tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41269438919003613982024-03-14T10:00:09.017+05:30Mango Musings & Other Seasonal StoriesTigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-80182505794790804492012-12-13T19:51:00.003+05:302012-12-13T20:10:43.160+05:30A Little Big car: Part 3 - An unbiased review of the Renault Duster The <i><b><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://woodcrawler.blogspot.in/2012/12/unbiased-review-of-duster-part-3.html" target="_blank">third part of this series appears in the Woodcrawler's Journal </a></span></span></b></i>because the Duster was tested over a terrain that is a Woodcrawler's paradise.<br />
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It was a 14 hour drive from 6.30 AM to 8.30 PM in the 18th of November covering Chinnar, Anamudi Shola National Park and Munnar.<br />
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I am listing here the few things a Duster owner might be interested in but the full story can be found in the main post. Check the link above or that independent link below.<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;">For the Duster Fans</span></b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Total distance</span>: 338 kms</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Fuel consumed<span style="color: #990000;">:</span> </span>(full tank to full tank): 22 liters</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Fuel efficiency</span>: Highway - 18 +/-, Hills - 15 +/-, Off road - 12 +/- </span></b></i></span>(<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;">based on figures shown on the FE calculator in the instrument panel). Overall - 16 kmpl (based on topping up after 352 kms)</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Ride
quality</span>: Excellent. There were two people with bad backs in the car.
Despite the gruelling drive in the Anamdi Shola we both never felt even a
twinge of pain. On the highway there is no body roll even at high speeds and at no point do you get the feeling that you are losing control.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Engine noise</span>: Barely audible even when negotiating tough roads in low gears, almost silent on highway</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Gears</span>: Easy shifting, no strain between 2000 to 3000 rpm, shift down if you run below 1500 rpm. I have found the clutch as easy as in my Punto. Drivers shifting from petrol engines might take a little time to get used to the heavier clutch and frequent need for down shifting. </span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Steering</span>:
Easy and ultra steady. It was only when the wheels slipped of loose
rocks that I felt a wobble, which I think is natural. Again, people shiftin from a smaller or lighter car might find it a bit stiff.</span></b></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;">Tires</span>: Excellent on the highway. Minor slipping on loose gravel in the Shola. The OE MRF Wanderers seemed to be better suited to paved roads than off-roading. Have to test it out on rough terrain in the rains. </span></b></i></span><br />
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Here is the link to the <i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://woodcrawler.blogspot.in/2012/12/unbiased-review-of-duster-part-3.html" target="_blank">Unfinished Business in Anamudi Shola</a></span></span></span></b></i>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-41261702708465098662012-12-02T09:37:00.002+05:302012-12-02T13:56:23.068+05:30Masterpiece in Wood: The Padmanabhapuram Palace, Part -1Sometimes, unplanned travels throw up surprises, usually of the nightmarish kind and I thought my trip to Kanyakumari from Trivandrum was one such. I was in Trivandrum for three days to attend a conference and I had to find something to keep my 10 year old son engaged! Kanyakumari was one of the options and it made sense because I'd never plan a trip to the tip of peninsular India otherwise.<br />
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The road distance from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari is a little under 90 kilometers which, in normal circumstances, can be covered in less than two hours if you take the traffic into consideration. I thought if I started after breakfast I could do Kanyakumari with Suchidram, Padmanabhapuram and a couple of other places, and still be back at the hotel for dinner. Unfortunately, this calculation does not apply when driving on the NH-47. I had forgotten my own policy that <b><i><span style="color: orange;">distances should be measured in time</span></i></b> and not in kilometers; a rule that I follow when I drive my own car! I should have listened to the taxi driver when he said we'd have to start at 6 AM if we were to cover all the places I wanted to visit. I, being a lazy weekend person, had insisted that we'd start after breakfast. Consequently, at a quarter to 12 after a three hour drive, we had only reached <b><i>Thuckalay (52 kms)</i></b>.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange;">The Padmanabhapuram Palace</span></i></b> is about a kilometer off the highway, on the left, as you come from Trivandrum. Our main destination being Kanyakumari we wanted to walk around the complex quickly and get out to reach Kanyakumari for lunch! That was not to be. It being a Saturday the tourists were there in hordes. Besides, Padmanabhapuram Palace demands that you spend time to soak in it's history. When we finally managed to drag ourselves out, it was a quarter past 1.00! Now, I want to go back and spend a whole day there to absorb the history that each room carries!<br />
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You have to buy tickets to get in (Rs.25 for adults, Rs.10 for children under 12 and Rs. 25 for camera) and also deposit your footwear outside before entering the palace complex. Just keep in mind that there are pathways between buildings that are paved with interlocking tiles or granite so if you land there in the afternoon it might get mighty uncomfortable!<br />
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The main door to the palace is actually small for a complex this huge but it opens to let you in on a fabulous surprise.<br />
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Once you step past the bored policeman and ticket checker through the metal detector you reach the <span style="color: orange;"><b><i>'Poomukham'</i></b></span>, or the reception area of the palace. This was where the palace received it's visitors before being ushered to the Maharaja's presence. </div>
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On the left of the 'Poomukham' is a clock that is over 300 years old. I was supposed to be running perfectly but from the time we entered to the time we left the hands had not moved at all!</div>
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There are some <b><i><span style="color: orange;">interesting artefacts</span></i></b> in the 'Poomukham'. There is this <b><i><span style="color: orange;">chair gifted to the Maharaja by Chinese traders </span></i></b>and looking as if it were delivered yesterday. It seemed to be one of many as there were similar chairs in other rooms too. If only the Chinese stuff we buy these days lasted like this chair.......</div>
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A <b><i><span style="color: orange;">stone cot</span></i></b> next to it is supposed to have a cooling effect if you sleep on it, though it beats me how comfortable you will be, sleeping on it!</div>
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Just next to the staircase is a showcase with a collection of carved wooden objects called the <b><i><span style="color: orange;">'Onavillu'</span></i></b>. It is apparently a stringed musical instrument but the ones here, gifted to the Maharaja by local traders on the occasion of Onam, did not have any strings on them. They are decorated with carvings and paintings of Sree Padmanabhaswamy.</div>
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The ceiling of the 'Poomukham' is covered with <b><i><span style="color: orange;">carved lotus flowers</span></i></b>, 90 of them, each having it's own unique design.</div>
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There is a narrow staircase leading up to the floor above and it can easily be mistaken for the staircases found in traditional Kerala houses. For a palace, it seems rather inadequate, but when you consider the number of attempts to assassinate <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma</span></i></b> it makes perfect sense to have a narrow staircase! </div>
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On the upper floor is the <b><i><span style="color: orange;">'Mantrashala'</span></i></b>, the Maharaja's council chamber. There is another 'Chinese' chair here. The entire floor has slatted window screens that let in a cool breeze along with subdued light. <i><b><span style="color: orange;">The floor is a polished, plastered layer and it is apparently made of a mixture of lime, sand, egg shells, jaggery, burnt coconut shell and oils.</span></b></i> It retains it centuries old shine even now.</div>
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What is <b><i><span style="color: orange;">striking is the simplicity of the room</span></i></b>. No opulent carpets or ornate chandeliers. The floor is bare and shiny and light comes through the slats and the few small stained glass windows. It resembles a living room that belongs to a traditional Kerala house rather than in a Maharaja's palace!<br />
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You leave the room humbled and step into a vast empty hall; the<b><i> <span style="color: orange;">'Ootupura' or main dining hall</span>.</i></b> It is a long hall with terracotta floors. The roof is supported by two lines of pillars with <b><i><span style="color: orange;">single piece cross beams</span></i></b> that stretch across the breadth of the hall. <br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange;">The Maharaja used to feed 2000 people everyday </span></i></b>in this hall and the one below it! The room below has remnants of the serving 'vessels' used in those days. At one end of the hall are a group of urns that the guide told us, was the <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Chinese (again!) pickle storage jars. </span></i></b><br />
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The <b><i><span style="color: orange;">cooked rice and buttermilk</span></i></b> were stored for serving in rectangular granite troughs like the ones seen below.<br />
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As you look out of the windows of the 'Ootupura' you see the <b><i><span style="color: orange;">'Thai kottaram</span></i></b>'. It is the oldest building in the complex. 'Thai Kottaram' translates to 'Mother palace' not mother's palace as is wrongly described in some sites.. It is the first building to have come up in the palace complex, constructed sometime in the mid to late 16th century.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">I will take you on a tour of this building in the next post. Watch this space..</span></i></b>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-76640759729446972062012-11-12T22:58:00.000+05:302012-12-13T11:05:57.282+05:30A Little Big car: Part 2 - An unbiased review of the Renault Duster It's been nearly a fortnight since I laid hands on my Duster and I'm liking it a little more each time I take it out for a drive. I never looked at it as a replacement for my hatch, the Fiat Punto. I still drive it and love it as I did the day I got it home.<br />
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The Duster was for a purpose. Our outdoor trips were restricted due to the limited ground clearance of the hatch & sedan I own. I wanted something that would allow me access to places I couldn't go to because of the fear of damaging my car. My desire is a 4x4 but a front wheel drive compact SUV with a ground clearance that is better than a lot of full size SUVs is a good option till I have pockets large enough to go for one such big 4x4!<br />
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Palakkad isn't really the place for off roading but since I wasn't used to sitting idle on Sundays I decide to make do with what was around me. So my son Skanda and I drove of to explore the Duster's capabilities after breakfast.<br />
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First stop was Malampuzha. Only a week ago, I had reversed the Duster into a hole in the ground and struggled to get it out. Mind you, that wasn't the Duster's fault but mine. I should have checked out where I was going to put the wheel into but was too lazy to get out of the car to do it. This time my son was accompanying me so I was not going to make the same mistake again.<br />
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The track into the reservoir was all but submerged after the monsoons but we knew the area well to not land in a soup, literally. The spot where we usually park to photograph the birds were well underwater so we stopped to contemplate.<br />
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We walked into the reservoir up to our knees to check the 'underwater' status of the ground beneath. It was more sandy than slushy, which we knew from our summer visits, but the sand was firm and our feet weren't sinking into it. Since the Duster is front wheel drive car I reversed it into the water till front wheels had reached the edge. Then I drove it out. No problem at all.<br />
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The next step was to get all 4 wheels into the water. So I backed up till my son felt that the silencer was going under the water. I wasn't sure how deep I should go. <b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.renault.com.br/Veiculos/conheca-e-compare-a-gama-renault/duster/duster/galeria-de-media/photogallery/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">The Brazilian site says that the Duster has a water wading capacity of 400 mm</span></a> </span></i></b>but I wasn't sure if that was applicable to the Indian version so I didn't push things. The Duster seemed to be enjoying my discomfiture because she did not show any sign of having a wheel stuck. She just rolled out as she would on land!<br />
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That done, the next plan was to go into the water front first. So the same experiment of checking the depth and the firmness of the invisible earth was completed and then the car was lined up to go forward. After a quickly mumbled prayer I stepped on the pedal and let her roll into the water.<br />
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It wasn't much of a test but there was <b><i><span style="color: orange;">no slipping wheels despite a not so heavily buttoned MRF Wanderers</span></i></b>. I still have some reservations about the choice of OE tyres. Perhaps something designed like a Bridgestone Dueler would have been better.<br />
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The original track that leads to this spot was submerged in the water so as we drove out we thought we'd just shoot one final series of pictures before we left to our next test zone. Instead of pictures my son decide it would be more dramatic shooting a video!<br />
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The next plan was to go over rocky terrain to see how the car would do on the slopes. There was no ideal place around Palakkad for that sort of a test but Myladumpara where the Choolanur Pecaock Sanctuary was located seemed to be a compromise.<br />
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After lunch we drove off in the exact opposite direction of Malampuzha. There were no peacocks in sight, not even their loud squawking. Ideal time to do some off-roading without being blamed for 'road kills'!<br />
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The idea was to go down butt first. The slope was not too much but there was no place to turn at the bottom.<br />
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After a lot of thought we decided it was better go down nose. The slope was about 40 degrees with no loose rock or gravel at the bottom or on the slope. Considering that the turning circle was small for the Duster I though I'd give it a try.<br />
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My son wasn't very keen on having his Duster stuck at the bottom and not able to wriggle up backwards again. I relented and turned around again and reversed downwards.<br />
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It wasn't much of an effort here but I was getting the hang of manipulating this car. It was behaving in a very refined manner and the car went where I wanted it to go.<br />
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We returned after a long day outside. Life would take a turn now for us. This car was going to take us to places the were previously inaccessible to us. Meanwhile I have to take it on a few more rounds of testing over terrain that we'd be really doing. That would mean a longer weekend or during holidays.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">A WORD ABOUT FUEL EFFICIENCY:</span></b><br />
700 odd kilometers is too early to comment about fuel efficiency but I did two tankfuls in the last 10 days. The first one was after I got the car. The subsequent round trip to Cochin and back was a total of 426 kilometers. I refilled to full tank with 18 liters. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">That returns an mileage of 23.6 km/ltr on the highway</span></i></b>. I don't know whether I got my calculation wrong but I know that no other refueling was done. The trip to Malampuzha & Mayiladumpara shows a <b><i><span style="color: orange;">fuel comsumption figure of 15.8 km/liter on the on board fuel efficiency calculator</span></i></b> but I'll update the actual figure after I top up.<br />
