Magpies, the harbinger of happiness and good luck…

Magpies, the harbinger of happiness and good luck……….

While roaming around Chaki Mor in Himachal Pradesh looking for the varied species of birds that the place seems to attract, we stopped at the old Hanuman Temple atop one of many hillocks there. Our stopover was not to do much with paying obeisance at the temple but more for resting in the shade that the tree in the compound of the temple offered us. We spotted a couple of red-billed Blue Magpie. Before I could frame them in my camera, they flew away in a splash. Probably, the bird is of shy types. They looked majestic in their whites and blues and the red bills. I regretted not having clicked them. After resting for some time, with no magpies in sight, we moved on.

While returning, we again stopped at the Temple to take the chance of finding those birds again and also take our lunch that we carried with us. The moment our car stopped, we saw them flying to hide themselves in the thick branches of a tree in one of the corners of the temple. However, my camera could not click them because of the thick braches that hid them. We waited patiently with my camera all ready to click the moment I could get a chance. But the Magpies did not relent. Finally, we decided to leave to return again after few days. I kept on reminding myself, I need to see the Magpies again.

The following week, we again came back and again stopped at the same temple. Hold. The Magpies were there with their exotic plumage, nibbling at the offerings in the temple. To our delight, this time they did not vanish but stayed back. Were they now recognizing us? I think so. Birds and animals do recognize and feel comfortable with familiar faces. We had become part of them and they became part of us. We are all part of the same Big Family comprising of the plants, birds, fish, and animals and of course the human beings.

A few words about the Red-billed Magpies need to be typed to complete yet another leg of the journey. As per Wikipedia, “The red-billed blue magpie is a species of bird in the crow family. Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie but has a much longer tails of any corvid. It is 65-68 cm long and weighs 196-232 grams”. Even though shy of human beings, it gives harsh high pitched contact calls , kyak-kyak- kyak- kyak, plus a range of other calls and whistles. It feeds on fruits, small birds, eggs and insects and often feeds on ground.

Magpie is a symbol of happiness in Chinese culture. The singing of Magpie is considered auspicious by the Chinese as they believe it foretells happiness and good luck. The Manchu minority in China consider them to be sacred birds. The legend says that Fukulon, the goddess from heaven one day ate a red fruit thrown by a magpie hovering above . Few months later, she gave a birth to a boy named Bukulirongshun who later became the forefather of Manchu minority. It is believed that the neighboring tribes felt threatened by the Manchu minority and decided to slaughter them. While all were hunted and killed, a boy named Fancha survived the genocide as Fancha ran from dawn to dusk with hunters in hot pursuit. Ultimately, a magpie landed on his head and he stood motionless. The hunters thought that it was a tree trunk and went away in another direction looking for Fancha. Manchu minority survived extinction, thanks to this wonderful bird.

For me it was indeed a blessing to see the Magpies as part of my journey and to include them in my writings and collection of photographs.

Brown Headed Cowbird?

Few days back, I took this picture but did not post it because I was not sure about the identity of the bird. I thought it was a Flycatcher but a friend cautioned me that it is not a Flycatcher. Was it Robin? No way! Or a Bluebird? But Bluebird has a blue head even though its body could be brown. On the other hand, this bird's head was brown and body dark blue. Further research and consultation followed. Like enthusiastic kids, we matched the photograph with that of hundreds of birds. Eventually, I zeroed down to Brown Headed Cowbird. I may be wrong but certainly I am not far away. Some birds look similar but are different. Only an expert can judge. I am only a beginner. I case I find the right identification, I will correct the post. Till then, bear with me and accept that it is Brown Headed Cowbird or let me know if you have the right identification.

In the entire process of identification, I learnt a lot about other birds that I have yet to see. Let me assure you it is so much fun bird watching, taking their pictures and knowing about them. . There is so much to explore and learn. Want to join me?

Sunbirds

The Sunbird!

Among my recent sightings were the Sunbirds. They are bright coloured beautiful birds and are abundantly found in the lower hills of Shivalik Range of Mountains.

India has 12 distinct species of Sunbirds. Smallest sunbird is the crimson-backed that is only 8-cm-long and weighs as little as 4 grams. They feed on nectar of flowers but they feed their young ones insects. They have the unique ability to lower their body temperatures while roosting.

Sunbirds come with different hues with the males with distinct metallic colours.The colour of the iridescence changes with the angle of incident light such that a blue may suddenly appear green or black. Many have marked contrasts in their colours.

Though they are not known to have extraordinary vocal skills, one can hear their melodious songs, interspersed with whistles and wheezes.

