Magical Corbett - Junior Paarwali

 

Around the hallowed white stoned river banks of Dikhala in the Corbett Tiger reserve a bold tigress named Junior Paarwali had been trying to hunt for herself and her four cubs. Named after her famed mother Paarwali she would walk these paths and recall the lessons her mother had taught her on countless Nights and days. Gifted with some keen hunting skills she had been unable to hunt for the past few days and had made many unsuccessful attempts at making a kill. As the searing hot sun started making its way towards the horizon she stalked a lone Sāmbhar deer blissfully grazing near a green patch adjacent to the waters of the Mighty Rāmgangā River.

She moved gracefully and with utmost stealth, eyes locked on her prey she almost hugged the earth as she inched through the tall grass. She knew that even the slightest rustle of the surrounding grass would be enough to alert her target and send it scrambling out of her reach. As she readied herself with tense anticipation and flexed her powerful leg muscles, a pair of deer’s casually grazing nearby picked up her scent and immediately raised the alarm call. The lone Sāmbhar deer was off on its feet in an instant and disappeared into the Forrest to live another day. Our tigress stopped dead in her tracks and watched as her meal fled. Another failed attempt. Another day to fight. Another prey to search and kill.  

Junior Paarwali seemed untouched by this failed kill attempt, almost philosophical in her reaction, I watched mesmerized as she simply raised her head and started walking gracefully towards the waters of the Rāmgangā. She drank deep and hard from the cold flowing river and strutted back like a proud warrior into the cool environs of the dense Jamun forests. She would have to make a kill soon not only for herself but for her four hungry cubs eagerly waiting for their mother to return. Every hunt reminded her of the lessons learned during hunting with her mother – Paarwali. In the next hunt she will have to adapt and ingrain all of them while at the same time relying heavily on her instincts. Learning and adapting is how you survive in nature. The circle of life goes on, you take and learn from it or perish.         

Vlog Link : LeonardoDaFotoGravinci

Corbett : The Magical Land 

Start of a Vacation ©Leonard Rebello

Me and my family are waiting eagerly to get into our AC coach while standing on the platform in the burning summer heat for our long distance train. Our train is running about half an hour late. 

©Leonard Rebello

Yes I am irritated . Irritated by the delay, by the terrible heat,by the dusty platform we are standing on,by the noisy surroundings, irritated by the bag on my shoulders carrying my camera,lens and other gear which seems to get heavier as the minutes pass.My face wears a scowl and frustrated at not being able to do anything I bang my leg on the platform floor...

My young son senses something amiss and gives his father a sudden hug and my daughter looks at me with concern and lovingly hands me her cold thermos and urges me to take a sip.I accept the flask thankfully and take a long sip of the cold orange drink. 

©Leonard Rebello

Then in all this mess my wife nudges and with only her eyes points me to a family, three tiny kids, almost infants,with their father... sitting on the platform,in the dust,in the heat,all of their clothes are dirty and torn and hungrily they are nudging their father towards the food and drink stall. The father counts and recounts the change that he has in his hands and gently and painfully nudges his head negatively.

I definitely know what my better half wants me to do but I abhor attention and hate being seen to be patronizing specially to the less fortunate in front of my two young and impressionable kids.

 ©Leonard Rebello

I gently slip off and lay down my heavy camera bag from my shoulders and step up towards the food stall. As I reach for my wallet in my cargoes I notice and touch a soft hand clutching and trying to unzip the pocket. I look down into two innocent eyes of my son who smiles shyly and hands me my wallet. 

I pay for four milkshake cold drinks and two big water bottles and some biscuits and request the shopkeeper to pls share it alongwith the remaining change with the family. 

©Leonard Rebello

I quickly get back to my waiting family and noticing the train arriving slip on the heavy bag once again on my shoulders. As we get inside the chilled envirns of the train my heart skips a beat as I look out from the sealed window I see the family enjoying the drinks, but for the father who is now kneeling down hands raised in thanks to heaven, tears streaming past his happy face.... Besides me my son looks and smiles at me.... It's a Lovely beginning to an amazing vacation... 

©Leonard Rebello 

Garden and Backyard Bird count : 63 and counting ....

About Six years back around this time after lazily procrastinating it for Ages I finally got myself to compile a Bird list of the Winged Beauties seen in my Garden and Backyard. Then I had hit a half century at the first try itself !!!!!!! Doing this exercise again now as some awesome sightings have recently happened. 

