The graceful and refined raga ReethiGowla

----published in The Hindu dated October 19th 2017   All images are from the internet
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/with-grace-and-elan/article19881970.ece

When we listen to the Carnatic raga ReethiGowla, what are the first impressions that we get? 

It is absolutely soothing on the ears, possessing infinite grace.  It takes one on a journey - with gentle turns, gradual ups and downs;  never does it feel like a rough and raucous roller-coaster ride.  In fact, it reminds one of the river’s journey – like a young maiden, playful yet charming and sweet, gently traipsing down the hills.  And then, the river maiden slows down and takes a meandering path with soft curves and turns,  cruising over small rapids that remind her of happy moments that she enjoyed while finding her way down the slopes, and smiling merrily at the memory.  As she approaches the plains, her movement is calm and sedate, lightly punctuated with dips and ascents before she finally joins the sea in ecstasy!

There are several kritis composed in this divine raga. Swathi Thirunal’s composition “Paripalayamam” is a popular kriti in the raga ReethiGowla.  The essence of bhakthi is beautifully captured in the endless grace of the raga.

Similarly, the kriti “Janani Ninnuvina” written by Subbaraya Shastry is set to this same raga and has a divinity associated with it, with its graceful movements and gentle ghamakams that render it soulful.  While the song pleads with the Goddess to have compassion on the devotee and bless him, ReethiGowla  does complete justice to the composition by steeping it in the ‘karuna rasa’.  It leaves us drenched in a beautiful shower of empathy, benevolence and compassion.   

A sense of contentment and peace flashes through our mind when we listen to kritis composed in this raga.  Thyagaraja’s composition ‘Dvaitamu Sukhama’ is another classic example of a kriti set to ReethiGowla.  Here Sri Thyagaraja asks Lord Rama to clarify as to which is better – Dvaita or Advaita – Duality or non-duality.   ReethiGowla enhances the beauty of the composition – with its slow but fluid movement, it is smooth and elegant, very soothing on the ears and extremely comforting.  While Thyagaraja  questions if duality is more comforting (sukhama) than non-duality, it is easy to see that raga ReethiGowla  is definitely the most comforting!

The legendary singer BMK with the music maestro Ilaiyaraja

With such alluring charm about it, it is no wonder then that this raga has been used in quite a few romantic duet songs in movies.  One fine example is the song “Chinna Kannan Azhaikiraan” from the movie Kavikkuyil  which was released in the year 1977.  This was picturised on actors Sivakumar and Sridevi and the music director was none other than the music maestro Ilaiyaraja. The song was sung by renowned classical music singer Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna.  It has an evergreen feel to it and even after four decades of its rendering, it retains its charm.  The song’s lyrics were penned by Panchu Arunachalam who was mentored by his illustrious Uncle and famous poet Kannadasan.  

Still from the movie Kavikkuyil

At the start of the song, Sridevi is shown drawing water from the well while humming a tune to herself.  She suddenly hears the same tune being played on the flute by Sivakumar and rushes out of the house to the open ground to hear him.  She is drawn and magically attracted by Sivakumar’s tune in the same way as Radha is drawn to Lord Krishna when he plays her favourite and secret tune in his flute.   Raga Reethi Gowla does wonders to this song – it lends divinity and an ethereal grace.  The gentle zig-zags in the ‘pallavi’ make it extremely melodious while the smooth ascent and rise to the peak in the ‘charanams’ followed by a gradual descent and a meandering flow adds a lovely rhythm to the song. 

From Subramanyapuram - the song Kangal Irandal

Another film song in Raga Reethi Gowla that is at once impressive, captures the heart and pleases the senses is the song “Kangal Irandal” from the Tamil  movie Subramnayapuram.  The tune is supremely  melodious and delicate in its twists and turns.   Reethi Gowla captures the tenderness of love depicted in the song and heightens the moments of light-hearted passion.  The raga  brings alive the simplistic beauty of the mutual  affection and love felt by the hero and heroine – playful at times, sharp and poignant at some moments;  and heart-achingly defined in some others.   The song composed by newbie music director James Vasanthan became a super hit and catapulted him to instant success.  In the movie, the song talks about how the heroine, played by newcomer actress Swathi, has captivated the hero Jai, with the simple beauty of her expressive eyes and her bewitching smile.  The protagonists’  eagerness to meet, to talk, to be together, their bitter-sweet longing  and their desire to be united in love is wonderfully captured in the song – the lyrics, the picturisation and the captivating raga have blended together into one mesmerising melody.  

