Nature is full of amazement. More you explore it, more it will astonish you. So when I noticed some beautiful structure made up of blades grass hanging from a tree, it caught my attention.
With little assistance from a countryman and more from Google, I got to know that these beautiful structures are nothing but the nests of Baya Weaver Bird. When you look at these tiny Baya bird and then the nests, you won’t believe that these nests are their creations. The nests are so intricately and beautifully build keeping every aspects of resident’s need that even modern day architects will admire.
I clicked some of the images, with a little difficulty as its position was strategically placed and difficult to reach!
Sharing some of the interesting facts about the Baya Birds and their nests which I came across:
These weaver birds found across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Baya weavers are social and gregarious birds. They forage in flocks for seeds, both on the plants and on the ground.
The breeding season of the baya weavers is during the monsoons.
Only male Baya birds builds the nest and the reason being just to woo their female counterpart!!!
So when the construction of nests remain in midway, male Baya birds by flapping their wings attracts the female counterpart and if she gets attracted, then inspects the nest. If she is satisfied with it and the loving bond gets established between them, then the male counterpart goes on completing the nest.
Some bird watchers also claim that at some occasions when the female birds have rejected the nests, some male weaver have been spotted tearing it up, out of frustration! How amazing isn’t it?
These nests are generally made up on thorny trees, lying above the water bodies. The entrances to these nests are from a tube which is hanging in bottom of the nests. The reason being very simple that these mechanisms prevent can prevent the possible attack from any predator.
These nests works as heat shield and waterproof too.
Did you notice Baya bird in the image? They are in camouflage! Or even you can blame my Phone camera! 😛
I like sitting silently in any natural setting, contemplating on myriad thoughts. In cities, now there are hardly any pristine locations where one can sit and listen the chirps of the birds and can float in his/her imagination. But, of course, manmade parks come to rescue me at many occasions. If there is no one to disturb, I can sit there, hours and hours mutely. Perhaps, I should say this is my favourite time pass. Someone has rightly said “I am alive because I think and not that I think because I am alive”.
Yesterday, as we all know, was Dewali or Deepawali. The day, when Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after conquering Ravana and serving exile for fourteen long and tortuous years. I went on to offer my obeisance to one of the temple of Lord Ram.
Ram-Janki-Laxman-Hanuman
I spent nearly an hour or hour an half in temple. Then I decided to return. There is a park nearby that temple. On returning, I was up to my favourite task:-). I sat down and enjoyed the songs of the numerous birds and the frantic movements of the squirrels jumping from one tree to the ground and then to another tree.
I was recalling some of my past Diwali celebrations, and then suddenly a person came and sat beside me, which I usually don’t like when I want to be alone. But, that was a public park and in India, if your are having a seat in any public transportation and even if it is occupied to its maximum capacity, still a new person will come and ask you “please adjust” or “Bhai Thoda adjust kar lo”. So his usurpation was legitimate on that account. 🙂
Soon he opened his bag pack and took out three plastic bags from it. Two of the bags were filled with grains and one with sugar. He started to scatter it in specific locations, as I can see there were some earlier remnants of those grains as if he usually do it. He poured some sugar near by the habitats of ants which was adjacent to the bench where I was sitting. Then he started to disperse the grains in the bottom of the trees and then he was leaving the place.
Did not take his permission while capturing him, but I hope he wouldn’t have minded
The same person whom I have talked
Seeing the generosity of that person towards those animals and birds who can’t speak, cannot demand, cannot assert their share; I asked him “Do you regularly do this generous act?”
His humble answer caught my imagination. He smilingly said “Who am I to do this? What is my capacity? I am in slippers (hawai chappa as he said it)? I am from very humble background. The one, sitting inside that structure (pointing towards temple) does it all, for me and for entire universe.” Before I could have asked any supplementary questions he ran away from the place towards the temple, as if he was in hurry. I remained silent. Even though he went from that place, he left many thoughts in my mind. I am concluding all these in point wise manner:-
There is something about Indian Culture. Since ancient times, people thorough myriad instructions and teaching via scriptures, are told to not to take credit anything done out of generosity and dedicate it to the Lord
If we start taking credit of the act, then it will result in developing ego and ego is one of the root causes of evil.
