Pangolin at GNP

How we view the environment these days

"Reeds, messiness and bushes are not part of the green imagination. Instead, lush parks, tall trees and forests populate many million minds."

I have come across the same reaction to scrub forest, or even desert ecosystems.  There seems to be a need to manicure, control, create order.

The Art of Living case illustrates how narrowly most urban Indians view the environment

The riverbed is rich in reeds; they were removed. The many tiny pits and mini-ponds were filled up, and the soft, spongy ground flattened and hardened.

In other words, the riverbed quality of the riverbed was finished.

..... The banks of the Yamuna should be restored – not polished into a bio-diversity park, but helped to grow back into the patch of plastic-free, spongy, squishy, sandy wilderness that it once was.
Across the country, in schools, children should be taught to appreciate India’s less glamorous, less stereotypical, rich eco-systems – reed-filled riverbeds, marshy wetlands, pale, swaying grasslands, clumpy deserts, along with the more popular dense, green forests and gently flowing ancient rivers.

Mitali Saran's piece Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the art of too little, too late, is even more telling.

The World Culture Festival has managed this in the same way that many large projects do: by being politically connected, by quietly becoming too big to fail, and in the end by brazening out the public relations.

Amazingly, the citizens who petitioned the court have been accused of lazily speaking up at the last minute. As they rightly point out, they spoke up when it came to their attention; government agencies, on the other hand, exist to fulfil this function in a timely way. It is their job. Where was the Aam Aadmi Party government through this mess? 

....environmentalists have always had a hard fight against state and corporation, but the going is now a whole lot tougher. The new nationalism openly twins state and religion, makes a virtue out of loudly worshipping India even as it tramples all over it, and sees environmental concern as a nuisance. It wants to guard India, but is disinterested in protecting and nurturing it. It takes a staggering inversion of democratic and ethical values to think that public criticism tarnishes the image of India,

 

 

Chendebji Chorten - Bhutan memories

4th May 2016   The MNS group were on the way back from Trongsa in east Bhutan to Paro in the west.     

It was to be a loooong drive, we knew, since just the day before we had done the west to east trip, and it had seemed never ending.  I am a nervous traveller on hill roads, and I did not look forward to the 100+km ride back. 

                                                             

3rd May - We had spotted this chorten on the way, and those painted eyes really intrigued me.  Painted on all four sides, they looked on calmly at all passersby, and was quite unusual in terms of what we had seen in Bhutan so far.

Around 2pm with a light drizzle making the road conditions worse, we spotted the chorten again, and it was decided that we would halt for lunch here, only about 50kms from our start!

This is the charm of Bhutan.  A little brook at every corner, with clear water, and for the most part, clean banks.  This little stream ran beside the chorten.

The view from the far side.  The main stupa, the prayer wall and the smaller shorten in the side.  A solitary pilgrim perambulated the chorten, muttering her prayers, giving us a smile as we passed by.

The beginnings of this stupa are interesting.  We we were told that it was built by a Lama, whose ancestors were Tibetan,  and modelled after the Swayambunath stupa in Nepal.  Hence the eyes, and the conical upper part of the stupa, which is more Nepali.

The story goes that there was an evil spirit here, who troubled the locals.  Bibek our guide referred to her as an "ogress", and upon return I chanced upon her name as Ngala dudm.  Its not quite clear what problems she caused, but she had to be subdued,  The chorten was built to symbolise her subjugation and the return of peace to the valley around.

A quaint little bridge that provided us with shelter for our lunch, and we were all relieved to be out of the coach and into the fresh air.

The friendly dog at the chorten

According to the Bhutan Cultural Atlas, 

"Lama Ngesup Tshering Wangchuk constructed the Chendebji stupa. Lama Ngesup Tshering Wangchuk was a descendent of the Bemji Choeje in Trongsa, whose ancestor is said to have been a Tibetan King named Trisong Detsen.

