Monday, January 04, 2010
Spotting the Stripes at Bhandavgharh
Wonderful trip to Bhandavgharh tiger reserve, MP, culminated last Sunday. After 4 thoroughly enjoyable safaris in cold , I think I have considerably added to my knowledge of the ways of the wild.
Modus operandi of Tiger Spotting
One should have a sharp ear for the sounds of the jungle. Of particular importance to the quest are the calls of the spotted deer (chital) and the langur. The deer lets out a high pitched shriek to alert its brethren- "Deer and doe, there's a nearby foe." The langur is the tiger's nemesis as it spoils many a carefully laid out ambush by getting wind of the Tiger's grand plans from its high perch and shrieking out in a loud and clear warning to one and all. However, if the Tiger is much too enraged, the langur pays for its insolence . The Tiger lets out an almighty roar causing the langur to lose its grip on the tree in fright, thus becoming the tiger's appetizer before the main course comes. If one is lucky, one can hear the growl of the Tiger, which of course is a dead giveaway to the exact location of our Tiger. Patience is key, of course, any of these sounds will be heard only sporadically in the day. And an able mount, in our case a Maruti Gypsy 4X4. On which were seated along with the 5 of us a driver and a guide both of who possessed the aforementioned qualities of sharp and trained hearing and patience in great abundance.
Modus operandi of Tiger Spotting
One should have a sharp ear for the sounds of the jungle. Of particular importance to the quest are the calls of the spotted deer (chital) and the langur. The deer lets out a high pitched shriek to alert its brethren- "Deer and doe, there's a nearby foe." The langur is the tiger's nemesis as it spoils many a carefully laid out ambush by getting wind of the Tiger's grand plans from its high perch and shrieking out in a loud and clear warning to one and all. However, if the Tiger is much too enraged, the langur pays for its insolence . The Tiger lets out an almighty roar causing the langur to lose its grip on the tree in fright, thus becoming the tiger's appetizer before the main course comes. If one is lucky, one can hear the growl of the Tiger, which of course is a dead giveaway to the exact location of our Tiger. Patience is key, of course, any of these sounds will be heard only sporadically in the day. And an able mount, in our case a Maruti Gypsy 4X4. On which were seated along with the 5 of us a driver and a guide both of who possessed the aforementioned qualities of sharp and trained hearing and patience in great abundance.
Moment of Glory
We reach a trisection, where another jeep lies waiting as the driver claims to have heard a growl some time back. However, he zooms off having run out of patience, blowing up a puff of dust on the safari road behind him. As we sit there waiting, we hear the shrill call of a chital. And our able driver races off in that direction..stopping say a kilometre further. 5 minutes later, another chital call, this time say 400m behind us, and able driver zooms back in reverse gear. And then, an uneasy and sharp silence. It was as if we have entered another forest altogether. Silence shattered intermittently by piercing calls of a langur, and the crashing sound of branches as it leaps from tree to tree. The confident smile and nod of our able guide indicating our quarry was near. However, we feel sure enough ourselves- we feel we are veteran tiger spotters ourselves- for the jungle made it of so clear.
And there he is! A majestic 3 m long male. Bokha, one of the three males whose territory the safari area falls into (others being B2 and New Male). Breaks through the bushes and ambles across nonchalantly, crossing the safari path. (Not so nonchalantly, we later learnt. He's a bit nervous when it sees jeeps around and keeps its distance, while B2 prefers to show 'em who's boss by making it a point to brush past watching jeeps as he crosses the road) . Throws us a hard stare- the insolent humans who dare disturb the peace, and then ambles on. Adieu, Rex! Emperor Supreme! We salute thee!
Alas, we were extremely ill equipped for the encounter. 3 tacky camera phones shooting away at the most regal of sights- the Royal Bengal Tiger in the wild. Travesty! Sacrilege! However, the moments were wonderful, divine. We had resigned ourselves to not spotting any stripes after 3 safaris, save for the fleeting glance of the hindquarters of a fleeing young male we had caught once. As one of my companions in the safari said of our first spotting- tucking in its tail between its hind legs and running away from us- that's not how we should see the king! However, the 3.5 safaris without the tiger spotting were thoroughly enjoyable in themselves, and we were settling down with content that evening, but this was a brilliant bonanza.