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Meanwhile keep an eye on this spaceTigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-11142159291001316142012-11-04T20:04:00.000+05:302012-12-13T19:53:22.440+05:30A Little Big car: Part 1 - An unbiased review of the Renault DusterAfter a wait of almost 4 months I finally laid hands on my first "SUV", the Renault Duster. While I spending weeks chewing my way through many centimeters of fingernails I scoured the net for reviews of this "compact SUV". Some of them almost had me in tears and I thought I'd made a genuine error when I put my money down on this car. I got my Duster on November 1st, 2012 and I fell in love all over again.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange;">In more than one review it was said that the Duster is a car you'd buy with your heart but not with your head.</span></i></b> That got me thinking. All these reviews are written by people who know more than a little about cars. What does a lay person look for? I am one; an ordinary person who wants a car for a particular purpose. I decided that if someone was looking for help buying a Duster, there should be an 'unbiased' review. So here it is.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>THE BACKGROUND FOR A DECISION:</b></i></span><br />
My son and I love the outdoors and the only holiday destinations that pop up in our heads are some wild places. Till now we had been targeting places where we went on 'safaris' into the forest on vehicles belonging to the resorts or forest department. The Supreme court's recent ban on tourism in tiger reserves, (now lifted), had forced us to travel to hitherto unexplored (by us) places and we loved what we experienced. I also realized that<a href="http://woodcrawler.blogspot.in/2012/08/making-of-new-woodcrawler.html" target="_blank"> <span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>my son had grown up enough to qualify as a Woodcrawler</b></i></span></a><span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>!</b></i></span><br />
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It meant that I did not have to worry about having to look out for him like he was a little kid.<span style="color: yellow;"> <i><b><a href="http://woodcrawler.blogspot.in/2012/09/misty-mysterious-munnar-part-2-marayoor.html" target="_blank">A<span style="color: yellow;">naimudi Shola National park was our first destination</span></a></b></i></span> and a kilometer into this pristine environment made me realize our handicap. Our car was not designed for this sort of terrain.<br />
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We had been <b><i><span style="color: orange;">contemplating the Mahindra Thar</span></i></b> for a while now but there were two reasons causing us to postpone our decision. The <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Thar was a soft top</span></i></b> with no hard top in sight. I had too much of precious photography gear to lose if someone decided to slit the canvas top. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Besides I'm a nice person. I take all my family member's into consideration when I decide to buy a car! </span></i></b>My mother is pushing 70 and a Thar would not only be difficult for her to get into, it would also <b><i><span style="color: orange;">not be a very comfortable ride</span></i></b> for her. Therefore, the Thar only kept flitting in and out of my peripheral vision.<br />
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Then Renault announced the Duster. It had everything we were looking for.<br />
<ol>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Good looks</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Intimidating road presence </span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Big tyres to take any pothole</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">High ground clearance </span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Great space for the two of us</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Cavernous boot for all our luggage and gear</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Comfortable seats for mom in the back</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">An engine that would ensure our pockets weren't emptied at the fuel station</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">A price tag that wasn't overwhelming</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: orange;">Overall - VFM </span></i></b></li>
</ol>
I hope that all those who said people would buy the Duster with their hearts will read this!!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">VISUAL APPEAL:</span></i></b><br />
The Duster looks good in my eyes. I'm a conservative guy and I like no-nonsense looks rather than outrageous styling. After contemplating the Thar, the Duster was miles ahead in its design. Simple, neat and imposing for a little car! From the front it looks like an anaconda, but that must be because of my obsession with snakes recently!<br />
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Clean lines on the side with the flared wheel arches. To me, the best view is from the rear, but that must be because I like stubby butts (ask my friends)!<br />
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It is not as tall as a conventional SUV though the ground clearance is 205mm. I guess the roof rails were added to make it appear taller than it really is. Personally, I didn't like the quality of the stuff on top! Even the scuff plates are plastic so I really is no protection if you get a knock from some rock or hard surface at high speeds, but then I'm sure no one will take the Duster on a rally! We all drive slow over broken roads don't we? I don't buy cars to smash them anyway!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">INTERIORS:</span></i></b><br />
The interiors are spartan but neat.<br />
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The dials and displays are clear and basic. Besides the usual speedo, tacho, fuel and temperature gauges there is also a driver information panel where you have your odometer, trip odometer, fuel consumption and other essential information.<br />
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The integrated audio system gives a decent output through the four door mounted speakers. The USB port and audio controls are clustered around the display, with the AC controls placed at the bottom.</div>
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You have comfortable fabric covered seats (height adjustment is available only in the 110PS versions), but I felt the lack of thigh support at the end of my drive of 150 kms. I have already added an after market padded, customized seat covers. It has lifted my seating position by a centimeter and now gives good support to the thigh and back. If you plan to use your Duster, it will be a good idea to get your seats covered by professional upholsterers. The seat covers available in the Renault accessories section look good but didn't seem very firm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLKIev1AHSBF6Z9ExnBcx5V_HhO2hpLYYUP2BHfPII2uDSwbrWLniPdytWGIgJVyicpnXDkJMl0Z4yAP21Ox3khkTkCNM50-GFWoMYE7VM4PJEC3sRnMnXlgenb2rUV8H73RRhKPDRzkr/s1600/PB040035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLKIev1AHSBF6Z9ExnBcx5V_HhO2hpLYYUP2BHfPII2uDSwbrWLniPdytWGIgJVyicpnXDkJMl0Z4yAP21Ox3khkTkCNM50-GFWoMYE7VM4PJEC3sRnMnXlgenb2rUV8H73RRhKPDRzkr/s400/PB040035.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know a lot of comments are made about the quality of plastics but if you really wanted 'superb plastics' you shouldn't be buying the Duster. Buy the Koleos or any SUV that costs 20 lakhs and above! Otherwise, quit complaining!<br />
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There is decent head and leg room both in the front and back. I read somewhere that the rear leg room is less than adequate. I'm sure that person would have been a six footer. The average Indian adult's height is between 160 to 170 centimeters and the rear leg room is more than sufficient for anyone who measures under 170 centimeters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0I9K7LRWBv9weRgXp7G7F-i9iR5O2iP66LaxFelI0uII86HFtamMxexy9piI7krvnkzODutOpmQYekn8EW47hzktOeyWOGNzWd7CSCkA3XQpZiuMXoBgm7q_h_eziBLpRXJ_FGysBJQCv/s1600/PB040036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0I9K7LRWBv9weRgXp7G7F-i9iR5O2iP66LaxFelI0uII86HFtamMxexy9piI7krvnkzODutOpmQYekn8EW47hzktOeyWOGNzWd7CSCkA3XQpZiuMXoBgm7q_h_eziBLpRXJ_FGysBJQCv/s400/PB040036.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This photo is with the after market seat covers put on and the front seats in a position that is comfortable for me to drive.<br />
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The aircon is very good. Cools the car really quickly, even without the rear AC vent that is available in the 110PS versions. There is a bottle/cup holder just behind the handbrake which I didn't find very obtrusive. It is it's place that the rear AC vent is placed so really can't understand what the fuss about lack of leg room for the third passenger is all about.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">THE 'QUIRKS' (?):</span></i></b><br />
Lots of reviews seem hell bent at finding faults at 'something different'. Hey! Even we humans are different from one another! We look different, walk different, talk different. I wear my watch on my right and that is different! Here are a list of things that are different, but certainly not 'quirks', on the Duster.<br />
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1. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">The ICE (audio control) buttons</span></i></b> are placed just behind the steering wheel on the right side. For those used to lifting your thumb off the steering wheel to press the audio control button it will take a little while to get used to this. Personally I like it this way. You can use, not one thumb, but many fingers to adjust volume, mute or scroll through albums! It's like playing a piano! For someone upgrading from a car without steering audio controls it will not be a problem at all.<br />
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2. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">The ORVM controls</span></i></b> are located between the front seats. Most cars have it on the right side door. I wonder why it should be bothersome. After all, we adjust the rear view mirrors before shifting to first gear so why does it matter where the buttons are placed? The only thing I felt could have been added are a provision to make the mirror close automatically like in my Optra. Helps in congested roads and heavy traffic! I wouldn't have to lower the window and stretch my arm out to close the mirror and risk it getting knocked by passing traffic.</div>
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3. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">The CENTRAL LOCKING button</span></i></b> is also 'oddly' located, on the central console just above the AC controls. It is placed on the left of the hazard warning button.</div>
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4. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">HEAD LIGHT HEIGHT ADJUSTER:</span></i></b> The headlight adjuster is placed on the right hand side of the dashboard just above the bonnet opening lever. It is cable operated unlike most vehicles where is is electronic, and that probably explains its location.</div>
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5.<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: orange;">REMOTE BOOT OPENING: </span></i></b>Before you go looking for a remote boot opening lever or button, let me assure you, you won't find one even if you lift up the mats or look under the seat!<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> It is not there.</span></i></b> Someone was complaining that people could just open the trunk and walk off with their valuables! How crazy? In the days of the Ambassador, Premier Padmini and Maruti 800 we have never seen this feature and learned to live with it. You can always lock your trunk with your key or with your remote central lock!</div>
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6.<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> BONNET SUPPORT:</span></i></b> The Duster has a hydraulic bonnet support instead of the conventional hook. Again, there was someone complaining that if it failed someone would have to be holding it up. I'm yet to see the hydraulic support arm in the boot fail, even in the humble OMNI. Also, as if you'll be opening the bonnet as often as you'd open the boot! C'mon, there is a limit to making ridiculous comments!</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">OTHER PLUSES:</span></i></b></div>
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Besides the 'quirky' the <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Duster has its share of pluses</span></i></b> too.</div>
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1. The<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> 85PS engine</span></i></b> is pleasure to drive, and apparently better for city driving than the 110PS version. There is a little noise that can be felt inside but not annoying. After all it is a big diesel car, isn't it?<br />
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2. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Drives like a car</span></i></b>. The Duster is based on the Logan's platform and because of that you don't find it difficult to handle, either on the highway or outdoors. It drives like a car and takes the rough with dignity.<br />
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3. The<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> boot is really huge</span></i></b>. 475 liters with the parcel shelf in position and more than double of that with the shelf removed and rear seats folded down. Enough space for family, pets & luggage!<br />
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4. In addition to the charger socket on the front console, Duster has an<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> additional socket at the back</span></i></b> on the side of the parcel shelf. It is a very thoughtful touch, I think.<br />
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5. The <span style="color: orange;"><b><i>AC is very powerful</i></b></span>. Cools very quickly and the rear vent is really not necessary, this being a compact SUV.<br />
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6. There is a <b><i><span style="color: orange;">large glove compartment </span></i></b>with separate partition for user & service manuals. It is also illuminated. There are fairly deep door pockets but it won't hold a 1 liter bottle though.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">WHAT I DON'T LIKE:</span></i></b><br />
If this has to be an unbiased review I have to admit that there are some things I don't like in the Duster. Here is what I dislike.<br />
1. The<b><i><span style="color: orange;"> power window buttons</span></i></b> on the front door a positioned quite in front, beyond the arm rest. You have to reach out because it does not fall within the natural reach of your fingers if you tend to keep use the arm rest. It also scrapes this arm rest when you stretch for them.<br />
2. <span style="color: orange;"><b><i>Windows don't have 'continuous' mode</i></b>. </span>You have to keep the button pressed or pulled to roll down or up completely.<br />
3. The AC could have had <b><i><span style="color: orange;">automatic climate control</span></i></b>. It get chilly very quickly. Summer is far away so I'll only know how good it is only a few months from now.<br />
4. The <b><i><span style="color: orange;">rear seat</span></i></b> flips fully. It is not a 60-40 foldable seat like you find even in little hatchbacks.<br />
5. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Removing and replacing the spare wheel is a pain. </span></i></b>There is a bolt in the boot that has to be loosened to lower the tray holding the wheel. The tray has to then be unhooked from the bolt to get the wheel on the ground. It is an even bigger pain to lift the wheel, search blindly for the nut's hooked end (your fingers have to be made of elastic) and fix the wheel tray's clamp on it. You will need the help of someone for this exercise. Hopefully, I'll not get many punctures!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">DRIVING EXPERIENCE:</span></i></b><br />
As I drove it out of the showroom in Cochin, into mid morning traffic on NH-47 the first thing I noticed is the view. After years of sitting in sedans & hatchbacks, where you feel your butt is almost scraping the road, I felt I was back in the seat of my Tata Sierra. Duster gives you a commanding view and when a tiny hatch drives up next to you at the traffic light you can give it a contemptuous look!<br />
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From Edapally junction to the bypass junction at Ollur, outside Thrissur, it is a beautiful stretch of four lane road. The Duster was in it's elements, overtaking with ease. You can feel the turbo kicking in and a surge of additional thrust as you put your weight on the pedal. Keep your tacho between 1500 to 2000 rpm or shift gears.<br />
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I have only clocked less than 300 kilometers after four days of ownership. I will add more of my experiences after a couple of weeks of driving it on all types of terrain.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Meanwhile, the Duster is for you if you fulfill the following.</span></i></b><br />
