Sinking Island-Majuli

Majuli in upper Assam is the largest river island on the Brahmaputra River .
It is a pollution free fresh water island. Total area of the island was 1250 sq.km., now it is about 650 sq.km, having lost significantly to erosion. Only 26 percent of total land area of Majuli is suitable for cultivation.

In the 16th century a sage called Shankardev founded a new sect of Vaishnavism here, which has flourished healthily in the last five hundred years. Today, the ‘sattras’ play a major role in the religious and social lives of every inhabitant of Majuli. Every family sends one son to be a monk, usually from the age of six; the belief is that if one son becomes a monk, then the whole family will be blessed by God. With pilgrims flocking here every year in numbers matched only by the migratory birds for which the island is also a haven, Majuli is known in some circles as the ‘Vatican of Vaishnavism’.

Performed by the monks of the Bhogpur Sattra at the Birla Mandir, New Delhi on 20th February, 2010, the dance clip below, has no song or words but strangely resonates with the uncertain future of this island.



The island today is separated from the mainland of Assam by 2.5 KM. Apart from the ferry connecting Majuli to mainland, an “e-Sethu” or e-governance project of Government of India connects the village to Assam.

A wetland, Majuli is a hotspot for flora and fauna, harbouring many rare and endangered avifauna species including migratory birds that arrive in the winter season. Among the birds seen here are: the Greater Adjutant Stork, Pelican and Whistling Teal. The island is almost pollution - free owing to the lack of polluting industries and factories and also the chronic rainfall.

A UNDP study reports that the island is under threat due to the extensive soil erosion of its banks. The reason for this magnitude in erosion is the large embankments built in neighbouring towns upriver to prevent erosion there during the monsoon season when the river distends its banks. The upshot is a backlash of the tempestuous Brahmaputra's fury on the islet, eroding most of the area. According to reports, in 1853, the total area of Majuli was 1,150 km² and about 33% of this landmass has been eroded in the latter half of 20th century. Since 1991, over 35 villages have been washed away. Surveys show that in 15–20 years from now, Majuli may cease to exist.

Here is another evocative clip, a dance by Sattriya Dancers of Kalabhumi- one of complete surrender to fate?

Trekking along Kovalam beach, Kerala

Kovalam beach is a favourite with tourists for swimming in the sea. There are coast guards around who keep a watchful eye. The beach is advertised as 'jelly fish Free' on the various travel sites.

So it was a surprise to find large number of purple jellyfish being washed onto the shore by the waves.





The coast guards assured us they are dead and harmless. The fishermen throw them out when they get caught in their nets. It seems there is a migration of jelly fish for about a fortnight in October, when the sea gets foamy with the gelatine in the jelly fish.

Kovalam beach never fails to arouse curiosity!

Squids which made jelly fish their home, were seen crawling inside and attracted other beach goers. I am sharing a small clip uploaded in 'wildbytes' channel of youtube.

A Trip to Morni Hills, Chandigarh

August 15, Independence Day-An ideal day to check out the hill station near to Chandigarh since we were already in Chandigarh on a visit.

The weather was good. It had rained for two days so the drive up was picturesque. We stopped the car many times just to take in the scenery. On the way we passed many other cars doing the same. Ha! this is like heaven after the hustle bustle of daily life.

View of Chandigarh from half way up Morni Hills, on the Shivalik range



Lush green creeper, the leaves of which are used for making leaf plates(patthal)




" Nature Camp, Forest Department" My husband noticed the board. Shall we check this out? But then we cannot make it to the top which is still 12 km away. Remember we need to go back by evening." A quick decision was made -nature camp it is. After all Forest Dept would have selected the most scenic spot on the hill, I reasoned.

It was a scenic spot. On top of a small hill surrounded by nurseries for trees and freshly planted variety of trees. The thatched roof dining hall looked inviting. The stilted huts reminded us of the tourist huts we had seen in the islands of South Korea.

The carefully tended nursery at nature camp



Scenic view from nature camp. Double click on the photo and notice the blue water tank on the left.



Thatched roof dining hall



Stilted huts for tourists to stay




But the place seemed strangely quiet. No tourists were visible. A few workers appeared. " Madam, we have not started operations. After the place was built we found there is no water here. The water table is so low and the khads (rivulets fed by rain water) below are always bare because of mining." Mining? "Yes, the auction for this year is about to begin."

We decided to take a different route back to Chandigarh. A short cut from the other side of Morni Hills. A road not well developed and full of potholes. Each pothole reminded us of the reality of our country's serious efforts to preserve the pristine. The roadside was dotted with trucks and stone crushers for miles on end. The houses and slum dwellings seemed to have just one focus-cutting the mountain, mining the stones and crushing them.

Down the hill from the other side- (Double click on the photo, a truck is there near the dwelling )



The Shivalik Hills sliced and cut for mining



The alternate route is certainly not inviting!