What else did we see? The other most evocative sight was a Jackal couple traipsing side by side down the safari path from the distance in our direction, crossing 6 pairs of wondering eyes and a stationary jeep. Sambars, Spotted deer and Wild Boar were the other Fauna we could see. Amature aviologist that I am, I was delighted to spot quite a few grey Hornbills. The able guide pointed out a Lesser Adjutant Stork to us once.
And now as the afternoon siesta beckons, I sign off saying it was an extremely satisfying trip. And left me hungry for much more. Watch out jungles of India! Here comes an intrepid explorer!
We reach a trisection, where another jeep lies waiting as the driver claims to have heard a growl some time back. However, he zooms off having run out of patience, blowing up a puff of dust on the safari road behind him. As we sit there waiting, we hear the shrill call of a chital. And our able driver races off in that direction..stopping say a kilometre further. 5 minutes later, another chital call, this time say 400m behind us, and able driver zooms back in reverse gear. And then, an uneasy and sharp silence. It was as if we have entered another forest altogether. Silence shattered intermittently by piercing calls of a langur, and the crashing sound of branches as it leaps from tree to tree. The confident smile and nod of our able guide indicating our quarry was near. However, we feel sure enough ourselves- we feel we are veteran tiger spotters ourselves- for the jungle made it of so clear.
And there he is! A majestic 3 m long male. Bokha, one of the three males whose territory the safari area falls into (others being B2 and New Male). Breaks through the bushes and ambles across nonchalantly, crossing the safari path. (Not so nonchalantly, we later learnt. He's a bit nervous when it sees jeeps around and keeps its distance, while B2 prefers to show 'em who's boss by making it a point to brush past watching jeeps as he crosses the road) . Throws us a hard stare- the insolent humans who dare disturb the peace, and then ambles on. Adieu, Rex! Emperor Supreme! We salute thee!
Alas, we were extremely ill equipped for the encounter. 3 tacky camera phones shooting away at the most regal of sights- the Royal Bengal Tiger in the wild. Travesty! Sacrilege! However, the moments were wonderful, divine. We had resigned ourselves to not spotting any stripes after 3 safaris, save for the fleeting glance of the hindquarters of a fleeing young male we had caught once. As one of my companions in the safari said of our first spotting- tucking in its tail between its hind legs and running away from us- that's not how we should see the king! However, the 3.5 safaris without the tiger spotting were thoroughly enjoyable in themselves, and we were settling down with content that evening, but this was a brilliant bonanza.
What else did we see? The other most evocative sight was a Jackal couple traipsing side by side down the safari path from the distance in our direction, crossing 6 pairs of wondering eyes and a stationary jeep. Sambars, Spotted deer and Wild Boar were the other Fauna we could see. Amature aviologist that I am, I was delighted to spot quite a few grey Hornbills. The able guide pointed out a Lesser Adjutant Stork to us once.
And now as the afternoon siesta beckons, I sign off saying it was an extremely satisfying trip. And left me hungry for much more. Watch out jungles of India! Here comes an intrepid explorer!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Shale and hearty
Oh Appalachia, you gas rich land!
With much shale, well, though no oil sand,
Where acreage changes many a hand,
Tracked by Analysts : Senior and,
Junior, such as Ashwin Ravikumar and his colleagues in Bombay.
God bless you Gulf of Mexico!
Gave life to Apache, El Paso and Anadarko,
But with the dropping rig count,
Your troubles do mount,
Seems like the days of conventional drilling are numbered.
-THE END-
Commentary for the moronic uninitiated:
Conventional drilling in US was centered around Gulf of Mexico but those reserves are fast shrinking, so now they are drilling into solid rocks ("Shale"). I have made liberal use of poetic license. Umm...anything goes under the garb of "modern" poetry, so that was modern poetry.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
From Russia with Glove
Half time at Old Trafford, Arsenal leading 1-0. Deservedly ahead, after some good, meaningful posession. Camera pans to Andrey Arshavin, who had scored minutes ago, unleashing a screamer with his characteristic low backlift into the top left corner, partly parried by Man U 'keeper Ben Foster. And the commentator goes, "From Russia...", and then, pan to a glum looking Foster, and he goes, "With glove!" Alas! I cannot name this master commentator, this ultimate stalwart in his profession! Really, this led me to think about other super wisecracks from other commentators i might have been fortunate enough to hear...sadly I can't think past the usual Siddhuisms, but man-o-man, hats off to the creator of this one!