The female sunbird lays up to three eggs in a purse-shaped suspended nest. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs alone, although the male assists in rearing the young after hatching, sharing some responsibility. They often fall prey to cuckoos.

Both these were spotted in Chaki Modh, HP

The Yellow Wagtail !

The Yellow Wagtail !

While returning from office after hard day’s work at Pinjore, I spotted a Yellow Wagtail hopping merrily. It jumped from one spot to another, dipped its tail on and off and thumped it to the ground gracefully as it was dancing .

All wagtails are dainty, delicate birds but the yellow one is the most graceful of them all.. Running lightly within inches of grazing cattle, their slight bodies are often hidden, but bright colours, catch the eye.

It breeds in Alaska and Siberia and is an early winter visitor to India during the non breeding season . To find it in the hot month of April is bit surprising. This is the first time I spotted it in Pinjore.

Migration is the seasonal movement between their wintering and breeding habitats. They follow established migratory routes. Most long distance migrant birds fly at night. They may travel continuously or land daily around sunrise to rest and feed.

Traveling to different habitats enables birds to find plenty of food throughout the year. In the winter, when food sources are limited in northern areas, they fly south to areas that have mild weather and abundant food.

Perhaps , migration in birds is controlled by an internal clock operating on an annual rhythm. Each year, at a certain time, their biological clocks signal that it's time to fly. Through a variety of methods birds find their way over vast distances each year.

Birds seem to have a unique sense to find their way on the wide-ranging journeys. They rely on several different cues - the geomagnetic field, sun, sunset, skylight patterns and most importantly the position of the stars.

They wait for the most favourable weather conditions then set off on their journey. A strong wind in the right direction will speed the birds on their way. If there are strong headwinds, the birds' speed will be greatly reduced, therefore it will need more fat reserves to travel the same distance. But eventually, they find their destinations. No boundaries, no visas, no passports, no custom clearances are required by them. Aren’t they lucky?

As per the legend of Egypt, Yellow Wagtail is the representation of Atum. Atum was a "Complete" deity of the earlier times, the creator and the finisher who ultimately lands in the watery chaos. He was also considered the father of the king

The birds of deceit and deception! Some myths, some facts!

I spotted this beautiful bird. I thought it was "Titter" but a friend of mine who has a vast knowledge of birds identified it as a species of Cuckoo. He is absolutely right as I matched the photograph with that available on the net.The shrill cuckoo call in the morning is very enchanting but study of its habit is equally enlightening as many myths get removed.

I always thought cuckoos were just black in colour but now I know that they can be grey or brown with soft feathers . I further thought that they deceive just crows by laying its eggs in their nests. Some research into its habits point out that cuckoo not only lays eggs in crow's nest but also in the nests of many other birds by deceiving them and at times by force. It can lay up to 13 eggs even though there was an earlier belief that it lays only one egg.

Recently the researchers have further pointed out that Cuckoos secrete a stinking smell in the host's nest that keep the predators away. Thus they are not totally parasites but play a mutually useful role or pays the rent of the nest. Another interesting fact is that at times Cuckoo evict the hosts from their nests and throwing out the eggs of its host. It is only cuckoo who can distinguish its eggs from that of its hosts even though its eggs match in colour, shape and size of that of the host.

I read somewhere that there is reference of cuckoo as a symbol of deception in Greek mythology. Zeus , the god of thunder and lightening and also known as the king of gods of the Mount Olympus transformed itself into rain drenched Cuckoo to seduce Hera who considered Cuckoo as a sacred bird and had earlier shunned Zeus because of his numerous love affairs. Zeus marriage with Hera was kept secret from their parents, Myth says they were brother and sister before they got married. Hera was jealous of his amorous conquests and a consistent enemy of Zeus's mistresses and their children by him. Zeus engaged a nymph named Echo to distract Hera from his affairs by talking incessantly, and when Hera discovered the deception, she cursed Echo to repeat the words of others.

The Oriental White Eye

The Shivalik Range of Mountains is home to numerous birds. Among the birds I spotted during my recent journey out there was this couple Oriental White Eyed.

This bird is small (about 8–9 cm long) with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies.

Even though they are sociable, forming flocks, they separate on the approach of the breeding season which is from February to September with April as the peak breeding season season.They build compact cup nest that is a placed like a hammock on the fork of a branch and lay two blue coloured eggs. Both sexes take care of brooding the chicks which fledge in about 10 days. Though mainly insectivorous, the Oriental white-eye will also draw nectar and eat fruits of various kinds
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A wake up call!

