Mushrooms …..beautiful !

The below mushrooms are I found in jungles of south Orissa during my trek.

coffee color wild mushroom.

White lily mushroom.

Lily mushrooms.

Beautiful white lily mushroom.

Red apple mushroom.

Red apple mushroom.



Common edible mushroom.

Poverty, illiteracy and superstition… who cares?

Today I was reading newspaper; two local news’s caught my attention. The news was like …

One - “BLIND BELIEF LEADS TO HORRIBLE CRIME” Sister ‘sacrificed ‘ for getting wealth. In Mayurbhanj district, a man sacrificed his sister to get mental peace and wealth. According to the accused, he killed a snake two days before of the incident and in his sleep the snake god appeared and cursed him on his sin and as a remedy directed him to sacrifice one of his family member. Therefore, he planned to sacrifice his sister and he chopped off her head with a sharp weapon during her sleep.

Second – “WITCHCRAFT SUSPECTED” Woman branded with hot iron. This incident also in same Mayurbhanj district. Hear the villain is a rich man, who suspects  an elderly poor women as a witch doctor and due to her witchcraft his daughter suffering from illness since long. So he called some ‘tantriks’ and organized a puja in that the tantriks suggested to brand the witch doctor with hot iron and he done it.. Horrible!

Such incidents are many in these illiterate poor areas, even I remember when I was in Bihar,then also such news’s I read ,happening in Bihar and Jharkhand but occasional. Here, it seems an often news(these are reported and who knows how many such incidents were there un reported ?).

One thing we can understand, poverty and illiteracy are the root causes of such incident. But can anybody justify the act of literate illiterate’s activity in  above second incident?

Superstitions from the mind of these illiterate, poor villagers cannot be eradicated in a single day but by educating them sure, there will be a change in society and slowly such superstitions are vanished. But who cares? A hungry stomach need food first, not pencil and books. The money flowing in the name of literacy will only effective when there is a programme for sustainable income for poor’s otherwise the flowing money in the name of literacy leaks to somebody’s pockets only.

Hairstyle, sickle, and dongria women.

Sickle, axe, hoe etc are common agriculture tools of an agrarian society. Indeed Dongrias are agrarian society ,male keeps their axe as a body part on their shoulder same time female keep the sickle on their hair like a ornament as well as for domestic purpose. See pictures below how dongria woman keeping her sickle as a hairstyling clip.

Nose pierced boys.

Now a days it is fashion and passion to boys to get pierce their ear and put small fancy rings in it, but you seem it strange ,these Dongria boys living in their own cocoon of their custom and tradition used to pierce their ears moreover nose to wear rings.

Boys of Dongria tribes get pierced their nose and ear to wear earrings and nose rings as the girls in Niyamgiri area do. It is customary here to pierce nose and ear of boys in their infancy and put rings. However, most of the boys in their later stages avoid wearing rings to look modern and to mingle with other community or due to poverty. The Dongria boys are easy to differentiate from others in a single look with their hairstyle and holed nose and ears.

Beautiful girls of Niyamgiri hills.

It is a unique experience to climb Niyamagiri hills and enjoy beauty of the nature there. At the same time, omitting to say about the beauty of the folks living in Niyamgiri hills will be a great mistake. On hearing the word beauty, your first imagination will be of about the girls living there, but I have to say some other kind of beauty I could find in them, such beauty that cannot see in so-called developed societies.

In Niyamagiri the Dongria villages are small, of eight to twelve houses in a row, a maximum I found here is of eighteen houses, and you could imagine the village population then- average will not be more than hundred. In society of Dongria Kondhs, women enjoy the right of equality and sometime better to say they enjoying more rights than male have. Because these female members have some indispensable rolls in the family as their help needed inside and outside of the house. They have to do their household works from early morning before remaining members wake up to until every one of the family go to bed. They starts their works with cleaning outside of house, then go to fetch water for drink and cook from Jharana (stream) and cook and fed each one of the family. Next, she has to go with her husband to help him in cultivation, go to the market to sell or barter vegetables for necessities more over she has to take care of the younger children in the family too. Mean she will be working hard throughout the day. See the tolerance and will power of these women’s. The rights enjoying are well deserve by the women of Dongria tribes. The same reason the families considering the female members as their asset to the family.

