronacharya sat helpless and looked on helplessly the excesses of Duryodhana, he was the one to protest and …
Nahan Kothi in Panchkula: Heritage in Shambles
Many heritage sites are in bad condition due to neglect. One such site is Nahan Kothi in Panchkula Haryana
Some more memories of Ratnagiri
Although now I have gone far away from Panvel from where Ratnagiri was not far, the memories never die. Many times I have been to Goa where my son was studying, Ratnagiri was on the way and train halted there for sufficient time. I read about the city and particularly about the King of Burma Thibaw Minh who was confined to this place by the British after he lost the to battle to them and Burma was annexed to British empire. I don’t know how they thought to bring him and his family at such a distance away from his …
Last Days in Assam
Peculiar things happened with me as I made preparations for leaving Sibsagar on my transfer back to Mumbai. A few days prior to my planned departure, the weather became very hot and humid as it becomes there during summer days. But on the day of my journey to airport at Dibrugarh, it began to rain and rained so much that it became a deluge. Without any respite, the rain was falling in solid sheets. Visibility became very poor. My flight was canceled on the scheduled day despite the fact that our luggage was boarded and boarding passes were issued. Such …
Three Cuckoo Visitors !!!
Introduction: Come summers, many birds arrive in India for nesting. Some come from as far as Africa. They come here just before the onset of monsoons and for this reason are connected to the arrival of rains. Three types of cuckoos are generally seen in our area. All these are brood parasites which means like Koel they lay their eggs in the nest of other bird who thinking that these are their own eggs hatch them and raise the brood. These cuckoos choose the nests of Babblers for this work. Now we will talk of three cuckoos. Jacobin Cuckoo: Also …
Ghaggar River: The Lost Glory
Introduction The rivers in India are of two types. The ones like Ganga and Indus are perennial in nature because they originate in Himalayas and are fed by melting ice. Others are intermittent in nature. Their catchment area is foothills of Himalayas and these flow in full glory only during monsoons in the catchment area in hills. River Description One such river is Ghaggar. It originates in the village of Dagshai in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh at an elevation of 1,927 metres (6,322 ft) above mean sea level and flows through Punjab and Haryana states into Rajasthan just southwest …
Spiritual importance of Coconut
Coconut is a miraculous fruit. The water loaded with minerals and micronutrients is so refreshing. It is a life saver as it hydrates the dehydrated body. It gives nourishment without side effects. This magical water is enclosed inside the shell, which is so tough to open, if one doesn’t have the proper tools can frustrate you. Here you have the food but still it is so far away. It teaches that one has to toil in order to achieve the success. As the fruit matures a layer of fat begins depositing on the inner wall of the shell. Quantity of …
Mottled Wood Owl
It is a species of large owls found in india. They are very rare in our area in Punjab. I was lucky to spot this beautiful owl in a forest near my village. As such, it chooses its roost so cleverly that it completely camouflage itself. Only sometimes it is noticed by crows , treepies and babblers who make a hell of noise near it and force it to fly away. Only during one such cacophony I spotted it. After many unsuccessful efforts finally I was able to photograph it.