While driving through the lower Shivalik Range of Mountains, I spotted    a House Sparrow.  It reminded of my school days, when hundreds of house sparrows hovered around our house in Chandigarh, chirping merrily all the day around.  As a matter of fact we woke up every morning with their chirping getting louder.

They used to build their nests in the hedge and at times in the balcony and even under the tube light shades. I recall my mother used to get upset with their nuisance, especially by their droppings but at the same time she used to keep grains for their feeding. It was probably love and hate relationship.

 Now these little birds have become a rare sight in Chandigarh and I believe in many other cities.  To my surprise, March 20 has been dedicated as World House Sparrow Day, clearly indicating that something is amiss.  A little research shows that it has already been put on red alert.

Known to be social birds living in groups, chirping and chattering to communicate with each other and have co-existed with humans for centuries mostly in urban areas.   The male and female house sparrows are easily distinguishable by their coloration. The male is dark brown, with a black bib, grey chest and white cheeks, whereas the female is light brown throughout its body, with no black bib, crown or white cheeks... It feeds mostly on seeds, but in the breeding season, adults feed their young with insects. These birds are found of mud bathing, leaving behind a dip in the earth and being protective of it. Sounds strange?

The reasons for the decline of house sparrows   are many. These include  the changing designs of infrastructure does not support sparrow breeding , lack of availability of  quality food, increasing use of pesticides, pollution caused especially by microwave (mobile) towers, less of grasslands, use of concrete walls for boundaries rather than the hedges.

Time to take a serious call on saving the house sparrow and encourage its breeding lest the imbalance in urban biodiversity may ultimately adversely affect the human species itself. A small step could be to adopt customized feedboxes, an initiative of World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

It is a wakeup call! 

The journey continues.......

With Kitty on the steering wheel, maneuvering the sharp and quick turns on the thin and treacherous road in the remote mountains of Himachal Pradesh, the sun was getting  hot.  We saw an old couple walking. Kitty offered them a lift which they readily accepted. I saw an exotic bird perched on top of a tree. I got down telling Kitty to continue while I decided to walk after taking some pictures.  Kitty moved on with the couple. I took some pictures and walked for a couple of miles. Neither Kitty nor the car was in sight. My mobile was in the glove compartment of the car and there was no way to contact Kitty. A young man came and to my relief said that Kitty was in his home with his family and he had come to fetch me.  We reached his small village, Suki Johri that had just three four houses surrounded by small terrace fields and there was Kitty enjoying a cup of tea, chatting merrily with a bunch of womenfolk while  kids were playing around.  I too was offered a cup of tea and trust me it tasted so good.

The family shared with us their way of life.  Theirs was a joint family comprising of parents, two brothers and their spouses and the kids besides a daughter whose husband sacrificed his life for the nation being a soldier.   The men walk for miles together for work every day while the womenfolk looked after the household chores, farming and take their cows and goats for grazing.  . Their fields yielded enough wheat and vegetables to meet their requirements.  The butter and milk came from their cows and goats.  Crystal clear water rich with minerals came from the “Chasma“nearby.  Earlier, they lived in temporary hutments but now their house was of concrete with proper sanitation and electricity with certain basic facilities like TV and Radio. Their pets included a healthy fowl, a white rabbit and a dog that is not only protective of the family but also of the fowl and the rabbit.

They lead a simple yet tough life but they felt contented. To us , their life was a real bliss. They lived in unison with nature in a pollution free environment, unaffected by the stress and strains of the urban life.   The radiance of innocence was writ on their faces.

It was time to depart. They took a promise from us that we will visit again. Surely we will do because it was a blessing to meet such a lovely family.  We had a feeling that we knew the family for ages. While we were leaving, the lady brought from her house a beautifully crafted basket made out of dry twigs by her  own hands . Surely, the family has heart made of gold.  Kitty says this is the best gift she has ever received.

The journey continues………….

Let us Rediscover the Gandhi in us
"I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps," said Gandhiji, Father of the nation.
The recent telecast of two clippings on Gandhi culled from Internet by some TV Channels has once again raised a storm of sorts in the placid cup of tea, stirring the sentiments of nation that takes pride to be a democracy with freedom of expression as one of its strong foundations and Gandhiji as a symbol of national ethos, sadly more so in letters than in true spirit. Both the clips have been attributed by the media as well as masses to one Gautham Prasad, an Indian settled abroad. The comedy of errors begins here.
1. Only one of the two clips is by Gautham Prashad who lives in New York earning his livelihood as a clown. Someone who lives in Canada whose identity is yet to be confirmed has posted the other one.