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<ol>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Upgrading from a hatchback or small sedan.</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Want to do a bit off rough driving where a 4x4 is not a necessity</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">If you always carry more photography gear than luggage like I do! I carry one duffel for my clothes but two large camera bags for two DSLR bodies and a large collection of lenses, a large & small tripod, a monopod, and additional camera bags for portability in places where I need only one or two lenses. </span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">If you are looking for a practical car and are not fixated on luxury. You'd be better off looking at something that costs twice as much if that is your reason to buy a Duster.</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">If you are realistic to understand an SUV, compact or otherwise, can seat only 5 in comfort. The rear seats are for little kids. If you want a seven seater, buy a MUV like an Innova or Aria</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">If you like to drive at a resaonable speed and pick your way through potholes and rough roads</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">If you are on a budget and fuel economy is one of the criteria that swings your buying decision.</span></i></b></li>
</ol>
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<b><i><span style="background-color: #ffd966; color: #cc0000;">If you don't fulfill the above, but still bought a Duster, you probably used your heart and not your head!!</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/123824-renault-duster-official-review.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: yellow;">You can read a really detailed review from TEAM-BHP </span></b><b><span style="color: yellow;">here</span></b></a></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><i>Watch this space......I will keep updating as my experience with the Duster grows!</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="http://juicymangotales.blogspot.in/2012/12/a-little-big-car-part-3-unbiased-review.html" style="background-color: yellow;" target="_blank">The third part is uploaded</a></b></i></span></div>
Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-78261644944394654982012-10-11T21:48:00.000+05:302012-10-12T10:25:57.190+05:30Pedaling for a causeMeet Jayakumar T Malampuzha. If you are passionate about something you can take a leaf out of Jayakumar's book. He has two loves that I know of (which I discovered in a few lines of conversation), <b><i><span style="color: orange;">cycling & photography.</span></i></b><br />
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On our way to <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Pambadum Shola</span></i></b> on the 28th of August 2012, we overtook a gentleman on a bicycle pedaling uphill, a few kilometers short of Top Station. We thought nothing of it because we were trying to reach the shola for a possible trek. I remember making a passing mention to Skanda about the bicycle he was on because my son's next birthday gift was to be a bicycle with an attitude, literally. Bad Attitude is a Firefox model that my son took a fancy for and we were to order it after our return from Munnar.<br />
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The next day, the last our last of our holiday, we were driving out of Munnar toward Chinnar. At a corner amongst the tea gardens was <b><i><span style="color: orange;">this gentleman on the bicycle </span></i></b>again! He had stopped to take some pictures and I thought it would be an opportunity to make acquaintance.<br />
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As he was rolling downhill, I waved and pointed my camera towards him. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">A photographer, who won't stop for a camera is as rare as a Nilgiri Marten!</span></i></b> Sure enough, he stopped.<br />
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Jayakumar is employed by the Central railways in Mumbai and he was on a Mission. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that he was from my district, and a place I visit often, Malampuzha. He had taken off for Onam with a <b><i><span style="color: orange;">single minded purpose; promoting self-propelled transport</span></i></b>. The mountain bike he was sitting on is almost half the price of a decent motorcycle! He had put it on a train, landed in Cochin and pedaled all the way upto Munnar and surrounding areas to spread the message about bicycling. In a city like Mumbai it makes perfect sense to ride to work on a bicycle. You can simply wade through traffic jams and probably reach your work place faster than someone in a swanky car!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange;">Bicycling also does many other things. It improves your health & of others around you because you don't pollute the environment. You save precious money for yourself and the the country because you don't burn dwindling fossil fuel. Parking is never a problem and the police never give you a parking ticket or haul your wheels away! Besides, all you need is an post or railing to secure your transport! Imagine how our cities would be if everyone rode to work on a bicycle. We could play football on the roads! </span></i></b><br />
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Anyway Jayakumar had finished half his journey. He was going downhill to Udumalapet where he would halt for the night. The <b><i><span style="color: orange;">next day he would push on uphill to Valparai, then dowhill through Sholayar, Athirapalli and onto Cochin</span></i></b> for the train back to Mumbai.<br />
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As he disappeared downhill I wondered how he would cross Anaimalai Tiger Reserve. I wasn't sure if the TN Forest Department staff manning the check post at border at Chinnar would be very cooperative.<br />
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We met him again at Lakkom waterfalls. I wished him luck on his mission again and told him to move quickly. He had to cross Anaimalai Tiger Reserve before dark or he'd be risking an encounter with the elephants there.<br />
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I guess, my worry was misplaced. I saw his pic on his <b style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jayakumart.malampuzha" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">Facebook Page.</span></a><span style="color: yellow;"> </span></b><span style="color: white;">The one posted after he reached Ernakulam (Cochin)</span><br />
<br />Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-60016787034978508542012-08-09T20:01:00.001+05:302012-08-09T20:24:34.816+05:30A Grand weekend in Ernakulam - Part 2<span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>6th August, 2012</b></i></span><br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.grandhotelkerala.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Grand Hotel </span></a></i></b>is not for the discerning if creature comforts are on top of your list. You'll be better off staying elsewhere and visiting the restaurant in time for the famous <span style="color: orange;"><i><b>"Fish Curry Meals" & "Karimeen" fry</b></i></span>, (of which follows later in this post). <br />
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The chill woke me before my alarm went off. The air conditioner had a remote with temperature control but pressing the buttons did not make any difference. I like rooms to have a fan, besides the air conditioner. I prefer to cool the room and then let the fan take over from the A/c, but I did not have a choice here because the ceiling was bereft of the three bladed appliance. <br />
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Grand has a neat bathroom and they have a card placed strategically to remind you to save water. One instruction was to collect water in the sink while ........ but there was no rubber bung (the one that is usually suspended with a chain) to close the hole!<br />
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The other instruction is to use a mug of water while shaving but I failed to see any mug in my immediate vicinity.<span style="color: orange;"><i><b> Perhaps my vision was failing or the housekeeping is not reaching the bathroom!</b></i></span><br />
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We went down for breakfast but I guess complimentary breakfasts are always a weakness in many hotels. Grand was no exception. They have a rather limited menu and it suffices to say that it wasn't "grand". If you want a good south Indian breakfast the Woodlands next door, or Dwaraka a little further up near the Medical Trust Hospital junction and the Bharat Hotel (BTH) on Durbar hall road are better options. <br />
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My talk was at 9 AM so I did not have the time to go to get our crisp dosas for breakfast and we drove off to the venue. My son was playing on my laptop while my session was on but as time wore on and my laptop battery started running low he started getting fidgety. We excused ourselves and went in search of the Renault showroom. It was open but there weren't anyone to give us a test drive. It was a Sunday after all. We satisfied ourselves inspecting the SUV inside out and returned to the Grand.<br />
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12 noon is a little early for lunch so we went up to the room thinking of getting into something less formal. Unfortunately for us housekeeping was in the middle of their chores. The aroma of frying fish was wafting around the lounge outside the restaurant so we decided an early lunch was in order. After all the breakfast was a disappointment.<br />
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The restaurant is the centerpiece of the Grand Hotel. It is famous for its "Fish Curry Meals" & "Karimeen fry". I remember when my sister was a student of the St.Teresa's college my father used to travel to Ernakulam very frequently. It was <span style="color: orange;"><i><b>breakfast in BTH</b></i></span> (because we always stayed there as it was next to the harbour and we could watch the ships from our room!), <span style="color: orange;"><i><b>lunch in the Grand and dinner at the Oberoi restaurant </b></i></span>at the Madhava Pharmacy end of the M.G road.<br />
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They had cubicles in those days so we could stuff ourselves without attracting attention! <span style="color: orange;"><i><b>It was always the fish curry meals for my parents with 'karimeen' (Pearl spot) and fried prawns</b></i></span>. My sister being a staunch 'chickiterian' would never take even a nibble from the seafood. Now, I should not forget to mention here that my father never ate seafood outside of the Grand Hotel. He loved the fish and prawns served in the Grand because they never carried the typical 'fishy' odour of seafood!<br />
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The cubicles are long gone but the restaurant itself hasn't changed much. The furniture is old fashioned and comfortable; unchanged after all these long years. After all, <b><i><span style="color: orange;">no one eats in a hurry in the Grand</span></i></b>. You don't want to spend a fortune at the doctor's to dig up a little fish bone from the back of your throat after a lovely meal! There are also some interesting water colour paintings about the pearl spot.<br />
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My son ordered his regular menu of kulchas & paneer. (I wonder when he'll get bored of it because I have to finish it for him and frankly paneer is not in my list of the best foodstuff to consume!). <b><i><span style="color: orange;">I ordered my father's menu.</span></i></b><br />
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The restaurant was empty except for a young man next to us behind a pillar and a couple sitting a little further away. He was determined to stuff himself with all the seafood that he could consume. He had ordered a 'karimeen fry' and had followed it up with some crab. My tummy was starting to protest but a waiter appeared and dropped off a basket of freshly fried 'papadums'.<br />
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It helps you pass time till your fish and prawns get fried, and it settles unobtrusively into a corner of your tummy so you won't feel full and not enjoy the rest of what follows. Half an hour later as the waiter started laying the plates I realized the 'a table for two' was a little small for both of us and a full fish curry meal!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange;">There was the fish curry, the prawns fry, the karimeen fry, the thorans, sambar, puliserry, rasam, buttermilk and a collection of 'chammandis', pickle and 'injipuli'.</span></i></b> There was no place for the plate with the last three items mentioned! Of course you don't see any more pictures of the spread because we were tucking into it without further delay.<br />
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Half past twelve the crowd was building up. Mostly families of three or four generations, from granddads to little babies. By 1 PM all the tables were taken.<br />
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Most of the clientele were traditional Malayalee families. The older men were mostly in their hallmark 'mundus'. Karimeens appeared in a variety of forms and sizes and each table fell into silence as jaws got working on the lovely fare laid out. </div>
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<b><i style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="color: yellow;">If you are tempted to try out this colourful meal keep these points in memory.</span></i></b></div>
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<li><b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Karimeen fry is available throughout the day as fresh stocks come in batches.</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">The karimeen is priced according to size. (The one I got was Rs.380/-)</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Fish curry meals are premium stuff so they have make it in limited numbers</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">They plan for 100 plates for walk in clients and another 50 for hotel guests and telephone orders. A total of 300 plates between lunch and dinner!</span></i></b></li>
<li><b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">The fish curry meal will not be served in the rooms (obviously) </span></i></b></li>
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The disappointment of the morning faded and we packed our bags to check out to take a boat trip in the lagoon.</div>
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Watch this space......</div>
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<br />Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-55433199586844097972012-08-08T22:36:00.001+05:302012-08-08T22:39:57.582+05:30A Grand weekend in Ernakulam - Part 1As a health professional attending conferences as a delegate or a speaker is a welcome diversion. A chance to catch up with friends from college days or colleagues from the profession. Most of the conferences are confined to big cities because the are better connected or have great venues with excellent facilities. That is reason I avoid many of them even if they are interesting. I hate cities. I love open spaces and cities cramp me. Traffic snarls annoy me sufficiently to make me want to scream.<br />
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Unfortunately, if I get invited to speak at one of these conferences I have little choice to pack my bags with some formal stuff. My jungle greens and earth browns have to stay on the shelves!<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">4th August, 2012. Destination Ernakulam. </span></b><br />
I started off at a quarter past three in the afternoon with the express agenda of dropping in at the Renault showroom and wangle a test ride in the Duster. I had got on the Palakkad - Shornur road to avoid the NH 47, but I was rudely reminded that the "best laid plans of men and mice...." are always at best plans. It seemed the whole world had decided to use that road that evening and by the time I got onto the NH 47 after Thrissur it was 5.30 PM. Two hours for a little under 80 kilometers!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: orange;">I thought four lane roads were designed to save time but I guess Kerala needs eight lanes. </span></i></b>The two kilometers through Angamaly took me 15 minutes. I was restraining myself from spewing expletives at the inconsiderate drivers because my son was sitting next to me. So, when I finally rolled onto the Edapally-Vytilla bypass it was almost 7.30 PM. The Renault showroom would have been closed anyway and besides, in the wonderful mood I was in, taking a test drive in a SUV in maddening traffic would have been a recipe for disaster. We decided that Duster could wait.<br />
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I got to the reception of the Grand Hotel at 7.45 PM and the mood was beginning to lift. I've seen Ernakulam change over the last three decades but <b><i><span style="color: orange;">here was a place seemed to be caught in a time warp </span></i></b>though it was located in the heart of M.G road! Not yet hungry, we left our bags in the room an drove out. Marine drive at 8.15 PM looked deserted which was a surprise for me. In Kerala's most happening city, nothing was happening on a Saturday evening. Rainbow bridge lacked colour.<br />
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Perhaps the threat of rain was a deterrent, or maybe the raids on the eateries after food poisoning instances in the Shawarma stalls.<br />
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The tide had gone out and the boats were half floating on the muddy bottom of the lagoon. The lights on the distant wharves looked inviting but there was no boatman in sight to take us on ride. Enrica Lexie would have had a hand in the matter.<br />
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We came back to the comforting warmth of the hotel as a light drizzle started making an outdoor jaunt a little risky. I had a talk to deliver next day and I didn't want to end up with a non-performing throat!<br />
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The restaurant was packed, as always. Grand Hotel is a little older than me and it is not a place that attracts it's guests through advertisements. It's fame is more from word of mouth and most people come back to its restaurant for the seafood.<br />