So here goes the list and with it some Photo Highlights:

1.Indian Pond Heron 

2.Little Egret

3.Cattle Egret

4.White Throated Kingfisher

5.White Breasted Waterhen

6.Shikra

7.Black Kite

8.Brahminy Kite

9.Spotted Owlet

10.Long Tailed Shrike

11.Common Myna

12.Bank Myna

13.Asian Pied Starling

14.Purple Rumped Sunbird

15.Purple Sunbird

16.Ashy Prinia

17.Plain Prinia

18.Orange Headed Thrush

19.Blyth’s Reed Warbler

20.Jungle Babbler

21.Asian Brown flycatcher

22.Little Green Bee Eater

23.Scaly Breasted Munia

24.Indian Silverbill

25.Red Vented Bulbul

26.Red Whiskered Bulbul

27.White Browed Bulbul

28.Eurasian Cuckoo

29.Common Hawk Cuckoo

30.Indian Cuckoo

31.Black Drongo

32.White Browed Fantail

33.Asian Paradise Flycatcher

34.Black naped blue Monarch

35.Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

36.Indian Golden Oriole

37.Rose Ringed Parakeet

38.Oriental Magpie Robin

39.Baya Weaver

40.House Sparrow

41.Common Tailorbird

42.Coppersmith Barbet

43.Zitting Cisticola

44.Common Iora

45.House Crow

46.Asian koel

47.Greater Coucal

48.Common Hoopoe

49.Pale billed Flowerpecker

50.Barn Swallow

51.Brahminy starling

52.Indian Roller

53.Asian brown flycatcher

54.Banded Bay cuckoo

55.Pied Cuckoo

56.Rosy Starling

57.Indian Cormorant

58.Green Warbler

59.Barn Owl

60.Grey-bellied cuckoo

61. Indian Grey Hornbill

62.Oriental Honey-Buzzard

63.Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher 

माणुसकी.....

गेल्या रविवारी काही मित्राबरोबर एका प्रसिद्ध अश्या  दूकानात लस्सी पिण्यासाठी  गेलो होतो.ऑर्डर देऊन आम्ही सर्व मित्र  बाहेर खुरच्यावर बसून चेष्टा मस्करी करीत होतो‌. तेवढ्यात ७५-८० च्या वयाची एक म्हातारी आजी पैसे मागत माझ्यासमोर हात पसरवून उभी झाली.वाकलेली कंबर,चेहऱ्यावर सुरकुत्यांच जाळ पसरलं होतं, डोळे पाणीदार पण खोल गेले होते. खांद्यावरून एक झोळी लटकत होती.कपडे जुने पण स्वच्छ होते. 

त्या आजीला बघून न जाणो मनात काय आलं की मी पैसे काढण्यासाठी खिशात घातलेला हात परत घेऊन विचारले "आजी लस्सी पिणार का?"माझ्या अश्या विचारण्यावर आजी कमी आणि माझे मित्र जास्त अचंभित झाले.ह्याला अचानक काय झालं अश्या नजरेने माझ्याकडे बघू लागले. 

आजी ने मानेनेच होकार दर्शवला व आपल्या जवळ जमा झालेली नाणी आपल्या कापऱ्या हातांनी माझ्यापुढे धरली. मला काही समजले नाही, म्हणून मी तिला विचारलं, "हे कशासाठी?"

"हे मिळवून माझ्या लस्सीचे पैसे द्या दादा !"

मी तिला हातानेच रहुद्या म्हणून बोललो व दुकानदाराला एक लस्सी वाढविण्यास सांगितले.आजीने आपले पैसे परत आपल्या मुठीत बंद केले व ती जवळच जमिनीवर बसली.आता तिला खुर्चीवर बसायला सांगायचं विचार होता पण मी लाजलो.मित्र काय म्हणतील,बाजूला बसलेले वा दुकानदार तिला खुर्चीवर बसून देतील का अश्या विचाराने मी गप्प बसलो.

पण आजीला जमीनीवर बसलेली पाहून मला परत खुर्चीवर बसवेना म्हणून मी तसाच उभा राहिलो.आपल्या आधुनिक जगात माणसाची काय किंमत आहे व ती कशावर अवलंबून आहे ते न कळण्याइतका मूर्ख मी नक्की नव्हतो.माणुसकी फक्त पैश्यावर अवलंबून राहीली आहे की काय अश्या एक ना अनेक विचारांनी मनात थैमान घातल होत. मिनिटा मिनिटाला मनात वादळं उठत होती. 