Lama Ngesup Tshering Wangchuk brought a model of the Chendebji stupa from Nepal, and this model is still kept in Gangtey Gonpa, which is located in Wangdue district. It is similar to the Jarung Khashor/ Bodhanath stupa of Nepal, which was built by a woman named Yum Jazinma (which translates to “the poultry lady”), who was actually the incarnation of a Dakini, and her four sons, one of whom being reincarnated as the Tibetan King, Trisong Detsen."

The large prayer wall, with prayers painted along below the roof

At the head of the prayer wall is a slate with the "Om Mani padme hum hi" engraving.

This was added in 1982, if I am not mistaken - the more traditional Bhutanese square chorten.  "built by the Royal grand-mother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck" according to the Bhutan Cultural Atlas

The drizzle abated, and it was good to catch a view of the hillsides and the panorama behind.  If you click on the picture and zoom in on the stupa, you will see religious painting all around in little alcoves.

Reluctantly, we all bundled back into our coach to continue our journey back east.

The ultimate birder!

Thank you Google.  I didn't know about her!

Phoebe Snetsinger’s 85th birthday

The rough animation for the doodle, featuring (left to right) the blackburnian warbler, red-shouldered vanga, village weaverbird, eastern bluebird, and red-capped manakin.

Sometimes it takes dire circumstances to compel us toward action. Phoebe Snetsinger, who would have been 85 years old today, became the world’s most prolific bird-watcher — a feat she achieved by surmounting tremendous odds.

It wasn’t until 1981 — when she was diagnosed with cancer — that Phoebe truly came into her own as a birder. In subsequent years, she scoured the globe for obscure or unknown bird species, ultimately raising her bird count to 8,393, the highest in the world at the time. Some of the notable birds she sighted include the Blackburnian Warbler and the Red-Shouldered Vanga, depicted among many other interesting birds by animator Juliana Chen.

Alternate concepts for the doodle, featuring a portrait and bird nests.

Today, we celebrate the courage of Ms. Snetsigner, and the beauty of life — however hidden it may be.

Sketches of birds both featured and considered for the doodle. 
Happy birthday Phoebe!

Weekend and the Odhiyam tree

The Odhiyam tree (Lannea coromandelica) in our neighbour's garden is bare at the moment.  No, not dying or anything just going through its annual shedding phase.  It is a wonderful time for backyard birding.

At dawn, I heard a Flameback woodpecker at the tree, but it moved into the more leafy Badam (Terminalia catappa).  Later in the morning, the sunbirds hurried through it, they never seem to have a moment to sit and stare, always moving, always calling impatiently and gone in the blink of an eye.

Later, there was a female rose-ringed parakeet, and she fastidiously held a twig with neem fruits (from the neighbouring tree), and ate them one by one.  Once done, she stretched until she was almost upside down looking to finish her meal with some flower buds of the Odhiyam.    She seemed in no hurry to move, and I enjoyed watching her blood red curved beak and that long tail with a streak of blue.

In the afternoon, a treepie stopped for a while, surveying the neighbourhood.  Obviously not up to his high standards, as he flew off with that trademark scratchy call.

After lunch as I lounged around lazily with the crossword, I heard the white breasted kingfisher too, but I was too comfortably stretched to get up and look.

The Odhiyam's leaf shedding  coincides with the koel season, and every year, the males use that tree to woo their lady loves.  In 2012 there was one persistent chap who kept us awake from 3 am.

Today evening there were three gorgeous black young males, and one disinterested speckled female.  They called in turn, and tried to chase each other off,  but all they succeeded in doing was chasing the lady away!

A crow  stopped by, and seemed rather bemused at the frantic calling.  One loud caw and the koels were off in a trice!

Trees.  Birds.  Squirrels.  Butterflies. Family.  All connected.

World Environment Day

This is exciting if verified.  So much lurking in our backyards that we do not know about.



