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! 

Understanding the art of Honking

HORN-OK-PLEASE!!  Do you remember this slogan?  These words were invariably etched to the backs of most lorries or trucks.  I am still not sure what exactly the lorry driver intended to convey to the driver behind him, possibly he was requesting the latter to honk loudly when he tried to overtake him.  

Words apart, the sound of the horn in itself makes for an interesting study.  In fact, understanding the honking sound is an art; and definitely warrants the creation of a new subject called “Honkology”, (on the lines of the much studied medical field of Oncology), having its own syllabus and dedicated hours of study.  To briefly understand this, let us look at some of the honks and their meanings.  

• A single, gentle beep - The driver wants to alert you to his presence, without actually giving you a heart attack.  His mood is friendly and his intention is to give you a gentle nudge – telling you to move aside or to move faster ahead.

• A loud, longish press of the horn – The driver, in this case is a little annoyed and is finding his fellow riders irksome.  He seems to say “Common Man, MOVE it.  We don’t have all day!” or “Stop driving like your GRANDMA, get on with it!”

• A series of loud bangs on the horn – This driver has nearly come to the end of his tether and will not suffer any more foolishness on the road.  He is ANGRY and his honking screams “What the @#$$%%$&*!!”  He is surely running out of expletives to curse you and your tardy driving skills.  The sooner you get out of his way, the better.

• The ‘signal turned green’ beep – This is the typical horn that you will hear when you have stopped at a traffic light.  The instant the signal turns green, a few drivers press their horns to awaken sleepy-headed drivers in front of them.  There is hardly a second’s gap between the signal turning green and the blaring of horns from these self-appointed traffic-light keepers!  They seem to say, “Wake up folks, WAKE UP, start your vehicles and get going”.

Horns and honking are used not only while driving on the road but also as a secret code.  My neighbour, much to our irritation, on reaching home would honk loudly to the note of “pah pah papapah”.  This code was to inform his family that he had arrived home and that they had to open the gate for him. This routine was followed by all the members in his family and irrespective of the time they arrived home – evening or even late in the night- we would have to suffer with gritted teeth and hear them playing out their honking code.  We requested them to stop this irritating practice but they would not listen and our requests fell on deaf ears.   So to teach them a lesson, we all decided to follow their honking code.  Right outside their house, we would go “pah pah papapah” on our horns; one of the family members would come out to open the gate thinking that someone from their own family had returned home.  When they got fooled a few times this way, they realized their folly and much to our relief, stopped using their honking code!

      So you see, with a lot of case studies and examples, I am sure we can make the “Honkology”              subject interesting and easy to follow.  Do give it a serious thought OK, PLEASE? 

Kodo Millet Roti - Akki rotis using Varagu/Harka

Varagu Roti with chutney

The other day, for dinner, I prepared pongal using Kodo millets - varagu or harka as it is called in Tamil / Kannada.  I was a little distracted that evening and somehow ended up cooking double the quantity of pongal than what was required for our family.

Offering that again as breakfast the next morning was not an option -my girls would have revolted! So I decided to change its structure and form and deceive the gullible lot :-)

The pongal converted into roti dough!

Getting cooked on the tawa.

I added a bit of rice flour to the millet pongal - to give it a thicker, dough-like consistency.  I added chopped onions, coriander and some curry leaves and made rotis - similar to Akki roti, by pressing the millet dough into discs on a tawa - and cooked them. These came out very well; they had the nice and invigorating taste of curry leaves and pepper, were soft in the centre and slightly crisp around  the edges.  I served it with a slightly spicy coconut and groundnut chutney.

The girls loved the new roti and ate it with relish - not once realising that it was just last night's pongal that had morphed into this morning's roti!   A complete win-win situation for all at home!

Kodo Millet roti with coconut-groundnut chutney!

MILLETS are SUPER FOODS!

As young, growing-up children, do you remember what our Moms used to make us drink everyday?  Yes, a BIG glass of Kanji!  The kanji powder was made predominantly with lightly roasted ragi, wheat, different kind of dals and pulses, flavoured with elaichi and nutmeg. Two or three spoons of this powder was boiled in water to a porridge-like consistency, to which a glass of milk was added. This was possibly one of the healthiest malts - definitely packed with more nutrients than the current malt powders which are marketed as 'the secret of my energy' or 'the drink for growing children'.  Also, made at home by a loving mother or grandmother, with no chemicals/preservatives added, the kanji powder was definitely a super food.

Ragi is a type of millet and is known as Finger millet. Millets are packed with better nutrients as compared to rice and wheat. They are rich in fibre, have a good amount of protein and are bestowed with more mineral content.  The table below gives a comparison. As can be seen, it needs no additional convincing to realise why we should include more millets in our diet.