Anyhow, unfortunate loss for Arsenal, but promising indeed things look in this season. Super show at Old Trafford, despite big guns Theo, Nasri, Fabregas and Rosicky missing. Diaby, apart from that inexplicable moment, was excellent. He seems to me a cross between Henry and Kanu;anyhow, what ball control! That great run into the box just after his umm..superbly placed header... where he skipped past Manchester's defence, master class! If he had scored, would've been much like Arshavin's goal in being inspired by an incendiary event just past- in Arshavin's case the blatant penalty denial, in Diaby's case the own goal of course. Decent outing nevertheless, the gunners look set to fire big time!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hope Springs Eternal
Well, this ain’t a long drawl about some pressing issue, presented so as to link up beautifully with the idiom ‘hope springs eternal’, resulting in an oh so apt title ‘hope springs eternal’. Nope. At least not this post J. I have accidentally bumped into the phrase on quite a few occasions in the recent past, and it seems to me a fruitful activity recounting the circumstances involving each one of them.
1. “Hype springs eternal” Paul Krugman, “Return of depression economics”, writing on the stock and housing bubbles of this decade. He talks about the IT boom of the 90s-Pets.com, the promise of one Microsoft for every investor, Alan Greenspan’s extreme optimism, and the other froth stirring hype which led investors to forget there was not so much substance beneath the froth. Pets.com died 9 months after conception- $83MM IPO in Feb 2000 to liquidation in Nov 2000. And fast forwarding to today’s situation and on a related note, AG’s comments in 2004 are really amusing in the light of what has happened since; “ Not only have individual financial institutions become less vulnerable to shocks from underlying risk factors, but also the financial system as a whole has become more resilient”. If the guy on top of the pyramid can go so utterly wrong, well, it gives one an idea of how complex and non linear economics and world commerce has become.
2. “Hope springs a kernel” Denny Crane, Boston Legal. Alan Shore and Denny Crane philosophizing on the balcony, with the customary glass of scotch in one hand and the cigar in another. Cut to Scene. As Alan ponders over the disturbing event of the murder of an innocent man, and how wonders aloud about how all hope is lost, Denny pipes up, ”Hope springs a kernel”. And further explains, how it is an old farm saying and how corn farmers use the saying to great effect. And on the mistake being pointed out, nonchalantly waves it away offering mad cow disease as the reason. Very, very funny, the part was.
3. “Hope springs eternal” Boss. Work. Ah well, not the most interesting of the three. Talking about how the bank is in big trouble today. And how outlook is grim. But how we should still be chirpy and buoyant, because “...”
1. “Hype springs eternal” Paul Krugman, “Return of depression economics”, writing on the stock and housing bubbles of this decade. He talks about the IT boom of the 90s-Pets.com, the promise of one Microsoft for every investor, Alan Greenspan’s extreme optimism, and the other froth stirring hype which led investors to forget there was not so much substance beneath the froth. Pets.com died 9 months after conception- $83MM IPO in Feb 2000 to liquidation in Nov 2000. And fast forwarding to today’s situation and on a related note, AG’s comments in 2004 are really amusing in the light of what has happened since; “ Not only have individual financial institutions become less vulnerable to shocks from underlying risk factors, but also the financial system as a whole has become more resilient”. If the guy on top of the pyramid can go so utterly wrong, well, it gives one an idea of how complex and non linear economics and world commerce has become.
2. “Hope springs a kernel” Denny Crane, Boston Legal. Alan Shore and Denny Crane philosophizing on the balcony, with the customary glass of scotch in one hand and the cigar in another. Cut to Scene. As Alan ponders over the disturbing event of the murder of an innocent man, and how wonders aloud about how all hope is lost, Denny pipes up, ”Hope springs a kernel”. And further explains, how it is an old farm saying and how corn farmers use the saying to great effect. And on the mistake being pointed out, nonchalantly waves it away offering mad cow disease as the reason. Very, very funny, the part was.