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If you want to enjoy a meal here be prepared to wait. The food comes slowly. No one pushes you or hurries you. Eat slowly, soak in the atmosphere and inhale the aroma of beautifully prepared sea food. If you are looking for traditional Kerala cuisine you can be assured that your tummy will gurgle in delight.<br />
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We found ourselves a table and for the next hour we were lost in the delicate tickling of our taste buds by Grand's chefs. My son and I love our food and that helps us sleep well. We retired to our room walking though narrow corridors lined with coir matting, not exotic carpeting!<br />
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There are about 15 rooms to a floor. The road facing rooms are a little larger and spacious and the corner rooms (the suites) have balcony that over looks the gate and the M.G road. Once you are inside your room you feel you are transported back in time because the TV is still the one with the CRT type picture tube, the furniture and fixtures are old and the floors are wooden and un-carpeted.<br />
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We settled for the night comfortably. The next day's tale is for the morrow!<br />
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<br />Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-71360013633950591752012-05-31T22:07:00.000+05:302014-07-01T09:34:22.624+05:30Christ in Dwaraka on Arjuna's ChariotWe were on our way back from Nagarahole through Wayanad. I returned through a different route that bypassed Kalpetta and reached Vythiri directly from Mananthavady. (After Mananthavady this route passes through <b><i><span style="color: orange;">Dwaraka,</span></i></b> Tharuvana, Padinjarethara, Pozhuthana and hits the Kozhikode- Mysore highway at Vythiri). It is a five kilometers shorter but takes a little longer to drive as it is more winding than the highway. If you want to go in the direction of Banasurasagar Dam this is the route to take.<br />
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After Vythiri the Downhill starts; some 10 kilometers of excellent ghat roads. Once you reach Adivaram, the first village below the ghats the rest of the drive is through roads winding through small towns with intervening stretches of mostly rubber estates.<br />
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Dwaraka, off the coast of Gujarat is Lord Krishna's mythical capital. It was apparently swallowed by the ocean six times and the present city is the seventh, probably waiting for it's turn to be swallowed by the ocean. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">The Dwaraka in Wayanad fears no such calamity as it is perched high above kissing the clouds.</span> </i></b><br />
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It would have been just another town and I'd have driven through it without a sideward glance if it had not been for this.<br />
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I actually drove past it before my brain whirred and clicked. I wasn't sure what I'd just seen so I turned around and came back to this unusual but beautiful sight. A neat church with an eye catching piece of sculpture at the gate. Jesus Christ on Arjuna's chariot.<br />
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Lord Krishna was Arjuna's charioteer in the battle at Kurukshetra. Before the battle begins Arjuna asks Krishna to take the chariot between the two opposing forces. The realization that he was to face his cousins, elders, teachers and friends makes Arjuna despondent and he lays down his arms and turns to Krishna for advice.<br />
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The conversation between them forms the escence of the Bhagavad Gita. The Pandavas won the war and eventually the Dvapara yuga reached its end with the passing of Krishna from his earthly avatar.<br />
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Now, the Kali yuga is a period where humans degenerate spritually and the earth will be strife ridden. Of the many attributes of the Kali yuga that the Mahabharata describes, the most ominous is about human relationships.<br />
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;"><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avarice" style="background-image: none; text-decoration: none;" title="Avarice"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Avarice</span></span></a><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> and wrath will be common. Humans will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" title="Dharma">dharma</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> will occur.</span></span></span></i></b></li>
<li style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">People will have thoughts of murder with no justification and will see nothing wrong in that.</span></i></b></li>
<li style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">Lust will be viewed as socially acceptable and sexual intercourse will be seen as the central requirement of life.</span></i></b></li>
<li style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">Sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish.</span></i></b></li>
<li style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">People will take vows and break them soon after.</span></i></b></li>
<li style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;">People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks and drugs.</span></i></b></li>
<li style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><i><span style="background-color: yellow; color: red;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru" style="background-image: none; text-decoration: none;" title="Guru">Gurus</a> will no longer be respected and their students will attempt to injure them. Their teachings will be insulted, and followers of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kama" style="background-image: none; text-decoration: none;" title="Kama">Kama</a> will wrest control of the mind from all human beings.</span></i></b></li>
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I'm sure my reader, every sentence above is a familiar happening in this era.<br />
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Perhaps, Jesus has a reason to be on the chariot. He needs to reach out not to a few million but billions of wayward humans.<br />
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It is a sobering thought, that the Mahabharata described so precisely what we are faced with today. <b><i><span style="color: orange;">It will take the combined might of Allah, Jesus and Krishna to turn this world around.</span></i></b><br />
<br />Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-73499387240330778772012-05-20T09:39:00.000+05:302012-05-21T07:30:55.577+05:30Conversation with a Clay elephant<u><i style="color: orange;"><b>April 15th, 2012 </b></i></u><br />
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The first time I visited Punathoor kota I met <i style="color: #b45f06;"><b>the Clay Elephant.</b></i> No. He is not a pachyderm made out of clay but one who looked like he was made out of it. There is an area in the sanctuary that appears to have been a coconut groove not so long ago but now only a sad reminder of the past. The trees were nothing other than long 'stumps' with no fronds on the top.<br />
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In this rather pathetic setting were a few elephants standing
forlornly waiting for respite from the sun. One of them stood out from
the rest because of his unusual appearance. All brown and covered with
dried vegetation.<br />
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<i><b>The CLAY ELEPHANT.</b></i></div>
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He didn't seem to be in 'musth'. I could not see that tell tale trickle from the temporal glands that usually is visible above and behind the eyes. Perhaps he was at the end of a cycle.<br />
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However, his behaviour wasn't exactly encouraging enough for me too creep up close enough. He kept reaching out and picking up all the litter around him and covering himself with it. Maybe the heat was getting to him and being tied up under a tree that offered no shade was obviously making him think out of the box. I was afraid that if I went too close, he'd take a swipe at me, just for the heck of it! <br />
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The afternoon sun was beating down mercilessly and I didn't want to
risk a heat stroke. Not one to take undue risks, I let him
continue with his preoccupation and went on my way. Of course, the clay
elephant had to have the last word. He gave me a look that could only have meant, <i><b>"Beat it, human. You annoy me".</b></i><br />
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That image of an elephant stayed imprinted on my brain for a long time. Mostly because other elephants in musth were not looking so menacing like this brown brute. So when I revisited Punathoor kota I made it a point to visit my old friend, <b style="color: #b45f06;"><i>the Clay Elephant</i></b>, again.<br />
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<i><u><b>May 6th, 2012 </b></u></i></div>
My second visit, unlike my first was remarkable. There were more
elephants this time. Most of the tuskers that had gone off for the
temple festivals had returned and Punathoor kota was buzzing with
activity.<br />
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The paths between the trees and concrete pillars to which the elephants were tethered were almost buried under mounds of palm leaves, the favourite fodder of these pachyderms. Truck loads were coming in and the mahouts were busy gathering the quota allocated for their charges. I was curious to see how my friend, <i style="color: #b45f06;"><b>the Clay elephant</b></i> was doing.<br />
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It was nearly a month since I had seen him and I wasn't expecting him to be there in his place now. I was wrong. He was very much there, and very much the same brown colour as before. I was tempted to think that his mahout had give up on bathing him. Why else would he be covered in the same brown mud & dust almost three weeks later? He busy eating his breakfast when I dropped in to say hello.<br />
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Only this time, he was far more calmer. He looked more healthier then before and less obsessed at taking a swipe at the people walking past, than the last time I saw him. Or was he? I had gone a little closer this time because he didn't look so agitated. He was ripping strips of the palm leaf and crunching on it like we crunch into a juicy sugarcane.<br />
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Then <i style="color: #b45f06;"><b>my Clay elephant</b></i>, noticed me and dropped the strip he was holding. <b>Did he recognize me?</b> I wondered. I know elephants have good memories so he probably recalled our last encounter. My thought was reinforced when he suddenly picked up a new palm leaf with a rather intimidating stalk. I thought he wanted to take a swipe at me but he looked at me calmly and asked, "Breakfast?"<br />
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I wasn't sure how to answer but I finally blurted out, "Er. No...no. I've eaten already". He looked disappointed so I quickly added, "And, Oh! My teeth aren't designed to chew such heavy duty stuff." <br />
He rumbled, "That is not a problem. I'll show you", and proceeded to teach me how to eat pachyderm style. "First", he said, "hold it like this", and placed the thick stalk under his fore foot. "Then grab an edge like this", he continued as he twisted his trunk around a corner of the stalk.<br />
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"Now, hold tight and pull up"<br />
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"If you have any difficulty you can use your other foot like a pivot. Like this"<br />
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"Then you can pull it up, as you push sideways with your foot. See. It's so easy"<br />
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I was impressed. I've heard of ambidextrous people so what would you call this elephant?! I wasn't sure but he wasn't finished. "Once you have a long bit, twist it around your trunk and rip it off"<br />
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<i><b>Rrrrrriipppppp!!!!!</b></i></div>
For one fleeting moment my brain went into overdrive.I couldn't help imagining myself in the place of that palm leaf. Oooooh! How excruciating? Statistics have shown that the number of mahouts killed by elephants have nearly trebled since 1997. The pachyderms are not to blame, the owners are. The greed for more earnings from the beast puts more stress on them.<br />
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My <i style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Clay elephant</b></i>, looked anything but threatening, if you discounted his appearance! He interrupted my reverie, "Hey! What are spacing out for? Do you want a bite of this juicy strip? Come on. I wont hurt you".<br />
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I muttered something about my gut not made for tough stuff. He retorted, "Stupid humans. Fiber is good for the gut. It helps you clean your insides. Look behind me. You'll know what I mean"<br />
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Then he closed his eye and started chewing contentedly on the strip. The only other noise was his insides rumbling. I didn't say goodbye. He was in a world of his own, where his kind were free to roam. I did not want to spoil his dream.<br />
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For all those who still think elephants are for parading, go through this page.<br />
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These disturbing stats appeared in the Times of India Sunday edition on March 15th, 2012. There are more thought provoking articles on that page.<br />
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<b><i>It's time we gave up our obsession with parading these gentle giants. </i></b></div>
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<i><b>Wake up Malayalee. The God's aren't happy any more. They never asked you to torture elephants for their satisfaction!</b></i></div>
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<br />Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-31674379574081886612012-05-10T21:55:00.001+05:302015-06-30T12:51:44.057+05:30Of Piety & Pachyderms<br />
<span id="goog_2085436816"></span><span id="goog_2085436817"></span>Summer in Palakkad can be frustrating. Soaring mercury, sweaty nights and parched throats. Add to this, the vision of dwindling water levels in the Malampuzha reservoir you have a sure recipe for a disastrous vacation.<br />
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My two nieces were to land up for summer holiday and I was frantically searching for entertainment. Last year, when the God's weren't so upset with human kind the Malampuzha reservoir had been sufficiently full for them to have splashing picnic. The story was very different this year. I had to drive almost a couple of kilometers into the reservoir to see some water! This was the view from the most elevated sandbank.....<br />
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<b>...180 degrees in front of me... </b></div>
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<b>...& 180 degrees behind me... </b></div>
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Taking children to this desolation was immediately ruled out and I had to rack my grey cells to come up with another option. Then the little bulb flickered to life somewhere above my head, and it lit up an elephant!</div>
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A week before my drive into the 'desert' I had been to a wedding in Guruvayur. After the usual plantain leaf lunch I had time to kill so I had driven to the Punathur Aanakota, the elephant sanctuary for the temple elephants of Guruvayurappan. I'm yet to come across a child who has not been excited at the sight of an elephant. </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Problem solved. I only had to bundle the gang into a car and drive off to </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2856377980739.109185.1598304867&type=3" style="color: orange;" target="_blank">meet the Lord's Tuskers</a></b></i></span></span></div>
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Punathur kotta is a dilapidated royal residence of some local ruler, now converted into a hostel for the elephants of Lord Guruvayurappan and their mahouts. Located three kilometers away from the temple town off (or on) the Kunnamkulam road, (depending on which direction you come from), it is home to some 50 or more elephants mostly majestic tuskers with a few cows. The Lord didn't pay money to buy them obviously. They were donated by devotees with deep pockets who probably wanted to drain the Lord off his treasures. (Thankfully, Padmanabhaswamy in Trivandrun escaped this fate!!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyugLgCRUZQ0YOTUDmFdrncEmSx6ZbmTO4vy6hXuDqhOnSHlyf6Sbu8ln0Dqh7yTRzl8YTvexjSVQDsQS5BiZidqfP_Uo6pdENQ9hb0FFeCyvZn45RaZ2NEl1_fUSUvDOgawAuK_gZNzTZ/s1600/punnathur+kota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyugLgCRUZQ0YOTUDmFdrncEmSx6ZbmTO4vy6hXuDqhOnSHlyf6Sbu8ln0Dqh7yTRzl8YTvexjSVQDsQS5BiZidqfP_Uo6pdENQ9hb0FFeCyvZn45RaZ2NEl1_fUSUvDOgawAuK_gZNzTZ/s400/punnathur+kota.jpg" width="400" /></a>The poor Lord is a mute spectator as someone finds that bringing up a large pachyderm at home is a really unenviable task. Elephant calves are cute but once they grow to about 10 feet high at the shoulders you'll suddenly find yourself cramped for space. Besides, an elephant has a voracious appetite. Feeding an elephant therefore needs a steady flow of hard earned cash and in these days of spiraling prices the cash in hand is usually just about enough to pay the monthly home budget. Just imagine, how much you need to pay for electricity, rents, provisions, school expenses, mobile phone bills, fuel bills, beauty parlour visits, fairness cream & fat reducing oils and so many more indispensable things? Amongst these absolutely necessary expenses where will you find the money to feed your elephant?!</div>