From the point of views of birds, insects and other species which may have benefitted through the act of that person, in reality they don’t know or will never be able to know about the person who has actually done it. Similarly in our life also, there are many persons which help us but we are not able to recognize their contribution and in turn never able to show our gratitude towards them
Even if the person would not have arranged those stuffs, still those little creatures would have survived. Alternatively we can say that, these species are not dependent on anyone’s generosity. They derive everything necessary for their survival from the Mother Nature, yet the persons act as facilitator. This also has been the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.
Sometime we may not know the mean, but whatever is required for us to survive is being arranged by someone, somehow, somewhere.
Spirituality makes us humble and humbleness is revered as crown jewel of all qualities.
You don’t have to be a millionaire to serve others and to make this place beautiful, what you all need to have a gentle heart.
Squirrels having feast
Sugar poured in Ant’s Colony
Pigeon’s Party
That’s it for the day. I hope you had a memorable and safe Diwali this time and if you are in National Capital, then must have abide by the orders of Honourable Supreme Court, and for those like me, who are not the resident of that part had Diwali as usual 😀
In India, petroleum price has always been used as political weapon by oppositions. The reason is very simple because it is easily understood by the people and it directly affects them. In democracy, no party will always remain in power; hence this tool has been utilized to wedge dissatisfaction against the government, irrespective of political ideologies by the opponents. So either it’s right or left or even those who are having centrist ideology, if they are in opposition, they will vehemently oppose any price rise in petroleum products in domestic market.
In 1973, Vajpayee Ji arriving in Parliament in bullock cart, to show protest against the price rise in Kerosene and Petrol.
Recently the same noise has been reverberated in the news channels. Opposition argues that the oil price has been plummeted in the international market, but the government is not forwarding the benefit to the people and charging excessive custom and excise duties. They say, and rightly so, the price of 1 barrel of oil was approx $ 120 in somewhere around 2013-14 and now in 2017, due to various international dynamics, this is hovering around $50 per barrel. But the price paid by the Indian citizen for one liter of petrol/ diesel has been kept same or rather has been increased despite the steep fall in the oil price in world market.
At very naïve stage, the argument of the opposition seems very plausible and rational. But again the economics come in to play. In economics, what is obvious to the eyes may not be in reality. Let me present you a different narrative, which is based on economics and not on rhetoric.
India is a net importer of petroleum product. A significant amount of foreign exchange is spent purchasing Oil from various countries (contribution Gulf Countries in the significant in this regard).
Sometime economy of a country should be looked as whole and not as individual entity. The methodology to look economy of a country as whole is known as “Macroeconomics”. Government needs money to run various schemes and projects, such as building infrastructure, providing food security to the marginalized community, providing healthcare to those who can’t afford, building power stations to generate electricity, giving grants to educational institutions and students, providing subsidies to the farmers, (now they are also waving the loan off, which in my view is not a prudent choice), purchase of defence equipment etc. Many of these activities run by the government is performed which will not result in revenue, rather it put constraint on the limited resources. Our country performs this task as it is believed to be a welfare state.
So for running welfare scheme and building infrastructure money is needed. Government generates this money through taxation. But as you might know only 1% of the Indian Population pays taxes. Hence government resorts to indirect taxation. Excise duty and custom duties fall under this category of taxation. Even though indirect taxes are considered as regressive taxation system, but since our tax base in narrow (only 1% as mentioned earlier) government has imposes it. But the fact of the matter is that even after imposing indirect taxes each year government experiences Fiscal Deficit. Fiscal Deficit in simplest of words “occurs when the revenue generated is less than expenditure incurred.”
Now in case of India, as we all know tax generated is less and the government has huge responsibility, so every year it resorts to borrowing and other means to meet the expenditure. But borrowing to meet the consumption expenditure is not regarded as good policy and it is even true in our family, isn’t it? We can borrow for purchasing a home or a car but if we borrow to have food and cloth, then certainly our family economy will not be construed in good shape. Same is true for a big family called “India i.e. Bharat”
So what government is doing by taxing high on petroleum product is that it is generating additional revenue which is plugging the gap between revenue generated and expenditure incurred. This can be understood through a pictorial graph that how the current government is doing in terms of improving the Fiscal Deficit of the country over the year in comparison to the previous government.
Fiscal Deficit over the recent years
Apart from improving on the Fiscal Deficit front, high taxation on petroleum products has many additional advantages and some of them are very vital. Since I have already bored you with this lengthy article hence I will keep short in explaining the additional benefits of high taxation on Petroleum Products in detail.