One of the surprising things I could hear from these people are their custom of marriage. They select spouse from other villages but strictly, from same cast, most of the marriages are love marriage with the acceptance of villagers. There is a practice of eloping also and after that, the marriage formalized in front of clan head. However, the surprise I earlier said above is the Bride price. The bridegroom has to pay bride price to her parents before the marriage. Is it not surprising? We so called civilized people can ever imagine this kind of practice. (Some cast and region are exception in this case). Dowry is one of the curses gripped in the Indian societies now a day. Dowry deaths are not news today. Most of the dowry deaths are not reporting properly, either dowry deaths become accidental deaths in report. Our society considering girl children as burden to family so because these dowry deaths, female feticides and poor male female ratio existing in India. We the civilized, developed people need to learn from these primitive tribe of Dongria Kondh, how to respect the contribution of women in our family and in society and to consider as an asset and equality.

All of the above the Dongria Kondhs are God fearing people and know to respect the culture and values of their society. They have faith in their beliefs. They have evolved a system to continue their culture and values generation after generation for this in Dongria villages there is a Daasala (a kind of education system with boarding) where all the girl children compulsorily to stay till their maturity. From these Dasalaas they learn the culture and values, custom and tradition, rituals, household works, and arts like songs and dances. See the people’s responsibility towards their society. They know the social values are inherited from mother only, so they giving importance to female education. The above are inherent beauty of these tribe Dongrias.

Now it will be injustice if I do not say about the beautiful girls I could find in the Dongria villages. They are very much beauty conscious, their hairstyle ornaments and tattoos all are distinctive and giving them a different kind of beauty that cannot seen in cities. They are poor moreover they stays in hilltop jungles still these girls are like girls in plains, I wonder how much conscious they are on their beauty. I am unable to explain, here also I stick on my philosophy “a picture can explain much more than many words can do” so see the pictures of beautiful Dongria girls.

Jharnia the protectors of the streams!

I could not getting time these days to complete my travel story on Niyamgiri hills due to my unpredictable work nature, but today while waiting for my connecting flight to Patna at Delhi airport for about three hours give me opportunity to write this post (my favorite travel mode is train, but it is very difficult to get a reservation in trains during seasons-puja holiday, without reservation its horrible to travel in trains, even won’t get space to put your leg inside compartment. So I compelled to fly in Air India which have also no direct flight to Patna, first I have to fly Delhi and from there next flight to Patna )

Niyamgiri is the land of Dongrias; Dongria is a sub tribe of Kondha tribe. Khondha is an indigenous tribal group seen in the jungle-villages of Rayagada District of Orissa, but this sub tribe- Dongrias can be seen in Niyamgiri areas only .Dongria word came from the word Donger meaning hill and Donggria mean dwellers of the hill. The dongrias themselves call them Jharnia – jharana mean streams, because they totally depended upon the streams for their daily needs and agriculture needs and every Dongria villages are settled near streams. Their staple food is mandia (Ragi- finger millet) and corn which can be easily grown hill sides by burning forests.

Dongria Kondhs are ardent believers of nature and they least thought about the developments around. They make the houses with mud and use palm leaves for roofing. Men folks with their wives remain in jungle or agriculture field during day time and only children, young girls, sick and old aged can be seen in villages during the hours. I visited many dongria villages but could not see a single male in villages.

Their belief in god is strongly linked with the nature, as everything natural on earth is their god like as, earth is their goddess Dharani (supreme), Bhima is the god look after the crops, Takranj is the god helps to protect from disease and what more, the hill niyamgiri itself is a god namely Niyam Raja who protect from unnatural deaths.

These people adopting nuclear family norms and their strong belief in their gods and disbelief in modernization keep them away from main stream, however the constant touches of tribal welfare workers and NGO’s helped a bit to come down in nearest markets and sells or in barter of vegetables, fruits and fire woods they purchases salt and other most necessity items. Their needs are limited even they won’t take medicines for treatment either any health worker given it to them they keep it on the walls of house only, never take it. The villagers are cent percent illiterate.

Tree or liana vine..?