Prem Adda's Kalli Ivalu song

The same movie was remade in Kannada as Prem Adda.  The song “Kalli Ivalu”, also set to raga Reethi Gowla  is beautifully rendered by singers  Sonu Nigam and Shreya Goshal and it gracefully captures the same expression of love and ardour felt by the hero and the heroine, their playful tenderness and their moments of passion and bliss. 

 Raga Reethi Gowla is an absolute treat to the senses and transports the listener to a world of nostalgia and happiness.   

Where does beauty lie - in the Raga or Sahitya? Explored through Sahana Ragam

-------published in the The Hindu dated May 25th 2017  All pictures have been taken from the net.  
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/where-does-beauty-lie/article18576230.ece

What defines a Kriti  - Sahitya or Raga? 

There is a lot of debate on whether a kriti or song is considered great because of the lyrics (sahitya) or because of the ‘raga’ to which it is set to.   The sahitya conveys an immense amount of bhakti and emotion, transporting both the singer and the listener to a different world.   Definitely, the bhava and the raga adds to the allure and enriches the entire experience.  While purists argue that certain compositions have attained greatness thanks to the purity of thought in the lyrics, modernists and rasikas allege that the greatness of the composition is also affected by the raga in which it is composed.   The same song may possibly not be as impactful when sung with a different tune. 

It certainly is a continuing debate and there can be no clear answers.  After all music, like beauty, lies in the eyes /ears of the beholder / listener.

Take for example the raga Sahana.  It is a very melodious and beautiful raga.  It is very gentle on the ears, has a smooth, well-rounded flow without any sudden or jerky movements.  Just listening to the tune being played on an instrument evokes a certain sense of beauty tinged with a little sadness.  If one were to personify Sahana raga, it would be a very sweet, shy and beautiful damsel, one whose eyes shine forth with tenderness and innocence; one who is the embodiment of feminine grace, motherly affection and compassion.   

There are quite a few kritis  like Thyagaraja’s ‘Vandanamu Raghunandana’ set to Sahana.   This is a simple composition – Thyagaraja first pays salutation to Lord Rama and entreats Him to have mercy and to not mock his followers.  He pleads for being one with Rama, requests the Lord to come to him and promises never to fail or leave His altar.  The sahitya in the charanam is beautifully written and follows a rhythmic pattern – the verses end with the same note.   While the lyrics themselves are poetic, Sahana raga lends an ethereal beauty to the song.  It wonderfully captures the beauty of the song and Thyagaraja’s pleas for salvation are evocatively highlighted. His anguish and devotion are palpable - one can almost feel the sadness when Thyagaraja  entreats “Please stop playing games with me; with a glance, please save me.”    This marriage between the saahitya and the raga clearly brings a greatness to the song – making it unique and memorable.

K.Balachander's epic serial Rail Sneham

K.Balachander

In the film world, K.Balachander’s epic TV serial Rail Sneham has a popular song set to this raga which is sung beautifully by Dr.K.J.Yesudas.  The song ‘Indha Veenai ka Theriyaadhu’ has some wonderful lyrics that highlights the poignancy of the characters’ situation – played by Nizhalgal Ravi as the Father and Baby Indra as his teenage daughter.  She is aptly named Sahana.  She does not know that she is a child born of wedlock.    She reads about the story of her father’s past through his diary and thus gets to know the truth about her dead mother and her own birth.  The song, penned by V.S Narasimhan, likens the baby who does not know its real father with the veena instrument whose maker also remains unknown.    While the song has a melancholic note to it, the lyrics manage to bring in a positive note – portraying images of a life filled with hope. Sahana raga, soft and mellifluous, enhances the sadness of the situation and makes the lyrics more meaningful.  