Eurasian Otter found in Kanha-Pench corridor - NATIONAL - The Hindu

Eurasian Otter found in Kanha-Pench corridor

During this year’s camera trapping exercise by Wild Conservation Trust and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ), one of the rarest Indian mammals, was discovered from Satpura Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh and Kanha-Pench Corridor.
There are two more species of otters are known to be present in India — the smooth-coated otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) and Asian small-clawed otter ( Aonyx cinerea) — said officials.
The Eurasian otter has a wide distribution covering Europe, Africa and Asia. The species is listed as Near Threatened as per the IUCN Red List (2004, 2008).
Based on indirect evidences and ancient records, Eurasian otter is believed to be found in the Himalayas and in some parts of the Western Ghats. These records of the Eurasian otter from the Satpura Tiger Reserve and Kanha-Pench Corridor not only extends their geographical range to central India but also provides the first-ever photographic evidence of the species in India.
The field work by the Wildlife Conservation Trust in Madhya Pradesh was supported by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, the H.T. Parekh Foundation, USAID and Panthera.

Reasons to work towards shutting down zoos and removing animals from captivity

Dead tiger cubs in freezers - and that too in a temple?  Elephants in our temples held in captivity for what joy, and the shooting of a gorilla.



I hope we will be able to move towards a shutting down of animals in captivity.



The Cincinnati Zoo’s problem wasn’t that it killed its gorilla. It’s that it’s a zoo. - The Washington Post

For me, the real question is not who to blame, but why anyone was in a situation in which they had to make a choice between the life of a human child and the life of an endangered teenage gorilla in the first place. Keeping wild animals in captivity is fraught with problems. This tragic choice arose only because we keep animals in zoos.

Though killing is less common at U.S. zoos compared with the regular practice of “culling” at European ones, zoos are nonetheless places that cause death. Harambe’s life was cut short intentionally and directly, but for many zoo animals, simply being in captivity shortens their lives. We know this is true for whales in SeaWorld. Elephants, too, die prematurely in zoos. So why have zoos?
If we really need someone to blame, maybe we should look at our society, which supports these types of institutions of captivity. If zoos were more like sanctuaries, places where captive animals can live out their lives free from screaming crowds and dangers not of their own making, no one would have had to decide to kill Harambe. Sanctuaries are places where the well-being of animals is of primary concern and animals are treated with respect. Four-year-olds and their families could see gorillas in Imax theaters, where their curiosity could be safely satisfied and gorillas could live with dignity, in peace. 

But captive animals, especially large mammals born in captivity, like Harambe, cannot be “returned to the wild.” These sensitive, smart, long-lived gorillas are destined to remain confined, never to experience the freedom of the wild. They are, at best, symbols meant to represent their wild counterparts. But these symbols are distortions, created in an effort to amuse zoo-goers. Zoos warp our understanding of these wonderful beings and perpetuate the notion that they are here for our purposes.

'Big Yellow Taxi' feelings in Bhutan

Canadian song writer Joni Mitchell composed Big Yellow Taxi on a trip to Hawaii.

I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song

Couln't help thinking of this song whilst travelling from Punakha to Trongsa, early May this year.  This hundred odd km stretch is being widened and the WHOLE distance has been dynamited.  (It is part of the Lateral Road which goes much further east to Bumthang, and is also the main road to connect various northern and southern valleys of Bhutan.)

The hillsides are scarred with landslides and dynamiting and earthmovers work along the entire stretch.

From what the guide was telling us, it has clearly affected bird and mammal life along the road, not surprisingly.  Could it not have been done in bits, I wondered, (assuming it was needed in the first place).  The project has taken two years and is expected to take another two more.  Four years of disruption - will the natural ecosystem bounce back?

There are also concerns of the stability of the Himalayas, and I read now that road widening has been suspended after objections, close to Trongsa.  It was a good thing that traffic is sparse, because at some points the motorable stretch is narrow, and sitting on the cliffside is a heart-in-the-mouth experience.  Our driver Bhim was superb, safe and steady, and so cheerful as well.

Sustainable development.  is it possible?  How does one work it in fragile ecosystems?

Dear Bhutan, please don't pave your paradise.

They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot SPOT
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
Then they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer, farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But LEAVE me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Come and took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I said
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Bhutan Memories

Rufuous Sibia singing, in clear view.

Lifting even the lowest spirit.

Bhutan memories

Wild strawberry fields.
And we are all children again.

Bhutan memories

Birdsong Dawns.
Quietness.