Remembering my childhood days, we used to make swings with liana vine, but my children don’t believe me if I say this to them, because even to imagine, they have to see the vine at least once. I think the liana vines may be extinct from Kerala due to rapid urbanization and deforestation (I swear, myself had not seen liana vine for last twenty or more years in my village once which was abundantly seen there).
But my trek on Niyamgiri hills reminded me those good old days we used to swing on liana vine. Moreover it was surprising to me to see giant liana here in these eastern ghat jungles. Lianas vines are a kind of structural parasite which exploit the trunks and branches of trees for support to stand up and spread its own leaves above the forest canopy. In the early growth stage liana grow as normal other plant but later it has to take support of self supported plants due to its weak stem. Below is snap of a U shaped giant liana vine of Niyamgiri Jungle.

Fate of Niyamgiri hills?

After my first posting about trek on Niyamgiri hills, I couldn’t write remaining stories due to some priority works. I have a lot to say about the wonderful things I saw in jungles of Niyamgiri- its people, living style and nature. Only my worry is that, I am not a writer to reproduce in words, the exciting beauty of Niyamgiri jungles I have seen through my eyes. A picture can say many things than a word can do, so the snaps taken by me may help me to describe the things. Before that I would like mention recent development and controversy over Niyamgiri hills.

On Niyamgiri hills.

Last week I went for a trekking on Niyamagiri hills Orissa. I remained there for seven days. Trekking through inaccessible ways of Niyamagiri hills heights ranging from 500 mtrs to 1200mtrs, sleep in jungles are rarest opportunity and not possible to everyone. Only the frightening thing was malaria. Plasmodium falciparum is one of the dangerous kind of malaria parasite found in these jungles and spread through mosquitoes. The PF Malaria is as dangerous as one may get in to comma within 24 hour of start the infection if not start treatment at once. The symptoms also may be varying to person to person, as heard even loose motion also may be the symptom of PF Malaria which is quite different from plasmodium vivax(PV) malaria (common malaria). Recently one of my friend was suffering from cough and cold diagnosed PF malaria after blood test. So while I pack for trekking ,ensured to keep one each tube of Odomas and good knight cream,because someone had reminded me odomas has no effect in these area, but Odomas is the known brand for mosquito repellent. So I decided to keep both and apply after every two hours alternately, also I kept a good quality mosquito repellent spray. Kept all precautionary items, still many days I forgot to apply the cream due to tiredness.

Eroticism and temple art.

Recently during my visit to a temple nearby my residence, where I haven’t gone for last few months, put me in a strange thought on seeing a modification on the outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum decorated with new Blackstone made statues. Some of them were erotic.       



The strange thought was that, I have visited many temples at different parts of India during my tours and seen statues and pictures of beautiful women with high breast and twisting, broad-hip there ,on walls etc., having a high esthetic value. Heard that Khajuraho temple is famous for erotic  stone statues. But the same like or one step ahead statues in these temples of this century? I could not understand the philosophy behind these new age eroticism in temple art.

Zonal green area,Keshopur.

Next day morning, I was roaming on roads of Mahavir Nagar. I can’t stop myself my habit of morning exercises even though knowing that walking or running in Delhi roads is not safe and healthy. I walked towards keshopur sabzi mandi as previous day I couldn’t see the market due to rain and dirty and messy areas. But I changed my plan on seeing men in jogging dress coming out of a walled land. In curiosity I peeped through the gate and surprised to see a park there. No one believes that there will be a park available in such a congested part of the city, whatever; it was a matter to joy for me.

Keshopur vegetable market.

It is my habit to wake up early morning and have a health run or walk. I enjoy road run than indoor exercises, so in Delhi also I ventured out, but I had to stop running within few meters due to dust and traffic. Then the thought of “what to do“come up in my mind and decided to go in nearby subzi mandi (a Hindi word for vegetable market) Keshopur on foot, just to see the affairs at there and also this will help me to complete my morning exercises. I was residing in Mahavir nagar and Keshopur sabzi market is about just 2 km away. But the affairs at market was also was not so good as the whole night rain made the market a mess due to flooding water with vegetable wastes of previous day and mud ,however I took some pictures of sale of corn in the market.