3. “Hope springs eternal” Boss. Work. Ah well, not the most interesting of the three. Talking about how the bank is in big trouble today. And how outlook is grim. But how we should still be chirpy and buoyant, because “...”
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Russia squashes Oranje
Fantastic encounter last night, between favorites Netherlands, who were in scintillating form having destroyed both the world cup finalists in their group games, and Russia, under the stewardship of star manager Guus Hiddink. And with the result, Hiddink has just confirmed a reservation for a gilt framed life size portrait of his on the walls of the manager hall of fame. Korea, Australia, Russia, the fairy tale continues.
Midfielder Arshavin was nothing short of spectacular. He time and again burst into the Dutch box, beating the not un- formidable Dutch defense. And even when hemmed in and hustled by the defenders, maneuvered superbly to squeeze a shot in. His cross which set up the second goal was marvelous, squeezed over the keeper from a tight angle. Deservedly, he wrapped up things for Russia with an excellent goal towards the end.
And well, heart warming given the fact that the rumour mill is buzzing with Arshavin's impending move to Arsenal.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/06/20/sfnars120.xml
Well, when the Russian resembles the author in his name and his game, who can stop his meteoric rise to fame!
Midfielder Arshavin was nothing short of spectacular. He time and again burst into the Dutch box, beating the not un- formidable Dutch defense. And even when hemmed in and hustled by the defenders, maneuvered superbly to squeeze a shot in. His cross which set up the second goal was marvelous, squeezed over the keeper from a tight angle. Deservedly, he wrapped up things for Russia with an excellent goal towards the end.
And well, heart warming given the fact that the rumour mill is buzzing with Arshavin's impending move to Arsenal.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/06/20/sfnars120.xml
Well, when the Russian resembles the author in his name and his game, who can stop his meteoric rise to fame!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Get Dravid back !
Meek capitulation by India at Adelaide. Chasing a non too imposing 203, India crumbled with a mere 153 on the board. With close to 10 overs to spare. Lackluster performance indeed. This was seen in the previous game against Australia too- making a hash of a 150 odd chase.
What was missing was . Someone who can hold one end up and make a dour 50 of 80 balls. Somebody who can cut out the adventure, put his head down and fight. And is there a better someone than Rahul Dravid in the Indian cricketing landscape who fits the bill here ?
Ware the arguments against Dravid's inclusion in the ODI team ? Fielding ? Dravid has been excellent on the field and he's arguably the best contemporary Indian slip fielder. He has taken the highest number of catches by an Indian non-wicketkeeper in test cricket. Lately, there have been numerous instances of him turning on the pace when required, so the argument of him being a slow scorer has also been rendered null and void.
Look at his ODI record - stellar. Excess of 10000 runs at a wonderful average of 39.49, a very reasonable strike rate of 72. Third highest ODI run getter in Indian cricket. We have a winner here !
And surprisingly, he was dumped very quitely- no big hue and cry. A player of his class..left in the lurch in such a manner...very sad indeed. It would be great for the team and for David the person if he's recalled.
However, one argument I accede to - the team wants to start afresh. Dravid might automatically imply Ganguly, and Ganguly is miserable on he field. But whatever man, I have a midsem tomorrow, I can't beat this argument to death like I have done with the others. I stick to my guns, get Dravid back !
What was missing was . Someone who can hold one end up and make a dour 50 of 80 balls. Somebody who can cut out the adventure, put his head down and fight. And is there a better someone than Rahul Dravid in the Indian cricketing landscape who fits the bill here ?
Ware the arguments against Dravid's inclusion in the ODI team ? Fielding ? Dravid has been excellent on the field and he's arguably the best contemporary Indian slip fielder. He has taken the highest number of catches by an Indian non-wicketkeeper in test cricket. Lately, there have been numerous instances of him turning on the pace when required, so the argument of him being a slow scorer has also been rendered null and void.
Look at his ODI record - stellar. Excess of 10000 runs at a wonderful average of 39.49, a very reasonable strike rate of 72. Third highest ODI run getter in Indian cricket. We have a winner here !
And surprisingly, he was dumped very quitely- no big hue and cry. A player of his class..left in the lurch in such a manner...very sad indeed. It would be great for the team and for David the person if he's recalled.