2. The babus sitting in Information & Broadcasting like the cops in the neighborhood wake up only after the crime has been committed and now do want to leave any stone unturned to punish the "culprit". Both the clips had been on the Internet for quite sometime and so are many others that are insulting to the Indian psyche. They have gone to the extent of once again recommending, as per media reports, blocking the site that allows its members to put up videos. The policing of Internet whose essence is democracy will destroy the very basis of the Internet.
We need to understand that Internet is a "pull" medium and not a "push" medium. It is up to the individual what information to pull and what information not to pull, unlike in other media.
3. What is more important, the content or the intent? We have relied more on content than on the intent. Was the intent to ridicule the father of the nation or was it to deliver some message?
4. Can we claim honestly that we are following the Gandhian principles in our day-to-day life? Are we simple, peaceful, loving, honest or truthful?
Did Gandhi dream of a nation where female children are killed even before they are born, or if they are born they are raped and murdered or murdered and then raped? What kind of non-violence are we talking of? There are so many issues that Gandhiji would have expected us to indulge in rather than blazing our guns on those who have humor and wit in them.
Looking at the positive side of this controversy, the two clips have once again given us the opportunity to redeem our faith and kindle the desire to seek the Gandhi within us that was forgotten long time ago and to practice his ideals in true spirit.
Even though I do not want to condone what Gauthan Parsad has done but for the benefit of my dear readers I reproduce the email I received from him in response to my humble protest to him:
" Let me begin by saying I take full responsibility for the feelings this has caused. I realize this is a tender topic and is grateful for the opportunity to talk about it. I apologize for any offense this video has caused.
All of the feedback I have received from this video has been positive up until now. I opened my email inbox to 108 new emails, many of them criticizing my work, and many of them supporting me.
I made this video and posted it on the Internet as a marketing tool for my business as a performer. I was a clown with Ringling Bros. circus for two years and I currently perform stand up comedy and clowning in New York City. I also am a yoga teacher. Let me discuss this video from the point of view of clowning.
If you look closely, you can see that I am wearing a clown nose. Why is this? I do this because I am not playing Mahatma Gandhi; I am playing a CHARACTER who is playing Gandhiji. I am playing a fool who thinks it would be a good idea to dress up like Gandhi and do this dance. In reality, I'm making fun of myself. I realize this distinction may be difficult to understand, but as a performer it is crucial.
In comedy we have a simple equation. Comedy is tragedy plus time. You take something painful and over time you gain the maturity to laugh at it. That is what I have done. Also, throughout history clowns have been the only individuals able to comment on the upper classes. Nobody is above parody, and the clowns would parody kings and monarchs with no consequences.
Furthermore, if Gandhiji were alive today what would he find more upsetting, my video or the violence in Darfur? What would hurt him more, my video, or the violence in Iraq? We have become so intent on idolizing Gandhiji that we have forgotten what he said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." We have confused the messenger with the message. If we truly want to honor him, we must uphold the principles he lived and died for.
We must embody peace, compassion, and non-violence. So many of the people who criticize my video have threatened to stone me, hit me, or kill me. I don't think Gandhiji would approve. I encourage people to tell me how they feel about the video. Let them respond honestly, but remember that there are much more pressing issues in the world than a video that one can choose not to watch. Thank you for this opportunity to speak." Gautham Prasad.
What is your take on this?

The Power of Hope

A little prince had recently fallen into a dark pit one feet wide and sixty feet deep while playing with his friends in his remote village in the Indian State of Haryana. The little one is not from the royal family but is a son of a poor daily wage earner. When he was born, his parents had named him Prince. The day he had fallen into the pit, it was his fifth birthday.

Prince remained in the pit for over 48 hours before his rescuers saved him after the Herculean task of digging further into a nearby well and then chiseling a tunnel to reach the pit. The entire operation was telecast alive on numerous channels, making use of a close circuit camera that was lowered into the pit. May channels stopped their regular TV programmes to focus on the entire rescue operations

Millions of people from all walks of life across the country remained glued to their TV sets to have a glimpse of the child. Many went to churches, temples, gurdawaras and mosques to pray for his safety. Prince belonged to no religion, he belonged to all religion.

Deep in the pit, Prince fought all odds. He was a symbol of confidence, composure, patience, and bravery but above all HOPE. There was hope in his eyes, hope of his rescuers reaching him eventually, hope of not letting those down who had prayed for him.