From the movie Veera Abhimanyu

Poet Kannadasan

Sahana raga is also used beautifully in the song “Paarthen Sirithen” from the black and white Tamil movie Veera Abhimanyu, released in the year 1965.  The love, the passion and the aching eagerness felt by the hero and heroine to be united together is breathtakingly captured by Kannadasan’s lyrics and needless to say Sahana raga brings alive the tenderness felt by the romantic couple.  The song itself has amazing lyrics, and the poet Kannadasan (a much-sought after lyricist and a poet par excellence) has penned lines with unique word-play, amazing puns and punctuated the verses with beautiful rhyming.  He uses the word ‘then’ in the song nearly 30 times to convey the love shared by Abhimanu and Uthara.  The song, set to Sahana raga by composer K.V.Mahadevan has been sung by P.B Srinivas and P.Susheela.  This amalgam of simple yet profound lyrics with the soul-stirring sweetness of Sahana raga makes the song a memorable composition, an ever-green melody, despite it being first rendered nearly half a century ago.

From the movie Avvai Shanmugi

Sahana is again used wonderfully in the song “Rukku Ruku Ruku” from the movie Avvai Shanmugi.  Here, the raga continues to be soft and melodious but at the same time is a little playful.  The lyrics, the situation, and the picturisation of the song also lend a fun element to the song to make it a breezy and catchy number. 

So the importance of the raga and the part played by it in enhancing the meaning of a song cannot be discounted.  If anything, the raga and the sahitya merge together to create a musical masterpiece – one that survives the passage of time and continues to shine like a beacon, giving pleasure in equal measure both to the singer and the listener. 

Ode of the Leech

---published in Nature in Focus in Oct 2017  https://www.natureinfocus.in/story/a-leech-s-ode/

A leech after it had its fill of blood

I am a common leech, quite thin and small, just about an inch tall, 

I lie under the leaves on the forest floor, trying to escape the heat, 

When suddenly, the skies open up and there is rainfall.

I come out of hibernation, ravenously hungry and ready to eat. 

Then along comes a naïve fellow, wanting to spot an elephant, 

Eager to see the pachyderm, he misses me waiting on the ground, 

I silently jump on to his shoe and crawl up his pants

I move stealthily, making not a single sound. 

I clamber up his socks, and take a deep dive in

He does not feel me; he does not sense the prick 

As I enjoy the warmth and the smell of blood on his skin, 

The chemical that I release stops the clotting and does the trick. 

I drink in his blood, swelling up and enjoying the trip, 

He feels the wet blood, and is shocked to finally see me 

He starts to pull at me but alas, I have a tenacious grip

All his forceful pulling and yanking will not set him free. 

Finally, I slide off his leg, bloated and red; 

I am sated and decide I have had enough of the pitch 

But this man – he needs to be taught a lesson, he is haughty in his head 

I have the last laugh, for now I have given him the 3-month itch! 

Elephant Estimation Exercise - a detailed day-by-day account!

------- Published in The Hindu's travel segment  on Sep 7th 2017- http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/an-elephantine-task/article19636441.ece 

-------Published in the Field Notes section of online portal NatureinFocus in Oct 2017- https://www.natureinfocus.in/field-notes/come-to-your-census-a-jumbo-exercise

Elephants spotted near NR Pura Range by Sumanth

The data collection for the 2017 Synchronised Asian Elephant Population Estimation for South India concluded in the month of May. I was fortunate to participate as a volunteer in this mammoth task.  This exercise is conducted by the Forest Department once in five years. It is done in a synchronized manner at a pan-India level such that the elephants in connected forests spanning across states can be counted in a single go, thus avoiding duplication.   

As a run-up to the actual estimation, the Forest Department spent considerable time in calling forth volunteers and providing them with the necessary training.  This was done on multiple days across several locations – Bangalore, Mysore, Chikmagalur, and Dandeli.  A record number of 550 volunteers and around 150 Resource people offered their services – students, IT professionals, doctors, lawyers, home makers; all belonging to different walks of life but untied in the common cause of forest conservation and protection of wild life.

In addition, the Department communicated the uniform methodology to be followed by all its cadres, especially to the Forest Officers, Guards and Watchers, to have them in a battle-ready mode for undertaking this huge exercise.   A good amount of training was given to them and the Forest Department ensured that all necessary documents and equipment were kept ready.  