However, one argument I accede to - the team wants to start afresh. Dravid might automatically imply Ganguly, and Ganguly is miserable on he field. But whatever man, I have a midsem tomorrow, I can't beat this argument to death like I have done with the others. I stick to my guns, get Dravid back !
Monday, February 11, 2008
Idol Worship and Idol Sculpting
I will begin with an amusing digression
q- What do you say when a party, which caters to the communist, religious hardliner and the liberal voters, gets whipped in the elections ?
Answer at the end of the post. However, if you directly scroll down to the answer, without attending to the main body...umm...you will lead an unhappy afterlife. And right now you will develop respiratory problems. Yeah..NOW...when you reach this full stop.
Getting to the point, I am faced with a task- I have to choose an idol for myself. You see, at the IIM- interview (yipee!) , a favorite question of theirs is - 'Who is your idol ? ' Now this question is befuddling indeed. For there has never been this one person who can stake the claim to being my idol. Coming to think of it, the people who have come closest to being my idols are all fictitious. Starting from Ace Mc Cloud of 'Centurions' fame, moving on to the happy-go-lucky and smart-ass kid Joe Hardy, then the brilliant and egocentric Hercule Poirot, interspersed with periods of idolatry towards Arnold Schwaznegger and James Bond....he-who-must-be-named..who shall it be ?
Two likely candidates are Salman Rushdie and Lance Armstrong. But I also face the onerous task of justifying for my idol worship. Salman Rushdie- plenty of reasons other than his literary genius- his numerous liaisons including the likes of Kylie and Dani Minogue, Padma Lakshmi..now Riya Sen. That's five reasons (including literary genius). Lance Armstrong, too, obvious reasons- anyone who has read 'It's not about the Bike' would never say 'Why?'
Also, one more idol is being sculpted - Lee Iacocca- Ford and Chrysler's trend setting iconoclast boss. I'm reading his autobiography (pun intended, it really is an AUTObiography). Hopefully, it will go off well and will turn out to be the best among the rest- one idol I can proudly unveil to the world.
However, it seems to be an arduous journey- choosing the person who shall be my guiding angel, the luminary whose luminescent figure will be a beacon during dark times...here's hoping for a successful quest !
a- They got thrashed left, right and center.
q- What do you say when a party, which caters to the communist, religious hardliner and the liberal voters, gets whipped in the elections ?
Answer at the end of the post. However, if you directly scroll down to the answer, without attending to the main body...umm...you will lead an unhappy afterlife. And right now you will develop respiratory problems. Yeah..NOW...when you reach this full stop.
Getting to the point, I am faced with a task- I have to choose an idol for myself. You see, at the IIM- interview (yipee!) , a favorite question of theirs is - 'Who is your idol ? ' Now this question is befuddling indeed. For there has never been this one person who can stake the claim to being my idol. Coming to think of it, the people who have come closest to being my idols are all fictitious. Starting from Ace Mc Cloud of 'Centurions' fame, moving on to the happy-go-lucky and smart-ass kid Joe Hardy, then the brilliant and egocentric Hercule Poirot, interspersed with periods of idolatry towards Arnold Schwaznegger and James Bond....he-who-must-be-named..who shall it be ?
Two likely candidates are Salman Rushdie and Lance Armstrong. But I also face the onerous task of justifying for my idol worship. Salman Rushdie- plenty of reasons other than his literary genius- his numerous liaisons including the likes of Kylie and Dani Minogue, Padma Lakshmi..now Riya Sen. That's five reasons (including literary genius). Lance Armstrong, too, obvious reasons- anyone who has read 'It's not about the Bike' would never say 'Why?'
Also, one more idol is being sculpted - Lee Iacocca- Ford and Chrysler's trend setting iconoclast boss. I'm reading his autobiography (pun intended, it really is an AUTObiography). Hopefully, it will go off well and will turn out to be the best among the rest- one idol I can proudly unveil to the world.
However, it seems to be an arduous journey- choosing the person who shall be my guiding angel, the luminary whose luminescent figure will be a beacon during dark times...here's hoping for a successful quest !
a- They got thrashed left, right and center.
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