High taxation in petroleum product results in :—-
Judicious Consumption of Petroleum Product
Low burden on government Foreign Exchange
Lower Pollution
Boost to Public transportation
Search for alternative energy which is Eco-Friendly
Inflation Control
If you find any doubt in understanding any of these benefits which I have highlighted, just let me know in comment section, I will try to answer your query.
I hope this will help in develop some understanding related the price mechanism of Petroleum Product and high rate of taxation. Now imagine a situation, if the price will rise in international market and commensurately government will increase the price of petroleum product, the same opposition will started making noise and will term government as anti poor and all for raising the price. So next time someone will give any illogical argument to you, you may say “No Ullu Banawing..No Ullu Banawing..”
Last but not the least “today’s opposition will run tomorrows government and vice versa” 🙂
I am sharing a photograph with you, that I have taken few days back, and you all have to do is to guess what exactly it is? Is it a field? Which crop is grown by the farmers in this field? If not, what is it? Take your time, don’t go bottom part, unless you have a guess.
Guess What?
Have you guessed? Yes, No.
Anyways, since I have not introduced any prize money for guessing the correct answer, so even if you didn’t guess, no reason to be saddened. 🙂
Behold the second sets of Pics, which I have taken few months ago, precisely in Spring, and you will be amazed to see the contrast between the two as both the pictures are of same location, may be I have taken it from different position.
Pristine FlowThe game, which we all loved to play near the river
These photographs are of Swarnrekha, a major River of Peninsular India, in the mineral rich state of Jharkhand.
Since past two years, I am observing a phenomenon. During summer some part of the river is completely inundated by a weed called Nasturtium/(Jalkumbhi, जलकुम्भी ). Its growth is very fast. Weeds are those undesired plants which gives competition to the intended crop by taking nutrition from the field, which were actually meant for the growth of desired crop. Due to excessive Nasturtium, rivers loses its identity and seems like a pond. Dissolved oxygen in the water gets reduced which is unhealthy for marine ecosystem.
Current status, from a different angle
Reasons for its growth: As we all know, unlike the Himalyan Rivers, Peninsular Rivers are ephemeral and mostly depends on rain. So few months after Monsoon and especially in summer the water in the river becomes low and its speed reduces drastically. A huge chunk of industrial and municipal waste is directly discharged in to the river generating an ideal condition for the growth of Nasturtium.
But, then comes the Monsoon, with all its might. Rivers banks are raised. Peninsular Rivers can be very violent and tumultuous in rainy seasons. Flow along with water level increases dramatically. Nasturtium grows only in steady water. Tremendous increase in flow results in washing out all the unintended weeds. Soon the whole river becomes pure and pristine and river gets it real identity.
Parallels in life:
It is said that nature is the greatest teacher. It teaches us the different lessons through its various acts, provided we monitor it carefully.
Some time in our life, our mind is preoccupied with many negative thoughts. They can be compared as the Nasturtium weeds in the river. They drain our energy and prevent us from displaying our real worth or character. Negative thoughts are just like weeds in the field which takes our limited energy meant for our enlightenment and progress.
But, like river receives Monsoonal water to which washes away the unintended weed, we also get many opportunities and instances in our life. River relinquishes the weeds in that force of water and attains its real nature. Are we ready to leave negativities to live in our true potential?
I think we are in better position than the river. Monsoon comes only once in a year, but if we desire, there can be many opportunities in our life to shed all the negativities and drags.
Hope you all are doing well. Monsoon is yet to arrive in my city with full intensity. However we have experienced some Pre-Monsoon shower. Today morning was also cloudy and cool gentle breeze pervaded in the atmosphere.
I was up to my favourite task, which I always relish in these sort of weather :), picked up my bike and went on for a ride. The ride was gentle until I came across a scene which was very poignant to me. I thought of writing about it and sharing to you all, but suddenly I changed up my mind. I have taken some shots through my phone camera (quality may not be very good) of that surrounding and thought sharing to you all. Because some time pictures are more expressive than the word itself and pics will give you the legacy of your own interpretation, rather than my point of view.
Yesterday night we had a heavy Pre-Monsoon shower, here in my city. Morning too was cool and overcast, something which I love. I planed a ride in my city along with one of my friend and clicked some images of nature all along my journey. All the photos were clicked by my phone camera. Hope you would also enjoy it.
Sun overshadowed by the CloudA brick kiln on the opposite side of a riverAn Ephemeral river, preoccupied by algae, waiting for rain to become pureWater Buffalo, going for a swimA parkThis road is made up of waste plastic, Isn’t it a good idea?
the ETERNAL tryst 
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