The Forest Department’s raison-d’etre for inviting public participation in this exercise is to provide transparency into the process of estimating the elephant population.  Common people get an opportunity to understand and appreciate the time and efforts involved in coordinating and executing a task of this kind.  Also, after watching and witnessing the large-scale efforts, all volunteers become the extended voice of the Forest Department – volunteers willingly appreciate and support the Forest Department’s wildlife conservation projects and activities and act as their ambassadors and spokespersons.

After imparting training, all the volunteers and Resource people were assigned to different forest divisions in the state (like Bannerghatta, Kabini, Nagarhole, Bhadra Sanctuary, Dandeli).  Again, this was a huge task – taking the requirements of each Forest Range based on its size, matching them with the personal preference of the volunteers and finally allotting each individual to a Division.

Volunteers to Koppa - Sudhir, Sumanth, Prashanth and I

I was asked to report to Koppa Division near Chikmagalur. 

Day 1 – Planning and selecting Forest Beats

Our team of 5 landed in Koppa on the morning of May 16^th 2017.  The place was beautiful, filled with plenty of greenery and lush vegetation.  As we drove down from Bangalore, the rain-washed roads welcomed us.  A gentle mist enveloped the trees and bushes which gave a surreal beauty to the place.    

We freshened up in the Forest Guest House in Koppa.  After a hearty breakfast, we met up with the Deputy Conservator of Forests - Koppa Division, and his officials to plan the exercise in his division. 

The entire forest range in the division was first clearly mapped out into an Elephant Distribution map.  All 5 volunteers were then assigned to each of the forest ranges in Koppa.  One went to Chikka Agrahara, two more were assigned to N.R. Pura, while two of us were asked to take up Balehonnur.  Again here, while assigning the ranges, the DCF ensured that all volunteers were housed in comfortable guest houses. Lady volunteers were given priority to the best of the lot, keeping safety and comfort factors in mind.

Each range, for easy manageability, was further divided into Compartments or Beats.  We spent some time in selecting the Beats (those where the Forest staff had prior knowledge of the presence of elephants) and also in selecting areas that fulfilled the requisite sample size of 5 Sq.Km.   So finally after the planning exercise, I was assigned to Antavalli Beat while Prashanth was assigned to Devadana Beat in the Balehonnur Range.

After the crucial planning exercise, we met with all the field staff and had a quick training session to get everyone on the same page.  This was very important especially since data was being collected by different people from across all the Forest ranges.  All of us had to understand and ensure that our data was uniform and could be collated correctly as per the common requirement.   

River Bhadra flowing next to the Forest Bungalow

The 120-year old Forest Bungalow in Magundi

After a relaxed lunch exchanging interesting anecdotes with the CCF and other Forest officials, we then moved to our respective Beat areas. Prashanth and I set out to the Forest Bungalow situated in a quaint little village called Magundi.  This is an absolutely picturesque place.  Our guest house was situated within a sprawling Nursery and had the River Bhadra flowing next to it.  The building itself was built during the British times and had a simple, elegant old-world charm about it.  This is paradise to a bird-watcher – Prashanth identified several birds and indicated them - the pied wagtail, the noisy warblers, sunbirds, robins, flycatchers, the drongo, and the beautiful “Bharadwaj’, cousin of the common crow.  In addition, there were quite a number of peacocks that flew from one side of the river bank to the other, while loudly letting out their plaintive cries.  In fact, every morning we awoke to the vastly different chirping sounds of our feathered friends!

Inside Antavalli Beat

Day -2 Direct Block Count – Spotting and taking count of elephants in the sample block area to determine elephant population density

Early the next morning, I set out to the Antavalli Beat along with Forest Officer Arif Pasha, Bhimappa Naik, Forest Guards and watchers – Abhilash and Ajay.  A local tribesman who lived in the fringes of the forest and who knew every inch of it – Yellanna, accompanied us. 