Reincarnation of Scooter- Scootela…

Once scooter was the most favorite vehicle among middle class Indians and 10 years back it was difficult to walk on road in Delhi and Pune with flooded scooters. The reason for the choice of scooter was its utility as family vehicle, economy in fuel and its maintenance cost. Bajaj and Vespa scooters were dominating these roads on those days, now it become extinct and new generation two wheeler motor cycles and small cars took over the roads. Competition among financiers made loan formalities simple as even a lower income group can purchase a small car or costly motor cycle easily, then who will care for these domestic animal scooter more?.
But surprised to see the reincarnation of scooter in the form of tela in Delhi roads.(Tela- a three wheeled goods carrying cycle rickshaw, commonly known in the name of tela in north India) Actually all kind of geared motorized two, three and four wheelers required a registration from road transport department, but who will register this vehicle ? These are totally local made by improvising old scooter parts fitted on a local made Tela.





Who will be the brain behind the scootela (name given by me – scooter+ tela= scootela), I guess this may be the handiwork of a Sardar (Punjabi) because in 90s in Punjab, Hariyana and UP there were available a local made four wheeler named Maruta which was the handiworks of Punjabi mechanics by using diesel motor pumps which were available cheaper in market for irrigation purpose.
I advice the innovator to get a patent for this scootela immediately otherwise some companies may copy the technique to produce poor man’s vehicle as Nano car..

Bhartiya Patita Uddhar Sabha

On return from my home after vacation, this time I choose Air Travel instead of my usual train journey as I have to reach Delhi for some official purpose. My booking was in Spice jet, famous for economy in fare and spicy food and beautiful girl crews with red half skirt and top. As their instruction I reached Coimbatore Airport before two hours of departure time so I have got enough time to roam inside airport watching everything to pass time, then one thing seen like an antique on a corner caught my attention. That was a money collection box installed by Bhartiya Patita Uddhar Sabha for the purpose of orphaned children education. All the way to Delhi I was in the thought what it means by Patita and its relation with children.

Funny lottery car.

During last week, I was on a vacation at home to get away from my stressful work. It is my habit to walk along streets alone, and find pleasure in watching activities of city life and changes of my home town. One day I have noticed a funny thing which I would like to share with you.
A car selling lottery, the look of the car was so funny to attract anyone by pasting banners on its whole body.

Thalirilakal.

Confused? Sure you might be –other than Keralite, because thalirila is a Malayalam word for tender leaves. I use Thalirila here deliberately, because no other words can give the same sweetness and feelings of old memories which still in corner my heart. Whenever I see such tender leaves with crystal ball like water drops on it, I feel nostalgic. 



In my child hood, my father brought two Ashoka sapling from somewhere and planted in front of our home and it was there and grown about eight feet and blossoming throughout the year with red flowers. I remember its long, soft, pink tender leaves. I used to touch and feel its moist softness during morning hours, a cold soft touch feeling and drops of water on it, a kind of feeling; I am not able to explain –what kind of feeling that was! The lost days won’t come back, but the feeling inside my heart tends to go back to that good old days.

Pilgrimage to Kollur Mookambika.

Recently I with my family made a pilgrimage to Kollur Mookambika Temple. Earlier also we visited the temple twice however this one we felt special because this was the first one with my daughter, she is 3+ ,a long days we had not visited such distant sacred places together. The first darsana was also equally important with our son for his “vidhyarambham” a traditional ritual in Kerala to start ones education in front of goddess “Saraswati”.




Kollur Mookambika temple is well known in the west coast of Karnataka and oldest temple in south India. The temple is situated near the perennial river Sauparnika(as name its water is crystal clear), more over the surrounding greenery of forests and Kudachadri hills, gives a kind of unexplainable sanctity to the temple. The temple having gold plated crest and copper roof, all these attract thousands of devotees.



As belief , a saint Shri Shankarachariya (Adi Shankara) from Kerala who was in deep meditation (thapas) here on Kudachadri hills has got a Darsana of goddess Mookambika ( also known a Vagdevi, the Goddess of speech) after that he decided to install a idol at Kollur. Still there is a simhasanam (seat) of Adi shankara in room near sanctum. Goddess Mookambika has got the name Mookambika after killing a demon called Mookasura. Mookambika is regarded as a manifestation of Shakti, Saraswathi and Mahalakshmi and the idol Mookambika is in the form of Jyothir linga comprising Shiva and Shakti.At a distance of 100 meter from Temple there is an Ashram believed to be of Shri Shankarachariya.




The Kollur is really a beautiful place to visit, you will feel rejuvenated mentally once you stay here for two three days due to the pollution free environment, peaceful surrounding and spiritual
atmosphere.