"साब लस्सी"... दुकानातील पोर मला ग्लास देत सांगत होता...माझ्या तंद्रीतून मी जागा झालो व पोराच्या हातून दोन ग्लास उचलून म्हाताऱ्या आजीच्या हातात एक ग्लास देऊन मी तिच्या बाजूला जवळच जमीनीवर बसलो. आता हे करण्यास मी स्वतंत्र होतो व त्यावर कुणाला आपत्ती असण्याचे कारण नव्हते. तिथे हजर असलेल्या माझे २-३ मित्र काही सांगण्यासाठी पुढे आले देखील.....

.. पण ते माझ्यापर्यंत पोचण्या वा काही बोलण्याच्या आगोदरच दुकानाच्या मालकाने पुढे येऊन आजीला उठवून खुर्चीवर बसवले आणि हसत माझ्याकडे बघून, हात जोडून म्हणाला,

"वर वर बसा साहेब! माझ्याकडे  गिऱ्हाईकं तर भरपूर येतात परंतु माणूस कधीतरीच येतो !

आपण आज थोडस माणूस बनण्यासाठी प्रयत्न करू या का.... 🙏

केएरटेकर

 

आमच्या एका मित्राने काही दिवसापूर्वी वसईतील एका जिल्हा परिषद शाळेच्या पुरातन अश्या वास्तूच एक छायाचित्र इथे फेसबुकवर पोस्ट केले होते. खूप वर्ष्यापुर्वी मी ती वास्तू बघितलेली मला पुसटशी आठवली.म्हणून मी फोन करून त्याला त्या जागेच नेमक स्थान विचारून येत्या रविवारी फेरी मारायचा विचार  केला.रविवारची सुट्टी असल्यामुळे शाळेत कोणी नसेल व मनसोक्त फोटाग्राफी होईल अशा आशेने मी तिथे पोहोचलो. पोहोचल्यावर बघतो तो कंपाऊंडच्या दोन्ही गेटला भली मोठी कुलुपं लागलेली होती. बाइक वळवली व दुसऱ्या ठिकाणी बघूया म्हणून निघालो पण मन मानायला तयार न्हवतं व कंपाऊंडवरून उडी मारून आत शिरु असा विचार करून एक चक्कर मारून परत तिथेच पोहोचलो. रस्त्याच्या कडेला बाइक पार्क करून आतमध्ये कसा काय शिरता येईल ह्या विचारात असताना लक्षात आले कि छोटा गेट फक्त कडी लावूनच बंद केला आहे.कडी सरकवून आत शिरलो व सवयीनुसार खाली बसून एखाद दोन फोटो काढले असतील तोच  इमारतीच्या एका कोपऱ्यातून मागच्या बाजूतून एक माणूस बाहेर आल्याचा जाणवल. हातात एक प्लास्टिकची  बादली घेऊन तो झाडांना पाणी देत होता. मी उठून त्याला नमस्कार वगैरे करून विचारल "तुम्ही इथले केएरटेकर वगैरे आहेत का ?" त्या गृहस्थाने बारीक स्मितहास्य करून मला एक परतप्रश्न करून गुगलीच फेकली.म्हणाला भाई  ह्या पृथीवर आपण सर्वजण केएरटेकरच नाही का ? त्याचा उत्तर ऐकून मी तीन ताड उडालोच . ह्याला आता काय बोलावे तेच मला कळेना. शेवटी तोच पुढे बोलू लागला...." मी इथे  समोरच राहतो... मला झाडं खूप आवडतात...कुलुपाची चावी माझ्याकडेच असते... दररोज मीच ह्या झाडांना पाणी देतो .....आपण आता जी काही फळे खातो ती कोणीतरी लावली असणार, पाणी देऊन त्यांची काळजी घेऊन संगोपन केल असणार...त्यांच्या मेहनतीचीच फळे तर आपण सगळे खातो..मी पण माझा खारीचा वाटा उचलायचा प्रयत्न करतो .... तुम्ही निवांत फोटो काढून घ्या.. झालं कि मला सांगा तोवर मी पाणी देऊन घेतो ... .तुम्हाला ठाऊक आहे का की स्वातंत्र काळात ह्या शाळेत गांधीजी येऊन गेलेत!!!!....