Our plan was to traverse the entire 5 sq km stretch of our Beat in an undulating mode.  We ascended the slopes, zigzagged our way through the hilly terrain, cut through thorny bushes, weeds and lantana.  We passed through patches of blackened areas – where the forest fire had eaten into the trees and bushes and charred the region.  We found several piles of elephant dung, in different stages of de-composition indicating that the pachyderms were indeed criss-crossing their way through the forest.  We found several incidences of their activity – broken branches, trees in a semi-uprooted condition,  their huge foot prints on fresh mud and ofcourse their dung piles.  Some of the dung piles were quite a few days old with mushrooms sprouted on them.  

Elephant dung

The plan for the day was to walk the entire Beat area and spot elephants.  We covered more than 10 Kms but despite seeing so much activity, we did not spot an elephant.   Arif explained that our Beat was the elephant corridor area – quite a few elephants passed through this forest area to reach their final destination.  Hence, we could witness their presence and movement but could not actually see them.  

We had breakfast in the forest – packed and carried thoughtfully by the Forest guards.  We found tiger pug marks, saw tiger scat (tiger’s droppings), some wild hens, found a beautiful quill of a porcupine, and ofcourse got bitten by the leeches.  The small, slimy worms got onto our shoes, made their way up the socks and sucked blood from all possible places. 

We got back to the Guest House, tired and bloodied but exhilarated by the day’s action. 

With the team - Ajay, Jinjanna, Yellanna, Abhilash, Arif Pasha and I 

Day – 3 Line Transect Method to assess the density of elephant dung in the selected area within the Sample Block

The next morning, accompanied by the same forest staff, I headed back to Antavalli Forest Beat.  The plan for the day was to do a Line Transect to assess the density of elephant dung piles over a selected 2 km range.  We had to do this across a straight path and inspect the surrounding area to determine if we could spot dung piles.  The perpendicular distance of the dung pile from the straight line on which we were moving had to be measured and recorded.  We took 50 metre measurements, capturing the GPS locations and used a compass to ensure that we were indeed going in a straight line. 

The task was quite arduous; we had to cut through thick, thorny bushes; make our way around fallen and broken branches. Several times, we tripped on wild creepers when our shoe got caught in it. Added to it, we covered an entire 2-km uphill, steep stretch.  Abhilash, the young Forest Guard was bitten by a couple of wasps and his lips and cheeks swelled up immediately.  But despite the hard labour involved, the sights and sounds of the forest made it interesting.  A lone sambar deer rushed past us when it heard us approach.   We saw some brightly-hued beetles; we stopped to pluck and eat some fresh oranges. 

Day -4 Spotting elephants and capturing their demographic profile

On Day 4, our job was to visit the places in our Beat area where the elephant was most likely to be present.  Based on their experience, the Forest staff knew all the possible places that elephants generally visited - like water-holes, salt-licks and river banks, elephant road-crossing points.  We were directed to take pictures, profile the pachyderms and classify them based on their sex - female, male; on their relative size – adult, sub-adult, juvenile and calf.  This exercise would help the Forest Department in estimating the ratio of male and female elephants in the herd and give precious foresight into determining if the elephant numbers would grow healthily in the coming years.  

Searching for elephants alongside the banks of the Bhadra river

As the Antavalli Beat did not have any elephant sightings, I joined Prashanth to visit the Devadana Beat.  It had rained quite heavily the previous night, and we were skeptical about spotting elephants.  But the Forest Officer of Devadana Beat, Manjunath was positive and took us through the forest.  He carried a machete with him and cut through bushes and weeds as we made our way through the adjoining coffee estate into the forest. 

We walked alongside the Bhadra River to check on water-hole presence but the elephants were not there.  We got news that the locals had seen an elephant in the wee hours of the morning; Forest Officer Manjunath was immediately on its trail.  We followed him through the estate where the elephant had cut down jackfruits; it had also broken a few areca-nut trees to eat the pulp in the middle of the tree.  We followed its foot prints into the thick jungle.   It had very smartly crossed over the solar-powered electric fence by dropping a wooden branch on the wire and ‘short circuiting’ the current.  Manjunath asked us to stay close and remain quiet.  It was quite an adventure; we were adrenaline-charged, hoping to see the elephant but also a little apprehensive about following it into its lair.  After all, we were in the wild and a lone elephant can be quite dangerous.  We slowly made our way, following all the signs that the elephant had left of its progress into the forest.  But sadly, even after several hours of being on its trail, we could not spot the elephant.