Eventually that moment came for which people were hoping. The moment of victory of life over death, the moment of hope being realized into reality. The prayers had been answered. Hugs were exchanged. Smiles were getting multiplied. The tears of joys started rolling down. The star had emerged from the darkness of the pit and the star became an instant celebrity. The star brought further hope that all was not lost, hope that there will be better times, happier times. There was hope that the nation can stand united to save every child irrespective of his religion, caste, creed, and color and for that matter the economic status of his family.

There was hope that the clouds of darkness, like the darkness in the pit, will move way giving space to light, like the light that was lowered into the pit along with the closed circuit camera to monitor how our young hero was faring while the rescue operations were being mounted.

Prince brings further hope. The rescue operations brought media focus on the village that had been neglected all along. The village lacked safe drinking facility, almost negligible electricity, no roads, and no hospital. The State Government as if awaken from deep slumber responded immediately. The village is being converted into a model village. Already the village has started getting fresh and safe drinking water. Electric poles have been setup and the village is illuminating in the night as if it is Deepavali, the festival of lights. Roads are being laid and some other projects have been announced.

Prince has shown the way. Prince has brought hope that a small child can make a big difference. Prince has brought hope for change. But, do we have to wait for another child to fall into another pit in another village before the change comes in. Hope not. Hope is that it will have a rippling effect. Hope is that the newfound love for progress and prosperity will spread to other villages.

Prince was in Mumbai on a special mission immediately after the rescue operation concluded successfully and he had some time to rest and recover. He was there to say his special thanks to the residents of Mumbai for their prayers and wishes and the gifts that they had bestowed on him and his family. The residents were special because they had prayed for him even when their own gloom had not subsided in wake of Mumbai blasts that left 200 dead. He was their hope because he brought to the fore that there was greater joy in saving a life than destroying life. Life is a blessing from God. Who are we to destroy it? There is every cause to save a life and there is no cause big enough to destroy life.

Prince has shown there is hope and that hope lies within us provided we are prepared to unleash it by spreading the joy, cheer and brightness of our being by putting our arms around the shoulders of those who need them to reassure, “All is not lost. There is hope for the future. Hope for a better, safer and peaceful world.”

The case of the missing Indian Girl

Dear Friend,

British journal, the Lancet in one of its issues reported that more than 1 crore girls are missing in India as a result of sex-selective abortion in the past twenty years. This shocking revelation is despite the fact that foetal sex determinations were banned way back in 1994.

Shocking as it is, the study based on Government survey on fertility and mortality, points out that there is preference for at least one boy child, the families "does" something to avoid birth of a girl child and the trend is more among the educated than among the uneducated.

Data from 2001 census shows the sex ratio for 0-6 years old fell from 945 females per 1000 males in 1991 to 927 in 2001. This gives India the notoriety of having the world's lowest ratios for women to men. 1050 females for every 1000 males is the general statistical norm the world over.

In 1991 there wire just two states with sex ratio below 880. Today there are five states and UTs. Punjab (793), Haryana (820) Chandigarh (845) Delhi (865) and Gujarat (878). Even in a state like Karnataka the child sex ratio has dipped from 960 in 1991 to 949 in 2001.

Even though experts say that ultrasound technology is responsible but the fact remains that in our society, it has been an age-old prejudice. The technology has only compounded the issue. Even though we worship Shakti, Laxmi, Saraswati and whole lot of other goddesses and female deities , we do not want daughters in our families. Those who do not touch meat, do not even take a second to abort a female foetus . Many female children after birth are killed or abandoned. Recently four dead bodies of newly born females were found in dustbins in Bhatinda (Punjab)

Speaking in Parliament the other day, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mr Anbumani Ramdoss acknowledged there was rampant female foeticide and the resultant imbalance in sex ratio in the country. He said the quantum of the problem was so big that mere governmental steps were not enough and sought support of all sections of the society to confront it.

Even though law has its own role to play, law alone can not bring about change in mindsets, especially when they are deep-rooted in age-old prejudices and beliefs. One of the ways of doing it is to bring pride to those parents who have daughters to the extent that others who do not have daughters also wish to have daughters. Can we say, "you are blessed to have your nest filled with a daughter "?

We have been observing Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day. It is time we also observe Daughters' Day and use the day to bring about pride among the parents who have daughters. What are we waiting for ? July 1 is Kalpana Chawala's birthday. Can we have it as a Happy Daughters' Day?

Let us spread the word that July 1 is Happy Daughters Day and create events for it . Even if we are not able to create an event, we can at least hold the hand of our daughter and tell her , " I am blessed you filled my nest."

I keenly look forward to your views , suggestions and feedback. If you are planning to organise some event on July 1, please share your plans with me and everybody else. email me at jatindervijh@gmail.com


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