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So the best solution is to donate it to the Lord of Guruvayur. After all, devotees leave his coffers overflowing everyday. That money has to be spent on useful things and elephants are useful! The Guruvayur Devaswom purchased a 10 acre plot with a palace and temples in 1975 and shifted its elephants there. It has since been home to the temple elephants of Guruvayur. </div>
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The palace, if it can be called that, itself is uninteresting. The tiles are falling off and shows the need for some urgent maintainance. Inside the building there is a central courtyard with a large concrete "charakku", the traditional brass vessel used mainly for making "payasam" and more than enhancing it actually spoils the aesthetic value of the building. The building serves as a place for visitors to rest and vandals to disfigure walls!</div>
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The Guruvayur Devaswom has in it's custody the single largest collection of elephants outside of the wildlife reserves. As a matter of fact, there are few herds that are 50 strong in our forests and even fewer herds with more than a couple of immature tuskers. If you want to see tuskers in all their majesty, Guruvayur is the place to see them. </div>
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The first elephants that greet you are tethered near the parking lot. A few of them have a blue board next to them warning you that the bull is in a state of 'musth'. The mahouts keep spraying them with water to cool them off, though I don't see the logic in tethering the beast under a hot sun, and then trying to cool it off! Wouldn't it be better to tie them under one of the large trees instead?</div>
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On my first visit the number of elephants were half their strength, mostly the old bulls in the twilight of their lives, some in 'musth' and an odd cow elephant. </div>
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The others were either in the temple at Guruvayur or in surrounding places. It was the season for 'velas', the local temple festivals. Even small temples now line up capraisoned elephants to show of their 'capacity'. It's no wonder that the newspapers are full of stories of elephants running amok all through summer.</div>
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The elephants in 'musth' are usually isolated because of their unpredicatble behaviour. Some stand docilely chewing on the palm leaves in front of their chained legs.</div>
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Other are more expressive of their displeasure at not being able to vent their anger at their mahouts or anyone who get in their way!</div>
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Walking around the 'aanathavalam' as it is called in local parlance I was not sure how to react. This was a sanctuary for elephants but the gentle giants spend most of their time tethered by their feet in uncomfortable positions. Food was in plenty but the sight of the the palm leaves mixed with the mud, urine and dung is not for people with queasy tummies!<br />
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I've lived a major part of my life in hostels, from kindergarten to undergraduate days. I've seen many types of hostels but this is unique. One part of me feels happy for the old pachyderms that are being cared for. The are fed and looked after well, and will be till the last day of their lives. </div>
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At the same time I feel a twinge of pity for these majestic creatures; tied down among mounds of dung and sometimes in the sweltering heat. I guess if taking care of one elephant is difficult it will be difficult to care for more than 50 of them. The Devaswom is doing a commendable job but I wish it could be improved.</div>
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<b>Watch this space. There is more on this elephantine tale......... </b></div>
<br />Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-91033689047957014612012-04-22T10:56:00.003+05:302012-04-23T17:17:30.549+05:30The Gods must be Crazy (or Angry)!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mangos this season, and even the last, were a disappointment. Perhaps global warming had something to do with it, but in any case I miss sinking my teeth into the juicy yellow pulp as frequently as I would have liked to.<br />
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Like the mangos, the summer too failed to impress. The usual summer showers were a no show. February came, March went and no sign of a grey cloud in the sky. When I go in summer to Bandipur, I'm usually greeted by the line, "Doctor has come and so has the rains" because the rain always used to follow me to Bandipur in summer and I have a lot of grateful wildlife to vouch for it! This time it was dust storms, not thunder storms (watch for that in the Woodcrawler's Journal later).<br />
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The mercury was rising and mid-April saw temperatures hitting the 40s. Not unusual for this time of the year but the heat seemed especially vicious this season. Roads, businesses & even my clinic looked deserted. Who'd want to die of a sun stroke trying to buy a loaf of bread or meet a doctor!<br />
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<b style="color: orange;">20th April was no different.</b> The crowd in the clinic was thin and I was
through early. As I was updating my Facebook wall I noticed that my room
had gone dark. It was on the east of the building so I was used to the
room being a little less brighter than in the morning. This was not 'the
usual'. It was DARK. It never went dark before 7.00PM on a summer evening. My clock told me it was only 6.20PM. Sensing the weather I stepped out to
be greeted by this brooding sky on the west. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobj7BMm52y6Xt2TxhRbsJoxZvPsHRKHRQNgKMc3Tu9vAGo69sD8upAetxoNcXwxt89HlFVFvshPNs94e7Dnw3PvtJyY3ucROhYREwgf5r9xAxh-oX4msmGd1t5eCLIfo-WiPUFAeFVrfl/s1600/P4205238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobj7BMm52y6Xt2TxhRbsJoxZvPsHRKHRQNgKMc3Tu9vAGo69sD8upAetxoNcXwxt89HlFVFvshPNs94e7Dnw3PvtJyY3ucROhYREwgf5r9xAxh-oX4msmGd1t5eCLIfo-WiPUFAeFVrfl/s400/P4205238.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">"Oh! Oh!", I thought. "Someone is pretty upset with mankind." </span></b>I'd not see a sky like this in ages and I knew we were in for something. I sent everyone home and closed up for the day. No point in getting everyone wet for a patient who would never turn up! I was sure nobody would have considered an umbrella or raincoat on a hot summer morning.<br />
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I came home and went up on the terrace. The eastern sky was equally menacing in its mood. Surely, I didn't do anything wrong. <b><span style="color: orange;">Why was God so upset?</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4wgYXmFeV4U2fHlFofuNbJv4WqWVauzJSDjnKpc2Htt9oi6_NKlwtlNFfVVjxR3oE5lqwjnDHXuqstW02PGq4C7FmwmtkpwH05Gpe43aqXWiu2omNKQldUOwSkE01PX_9tlQ_GktKQEa/s1600/Storm101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4wgYXmFeV4U2fHlFofuNbJv4WqWVauzJSDjnKpc2Htt9oi6_NKlwtlNFfVVjxR3oE5lqwjnDHXuqstW02PGq4C7FmwmtkpwH05Gpe43aqXWiu2omNKQldUOwSkE01PX_9tlQ_GktKQEa/s400/Storm101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was not about to crack my head over God's moods but surely I could record it! I was on the terrace watching when the 'face' of the cloud bank on the east started changing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcIY6dt9eFvwTYOMBX6ZYYxiaL2oSQaOnhLeRFVTYg7gVMgQs6mV-8JjR8MnKkaAC4w3FHuboJmbYpHXRPSFSUe-RfvYfdEjeIv8kq86xOMgjBW3XZ75vYReIRECOOnWaS6McwRIX89bq/s1600/P4205234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcIY6dt9eFvwTYOMBX6ZYYxiaL2oSQaOnhLeRFVTYg7gVMgQs6mV-8JjR8MnKkaAC4w3FHuboJmbYpHXRPSFSUe-RfvYfdEjeIv8kq86xOMgjBW3XZ75vYReIRECOOnWaS6McwRIX89bq/s400/P4205234.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: yellow;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Time: 18.28.24 PM</b></td></tr>
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It became darker and just off its center, to the left, there appeared a distinct blob that looked like a knuckle to me. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY_6N6FJE-NRGM7e0QgFYxPPtZm7j2SP2ExoeYQjwivptqs9re9aRO4D2K5uvR9dOvNjCSK1v0dOzwtocUy7_lzDpw3TkHahLLNeDi0W4sS1Th4ic4XmD6z2CEPlMsCCEIywRgvHAEGWk/s1600/P4205236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY_6N6FJE-NRGM7e0QgFYxPPtZm7j2SP2ExoeYQjwivptqs9re9aRO4D2K5uvR9dOvNjCSK1v0dOzwtocUy7_lzDpw3TkHahLLNeDi0W4sS1Th4ic4XmD6z2CEPlMsCCEIywRgvHAEGWk/s400/P4205236.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.29.04 PM</span></b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Someone was really grumpy today. I watched in fascination as the drama unfolded. The immense power of nature in all its fury was on display over the next few minutes.<span style="color: orange;"> <b>That knuckle of the cloud slowly gathered itself into a Fist (of Fury?) and clenched itself to throw a punch</b>.</span> I'll let the pictures tell the tale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhKpWAYKiL6-rC5qs-VIMl_co72YfljsYwgFREb8TbO7P7hZDkD0PsE1Ym7k4WYM7u0-cJuB57fQDlukwIsgQHrTgXmH0ZN4STWosIt85BS4-E34W_dP4rm9in38NIbUhHWz-xIS487h0/s1600/Storm201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhKpWAYKiL6-rC5qs-VIMl_co72YfljsYwgFREb8TbO7P7hZDkD0PsE1Ym7k4WYM7u0-cJuB57fQDlukwIsgQHrTgXmH0ZN4STWosIt85BS4-E34W_dP4rm9in38NIbUhHWz-xIS487h0/s400/Storm201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.29.37 PM</span></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVTK0Q2Ah_USP3xAmgfbjx131J80Pxbw9HqfACmyfPsAFtseD07HXmmIIPUUJxvbzSjJ5ZocBAU3qg5YuXTQ5yZYSzqYlaJQwIslFMEV4gxX1nQQWUne26QgmaKb_7AScmScqsOwUvVvV/s1600/Storm301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVTK0Q2Ah_USP3xAmgfbjx131J80Pxbw9HqfACmyfPsAFtseD07HXmmIIPUUJxvbzSjJ5ZocBAU3qg5YuXTQ5yZYSzqYlaJQwIslFMEV4gxX1nQQWUne26QgmaKb_7AScmScqsOwUvVvV/s400/Storm301.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.29.49 PM</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB-po7-n5ViVclW1-kSGuVFBk6coWKT9Ckb2RvngNk5dHTfHamh0zyPTUEmPawF240K5XTCTRWbTi1W8nSeLaa40CvcmC_jaPHn23B_gKB5TctNhLXe4V__KD8GJ-gIK6m5X3ekh0oot9/s1600/Storm401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB-po7-n5ViVclW1-kSGuVFBk6coWKT9Ckb2RvngNk5dHTfHamh0zyPTUEmPawF240K5XTCTRWbTi1W8nSeLaa40CvcmC_jaPHn23B_gKB5TctNhLXe4V__KD8GJ-gIK6m5X3ekh0oot9/s400/Storm401.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.29.58 PM</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHYRAlAznc8aEbZh3yPGm7AL87C615YDOixgytGYX01UMY8H_eZgoHw14Hme0jYnyY0zG5nP1-2nwPTN8xNjLxf6Jl38nuPx2zu3O-089afgD7Tp-iGTAj25MEepuwqO_BBOwMcs4BwH4/s1600/Storm501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHYRAlAznc8aEbZh3yPGm7AL87C615YDOixgytGYX01UMY8H_eZgoHw14Hme0jYnyY0zG5nP1-2nwPTN8xNjLxf6Jl38nuPx2zu3O-089afgD7Tp-iGTAj25MEepuwqO_BBOwMcs4BwH4/s400/Storm501.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.30.05 PM</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ttqdv0Th5Art9lHuENvyQ5A4wYqNRQNW-V1zj8feEzOgpWVnDc9yKRbXC2aB8MPfWvKH3uI9Lvfpk2Y_vhHdwbntzd_2M5gY3-tiVbojTOtfY7YZTkh0gMrWOX_hyphenhyphenOGd-lq461B-lFHQ/s1600/Storm601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ttqdv0Th5Art9lHuENvyQ5A4wYqNRQNW-V1zj8feEzOgpWVnDc9yKRbXC2aB8MPfWvKH3uI9Lvfpk2Y_vhHdwbntzd_2M5gY3-tiVbojTOtfY7YZTkh0gMrWOX_hyphenhyphenOGd-lq461B-lFHQ/s400/Storm601.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.30.09 PM</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwusL5YR1eH9kIKoyNdzITg7FIEkP4zMl-kAOwXCE_-bvW8Y27qTZJ_yW9Ari9B1wj4_NzYCkvaDUNANcDRVczxwVMepFul0gRk7j5j6zubWDDNVTGusEBv23C713qTpZtRTwy6UPYTCs/s1600/Storm701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwusL5YR1eH9kIKoyNdzITg7FIEkP4zMl-kAOwXCE_-bvW8Y27qTZJ_yW9Ari9B1wj4_NzYCkvaDUNANcDRVczxwVMepFul0gRk7j5j6zubWDDNVTGusEBv23C713qTpZtRTwy6UPYTCs/s400/Storm701.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.30.14 PM</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqv7B6A93sTTfszIDVyvsrJZg59w655HXFNKcb1zYHIqr9NDY18jkCHLIdvbUe7Ij1g9AJrqNddbWi9wayKpY19MmHYjzKeF06v_xKM2bR_tdpO9gVS6jELWuHnWsZfbA-P8RjavTvMsp/s1600/Storm801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"> <img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqv7B6A93sTTfszIDVyvsrJZg59w655HXFNKcb1zYHIqr9NDY18jkCHLIdvbUe7Ij1g9AJrqNddbWi9wayKpY19MmHYjzKeF06v_xKM2bR_tdpO9gVS6jELWuHnWsZfbA-P8RjavTvMsp/s400/Storm801.jpg" width="400" /> </a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.30.27 PM</span></b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Then at the end of it; <span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: orange;">BANG!!!</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEDuToHgpYzcs4dCLsm4mFFhdXaFpU8cunPqkRYpBNxnIrf_8eXScRu648diDqDXeZ3xhfm057dsCVhXEGgcNSquGEug9eHW-t4-czY7-vQ60nJ971jRfTB7oRy4E-XkFcco47cjXuk-S/s1600/Storm901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEDuToHgpYzcs4dCLsm4mFFhdXaFpU8cunPqkRYpBNxnIrf_8eXScRu648diDqDXeZ3xhfm057dsCVhXEGgcNSquGEug9eHW-t4-czY7-vQ60nJ971jRfTB7oRy4E-XkFcco47cjXuk-S/s400/Storm901.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: yellow;">Time: 18.31.09 PM</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Surely, the Almighty was not in a good mood this evening</b>.</span> Someone or something had upset the equilibrium and for the next half an hour I was treated to <i><span style="color: orange;"><b>a spectacular display of Heavenly Wrath</b></span></i>. It was raining and I was trying to hold an umbrella and shooting at the same time. What you see here is only a little bit of nature's power.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JhcI7sbqp5IAvGDzgigR0q_TDNvi_0JnxtJwzsMFt3fmDcVDA9J1jIqp55DkoFLpAfmGlR4Ro0ogOk1lmVRdKGY2dsLs3_Us-WcjHUF6KRtfPMToe0eDZmCRnOlJNmcqcl-xY5sErTDl/s1600/P4205288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JhcI7sbqp5IAvGDzgigR0q_TDNvi_0JnxtJwzsMFt3fmDcVDA9J1jIqp55DkoFLpAfmGlR4Ro0ogOk1lmVRdKGY2dsLs3_Us-WcjHUF6KRtfPMToe0eDZmCRnOlJNmcqcl-xY5sErTDl/s400/P4205288.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaspEBIIWKruSmosZxDoq3Xy1idqWiUDm3YJbnk0cE5jcgyHv5U0HdUIgwqi37jturNNQNScs2tCMGhxhk8mnUQX7DPq6g1EznC8CcOWlvKIAM0a2oQVliVTmdBwsn_4gXrDgUM8B5Vtm/s1600/P4205289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaspEBIIWKruSmosZxDoq3Xy1idqWiUDm3YJbnk0cE5jcgyHv5U0HdUIgwqi37jturNNQNScs2tCMGhxhk8mnUQX7DPq6g1EznC8CcOWlvKIAM0a2oQVliVTmdBwsn_4gXrDgUM8B5Vtm/s400/P4205289.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">I'm glad I was a witness, and not a victim.</span></b><br />
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If you think like me, that the Gods were angry, <b><span style="color: orange;">that lightning should have fried me.</span></b><br />
Obviously they were upset with something else!<br />
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<b style="color: orange;">So if you have the habit of testing Gods patience, let this be a lesson for you. </b><br />
<i><span style="color: red;"><b>Don't get God angry. You never know when he'll fry your **** !!</b></span></i>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-39118487317906170082010-06-05T13:56:00.000+05:302010-06-05T21:34:02.618+05:30Elephant in a wellNow all of have heard of the odd dog or cat, and sometimes even a goat falling into a well but it's for the first time I heard, "An elephant has fallen into a well!" I know you might just be thinking I am mad but it really happened here.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">5th June, 2010. Venoli village, Palakkad, Kerala</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><br />
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Elephants had been in the news the last couple of months. In Walayar, in Pudussery, in Malampuzha; all along the Palghat gap, for all the wrong reasons. They were crop raiding and searching for water and had even trampled a tribal woman to death. Summer has been very torrid for these gentle beasts and they could not all be blamed for the troubles they caused. Farmland on the fringes of the forest were mostly encroachments and blocked the elephants' access to the water sources.<br />
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Apparently a herd of 6 elephants had been wandering around the farmland around Pudussery village since late last night. Like us folks taking an occasional break in the jungles, the pachyderms decided to visit the concrete jungle! I was wondering what they found interesting in the middle of human habitation because it was a tightly packed maze of houses (more than 1000 according to a local!) with not much by way of edible material that elephants are fond of.<br />
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Anyway, they blundered through the road, probably lost and confused in the dark, till one of them suddenly disappeared from sight. The others, perhaps even more confused by this sudden disappearance of their friend wandered aimlessly finally ending up in an artificial forest in an industrial township.<br />
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Someone called me up and told me about an elephant in a well as I came home for lunch. I just grabbed my camera bag and ran, not bothering to check if the battery had any charge in it. When I reached the place the narrow road was lined with the fire force, policemen, forest officials, and hordes of excited people brandishing their cell phone cameras. I could not get close enough to the well mouth as it was cordoned of so I lifted my camera over my head and pressed the button.<br />
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BATTERY EMPTY, my LCD display said! Anyway, cursing my luck I backtracked. The wise people standing around told me it would take all day and probably the whole night before the operation was wound up. I returned because I couldn't keep patients waiting in the clinic. Besides my son would not be very pleased if I went off alone again. Winding up practice early, packed my son and niece in the car, and this time took the standby camera and sped off again.<br />