Forest Officer Manjunath was the most disappointed of us all – he was convinced that it was still there but somehow had eluded us.  And he was quite right.  Later in the evening, he and a few other Forest guards saw not just one but two elephants coming out of the same place that we had visited  earlier in the morning!  Manjunath was jubilant; he quickly profiled them and recorded the findings.

Thus, our 4-day highly eventful trek in the forests came to an end.  It may have been tiring – we had cuts and bruises and plenty of leech bites; but all that added to the overall allure to make it memorable. 

We also gained great insights into the workings of the Forest Department and have now a new-found respect and admiration for the ground staff; their jobs are not easy but the passion and interest they exhibit for wildlife protection and forest conservation is admirable.  

After ascending 1150 metres - view from the top

Leaving Footprints of Kindness in the Sands of Time

-----  Published in The Women's Era - April 2017 II issue

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”  

Mark Twain wrote this universal truth almost 150 years ago but his words ring true even to this day.  His words are especially relevant today than ever before as we all lead a highly commercial, urban life, where ‘me, myself and mine’ are the key words that people live by.

A small act of kindness can generate so much warmth, while kindling something deep in our souls – it has a language of its own that goes beyond words or grammar!  Infact, when we look back at life’s moments, it is so easy to remember and recollect such warm moments when we have received help and kindness from unexpected quarters.  

On our trip to Rajasthan in December 2016, we were blessed to enjoy the genuine warmth and kindness of the village folks.  While driving from Deshnoke to Jaisalmer, we went past several narrow and deserted stretches of road.  At one such place, our car got stuck in the desert sand - it would not budge. We tried pushing the car, but all our efforts only ended in the wheels sinking deeper into the fine mud.  There was neither a man nor a vehicle in sight.  We were a little panic-stricken at this point.

Luckily, there was a very small community (formed of just a couple of houses) about 500 m from where our vehicle had stopped.  We walked up to them to seek their help. We found a young man sitting on a broken chair and explained our situation to him– I guess our tone must have indicated our panic.  But he remained calm and unruffled.  His mother who had heard us talking came out, and immediately, without any hesitation, asked us to have some tea.  We were completely surprised at her kind and warm gesture – after all, we were total strangers.  We thanked her but refused her offer.   Sensing our panic, she comforted us and said “Don’t worry, we will help you with your car.  But first have some tea!”  We smiled our thanks and declined again.  In the meanwhile, the young man along with two little boys accompanied us to our car.  They carried a small spade with them.  While we were wondering how they planned to rescue the car, the man asked the kid carrying the spade to cut a few branches of the thorny bush growing beside the muddy road.  He placed these in front of all the four car wheels and asked my husband to start the car.  While we all pushed from the rear, the tyres gained friction against the thorny bushes and started moving without getting stuck in the sand.  And lo and behold, within a minute, we were out of our sticky situation!  We thanked the young man and the kids profusely for their kind help and offered a small token of money.  But he refused to accept it -we had to almost thrust the note into his hands to get him to take it! 

Again, on reaching Jaisalmer, we stopped our car near the parking area, where several other vehicles were parked.  Within a few seconds, a couple of locals who were vehicle-drivers approached us and pointed to a broken plate that was hanging down underneath the engine. As we were trying to gauge the problem, one of them went down on his knees, examined the underside of our car and told us that the screws had fallen off the plate.  Within a few seconds, he fixed the broken plate with the screws and wire.  We were amazed at his thoughtfulness and asked him how much we had to pay for his timely help.  His reply further astounded us – “You have come from a different state and are visiting our town; you are our guests.  We want you to carry good thoughts about our state and our people. We are happy to help you, please do not talk about paying us.”   

On hearing him, we in fact felt a little ashamed – ashamed that we had actually suspected him of having an ulterior motive in helping us.  His simple and small act of kindness opened our eyes and warmed our hearts no end!

Asian Elephant Estimation Exercise - Takeaways from an amazing experience!

I recently participated as a volunteer in the Synchronised Asian Elephant Estimation exercise organized by the Forest Department in Karnataka.  I attended the initial training in Bannerghatta National Park and was later assigned to Koppa Forest Division.