                        

Information sourced from the Internet

English Name of Millet	Tamil, Kannada equivalent
Foxtail	Tenai, Navane
Little	Samai, Sama
Kodo	Varagu, Harka
Proso	Pani varagu, Baragu
Barnyard	Kudhiravali, Odalu
Sorghum	Jowar, Cholam, Jola
Pearl	Bajra, Kambu,Sajje
Finger	Ragi, Keppai

 Of the various millets available, we are probably more familiar with Ragi, Jowar and Bajra.  Ragi is exceptionally rich in calcium and is ideal for people suffering from diabetes and for weight-watchers. When I was pregnant with my second child, during the last trimester I developed gestational diabetes. The doctor advised me to go for walks and consume ragi to avoid weight gain and reduce the sugar levels.  I did this religiously for a month and was back on track - not only were the sugar levels back under control, I did not also gain weight.    

Ragi Kuzhi appams

Ragi can be consumed in many ways - as Kanji mixed with milk and sugar or salt and butter-milk,  as Mudde or Ragi Balls, as Idlis, as Dosas, as Rotis or as Kuzhi appams,   For these, the batter is prepared in much the same way as normal idli or dosa except that rice is replaced by ragi.  Most of the other millets like Foxtail, Little, Proso can be cooked in the same manner as rice and had with sambar, rasam or curd.

Kodo Millet Upma!

The other day, I prepared Upma using Harka or Kodo Millet.  It has a nice nutty taste; and just a little is enough to fill our stomachs!  Prepare it just like the usual rawa upma - slightly dry
roasting the Kodo millet, and adding two and a
quarter cups of boiling water to a cup of millet.  An assortment of vegetables can be added.  I put in beans, carrot, peas, potato and a bit of grated coconut.

Dry roasted Kodo millet

Assorted vegetables saute'd in oil

Kodo and vegetables cooked in hot water

Books and Movies - A child's greatest influence!

All time favourite - Harry Potter series

Children are likely to be impressed by what they read and what they see; so much so that they extend their fictional experiences to real life.  My kids are the best examples to illustrate this point. They are avid readers and film watchers; their responses, choices and behaviour at home are impacted by the characters from their books and movies.

My elder daughter, a die-hard Potter fan, started reading the Harry Potter books when she was 9 years old.  Around that time, we took her to a store to buy clothes.  I pointed out to a nice green dress; her reaction – “Yewww, NOT GREEN! I don’t want to be a Slytherin!” And she of course picked up a maroon coloured T-shirt, chorusing all the while, “GO, GRYFFINDOR!” 

On her 11^th Birthday, she was hoping and praying that she would get a letter from Hogwarts to join the Magic School!  She was quite disappointed when that letter did not materialize, despite knowing that it was just fictional!

When her grand-mother asked her to explain some function of the TV remote, she kept making ‘hissing’ sounds.  Grandmother got angry and rebuked her – “Hey Kutty, what’s wrong with you?  Why don’t you talk properly?” Kutty’s cheeky response, “Oh Paati, I am sorry.  I forgot that you don’t understand or speak ‘Parsel tongue’!”

Recently, the Star Wars movie has also been a great influence.  As a run-up to the 7^th part of the series, we had a marathon viewing of the earlier movies and the girls were vastly impressed by a few characters from the movie.  Thanks to Yoda, English grammar can now be re-structured with the subject and predicate clauses in random positions.  I was preparing a traditional sweet called Haalbai and asked my daughter to taste it.  She did and her response was “Ahhh! After 15 years of you cooking, taste good this Haalbai finally!” 

Talking to my younger daughter and getting a proper response from her has become quite difficult these days.  I think she is crying but she is actually replying to some query of mine - making a strange, half-roaring, half-mewing sound like Chewie (Chewbacca from the Star Wars movie).  You can imagine my level of frustration!  Added to that are instances when the girls randomly whistle or talk in a stiff robot-like manner, emulating the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. 

And then there was the time when my elder girl started to read Shakespeare’s sonnets and dramas.  She was fascinated by the English of yore and would try to speak in a similar style at home.  When I switched off the Telly and asked her to go study, her dramatic response- “Oh Mother! Pray, I beseech thee! Let me watch some more.  I shalt pick up mine books anon.”  Not to be outdone, I replied in her own style – “Mine loving daughter, tarry not a moment!  Thou exams cometh, hence make haste and take to your books!”  She of course, gave me a withering look and muttered “Et tu, Mother?”

My younger girl learnt about rhyming words and that reflected in her speech at home.  She spoke to her father, “Oh Appa, you are so nice and loving.  Can you take us swimming?”  Appa was completely captivated by his daughter’s charming request and replied, “Yes, of course dear!  Ask Amma to pack your swimming gear!”