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The elephant was still there, and so were a few hundred people, braving the light drizzle. The TV crew were there and the press too. Everyone wanted a look and the guardians of the law were having a rather tough time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAp7fKvMlIv68zKrN-W4Z1FKnTwyKHSJTxOyFVLQoEP7HRa0KhXW1DhiQOwFfrWvJVCwh_FNpfHP1NNSpFgJMcyhGUPhqEXj6RR0RvEizAjoaodr6zixMkBlUjbvvK3kJxBhYAKV0IF38/s1600/P6042786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAp7fKvMlIv68zKrN-W4Z1FKnTwyKHSJTxOyFVLQoEP7HRa0KhXW1DhiQOwFfrWvJVCwh_FNpfHP1NNSpFgJMcyhGUPhqEXj6RR0RvEizAjoaodr6zixMkBlUjbvvK3kJxBhYAKV0IF38/s400/P6042786.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The earth movers were shoveling earth around the mouth of the well, trying to create a slope into one side of the well so that the elephant could climb out. Now, if you don't know, there are no elephants trained in rock climbing as far as I know, anywhere in the world!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjao9r3wwrf-hA0V4KT_II3kWfbJLVXI7-1FJ5Ze18m6LfCy_QrTvFXsUmfWRnumJk3K6psY4COiuCrVLWhoIlolayKyGIY-KAxBUyX5VyxD8rN6V20QMu3BTwqOgZwxbvt-QDb9pRyleGm/s1600/P6042790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjao9r3wwrf-hA0V4KT_II3kWfbJLVXI7-1FJ5Ze18m6LfCy_QrTvFXsUmfWRnumJk3K6psY4COiuCrVLWhoIlolayKyGIY-KAxBUyX5VyxD8rN6V20QMu3BTwqOgZwxbvt-QDb9pRyleGm/s400/P6042790.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> So the only way to get a reasonably large pachyderm is to lift it out bodily with a crane, which in this case was impossible because the object of interest was some 25 feet below ground level and swimming in a 6 feet deep pool of slush, hardly 12 feet across!<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"> Every time the arm of the earth mover scraped the mud there was panic at the bottom of the well. The elephant, scared out of it's wits was going around in circles, searching for non existent exit. The operator of the earthmover was in his own state of panic, worried that the elephant would come charging out once it realized the trench appearing gradually was an escape route.</div><br />
It was getting dark and the drizzle was building into a steady downpour. The news was that the elephant in the well being wild had to be shepherded to the safety of the jungle over land. For this purpose they had requisitioned some trained elephants from Top Slip in Tamilnadu. That was not going to happen before midnight.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzo730OROu5fcvkiOktPeyXIhlcOdLuv_vE0BFcm_W2bfN2tVlbHNsaXvr6Mzg3fQlT24APS68v1I55sM9Yh48oCEh04asy56dcJqLps3SqvN0xT91sMD1pP1X7kuUMYaK77Z3oCLiL-eb/s1600/P6042782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzo730OROu5fcvkiOktPeyXIhlcOdLuv_vE0BFcm_W2bfN2tVlbHNsaXvr6Mzg3fQlT24APS68v1I55sM9Yh48oCEh04asy56dcJqLps3SqvN0xT91sMD1pP1X7kuUMYaK77Z3oCLiL-eb/s400/P6042782.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The sky looked threatening so we decided to go back and I planned to return later but the "kunki" (trained) elephants from across the border reached at 1 AM and the one in the well happily walked out of the well at 2.45 AM.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://www.mathrubhumi.com/english/news.php?id=92753">The full news is available here</a></b></div>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-22755608919765928502010-05-23T13:17:00.000+05:302010-05-23T20:46:31.275+05:30A Morning Murder Story - Summer Scenes, Part 2<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Prologue: </span></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I start this piece with a twinge of guilt. Perhaps, if I had intervened I could have saved a life. It could have been my misplaced confidence that the predator was not likely to get to the prey, or my obsession with keeping the shutter firing as the drama unfolded, not three meters from me; but a life was lost and I'll carry that burden of guilt always.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">An Eye Witness to a Murder</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday morning, a little past 7.15 AM, I picked up the newspaper and coffee and went to the office room. The morning was murky; Cyclone Laila was showing her abilities on the west coast of India too. I thought I'd open the door to let in some light. When I opened the door and my jaw dropped. Staring unblinkingly at my face from a few feet away was my old friend the Shikra!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKyNP_uk40et6la2T9JyRcPbJggULqs5vSysLI2KyagO7ZPKJc8zIhzswx6rlsgb759qCwRWTUcGaculbUrRz6KJ0nEDsSirC66abvClI9AeNFi7Hxk1-8QGaXpj_TlELw2x4PQYyfr4P/s1600/P5223165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKyNP_uk40et6la2T9JyRcPbJggULqs5vSysLI2KyagO7ZPKJc8zIhzswx6rlsgb759qCwRWTUcGaculbUrRz6KJ0nEDsSirC66abvClI9AeNFi7Hxk1-8QGaXpj_TlELw2x4PQYyfr4P/s320/P5223165.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJxD2Z_9gCYDoL410Tg9p4lsfInzhDogyc63OFIlDrQu9R8ViFsLLIe-YWsYCQ1y0AxNa3j6JKIkcwE2iZeEJdfobzJ1zBCUYB2-vC1FSK3AN-X51QjiZytGTh6An-FGnn6P5zmjOU4Km/s1600/P5223161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJxD2Z_9gCYDoL410Tg9p4lsfInzhDogyc63OFIlDrQu9R8ViFsLLIe-YWsYCQ1y0AxNa3j6JKIkcwE2iZeEJdfobzJ1zBCUYB2-vC1FSK3AN-X51QjiZytGTh6An-FGnn6P5zmjOU4Km/s320/P5223161.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trying to get at one of the finches. All the while the three little birds kept moving to the farthest part of their enclosure.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the next fifteen minutes there was absolute pandemonium. The shikra flying around the cage, a blurred mass of feathers outside, while the finches were fluttering around inside keeping as far away as possible from their tormentor. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMsXuHht-MfkYR38XMrVQhvDbfOuYSSX80A-0kEXS2pxp41GpKCIt3UhriwukFINuQSpj9QMP2XpGv4_y89vcEvnX4ju63o5l2Nbh58FLkqg-fN3uC6kxOZKZi26fQ60jZCjTqBS5aECc/s1600/P5223227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMsXuHht-MfkYR38XMrVQhvDbfOuYSSX80A-0kEXS2pxp41GpKCIt3UhriwukFINuQSpj9QMP2XpGv4_y89vcEvnX4ju63o5l2Nbh58FLkqg-fN3uC6kxOZKZi26fQ60jZCjTqBS5aECc/s400/P5223227.JPG" width="301" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally the shikra settled on the chair to rework it's strategy. I could have touched it and it wouldn't have blinked. Such was the confidence in it's eyes. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrgiAfj8njUCUYdGFnAxPBtXdVnXqB-mgbycD0BiqiyR3G8ySSwIvN9Cx5FCkXacs_DJiUXJ3q9f68A7MOcR3yk1RaAFaOXXvwMih3fqU94ywyaKc_dD4Rql-HjXR7vUIjHkMqsMzFHQD/s1600/P5223237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrgiAfj8njUCUYdGFnAxPBtXdVnXqB-mgbycD0BiqiyR3G8ySSwIvN9Cx5FCkXacs_DJiUXJ3q9f68A7MOcR3yk1RaAFaOXXvwMih3fqU94ywyaKc_dD4Rql-HjXR7vUIjHkMqsMzFHQD/s640/P5223237.JPG" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last bird that stared at me like this was a Crested Serpent Eagle in BR Hills, but that was a juvenile and inexperienced with humans. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj82FS0qZeFqDPwiD_UELhycbu5NoXtgt7qhGKOs5H7lAoWXjvNVWpAAdf1KRP1fe4PPUFDTtvVs-Uzjyf8gtoy5cfiPCz8KX-i4e6gmW3Jjh_d01XcXLrhSxPBkcQtgEg5LFh9a7l-QWx/s1600/P5223270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj82FS0qZeFqDPwiD_UELhycbu5NoXtgt7qhGKOs5H7lAoWXjvNVWpAAdf1KRP1fe4PPUFDTtvVs-Uzjyf8gtoy5cfiPCz8KX-i4e6gmW3Jjh_d01XcXLrhSxPBkcQtgEg5LFh9a7l-QWx/s400/P5223270.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It descended once again, looking at me confidently. The expression said, "Watch now. I'll teach you how to hunt". The event's that unfolded next happened in a flash.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0VJ8O-XvszK8bpb3qoxZ9h7iWxHUZhIgNDYFFUzvZjnXoOz8dYvV6RaNR9dIlZ3dVGR8vls8_8-6GT8db7W5IRVZDecTSto-bVT36YMPJeEade-mQ9NHJsALKPh3yaJXC_M6m315qb7q/s1600/P5223281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0VJ8O-XvszK8bpb3qoxZ9h7iWxHUZhIgNDYFFUzvZjnXoOz8dYvV6RaNR9dIlZ3dVGR8vls8_8-6GT8db7W5IRVZDecTSto-bVT36YMPJeEade-mQ9NHJsALKPh3yaJXC_M6m315qb7q/s400/P5223281.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The two survivors are looking listless. Perhaps they realize that the cage offered no security. I've asked for the cage to be placed in the kitchen and I've convinced my son that the remaining two should be released. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've also realized the consequences of being wedded to the DSLR! One becomes oblivious to the world around you. Why blame media photographers!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-90627473942177653042010-04-29T21:58:00.000+05:302010-04-29T21:58:56.944+05:30Apartment on the FarmWith the population burgeoning finding living spaces is getting more difficult every passing day and soaring real estate prices don't help either. I thought that was a problem for us humans till I ran across some pretty determined feathered folk fighting for the best spot.<br />
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Place: Nallepilly, Palakkad District, Kerala, India<br />
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It was sometime in late February and I hadn't been to my uncle's farm for ages. It was the season for the ponds to fill with all sorts of visitors so I carried my gear along hoping for some nice exposures.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The ponds were rather disappointing and so were the paddy fields. Maybe my timing was wrong but I only came across the regulars; chestnut headed bee eaters, moorhens, jacana's and cormorants.</div><br />
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I returned despondently to my uncles house. I had lugged 10kgs of gear for nothing. Leaving everything in the house except my old faithful E3 I walked out to the cow sheds. There used to be some awesome spiders in the bamboo near the haystack. Then I noticed this barbet sitting on the "kotka puli" tree.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGe2SoY_-dF9H7r7ixJw36SRsEstZCf5Ysk8e69V6kAZOAfEoUTRtFd3GhGp1YHm_rXKdhz5GJ7_LN5HLAtzcCsZwYcl6gCV07mQIYEX4hyphenhyphenb1VanSdgX3VtkEaA86paspknKEjARjobZrr/s1600/barbet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGe2SoY_-dF9H7r7ixJw36SRsEstZCf5Ysk8e69V6kAZOAfEoUTRtFd3GhGp1YHm_rXKdhz5GJ7_LN5HLAtzcCsZwYcl6gCV07mQIYEX4hyphenhyphenb1VanSdgX3VtkEaA86paspknKEjARjobZrr/s320/barbet1.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
It had something clamped in it's beak and didn't seem keen on swallowing it. Something was brewing. I gave up the spider chase and withdrew into the cow shed. After a few minutes of looking around it turned in the opposite direction and took off. Destination: hole in the wall!! A dead coconut tree.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLGOVicsPMmQMEMIX0Mzia-DVRnDrKWyq_Ctjo6FPN6b4AC3oiLdbeoKMx3BLfgVmmfyxeWuM4pGg_L_7bpL6SrXi6BBuNeOTy4rNMeGuBpOseU0jLa63iwc0Yc_VWWZwQnyv0w5lh_Bw/s1600/Barbet2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLGOVicsPMmQMEMIX0Mzia-DVRnDrKWyq_Ctjo6FPN6b4AC3oiLdbeoKMx3BLfgVmmfyxeWuM4pGg_L_7bpL6SrXi6BBuNeOTy4rNMeGuBpOseU0jLa63iwc0Yc_VWWZwQnyv0w5lh_Bw/s320/Barbet2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">One moment it was there, the next it simply disappeared.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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A few seconds later pandemonium!! Two mynas appeared on the tree and flapped around the place the barbet disappeared.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyd6HqQXgzPkpF5-7_Yq4Qhrh22ebZ0hS-spTF5fSEjBapdgZ-qhfjN8zpXaOD5ELDQ2q-ri9P2nHudIlmioXtfx8yx1EMicDM1mkD9rbnNYpoROV3EedISmPLXd3RxwEoesBdNBOzyoIW/s1600/Barbet4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyd6HqQXgzPkpF5-7_Yq4Qhrh22ebZ0hS-spTF5fSEjBapdgZ-qhfjN8zpXaOD5ELDQ2q-ri9P2nHudIlmioXtfx8yx1EMicDM1mkD9rbnNYpoROV3EedISmPLXd3RxwEoesBdNBOzyoIW/s320/Barbet4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Seeing the commotion two parrots appeared out of nowhere, shooed the mynas away, and perched themselves on the tree looking really agitated.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDRO0WWpXTPtKtpQpGC7iHtJWqkDUneTOV0X9X-te4dlu1BgkwrPaY-DP2241JdwmRuxyGMQKJwhv6LaQoMyFgLtgZYF-FViRf0wc4IzEL9Ps0zvjCDtSpmkInlFOPWHNaa65DQU8K3J5/s1600/Parrot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDRO0WWpXTPtKtpQpGC7iHtJWqkDUneTOV0X9X-te4dlu1BgkwrPaY-DP2241JdwmRuxyGMQKJwhv6LaQoMyFgLtgZYF-FViRf0wc4IzEL9Ps0zvjCDtSpmkInlFOPWHNaa65DQU8K3J5/s320/Parrot1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One kept guard while the other went around the tree to make sure the mynas were nowhere.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>A moment later another came flying to a point lower down on the tree. There was a large opening into which it jumped in dexterously.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ginK9xgA2JsF8JrV0Al5aI__pbfwalEbFJTmx23syWjnjMweZ9T3mwn_W2-5nAbslv_3Ed0gjDJSvHSLNNrroZ78-CKbM9c5bFDyIbY2sNTWjdOG5Z2V27hzquluZbvfN3sm5BKwujct/s1600/Parrot2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ginK9xgA2JsF8JrV0Al5aI__pbfwalEbFJTmx23syWjnjMweZ9T3mwn_W2-5nAbslv_3Ed0gjDJSvHSLNNrroZ78-CKbM9c5bFDyIbY2sNTWjdOG5Z2V27hzquluZbvfN3sm5BKwujct/s320/Parrot2.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>It seemed to be ensuring that there were no illegal encroacher in it's home on the old coconut tree.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>To give you the perspective. Look at the entire tree.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3K_tQ91-JZjg90cAr4qE1v4s4mDe50ElF6DcTrVrFIgqZoJrim2KSbudQS5JAttkGp5N7j02uDKpBiuoYADBjnWahFpHlECWH2aib93FRz_AdrO_3QCdWbaM-wItGu_POz_cStZnzK47X/s1600/Sky+scraper1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3K_tQ91-JZjg90cAr4qE1v4s4mDe50ElF6DcTrVrFIgqZoJrim2KSbudQS5JAttkGp5N7j02uDKpBiuoYADBjnWahFpHlECWH2aib93FRz_AdrO_3QCdWbaM-wItGu_POz_cStZnzK47X/s320/Sky+scraper1.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>It's a community in there. I wonder who else was there in that tall "skyscraper".</div><div><br />
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</div>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-71349414780062065982010-03-31T22:56:00.000+05:302010-04-01T16:40:36.158+05:30Summer scenes in my gardenMercury is soaring in Palakkad. The skies cloud over occasionally but no hint of rain. Summer showers have failed to materialize this year. The heat is oppressive and roads are deserted in the afternoons. The heat, not to mention the IPL matches, are keeping folks indoor.<br />
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Birds are no exception. They seek shelter of the few trees with a green canopy and my garden suddenly is like a bird sanctuary. I've kept bird baths in strategic places and they draw visitors all through the day. Yesterday morning I had a rather special visitor. A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikra"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">shikra</span></b></a>, a small raptor.<br />
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Perhaps the heat was too much, it landed for a drink......<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm5RInVA5t2CbkXf_N9tWGxzgUG4oPysH12DMOFqrkuiIEltvsYUgcMDthsAHtUpdFEli8iDUpCUmTjbosVlm6HR27oajRqxbBaP_1htbwOvMQqwmPLEHIkhMBVzxqFhCoFN7nRfbEYTh/s1600/Shikra1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm5RInVA5t2CbkXf_N9tWGxzgUG4oPysH12DMOFqrkuiIEltvsYUgcMDthsAHtUpdFEli8iDUpCUmTjbosVlm6HR27oajRqxbBaP_1htbwOvMQqwmPLEHIkhMBVzxqFhCoFN7nRfbEYTh/s320/Shikra1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As it sat on the edge of the water pot it seemed lost in contemplation, till it saw me. It did not fly but shifted it's position so that it could see me without turning it's head.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vW7s75ooTPbIB71JFR3-ify5PE7zWSg6J8Tqby-Tt_SOIENJ2ffI1NOaskThRHxQ1N5kLmoXoLN8jzKP5WiKWfSc8D3Xv-suoChApRxM4VB43smSeTQ1shQMBCuYq7oP2ocLDSI8Xc68/s1600/Shikra3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vW7s75ooTPbIB71JFR3-ify5PE7zWSg6J8Tqby-Tt_SOIENJ2ffI1NOaskThRHxQ1N5kLmoXoLN8jzKP5WiKWfSc8D3Xv-suoChApRxM4VB43smSeTQ1shQMBCuYq7oP2ocLDSI8Xc68/s320/Shikra3.jpg" /></a></div>After a few minutes it decided that the cool water was more tempting despite the fact that a rather curious human was standing only some 20 feet away. It decided to take the plunge.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2evtJwuuRddnzOxoR4pG1p7I47tU4ndapwqSsdgA7SzAZE6Vq1VUn7_AzJTu_7A4JiIqhym8P_iJnNUVNVX2bHnYv2oRv1-oniwv9go90r4BWAJklO-AIvlf9SBq4eDgggjpVHYrvyPwW/s1600/Shikra4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2evtJwuuRddnzOxoR4pG1p7I47tU4ndapwqSsdgA7SzAZE6Vq1VUn7_AzJTu_7A4JiIqhym8P_iJnNUVNVX2bHnYv2oRv1-oniwv9go90r4BWAJklO-AIvlf9SBq4eDgggjpVHYrvyPwW/s320/Shikra4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJcwMDPCrshUlPaq-hu9cfFOR76WygtMoFOLCvP_r8o3uCBDO82KnbnH0TciOPLMyfK9iC2nld5vzEw9HZo_gyqX54wtegoAf2bydfq0qaH6M9pH2u6b4jaF2Os3D8BA1_DYbtUo49fLa/s1600/Shikra5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJcwMDPCrshUlPaq-hu9cfFOR76WygtMoFOLCvP_r8o3uCBDO82KnbnH0TciOPLMyfK9iC2nld5vzEw9HZo_gyqX54wtegoAf2bydfq0qaH6M9pH2u6b4jaF2Os3D8BA1_DYbtUo49fLa/s320/Shikra5.jpg" /></a><br />
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After a few vigorous dips and shakes it climbed out, perhaps because my presence embarrassed it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMkzUZhbKBxSttVWOE1jF08YJtI962IEO3oEvoOiTAyrMao_XIlyN5hQJyIFUJrjGi9y6bXe80YNyOEmB2wG1eqFk-0nWFRt4PyvnUsRt-3P6lG_t7wrGqWocMEqapJZ60m3B9N3ZA0-7/s1600/Shikra6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMkzUZhbKBxSttVWOE1jF08YJtI962IEO3oEvoOiTAyrMao_XIlyN5hQJyIFUJrjGi9y6bXe80YNyOEmB2wG1eqFk-0nWFRt4PyvnUsRt-3P6lG_t7wrGqWocMEqapJZ60m3B9N3ZA0-7/s320/Shikra6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Although it looked rather wet and miserable it did not make a move to ruffle its feathers like all wet birds. It sat on the pot's edge and looked at me as if to ask, "Why are you staring at me? Can't you go away and let me be?"<br />