This was a 4-day exercise.  Along with the Forest Field staff –Officers, Watchers, and Guard - I trekked into the thick, verdant forest in the Antavalli Beat of the Balehonnur Forest Range in search of wild elephants.  We had to take count of the elephant dung and also record the demographic profile of the elephants we sighted. 

As a first-time volunteer, I was excited to be a part of this adventure. But despite our best efforts, even though we saw plenty of elephant activity and witnessed its presence and movements, we were unable to spot a single elephant.  As it had rained, the possibility of spotting it near water-holes and river banks also vanished.   Also as our Beat formed the elephant corridor – elephants only passed through the area to reach their final destination – chances of spotting them were minimal.

But despite all the reasoning, I was utterly disappointed.  I cursed that there was no such thing as Beginner’s luck and felt completely let down.  But then, after some good amount of thinking, I realized Lady Luck was definitely on my side.  I looked at all the positives that had emerged from the experience and felt a deep sense of gratitude.

Inside Antavalli Beat, Balehonnur Forest Range

• My adventure in the forest – the long, arduous treks,  the dangerous rambles following the path of the elephant’s trail, the protection and concern showed by the Forest staff, the sights and sounds we experienced, the leech bites - every bit of it is memorable and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Not everyone can gain access to the protected forest areas and saunter through the thick of the jungle.

•  I met some very interesting fellow volunteers and made good friends on the trip – another major positive outcome.

River Bhadra, flowing right beside the Forest Guest House

With the friendly Forest team - Ajay, Ginjanna, Yellanna, Abhilash, Arif Pasha

• I got a greater insight into the workings of the Forest Department, especially their Field staff.  They are some remarkable people whose love and passion for Forest conservation and wildlife protection is admirable.  Their job is extremely tough, to say the least – they have no set hours of work; quite often, they have to venture into the wild and navigate through tough terrain to put out forest fires or go after poachers, putting their life and limb in danger. 

• I interacted with the simple folks of Magundi village – their sincere warmth and friendly hospitality is something to be admired and emulated; a learning to be cherished for life

The 120-year old Forest Guest House in Magund

• I sighted some wonderful birds - pied wagtail, robins, sun birds, woodpeckers, horn bills, peacocks and many more - and breathed in the fresh, crisp, non-polluted air of the forests.  I saw the River Bhadra in full flow, stayed in a beautiful Forest Guest house.  I woke up every day to the varied chirping sounds of our feathered friends.  

Yellanna striking a pose inside the forest

• I met humble village folks like Yellanna, who knew every inch of the forest and accompanied us on the trek.  He and his wife lived in a small, simple house in the fringes of the forest.  His clothes and appearance (broken teeth, callused hands) made him look like a poor tribal but I found that he was extremely rich - rich in warmth, rich in caring and rich in hospitality.  He invited us with open arms to his home and fed us royally.

After ascending 1150m, view from the top

• And finally, I realized that not having a mis-adventure was in itself, the greatest blessing.  An elephant in the wild can be dangerous especially if it feels threatened by our presence.   I am back home, hale and hearty, to share this experience, and that is something to be thankful for! 

This opportunity was a great learning experience; it also gave me immense satisfaction of volunteering my time and services towards a good cause.  It feels extremely good that I have, in some way, done my bit for the protection and betterment of wild elephants! 

Rock formation in River Bhadra

The vividly coloured Dung beetle

International Women's Day - a Clarion call for India

International Women’s Day is celebrated the world over on March 8^th every year.  This day seeks to celebrate the achievements of women across all fields – economic, social, political, cultural or in the personal front.  It is also a day to create awareness and is a call for action - to bring about parity in gender.

While gender parity has been achieved to a great extent in developed countries like the USA and in Europe, India still has a long way to go.  We don’t have to look too far to see the disparity that exists.  Every maid working in Indian households will give you the real picture – where the husband comes back home, drunk and tottering, demanding money and sex.  And if he is refused, he immediately slaps the woman and starts a fight.  Their little children are mute witnesses to this injustice and suffer the wrath of the drunken father, their psyche scarred for ever.      