बोलता बोलता बरच काही बोलून आणि शिकवून गेला हा माणूस...आजच्या ह्या व्यवहारी जगात असले विरळ का होईना पण थोडेसे हिरे अजून आपल्या अवतीभवती आहेत हि भावना थोडी दिलासा देऊन गेली .

Garden and Backyard Bird count : 61 and counting ....

About two years back around this time after lazily procrastinating it for Ages I finally got myself to compile a Bird list of the Winged Beauties seen in my Garden and Backyard.Then I had hit a half century at the first try itself !!!!!!! Doing this exercise again after a year as some awesome sightings have recently happened. 

So here goes the list and with it some Photo Highlights:

1.Indian Pond Heron  2.Little Egret 3.Cattle Egret 4.White Throated Kingfisher 5.White Breasted Waterhen 6.Shikra 7.Black Kite 8.Brahminy Kite 9.Spotted Owlet 10.Long Tailed Shrike 11.Common Myna 12.Bank Myna 13.Asian Pied Starling 14.Purple Rumped Sunbird 15.Purple Sunbird 16.Ashy Prinia 17.Plain Prinia 18.Orange Headed Thrush 19.Blyth’s Reed Warbler 20.Jungle Babbler

21.Asian Brown flycatcher 22.Little Green Bee Eater 23.Scaly Breasted Munia 24.Indian Silverbill 25.Red Vented Bulbul 26.Red Whiskered Bulbul 27.White Browed Bulbul 28.Eurasian Cuckoo 29.Common Hawk Cuckoo 30.Indian Cuckoo 31.Black Drongo 32.White Browed Fantail 33.Asian Paradise Flycatcher 34.Black naped blue Monarch 35.Tickell's Blue Flycatcher 36.Indian Golden Oriole 37.Rose Ringed Parakeet 38.Oriental Magpie Robin 39.Baya Weaver 40.House Sparrow 41.Common Tailorbird 42.Coppersmith Barbet 43.Zitting Cisticola 44.Common Iora 45.House Crow 46.Asian koel 47.Greater Coucal 48.Common Hoopoe

49.Pale billed Flowerpecker

50.Barn Swallow

51.Brahminy starling

52.Indian Roller

53.Asian brown flycatcher

54.Banded Bay cuckoo

55.Pied Cuckoo

56.Rosy Starling

57.Indian Cormorant

58.Green Warbler

59.Barn Owl

60.Grey-bellied cuckoo

61. Indian Grey Hornbill

Have a Birdaliciously Great Weekend.

Happy sightings...

AMAZING TRIP TO LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH (LRK)

Considering that it sprawls out over 5,000sqkm, the #littlerannofkutch #lrk seems inaccurately named. Its name makes sense only in comparison with the salt desert next door: the #greaterrannofkutch #grk , which stretches out across 7,500sqkm. The word rann means “salty desert” and while driving through the Little Rann of Kutch, a salty desert is all you see. The first drive into the terrain feels a little surreal. The ground is cracked, the air is dry, #mirages abound, and the parched earth unfolds endlessly in all directions. The Little Rann contains one of the country’s largest wildlife reserves, the Wild Ass Sanctuary, where the topography varies from large marshlands to brown-grey patches of soil with a few small thorny shrubs.But this seemingly dead piece of land supports extremely #rare #wildlife. Th Wild Ass Sanctuary is one of the few places to spot the ghudkar, or Indian wild ass. Other species here include the desert fox, jungle cat, jackal and several birds. Since there are no bushes or trees for animals to hide behind, they are easy to spot while driving around.
Posting a small collage of some amazing sightings we got . More will follow.Even though this was a quick trip, the Sheer number if wild life seen by us was amazing.
Sending some Love & wishes out to the universe
#semperfi 🖤🖤🖤🖤
https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDaFotogravinci/
#LeonardoDaFotoğravinci
Follow me on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/leonardodafotogravinci
#gujarat #LeonardoDaFotoğravinci
#gujrattourism #nikonindiaofficial
@nikonasia #nikon #nikor  #nationalgeographic #wildlifepassion
#bbcearth #sonybbcearth  #roamtheplanet
  #Fun  #passion #blessed #D7000  #peace #amazing