I stood there with no intention of going anywhere. My camera was clicking furiously and the bird was watching me warily.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E3lxH26ZfLat481-IMYIumcmQEl0JB2Z4vbC8epIG7BKXOrifNNfvIy3Rucm40Pg36GP3n_s9DSV6Z0QacbvpZG_axvgWEYhhR-iTk71NmffZLc3AC7JTuUohlkLsV2XMTy6dmtOHMBV/s1600/Shikra7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E3lxH26ZfLat481-IMYIumcmQEl0JB2Z4vbC8epIG7BKXOrifNNfvIy3Rucm40Pg36GP3n_s9DSV6Z0QacbvpZG_axvgWEYhhR-iTk71NmffZLc3AC7JTuUohlkLsV2XMTy6dmtOHMBV/s320/Shikra7.jpg" /></a></div>It must have realized, finally, that I was harmless because it turned back and plunged into the water again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROQgIJqXB4gnE2XMJ7TXmESPQvQNmDxKZoywcyeKe-mNJSAm3A6K2atz-lKEpO7Y2fYvnVFuUzT7psH5CYyvllxRXQwNKuX4_yBNtlyWFAcBDcM_FCRcxkC5rBVhtD0NAuADtOq7dRgoy/s1600/Shikra8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROQgIJqXB4gnE2XMJ7TXmESPQvQNmDxKZoywcyeKe-mNJSAm3A6K2atz-lKEpO7Y2fYvnVFuUzT7psH5CYyvllxRXQwNKuX4_yBNtlyWFAcBDcM_FCRcxkC5rBVhtD0NAuADtOq7dRgoy/s320/Shikra8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then after a more minutes of cool soaking it clambered onto the edge again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm6s1xuWzXUWGjcPR-mRbQuQqI5Y2qV45lCq6s70LRujpwPpFo1TcaYYDJM9Ll32KACNxXRxEXY-ZlFAVDHa80M5SV0bJ49f1gHDpd2CTqzQcNKPDP15AwqVM3J8YBmvWfraQQ9d_jL87/s1600/Shikra9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm6s1xuWzXUWGjcPR-mRbQuQqI5Y2qV45lCq6s70LRujpwPpFo1TcaYYDJM9Ll32KACNxXRxEXY-ZlFAVDHa80M5SV0bJ49f1gHDpd2CTqzQcNKPDP15AwqVM3J8YBmvWfraQQ9d_jL87/s320/Shikra9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It looked at me with a rather disgusted look that said "Voyeur! Can't you let me enjoy my bath?" .....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdJUz0uT1UD__UpWtpQq9TxpY7T5vXKIgpKovv02tdg0yIqU03fuVNqdfrRmpkkIie5C6s5tvNMZHK8j2v7aqo5nbPCCJgymZkxSkVnScbHVz1wNqi7dYV7FI1qJkNkbY0VlvQazOrzbr/s1600/Shikra10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdJUz0uT1UD__UpWtpQq9TxpY7T5vXKIgpKovv02tdg0yIqU03fuVNqdfrRmpkkIie5C6s5tvNMZHK8j2v7aqo5nbPCCJgymZkxSkVnScbHVz1wNqi7dYV7FI1qJkNkbY0VlvQazOrzbr/s320/Shikra10.jpg" /></a><br />
............. then with a final vigorous shake to get rid of the dripping water it got ready to fly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX0IqbU-nIuhOaDyzRQXo026x-gaRl0DiNse-JyV3Uq1HuZqt9PEjW9DbmbG85k_49TfueHBK7Xo9Dmj4hGzONK4qDsjvwLtm6GPwhJChOVoj5e0qhP0VPXnXbuoemUqo5pjm3xOGsePr/s1600/Shikra11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX0IqbU-nIuhOaDyzRQXo026x-gaRl0DiNse-JyV3Uq1HuZqt9PEjW9DbmbG85k_49TfueHBK7Xo9Dmj4hGzONK4qDsjvwLtm6GPwhJChOVoj5e0qhP0VPXnXbuoemUqo5pjm3xOGsePr/s320/Shikra11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIolN8xlE_uwadeaE2zxQ-FzLu1G4iZIgGRhfmQDVy4KLZ-MO_-TsmzCClu6kpaq0xj-sQPTdF6VVaar-9N683viCtF2PEyc_oAY95rrh_zbcsPEIbtwuIjBCv83vbPptnLOXIbZSex3Li/s1600/Shikra12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIolN8xlE_uwadeaE2zxQ-FzLu1G4iZIgGRhfmQDVy4KLZ-MO_-TsmzCClu6kpaq0xj-sQPTdF6VVaar-9N683viCtF2PEyc_oAY95rrh_zbcsPEIbtwuIjBCv83vbPptnLOXIbZSex3Li/s320/Shikra12.jpg" /></a></div>I know it'll return again, and I'll be waiting. Sometimes being called a voyeur is not all that bad!Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-86763908578266066472010-03-30T22:09:00.000+05:302010-03-30T22:27:46.956+05:30The CrossingI've never been to Africa. The one place and an event I want to see before my time on earth draws to a close is the wildebeest migration on the Masai Mara.<br />
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As if like a premonition, I witnessed one that gave me a gentle reminder that the time had come for the great crossing.<br />
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Place: Malampuzha reservoir, Palakkad, Kerala<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YUGzc884iLD8WIZxgLY_Vgs5eD86YRrwKCedVSOTBYi4vGD2z49IsieAsyy03L39M2-ggVAO_qokT8oav1Nn4j8j7d7QEjfGCaxmyYSSdaA90-bsyELbWnhasHqjpR3FqRtuJTfa2rf9/s1600/Crossing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YUGzc884iLD8WIZxgLY_Vgs5eD86YRrwKCedVSOTBYi4vGD2z49IsieAsyy03L39M2-ggVAO_qokT8oav1Nn4j8j7d7QEjfGCaxmyYSSdaA90-bsyELbWnhasHqjpR3FqRtuJTfa2rf9/s320/Crossing1.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div>The buffalo were crossing (not wildebeest!!). Sedately, wading through the shallows.<br />
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Till panic set in!! They turned as a group and rushed madly back into the safety of the waters. Some slipping in the slush and losing foot hold, others holding ground with panic in their eyes.<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPs2PBQ36Jwm1-vTFOoCLoVQaXQalKkv7TX6crtZMN4Qx1Flxr758-MudhTAHCHXGTviyYAMv-2PNmYXeJVZzxqcRpZFkqba2ASxk2a3USR1D5Pqu-pIHW0UXFRV9ws4QUbI-rr_OrEuu/s1600/Crossing3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPs2PBQ36Jwm1-vTFOoCLoVQaXQalKkv7TX6crtZMN4Qx1Flxr758-MudhTAHCHXGTviyYAMv-2PNmYXeJVZzxqcRpZFkqba2ASxk2a3USR1D5Pqu-pIHW0UXFRV9ws4QUbI-rr_OrEuu/s320/Crossing3.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The reason. Local predators! Strays?</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegVD_TSr8_is_ZvZit0mgHXN9-JsgJ5C9RMmNzqi-C3yfDSgfqOme0egDg4CBByA9J6SxyBWXMfl1OcvYi_BgyWHa8WST6CDdBFh9KqE4rhGx7BDl44cUDm_jjCkOpucGf9e4U3i02zds/s1600/Crossing4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegVD_TSr8_is_ZvZit0mgHXN9-JsgJ5C9RMmNzqi-C3yfDSgfqOme0egDg4CBByA9J6SxyBWXMfl1OcvYi_BgyWHa8WST6CDdBFh9KqE4rhGx7BDl44cUDm_jjCkOpucGf9e4U3i02zds/s320/Crossing4.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lASO4cEZhrzAaUS5A_STdv7mfpZaYHRg6Uuz_1V-rg2oGfAwmT312qDYMm2Kex5u0mtl5JEsUwZ7kXtzUwZYWrkpeZbh8xVD2bE8H11Q7xI4Umk-KYluPZyhkPo8gDxoQqOs2gGUTzQx/s1600/Crossing5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lASO4cEZhrzAaUS5A_STdv7mfpZaYHRg6Uuz_1V-rg2oGfAwmT312qDYMm2Kex5u0mtl5JEsUwZ7kXtzUwZYWrkpeZbh8xVD2bE8H11Q7xI4Umk-KYluPZyhkPo8gDxoQqOs2gGUTzQx/s320/Crossing5.jpg" /></a></div>Five dogs with their owner?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_jPyBmcVqYm5gTngs7r-oJINRmEkAXpYmcLO72h-99is8b40u2_HTk49uE-ksQpcOgCXprbe93QJF0hKdivxJvyTtsk-3dxhHPSh4R5KpftorzgqxaQ6vT5S9gTUP6m7GZmRCGv9aEUw/s1600/Crossing6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_jPyBmcVqYm5gTngs7r-oJINRmEkAXpYmcLO72h-99is8b40u2_HTk49uE-ksQpcOgCXprbe93QJF0hKdivxJvyTtsk-3dxhHPSh4R5KpftorzgqxaQ6vT5S9gTUP6m7GZmRCGv9aEUw/s320/Crossing6.jpg" /></a></div>Panic settles. The breath steadies, the heartbeats slow down. Is it safe?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08j9yiAw-vzM6yn439t6O2iMr-k5iRYAFufUCGNHoiM_R_sJa3QFSMYj8l64F8tW6FqsWjXGqRCD-0QcXRmAuFqXT0Cxqi7LfwjYg1qJScji_EcEYB5Cpt2nAW_kRi8WzIHCSK49KEZZd/s1600/Crossing7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08j9yiAw-vzM6yn439t6O2iMr-k5iRYAFufUCGNHoiM_R_sJa3QFSMYj8l64F8tW6FqsWjXGqRCD-0QcXRmAuFqXT0Cxqi7LfwjYg1qJScji_EcEYB5Cpt2nAW_kRi8WzIHCSK49KEZZd/s320/Crossing7.jpg" /></a></div>Mid water consultation. The egret contributes to the discussion. The danger is fading from sight.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzILePObxXUujHxYjmclY8sllxO8G_rsYeGzfYNYDD5yq_A-OWuduiS_S7nxCiFidhKRyNFyLbJknUX4q471itexvJ7vop3_J4Omoo2wse9B0zndTflGB8CrgAMJXSRPvyzZ8LhNfs7h3/s1600/Crossing8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzILePObxXUujHxYjmclY8sllxO8G_rsYeGzfYNYDD5yq_A-OWuduiS_S7nxCiFidhKRyNFyLbJknUX4q471itexvJ7vop3_J4Omoo2wse9B0zndTflGB8CrgAMJXSRPvyzZ8LhNfs7h3/s320/Crossing8.jpg" /></a></div>There is safety in numbers and the brave egret agrees!<br />
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</div>The last one is safe and dry. The Crossing is over. Masai Mara or Malampuzha?Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-11350243131154909572009-04-04T19:45:00.000+05:302009-04-04T20:24:29.113+05:30Turner learns to eatTurner is growing, and fast. His tail has become bushier and stands up stiffly when he gets excited. Now, he's outgrowing milk too. He gives me nip on my finger now and then as if to tell me I'm hungry, but I don't want milk.<br /><br />I know squirrels love fruits. There is <a href="http://juicymangotales.blogspot.com/2009/03/nightmare-on-mango-street.html">enough evidence of that on my mango tree</a>! I also know they love grains, nuts & cereals. Cereals?!<br /><br />Now what's that name I have heard on TV about a cereal that increase your memory and make you smart? Some name with K. I'm not taking names because the manufacturer will be upset if he knew Turner ate it. (If you remembered the name you, most likely had it for breakfast today!)<br /><br />To cut the long story short. I gave a CHOCOLATE flavoured cereal to Turner. One single one. At first he was skeptical. He sniffed at it, turned it around on his tiny paws, looked it over and sat back on his haunches contemplating that funny brown thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYR9NHnpqKSL9jqlrYGH48goXYW1C4s9wlJtb-9p496U9mMUd2r0PsU752yoD3VBeuMOEfaQSHwJBZeSZO0PlS85bvd1xmNTLrsU32JGLyKvQBnlVhVmlJQdh2W51MkBHeEhaenuBpYP42/s1600-h/P4045882.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYR9NHnpqKSL9jqlrYGH48goXYW1C4s9wlJtb-9p496U9mMUd2r0PsU752yoD3VBeuMOEfaQSHwJBZeSZO0PlS85bvd1xmNTLrsU32JGLyKvQBnlVhVmlJQdh2W51MkBHeEhaenuBpYP42/s400/P4045882.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320844686934246098" border="0" /></a><br />After a while curiosity got better of him and he picked it up lazily and took a cautious nibble. "Hmm. Not bad". That must have been the thought that went through his mind. Then he warmed to the job at hand. The thing was a little more difficult than he thought.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGEEOuCskPAViRicGXR2xOFDfl82AApHDq61FywXAAFUa5lfpJCcCT_GwocFXmjD2ENZioPgSzclJrgu2_PmyaTNEGmK-sPYTBpw5d9XG95JwEkP5mL3kRZndQi1LtvrK2xpXZOr9RDel/s1600-h/P4045885.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGEEOuCskPAViRicGXR2xOFDfl82AApHDq61FywXAAFUa5lfpJCcCT_GwocFXmjD2ENZioPgSzclJrgu2_PmyaTNEGmK-sPYTBpw5d9XG95JwEkP5mL3kRZndQi1LtvrK2xpXZOr9RDel/s400/P4045885.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320845560344500818" border="0" /></a><br />He gnawed at it, turned it around & gripped it more firmly and kept gnawing at it. "No Sir, this wont work. What shall I do?", Turner contemplated. This was more that he had bargained for and his teeth hurt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FtAX7Wup75LYuGepN-yt7TztYTj2hRQPDUXmV9LPx_2tQtfbMgP4ESzx9QFx0f8xvkzaU7bJSo03pi0eJ2oQYOnLTq3kMmSVMLmRl8PUcTmG8Wdl9CbKqfFjwFYhhfhPEu7yb_HjXxjk/s1600-h/P4045886.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FtAX7Wup75LYuGepN-yt7TztYTj2hRQPDUXmV9LPx_2tQtfbMgP4ESzx9QFx0f8xvkzaU7bJSo03pi0eJ2oQYOnLTq3kMmSVMLmRl8PUcTmG8Wdl9CbKqfFjwFYhhfhPEu7yb_HjXxjk/s400/P4045886.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320847141567789666" border="0" /></a><br />He threw it aside and stuck his tongue out at it. What a silly thing? Tastes to nice but it is not my teeth's friend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K2dmkbqaXbZXz13JB5EzB0tkXj_dhyphenhyphenoJkCgndbQlQDNwn0LJ8xj9F4mP1m8LSHgA8z3HHwo8tsm_N5AWej4sir32TRbJdd4NQdJ9Wq-G3rykZLAYThu-85cVmRLMZbOKc0UgDX8riLV3/s1600-h/P4045887.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K2dmkbqaXbZXz13JB5EzB0tkXj_dhyphenhyphenoJkCgndbQlQDNwn0LJ8xj9F4mP1m8LSHgA8z3HHwo8tsm_N5AWej4sir32TRbJdd4NQdJ9Wq-G3rykZLAYThu-85cVmRLMZbOKc0UgDX8riLV3/s400/P4045887.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320847139607041282" border="0" /></a><br />As he turned around a brilliant though struck Turner. "If I can't bite it, I can lick it, can't I? Aha! Why did I not think of it before."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIeTHsJe6F1u75-7ox4hjGjNNuf_IzZCUS8p15f1eIVPeJMkkyAZa-zZEAsFQpTwinXaaX8be2h4mjn_dtMXDEL24gYSm1BlukLRZnM63OGQp-AMjx_00V6eJ3DOqEvffsFVkT0v8wWpq/s1600-h/P4045889.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIeTHsJe6F1u75-7ox4hjGjNNuf_IzZCUS8p15f1eIVPeJMkkyAZa-zZEAsFQpTwinXaaX8be2h4mjn_dtMXDEL24gYSm1BlukLRZnM63OGQp-AMjx_00V6eJ3DOqEvffsFVkT0v8wWpq/s400/P4045889.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320848106595978370" border="0" /></a>Turner pulled that ugly but tasty cereal and started in earnest. "Umm! this is good".<br /><br />Now I'm worried. When my son returns he'll find his favourite chocolate K supply exhausted. I'd better tell him that Turner has developed his tastes!!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIeTHsJe6F1u75-7ox4hjGjNNuf_IzZCUS8p15f1eIVPeJMkkyAZa-zZEAsFQpTwinXaaX8be2h4mjn_dtMXDEL24gYSm1BlukLRZnM63OGQp-AMjx_00V6eJ3DOqEvffsFVkT0v8wWpq/s1600-h/P4045889.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-71507993053842552782009-04-01T07:31:00.000+05:302009-04-02T22:33:41.666+05:30Turner at the Safari ParkTo a city slicker my house will be a veritable zoo. Maybe, a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">safari park</span> is a better word to describe it. Someone living in a highrise apartment complex would probably see a few cats, dogs, and pigeons every now and then but if they visited what I call 'home', they'd call it a zoo!<div><br /></div><div>In and around my house living harmoniously together are a few cows & calves, four geese, four chickens, four dogs (our favourite, named Dizzy because he makes everyone dizzy!), and one strange duck that i call 'punk' duck (for descriptive purposes). </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBNuRL94QbT_QmUXfCsUvOArIp0MYKezCg9CNS-penWK7qWHeoQJq0o2qEy9d-WJsPiJWPkfJrJgNkXHB_SyIHlM7BoDjx6XvaPW0QBPqABnZjy0HC6gD7iB5Zhn0e3sTP2i0Bn-91yNU/s1600-h/E3experiments701.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBNuRL94QbT_QmUXfCsUvOArIp0MYKezCg9CNS-penWK7qWHeoQJq0o2qEy9d-WJsPiJWPkfJrJgNkXHB_SyIHlM7BoDjx6XvaPW0QBPqABnZjy0HC6gD7iB5Zhn0e3sTP2i0Bn-91yNU/s400/E3experiments701.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320130446976842834" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ypp3oFN5vJthrwyoPnK52vAoLWaakgHRJJRfq-0hwMYcz6JyguL3-Lh_IFQ0pRkvXGHL_cz_u7_LhmQny-wqL_WVKOoFed2BKFnHVz5rIbOBcaqcfyWokg4HpK1i_3L-dBWFsjc-PRrr/s1600-h/E3experiments1701.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 325px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ypp3oFN5vJthrwyoPnK52vAoLWaakgHRJJRfq-0hwMYcz6JyguL3-Lh_IFQ0pRkvXGHL_cz_u7_LhmQny-wqL_WVKOoFed2BKFnHVz5rIbOBcaqcfyWokg4HpK1i_3L-dBWFsjc-PRrr/s400/E3experiments1701.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320132126046516754" /></a><div>Besides these domestic creatures, living in my garden and yard are myriad birds; babblers, barbets, bulbuls, coucals, cuckoos, drongos, orioles, magpies, mynas, robins, sunbirds, flowerpeckers and even a lone shikra that comes for a soak daily. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the pond on my yard you can see a cormorant, brahminy kites, pond herons and kingfishers both big & small. Of course, the creepy crawlies are there too; garden lizards, ratsnakes & cobras with some small ones I don't even know the names of.</div><div><br /></div><div>Into this crowd landed <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Turner</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>On friday last, the 27th of March, my cook who was watering the garden called out, "Etta (elder brother), there is a baby squirrel lying dead here. Perhaps a crow got it." Thinking of giving it a decent burial, I went to inspect it. I saw a tiny creature, maybe a few day's old, curled up near a pot under my mango tree. As I picked it up, it was warm and I could feel it shiver involuntarily in my grasp. It was alive then. No ritualistic burial but a emergency resucitation was needed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I came inside, picked up an old shoe box, lined it with a newspaper and put the tiny creature in it. After a minute it looked up groggily as if to ask "Where am I & who are you Oh! giant." I patted it in it's tiny head and reassured it, "You are in good hands for now", and went to tell my son about his new pet.</div><div><br /></div><div>My son was so thrilled and nearly squeezed the little creature in his excitement. I rescued it before it was squashed like a toothpaste tube and told him to carry it in the shoebox. Over the next few hours we went through an elaborate excercise of naming the new inmate of our house. First it was Stripes, then Squeeky, the Riki Tiki Tavi and finally TURNER. Why Turner, I don't know, because it's the name of a tool that appears in Disney Cartoon, but it stuck.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turner is still very young. Drinks nothing but milk, half a cc at a time; and eats nothing. He drinks, sprays some urine and promptly falls asleep. </div><div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLq2vhHGlggppeduCzUdP7zoujc5Vc7zphNPM6PgI8j3D_EPmhcFtfBLEbsSOHiiwUXVbnteIWGonrmqMSVrNtuKJKEbBbgyildNPs7CH3YJ7clU7wgreFVjZQPTAlBfrwSlV3DVTz1ijB/s1600-h/Turner3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLq2vhHGlggppeduCzUdP7zoujc5Vc7zphNPM6PgI8j3D_EPmhcFtfBLEbsSOHiiwUXVbnteIWGonrmqMSVrNtuKJKEbBbgyildNPs7CH3YJ7clU7wgreFVjZQPTAlBfrwSlV3DVTz1ijB/s400/Turner3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319547670862031938" /></a></div><div>We got a husked coconut pulled out some fibers mashed it into a soft mattress (coir foam?!)and put it one corner of Turner's home.</div><div><br /></div><div>My son has gone to visit his maternal granparents for his holidays. He left me explicit instructions to feed Turner, clean out his shoebox home and walk him!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOqIHCep_CkBFJe3NXIzRDJJcUf4Jfx_np-jpY5m3dKx65eMsfKSuazCzzecZMzGcTXC0s-iZhMRgpaGg5vfHQDeYP5d7i4MUWlUlAaupQdIYE7HRDY5TWVjRQI4NJJJfxniyRfLwFZi8/s1600-h/Gymnast+turner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOqIHCep_CkBFJe3NXIzRDJJcUf4Jfx_np-jpY5m3dKx65eMsfKSuazCzzecZMzGcTXC0s-iZhMRgpaGg5vfHQDeYP5d7i4MUWlUlAaupQdIYE7HRDY5TWVjRQI4NJJJfxniyRfLwFZi8/s400/Gymnast+turner.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320138861352064498" /></a></div><div>Walk him?! Turner doesn't walk. He hops, skips, jumps & runs. Mercifully he runs, not in the other direction but towards me. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagoVAcLWxoCEGlgAfFSgOMzjIEcyVu23SdsVmC3NSoupS7mUpQjmDwIKTKT2CF18Hn4T1yWuK43mzfRicGNg5Q28AxablTzCUN95Uv0vMbh3_VcVGyq-ERA-3hAsi_7w31hHkRlShLbV2/s1600-h/Hide+N+seek2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagoVAcLWxoCEGlgAfFSgOMzjIEcyVu23SdsVmC3NSoupS7mUpQjmDwIKTKT2CF18Hn4T1yWuK43mzfRicGNg5Q28AxablTzCUN95Uv0vMbh3_VcVGyq-ERA-3hAsi_7w31hHkRlShLbV2/s400/Hide+N+seek2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320140000960842930" /></a>only problem is that he is so tiny that, when he plays hide and seek, I have to be careful I'm not sittting on him. </div><div><br /></div><div>He is so used to me, he thinks I'm his mom & dad rolled in one big giant creature. Every time I open his shoe box he stands up on his rear feet and reaches up with his fore feet, like a child asking to be carried. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">My little Turner. </span></div></div>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-21043150603668001982009-03-22T10:09:00.001+05:302009-03-22T10:19:55.920+05:30The Nightmare.............more pics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0W90_hSbZQRMHaXxla7sdC8mWpuIe_yUFMQLivzZzyiBYpYnrOEiKxsicmG5yaUmpuPmGozkhmsy6YxogiHkdWuHQNUEK2KNwlPQo_z5-ImefdzzxMo48NRRc2BsS7h7zrK109qoAuM6O/s1600-h/acrobat1e.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0W90_hSbZQRMHaXxla7sdC8mWpuIe_yUFMQLivzZzyiBYpYnrOEiKxsicmG5yaUmpuPmGozkhmsy6YxogiHkdWuHQNUEK2KNwlPQo_z5-ImefdzzxMo48NRRc2BsS7h7zrK109qoAuM6O/s400/acrobat1e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315868736057951074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdBzprOjNyhF3Mn5W0ri4M04lKNg3ziUiKzT6bIGil9aET5kiQvnIKSHvuwGKwnxk_esl3vd2lW1Z4Ut4G9CqdUXXzdoFhyamr9ZTcjtfumCgZR25_JD3qndUkrFHwpALwitlcS7meRuV/s1600-h/acrobat1d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdBzprOjNyhF3Mn5W0ri4M04lKNg3ziUiKzT6bIGil9aET5kiQvnIKSHvuwGKwnxk_esl3vd2lW1Z4Ut4G9CqdUXXzdoFhyamr9ZTcjtfumCgZR25_JD3qndUkrFHwpALwitlcS7meRuV/s400/acrobat1d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315868732108958706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYLmODG6BzVh8xcjCly4WgP6vTuNoedQViEDHfQ9NX2jhGXrxQz-8FTiXL2oTaJ_adWIqIpQoJO3HEv7vM04KXpuDJP-1enSIhFG2vxbOZkKkSUksavc1ifichj0Wxqou5MPQucKmM2v0/s1600-h/acrobat1c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYLmODG6BzVh8xcjCly4WgP6vTuNoedQViEDHfQ9NX2jhGXrxQz-8FTiXL2oTaJ_adWIqIpQoJO3HEv7vM04KXpuDJP-1enSIhFG2vxbOZkKkSUksavc1ifichj0Wxqou5MPQucKmM2v0/s400/acrobat1c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315868722464844162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY4fbnQxKgFagvuGiB9E_oyBDmXtor-dtBrMNmwMdjvPXNEYr3k2V8ws6Vz6xJ9r3MQ6U2E2IbdXp9x1MXEugoRpCjJUNjCiN6dPlnDDjZIpgAAOSuJwKSowagC-OSSKDvVqTWGWswZyx/s1600-h/acrobat1b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY4fbnQxKgFagvuGiB9E_oyBDmXtor-dtBrMNmwMdjvPXNEYr3k2V8ws6Vz6xJ9r3MQ6U2E2IbdXp9x1MXEugoRpCjJUNjCiN6dPlnDDjZIpgAAOSuJwKSowagC-OSSKDvVqTWGWswZyx/s400/acrobat1b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315868725510829970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIKGdjoF2i_pJ6lA8EEjmuOEMaL5KuGUnU4pCMtqLS4jMx5D64PiJLEyy7_T0qk88-nq9Qq55Cvng1FxUrpupG8CeQx5X4JR9Coxl5FeM9BlQNqKYmYGMa2Eo-pbovpVvecngTsc8ep4R/s1600-h/acrobat1a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIKGdjoF2i_pJ6lA8EEjmuOEMaL5KuGUnU4pCMtqLS4jMx5D64PiJLEyy7_T0qk88-nq9Qq55Cvng1FxUrpupG8CeQx5X4JR9Coxl5FeM9BlQNqKYmYGMa2Eo-pbovpVvecngTsc8ep4R/s400/acrobat1a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315868719166782194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzgyyD1ydI8tD8VbMJpPoWdLVbN9d17BCWHpPVBSggYEXmhjMC6rkDREYBY7nAEYVtAfHOWRzMuQz76q1S8A0WdvzMfO4MT4WDPtyXauo4lpLUyINF3vySloQHyL1SpM-a9EDaMU4JRv-/s1600-h/acrobat1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 373px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzgyyD1ydI8tD8VbMJpPoWdLVbN9d17BCWHpPVBSggYEXmhjMC6rkDREYBY7nAEYVtAfHOWRzMuQz76q1S8A0WdvzMfO4MT4WDPtyXauo4lpLUyINF3vySloQHyL1SpM-a9EDaMU4JRv-/s400/acrobat1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315868183753534130" border="0" /></a><br />Thank heaven's my E3 is back. I can go back Woodcrawling. At least I won't have to witness this heart wrenching scenes again!Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-83403053942537652492009-03-17T22:03:00.000+05:302009-03-22T10:18:00.074+05:30Nightmare on Mango (S)tree(T)Freddy Kruger was better. He used to finish his victim of with one slash. My horror story is quite unlike that and every passing day sees my lawn littered with the half eaten victims; my poor <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">mangoes</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3N-EHUCQTsy2F_v9pj66IGY-2pbIQ_Veicml-caw5MmWvmYKu9_HoKrzFvKhP6nvmQJwWD1Ehtb9IM43UmZvLKvM5e3cJI9Zbda53lYfFaPwA-NUMKi9DjVBh_u66vUmtDJAj1LBdabe/s1600-h/fallen+treasures.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3N-EHUCQTsy2F_v9pj66IGY-2pbIQ_Veicml-caw5MmWvmYKu9_HoKrzFvKhP6nvmQJwWD1Ehtb9IM43UmZvLKvM5e3cJI9Zbda53lYfFaPwA-NUMKi9DjVBh_u66vUmtDJAj1LBdabe/s400/fallen+treasures.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314920700889467074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I am witness to one of the most ruthless massacres this side of Hitler's gas chambers. Literally. The tiny striped devil's have no heart. Each time I gaze up I see another victim slashed and strung up, half eaten. Over a few hours the green rind disappears and the yellow, exposed pulp starts shrinking.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-4614woEwpKeUst5F5V9br3LH7FzAvI8NEF71hQ6DrHNDYP_qegmbuxLET-lxYXLW3Pj4wsSwE5RGW8TRpcOX8qZWug2fTAhq6trgWjqCv89cJNkMnLdmv38PhL6yugkOz_6zxeTsSfK/s1600-h/eaten8am.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-4614woEwpKeUst5F5V9br3LH7FzAvI8NEF71hQ6DrHNDYP_qegmbuxLET-lxYXLW3Pj4wsSwE5RGW8TRpcOX8qZWug2fTAhq6trgWjqCv89cJNkMnLdmv38PhL6yugkOz_6zxeTsSfK/s400/eaten8am.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314922839674424338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WhPJIh1x-x3OqpmJVZmzRsx78CaYG94GrfiSo8q24D1d8K56ZspIFQGhzukgWF2O9hCvF9tlEqm5Lula-ZCY5IapYJAVvWESlk0v2O2x6H5WnW_5eTlHhyphenhyphensyaMOKBvx_q54ZybTUPGJr/s1600-h/eaten805am.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WhPJIh1x-x3OqpmJVZmzRsx78CaYG94GrfiSo8q24D1d8K56ZspIFQGhzukgWF2O9hCvF9tlEqm5Lula-ZCY5IapYJAVvWESlk0v2O2x6H5WnW_5eTlHhyphenhyphensyaMOKBvx_q54ZybTUPGJr/s400/eaten805am.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314923328169828642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ05aMjRAIjtGFmgKxqbL5mxG-DSoDsYPw_7rG5Z0MnicM3vvUa9s0qVEm7JOaSGvKqpx_DpBFu9f6NVfx-FO9flWLhoA6U0979OnCLXm8REuQmDpZTTZRx6bGj1-DSJbHZle5LwU-t8RO/s1600-h/eaten4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ05aMjRAIjtGFmgKxqbL5mxG-DSoDsYPw_7rG5Z0MnicM3vvUa9s0qVEm7JOaSGvKqpx_DpBFu9f6NVfx-FO9flWLhoA6U0979OnCLXm8REuQmDpZTTZRx6bGj1-DSJbHZle5LwU-t8RO/s400/eaten4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314923707186105346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKsCCBdP7kCSPmQVak2yKH7-kYmOzV9Lv14HQMY5aD_ru3Z8zU8kA4iTGf3I82GQlgAFWndwKIDwjcr_5GOrUBLEA5AKzrVsgYYenkzR6pCQ49K2Obsa-oNqTEDUB0sDK0WXrWGiUyUSm/s1600-h/eaten445pm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKsCCBdP7kCSPmQVak2yKH7-kYmOzV9Lv14HQMY5aD_ru3Z8zU8kA4iTGf3I82GQlgAFWndwKIDwjcr_5GOrUBLEA5AKzrVsgYYenkzR6pCQ49K2Obsa-oNqTEDUB0sDK0WXrWGiUyUSm/s400/eaten445pm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314924493139538418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mU6CiVVKWjNNGEd6chrNyyYqSqv3SFH_hyphenhyphenBUheww26KVVTzU5MNPJirc9nzBOG-ZAPl79JF4Aaa3o87D2GM2b684M301UmmTvTtyt0r-TAGGe_6ChtMrIKCLI_nxOMr6YIkLpAJHTXkK/s1600-h/seed2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mU6CiVVKWjNNGEd6chrNyyYqSqv3SFH_hyphenhyphenBUheww26KVVTzU5MNPJirc9nzBOG-ZAPl79JF4Aaa3o87D2GM2b684M301UmmTvTtyt0r-TAGGe_6ChtMrIKCLI_nxOMr6YIkLpAJHTXkK/s400/seed2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314924500973751154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Some even fully eaten with only an tiny umbrella of rind attached to the seed hanging from it's stalk.<br /><br />The summer shower's have passed and the brief welcome cool has since faded away. As the mercury climbs back to the 40s, I feel my brain getting cooked in my cranium. What can you do with a creature so tiny & ruthless?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCALmufDPye4SNLtyBpklHrkGZ4Dj9cSCEl1_LN_AQPOLa8fld712nB6CFuvb4tXp_7cASXSumQFv58tyNQ-EqzBlUMYNB-NzwgKoI8-WP7f-BK5nMHFK-lIGY7SZyoLjW_0Ammj6gm1x4/s1600-h/acrobat8am.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCALmufDPye4SNLtyBpklHrkGZ4Dj9cSCEl1_LN_AQPOLa8fld712nB6CFuvb4tXp_7cASXSumQFv58tyNQ-EqzBlUMYNB-NzwgKoI8-WP7f-BK5nMHFK-lIGY7SZyoLjW_0Ammj6gm1x4/s400/acrobat8am.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314936226988777890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugLc8JW9LbLj6tIJv3YqxNnScdDQbyPonhzlbCa1lpODqVSlRKVDig2Dp3Xyuf1kvth-XFdkx6v2dAhl-aT7Ajk3BuYRTKH4rFwlOvRmhh8lGl3sFC3z7Y72X-VY0dMT-u9ssL9iiTcnq/s1600-h/acrobat8am2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugLc8JW9LbLj6tIJv3YqxNnScdDQbyPonhzlbCa1lpODqVSlRKVDig2Dp3Xyuf1kvth-XFdkx6v2dAhl-aT7Ajk3BuYRTKH4rFwlOvRmhh8lGl3sFC3z7Y72X-VY0dMT-u9ssL9iiTcnq/s400/acrobat8am2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314935996525495330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZXHF3t1-dJtLVJ0g4c6Bq3h0oGQcYHNHiOnAQQ2XJz-qv0ZrrPjBEBj3nEtvooxIJs99qHsQXnKOtMuNRSUAnPtMHJwM-6DVefBl4qlgRbLiPHRIz4-IR1f2NpgJOQFYEUEamKW42otX/s1600-h/acrobat9am.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZXHF3t1-dJtLVJ0g4c6Bq3h0oGQcYHNHiOnAQQ2XJz-qv0ZrrPjBEBj3nEtvooxIJs99qHsQXnKOtMuNRSUAnPtMHJwM-6DVefBl4qlgRbLiPHRIz4-IR1f2NpgJOQFYEUEamKW42otX/s400/acrobat9am.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314936433322754786" border="0" /></a><br />The culprit has no inhibitions. Hanging to that stalk upside down and gorging mouthfuls while looking down upon me with disdain. I can only look upwards in anguish, my gaze shifting from a fast disappearing mango and the heavens.<br /><br /><a href="http://juicymangotales.blogspot.com/2009/03/nightmaremore-pics.html">More pics here</a>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-90126242478020387462009-03-12T20:31:00.000+05:302009-03-20T22:03:33.210+05:30It's Raining......... Summer Shower's here<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcT7-zjG-qHGQ0JPShp_tdlpEPh7IXG-QN8VkYvNtN9uMBhLzX_gzaYlTrsVQsEuasKxgMFAQ_u4xpZ6luEYHA9d4p2USwpzdv4TZmvX0PPBDsF1zm0rwjnJLp8NaA45aDKywMwMI5WI/s1600-h/Seed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcT7-zjG-qHGQ0JPShp_tdlpEPh7IXG-QN8VkYvNtN9uMBhLzX_gzaYlTrsVQsEuasKxgMFAQ_u4xpZ6luEYHA9d4p2USwpzdv4TZmvX0PPBDsF1zm0rwjnJLp8NaA45aDKywMwMI5WI/s400/Seed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312318157085017666" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;">2.00 PM</span><br /><br />I was gazing wistfully at a mango seed.<br /><br />No. Not on the lawn but on the tree. I was furious, and justifiably so. The mango thieves were having a ball.<br />Not enough that they were stealing, they were even mocking me.<br /><br />It's not enough that the sun was being merciless; the mercury was still at 42, even nature seemed to be putting on it's worst show.<br /><br />How else can I interpret that forlorn looking seed hanging by its stalk.<br /><br />My dreams of juicy mangoes seemed to be evaporating every passing minute.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">5.00 PM</span><br /><br />The sky starts darkening. There is a cool breeze gently caressing everything in it's way. My son runs into the clinic shouting, "Papa, it's raining. Let's go for a drive."<br /><br />We went on a drive, smelling the fragrance of the <span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">First Summer Shower </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">of the season. The parched earth was soaking up nature's benevolence. The rattle of the raindrops on the car's roof was music to my ears.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;">8.00 PM</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">My humidity gauge reads 85% (from 50% in the afternoon) and my thermometer shows 23 degrees (from yesterday's 42).</span></span></span><br />Someone answered half my prayers. Now, if only they ensure that these green mangoes turn yellow and juicy without someone , other than me, getting their teeth in them!<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUM3flnDngOWvTeccVmGubwqDjUJk7F3yF4sd08di1ZC67v6MP1y0BxjC_dJ91LuLN_F7goU3_HUedjl_Q8U87PcoYYJP9v5oKqnW3EGF6suYzbLe1bFwxakT0pNX6V6U1ChNAwRdM6EI/s1600-h/hanging3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUM3flnDngOWvTeccVmGubwqDjUJk7F3yF4sd08di1ZC67v6MP1y0BxjC_dJ91LuLN_F7goU3_HUedjl_Q8U87PcoYYJP9v5oKqnW3EGF6suYzbLe1bFwxakT0pNX6V6U1ChNAwRdM6EI/s400/hanging3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312329033495085906" border="0" /></a></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUM3flnDngOWvTeccVmGubwqDjUJk7F3yF4sd08di1ZC67v6MP1y0BxjC_dJ91LuLN_F7goU3_HUedjl_Q8U87PcoYYJP9v5oKqnW3EGF6suYzbLe1bFwxakT0pNX6V6U1ChNAwRdM6EI/s1600-h/hanging3.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></span><br /><br /></a>Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126943891900361398.post-60659943273273047382009-03-12T07:32:00.000+05:302009-03-12T07:33:02.968+05:30It's Raining Mangoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Qw716MnqjeWoY3QVBKyCzTRLD_GKYSTAxtXbo-gGgUZ66Ol4FKfJgAs8h1Of4IhIFw2132Ebl2M0gbO70PXgFEHYd1KdowdOjIbTcNuYUYq-IJSp953qG12d9ldehRrfIiSD7000gbDT/s1600-h/Flowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Qw716MnqjeWoY3QVBKyCzTRLD_GKYSTAxtXbo-gGgUZ66Ol4FKfJgAs8h1Of4IhIFw2132Ebl2M0gbO70PXgFEHYd1KdowdOjIbTcNuYUYq-IJSp953qG12d9ldehRrfIiSD7000gbDT/s400/Flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311960624161138866" border="0" /></a>It's <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">HOT</span>, in Capitals & Block Letters.<br />The mercury has already crawled (no pun intended) past the 42 degree notch and there is no sign of the summer shower.<br /><br />Instead, it's been raining <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Mangoes</span>, not the juicy ones yet but still mangoes are mangoes. My car has been getting dented by the incessant rain of hard, green unripe mangoes and I'm unable to nail the culprits.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagoap5f0YGlM-mIP8Mp26Rx2BfZ8XfG8uP-4Hd8Z7fQV_SN1sw3o-Eh5pP_w0Htow0uP6kqXna8icf-ZGD6WS6oPzLosVU9RcK9-MKgJGa6J-qRPxBNL3CubGptt5cA3iuyqzQ2ItRpbK/s1600-h/Hanging1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagoap5f0YGlM-mIP8Mp26Rx2BfZ8XfG8uP-4Hd8Z7fQV_SN1sw3o-Eh5pP_w0Htow0uP6kqXna8icf-ZGD6WS6oPzLosVU9RcK9-MKgJGa6J-qRPxBNL3CubGptt5cA3iuyqzQ2ItRpbK/s400/Hanging1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311961372526593554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2rtYR45gDUDOVfb6lqtaa615Vd68jmOcpsrtjBCU4w4zktWohLaMMMXlObq2TzQKvH1pAGa2QBYUpI5RVLNAcDSo906TW_xQ2Sxf76d1dZRmYP1O0yEnsHWFPlUa5ngx-vhSvj-ICV-6/s1600-h/hanging2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2rtYR45gDUDOVfb6lqtaa615Vd68jmOcpsrtjBCU4w4zktWohLaMMMXlObq2TzQKvH1pAGa2QBYUpI5RVLNAcDSo906TW_xQ2Sxf76d1dZRmYP1O0yEnsHWFPlUa5ngx-vhSvj-ICV-6/s400/hanging2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311961799557547362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This year, when the mango blossoms appeared, I was gloating. What a feast was in store for this summer? Now I'm wondering; will I get even one juicy mango to sink my teeth into. Just close my eyes and I can feel teeth sink into that pulp even as the juice stains my lips. Mmmm.....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqs2n8ksbEUxzPkziZixdUvGLn8qXXSBJqH_pLiHksVXiRmvrRo2JRWds-2J9QVaYlPLcCQn6Hy6vjIdNNQjX3DapwfJtEtZmRP-RjlWZAwwgwRcPAaUCuouXBEMbZAfd23lHVlHwCGmiF/s1600-h/Grounded.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqs2n8ksbEUxzPkziZixdUvGLn8qXXSBJqH_pLiHksVXiRmvrRo2JRWds-2J9QVaYlPLcCQn6Hy6vjIdNNQjX3DapwfJtEtZmRP-RjlWZAwwgwRcPAaUCuouXBEMbZAfd23lHVlHwCGmiF/s400/Grounded.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311960958891378898" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now, the last two weeks have been a bad dream. My lawn is sprinkled with a daily dose of unripe juveniles along with half chewed ones. My sweeeper threatens to leave if I did not bring the culprits to book. I can do nothing but throw up my arms skyward in helpless anguish because the "culprits" are beyond those outstretched arms.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKqmGB6XxBXugSp61JhAeiCMkY7yjVB0gHA9Al4modNXUNOU9nsP8EwckW1ZpCK-Ap-ul2asnj1OqzVUogNX6ZPEXOMWzbZ3FzfamU2Dd0HrtWfsSDMld3AKzX5DTBufxvr2faDg7W4ZI/s1600-h/Ants.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKqmGB6XxBXugSp61JhAeiCMkY7yjVB0gHA9Al4modNXUNOU9nsP8EwckW1ZpCK-Ap-ul2asnj1OqzVUogNX6ZPEXOMWzbZ3FzfamU2Dd0HrtWfsSDMld3AKzX5DTBufxvr2faDg7W4ZI/s400/Ants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311962379968663890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />How, do you arrest horde of ants, bees, butterflies, birds, bats, squirrels & wasps?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEcE2Rsxf5exTrS8dH6KAJY8dZ5HMrSTq5lj6-tfifHBRx6hAtsKYeJqoPuB2LHNEpqBmEh6ys8MF4TYEz6ELytqEcxwcZeBCv6I4nNlay-l2eCeT3vT7n2pkyQciCAu7cp_gKAr5WfK9/s1600-h/Bugs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEcE2Rsxf5exTrS8dH6KAJY8dZ5HMrSTq5lj6-tfifHBRx6hAtsKYeJqoPuB2LHNEpqBmEh6ys8MF4TYEz6ELytqEcxwcZeBCv6I4nNlay-l2eCeT3vT7n2pkyQciCAu7cp_gKAr5WfK9/s400/Bugs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311965187403733986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC7dpixEHdFxGrpdOSNpqRdomichz4rYRb0kyGXCVamA4dBNgJXftG5q7NaCSHe_iIYeilCnUEjf3fgA0jnde9aRhnI2Fj0nTj-2XK2MqhGiLJ1R-bxmFO3ap7O5jF6py6FLmHYul80Nm/s1600-h/Squirrel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC7dpixEHdFxGrpdOSNpqRdomichz4rYRb0kyGXCVamA4dBNgJXftG5q7NaCSHe_iIYeilCnUEjf3fgA0jnde9aRhnI2Fj0nTj-2XK2MqhGiLJ1R-bxmFO3ap7O5jF6py6FLmHYul80Nm/s400/Squirrel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311965417700504338" /></a><br /><br />I can't climb a tree like I did during my Tarzan days, and neither do I have wings. In any case I don't think the branches were designed with me in mind.<br /><br />Someone. <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0); font-weight: bold;">Help</span>!<br /><br />I'll share my mangoes with you!!Tigertrackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10436603097194358389noreply@blogger.com2