Stone crushers and trucks dot the landscape on all sides



Close up view of crushed Shivalik



Slums of stone workers -a few yards from Chandigarh city



We entered Chandigarh city, into the up market residential colony, Panchkula. The beauty of Morni Hills seemed a distant dream, even though we had experienced it just an hour ago.

Visiting the ski slopes of Auli

Watch this video of our trip uploaded on You Tube

Auli Trekking to Gorson Pont-Trekking in Uttarakhand, India

https://youtu.be/USUGBsR49ik



Given above is the poster with which I boarded the train to Haridwar from Delhi, en route to JoshiMath by road. "Auli has the best slopes in the world facilitating snow skiing during winters beginning January to the end of March." My friend and I were looking forward to seeing the International skiing festival organized in February every year. 'Snowfall predicted for 24 Feb 2009, temperatures expected to fall below -12 degrees' my brother looked up some weather forecast on the Internet and warned me before I boarded the train.

The road journey was hot-the sun became hotter as we climbed up. Joshimath: Local people informed us that there has been no snowfall in Joshimath this year, unlike last year. But they carefully added that weather in these parts is always unpredictable. Auli is sure to have snow. We hurried to make it to the cable car which will lift us to Auli, at 10,000 feet. "No cable car today, we were informed at the cable car base; Today is maintenance day after a three day strike by workers". Sumo drivers appeared from somewhere offering to drive the stranded passengers of Cliiftop Club. Our own car driver backed out saying the 14 km drive is too risky for his car. Snow makes roads slippery, he averred.

As we drove up through steep, dusty and winding roads, the peaks Nanda Devi, Kamet, Mana parbat and Dronagiri began to look closer and closer. The landscape looks a bit like Leh with brown rocks all around -Leh in summer that is, my friend observed. The snow tipped Nanda Devi was tantalizing, I forgot we had come to see snow and the skiing festival.

ClifftopClub did not look like the pictures on the web- The building was there. But where is the snow and the Deodar trees around? Instead there were huge bulldozers working up the roads in dusty clouds, removing the last bit of vegetation which clung desperately to the slopes.

Then the realization dawned. Auli has had just one snowfall this year. The January snow fall did not last enough for snow to harden. In winter 2008 Auli had 3-4 feet snow compared to the usual 8 feet or so every year. The writing was on the wall and Government authorities moved in with an ambitious plan to create artificial snow slopes. The bulldozers and mules around were busy getting the slopes ready for December 2009, for the South Asian Skii festival.

When it snowed on 24 February for about ten minutes, the bulldozers were silent just for a few minutes till the flakes melted away and the fierce sun dried the slopes again.

Global warming was here and too close. We were in for a different kind of holiday!
I have divided this photo blog into four parts

1. The mountain and the snow
2. The Flora
3. The treks
4. The destruction

The mountain and the snow

When you reach the lap of Nanda Devi, height 25,643 feet and second only to the Everest, you are overwhelmed.

Nanda Devi Peak



The nearest mountain ranges of Dronagiri seem bare, stripped of snow, in the peak of winter.

Dronagiri



The Brahmkamal peak with spikes resembling the actual flower is an instant hit.

Brahmakamal Range



So is Hathi Ghoda Palki with the glaciers clearly visible. But we came here to see and feel snow. Where are the snowflakes? On 24 February, it snowed for nearly fifteen minutes. Our new friend from the hotel wrote in her diary

" Snowflakes-some slow, some fast, some feisty doing a jig before succumbing to gravity...."

Honeymooning couples danced on the terrace in the snow



Sunrise on Nanda Devi-a picture I laboured to get right on a cold morning at 6.30 am

Sunrise at Nanda Devi



The Flora

The trees and plants one sees above 10,000 feet surprise you with their sturdiness. The trees look majestic and protective. The sturdy bushes and grass support your heels while climbing up. Pretty flowers smile at you lighting up unknown corners. Trekking on foot is the best way to appreciate the terrain and the flora.

Here is a Basant tree with Nanda Devi in the background. The tree is having flower buds in February. Normally at this time it will be covered with snow.



"Blushing unseen"



Blooming in times of global warming




The golden oak trees




The ‘Nahar Bush’ has lovely smelling leaves and is an insect repellent. Here is Rakesh, our guide with the Nahar Bush




We are fascinated by the pink white flowers of Basnt tree. Here is a pic of me holding a bunch in my hand.



We found beautiful flowering trees lining the roads on our way back to Joshimath. We wanted to know the name of the tree. Some Bank officials whom we met, who were posted in the area, could not help. Nor could the hotel owner at the hotel where we had lunch. The most common local tree had no name!

I had seen the same flowers in Mandal (on the way to Kedarnath) a few years back. Here is a photo of the tree in Mandal. The flowers resemble cherry blossoms.