For every Kalpana who has bravely and successfully flown into outer space, there are thousands of ‘Kalpanas’ in our villages who have not crossed the thresholds of their homes to enter the gates of a school.  For every Mary who has trained and fought diligently in the boxing ring, there are thousands of ‘Marys’ who have been pushed into early and unhappy marriages or who have been pawned off to brothels.   For every Kiran and every Aishwarya who have grown successful businesses and who have attained international acclaim in beauty pageants, there are thousands of Indian girls who are victims of acid attack, whose beauty has been brutally peeled away, mutilating them forever; and several whose young lives have been quashed for not providing the necessary dowry. For every Lata who has enthralled millions with her beautiful voice, there are thousands of ‘Latas’ whose woeful cries and plaintive voice remains unheard.

Ours is a culture that celebrates womanhood, that reveres ‘Shakhti’, that acknowledges, welcomes and worships ‘Devis’.  When Lord Shiva is depicted as ArdhaNarishvara, Shiva and Parvathi are portrayed as equals - both co-exist to form the whole.  Despite such high philosophies in our scriptures, we turn a blind and often hateful eye when we view our women.   Why do we treat our womenfolk worse than animals?  

Women’s Day is truly a clarion call - a call for all of us to rise up, and to quell the atrocities against women. Until women are first and foremost recognized as human beings and treated fairly, we will have to consider every day as Women’s Day; and work towards their betterment.    Just as King Porus, though bound in chains and captured by Alexander, bravely answered that he wanted to be treated as an equal, similarly too,  Indian women should be able to stand up on their feet, and look into the eyes of men – not as their tormentors or masters but as their equals.  Only then can we really celebrate Women’s Day.   

Rocky Bow Bow - our neighbourhood's adorable dog!

Rocky is our neighbourhood’s little street dog.    With a name like Rocky, you would possibly expect a well-built, sturdy, ferocious dog.  After all, the name does bring up images of Sylvester Stallone as the extremely fit, well-muscled, famous boxer Rocky Balboa.  But in reality, Rocky Bow Bow (as the children call him fondly) is a scrawny little six-month old pup.  He is super friendly, adores children and loves playing with all the kids on the road - jumping up on them and resting his front paws on their shoulders, inviting them to pet him.   He lives off the bits and pieces given to him by the residents, and is thankful – the expression on his face and the ardent tail-wagging beautifully convey his loyalty and gratitude.  

Being a street dog, he has learnt to take care of himself and definitely fits the tag of being ‘street-smart’.  The other day, he accompanied me as I went on my morning walk.  We walked past several blocks and I hoped some other dog would not attack Rocky. Dogs are very protective of their territory and will not brook other dogs (even if they are scrawny little pups) encroaching their space.   Just as I feared, two ferocious dogs chased him to a corner.  But Rocky, true to his name, did not take it lying down. He snared his fangs, plumped himself up to look bigger than his diminutive self by raising the hair on his shoulders and back.  That kind of did the trick and the two dogs backed down.  Rocky knew when to make a quick exit; he spotted the chance and immediately ran away from the menacing dogs thus saving his skin!  

This encounter with the mean bad world did not deter him; he continued to follow me.     At the next block, I saw another street dog - he was standing on the same side as us and watching us.  Hoping to avert a showdown between Rocky and this dog, I crossed over to the other side of the road.  Rocky followed suit and stayed close to me.  The other dog, though a biggish fellow, seemed a little uncertain.  Dogs can certainly read and understand emotions.  Rocky somehow sensed the other dog’s hesitation, realized he (the bigger dog) was probably a little scared of him (Rocky). He turned the situation to his advantage and immediately chased the other dog, who had by then taken to his heels!  It was hilarious to see young little Rocky give chase to a dog that was almost triple his size!

Rocky’s actions can teach us a few valuable lessons - 

• Even though one may be small in size, we can still beat the big, bad fellows if we have courage and have our wits around us.  
• We can get out of any sticky situation – by understanding when to go on the offensive and when to beat a hasty retreat!  
• And most importantly, we can cultivate good relationships when we have a friendly and sunny disposition.  
• And ofcourse, when one wants to express love and gratitude, we just have to 'wag our tails’ furiously, the Rocky way!