But we saw ‘bottle brushes’ and ‘gulmohars’ being planted on the roadside by PWD (or Forest dept) to make up for trees cut down during widening of roads. The question which came to us was, why are we not propagating the local trees?

The most majestic of all the trees in Auli? The Golden Oak, no doubt. Two hundred of these more than hundred year old trees, are slated to be mowed down for the ski slope.

The treks
R.R Point
Absence of snow at Auli had a silver lining to it. We could go for small treks around the place with our normal trekking shoes. The easiest trek was just 1.5 km, to R.R Point, an army communication center.




From R.R point one could see the Hemkunt range and the Valley of flowers enveloped in clouds far away. Immediately below is a village, which is shaped like the map of India.

India map village against rhododendron flowers blooming in February


Gorson Bugyal 3.5km

Many ventured on this trek as Gorson meadow had a patch of hard snow where one could get basic lessons in skiing.

Gorson from the hotel



Bharati, a black dog and Sheru a brown dog faithfully accompanied us on all treks. In the pic below, Sheru waits patiently for the tekkers to catch up while Bharati is following us close on the heels. The feeling of oneness with nature one experiences on treks is reinforced by these two best friends of man.

Sheru and Bharati



This trek is indeed beautiful. A temple called “Padiyar Devta’greets you half way up the climb.


As we near Gorson point, one is within reach of the snow clad peaks.



Beyond Gorson



The Forest Trek- 4km

This trek through steep golden oak forest is rated as difficult-mainly because the climb is continiuosly steep without plain resting spots. It is made tougher these days since one has to climb up the ski slopes- now being shorn of grasses and bushes thanks to the bull dozer razing through it many times to create the artificial ski slope.



As we neared the golden oak trees, we saw some with huge cavernous holes ( Black bears sleep there, our guide informed). Fresh diggings in the mud were attributed to wild boar. Distant trees moved with the weight of animals or birds flying about-monkeys or Himalyan monals? Here is the lichen with which monals make nests on trees, our guide showed a clump on the ground



As we moved down I collected a few branches of golden oak leaves. The trees marked with the "death warrants" continue to haunt me when I look at these leaves dried but golden, weeping silently in my vase.



The destruction

Golden Oak Trees marked for felling




Just completed! Swimming pool for storing water which will be turned to ice and then sprayed over the slopes.



The ski slope and swimming pool for snow in perspective




Bull dozers and men at work



Dislodging grass and bushes which held together the mountain slopes for years



Army training camp



A very cryptic message!

Watch this video of our trip uploaded on You Tube

Auli Trekking to Gorson Pont-Trekking in Uttarakhand, India

https://youtu.be/USUGBsR49ik

Sky Meets Sea in Singapore!

A country with no natural wealth of its own, is attracting tourists worldwide who want to study animal behavior. This country is Singapore. Jurong Bird Park and Santosa Island are the subjects of this short travel film embedded below. Full versions of some of our videos can be purchased at our online product store ( secure payment gateway) http://www.wildscapes.net

Animals Teach

With forests fast disappearing around the world, Singapore open zoo is almost like a Noah's ArK, showcasing animals of the world in near natural surroundings. The open zoo and night safari attracts tourists from around the world.

read more | digg story

Seoul (South Korea)

Seoul (South Korea) hosted World Cup Football in 2002. These pictures were taken in Seoul during the series which was won by Brazil with S.Korea coming in fourth place.

My sons Sumit and Sushant are happy to witness the world cup football.



A slide show of 12 photographs of the event as seen by Sushant is given at

http://travelphotolog.wildbytes.in/#27.0




South Korea as a country has many similarities with India and their fast transformation from a developing country to a developed country is inspiring.

This theme inspired my documentary on Seoul called "Seoul-Where Modernity Bows to Tradition"

Download a poster of the film here!

See clips from the film at youtube by clicking here

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=B8QKmmpI92Y

Green Austria!

Many of the historical cities of the world would not be as attractive and captivating but for the green areas and the flora of the country, which is maintained and preserved with great care.

While in Austria, my camera took special note of the beautiful green areas. Here is a slideshow of what captivated me.

There are a number of excellent hiking trails that run through the Schonbrunn palace grounds. Another green area is the Stadtpark.

The vegetation in Stadtpark is thick and lush throughout the year. This natural setting in the centre of Vienna Austria provides a glimpse of what Vienna was like prior to development.

Venice is sinking!

Venice, which rests on millions of wooden piles pounded into marshy ground, has sunk by about seven centimetres a century for the past 1,000 years.
(According to a study done in 2000 and reported by CNN)
The earth's natural underground water supplies acted as a cushion that helped slow the city's sinking.

Venice and its lagoon was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1987.


The Italian government is spending 4.5bn euro (£2.9bn) on a controversial project to build floodgates across the entrance to the lagoon in which the city stands in an effort to keep the sea at bay.