Kollur Mookambika temple is in Karnataka State, about 135 km from Mangalore and 80 Kms from Udupi by road. We can reach there by train also; the nearest railway station is Kundapuram in Konken railway route, from Kundapuram again need to travel by road about 30 Kms to reach Kollur. Frequent private bus services are available to Kollur and for accommodation a lot of ashrams and lodges are available at cheap rates.

Personification of Lakshmi ! Swarna champa.

Magnolia Rajaniana.
Confused? I found this word just while searching for the English name of swarna champa but I could get is the botanical name of swarna champa. Swarna champa in Malayalam we call it as swarna champakam, may be of its color resembles to gold. Swarna- swarnam mean gold in Indian languages. The flower is famous for its attractive fragrance.
In Kerala it is a rare flower, I have seen it once only ,that too a relative of mine, she belongs to Trichur worn this flower on her hair( south Indian ladies having the habit of wear on hair).Here in Orissa putting flower on hair is seen among the Telugu women but not in Oriya women.





The soothing smell of the swarna champa is so addictive that once smelt, they start to search for the flower for again. The reason why I have tried twice to plant a sapling at my home in Kerala by purchasing from nursery with unreasonable price but it dried up within few months.
But here in Orissa I surprised to see the swarna champa plants in front of most of the houses and people use its flower for puja ( puja or pooja I don’t know the exact spelling- whatever it is a worshiping method of Hindus). As per my observation swarna champa plant flower only after the tree become five to six years old and after growing ten to fifteen feet high. Rare trees are available flowering throughout the year. In front of my office there are two trees one is of about twenty five feet high and other about fifteen and second one flower in all the seasons. Every day I used to pluck one or two flowers and keep it in my room, there is no use of a synthetic room freshener spray, the natural swarna champa fragrance giving me an effect of aroma therapy. In summer it gets tough to pluck the flowers because of the height of the tree, so I used to purchase swarna champa incense sticks available in market.





Some people believe swarna champa is the flower of goddess of Lakshmi because she loves the flower. Lakshmi is considered as the goddess of wealth and believes that where the flowers kept there reside Lakshmi also. One folk tale I heard is that, once there was a minister's daughter she with her devotion in goddess changed a Champa tree in gold flowering. So it has got the name of swarna (gold) champa and still people here believes that the tree help to increase the wealth of family.

Monastery in Chandragiri, Orissa.

Chandragiri is in Gajapati District of Orissa.This village is famous since long years in connection with the settlement of Tibetan refugees. In last January there inaugurated a Monastery by His Holiness Dalai Lama, as claimed this is the biggest Buddhist temple in south Asia. The temple is built in similar style of Nalanda(Bihar).The name given to the Temple is Padmasambhava Mahavihara. Currently, there are 200 resident monks in the new monastery which has been built at a cost of about Rupees 8 crore.
Actually the temple is worth seeing due to its rich artistic values. Reality mixed in rich colors you find it amazing, you cannot get the real effect of each sculpture on the wall from photos, because the limitation of the2D.
There are five Tibetan camps available in Gajapati district, that are in Chandragiri, Takallipadara, Labrsingh, Jeranga and Mahandragarh. The population of Tibetan Buddhists come around 4500.The first settlers arrived here in the year 1960 after the Tibet China dispute in 1959.
Below are some pictures of mural arts, taken from the Monastery.

VALMIKAM- Anthill.

In my childhood I was very font of hearing Ramayana and Mahabharata stories. On those days, we children used to gather in our village temple and sit before saints, who occasionally visit our temple, only to hear stories of the great epics. The life was not like of these days (TV, computer games etc. were not available),our entertainments limited to play, swimming ,climbing trees, hear stories from elders and read Amar chitra Kathas,Balarama etc. ( periodicals for children illustrated with caricatures). Often we used role play on Bhim, Hanuman etc.





On that days I heard lot on Valmiki and how he known in the name of Valmiki and his great work Ramayana.Valmiki the name derived from Valmikam mean Anthill in Sanskrit, because he took rebirth from a Valmikam so he called Valmiki.On that days I was always in doubt that how a man can be fit in a anthill of about one or one and half feet height? Now my old doubts cleared, not one man even two can adjust in anthills, like that huge anthills can be seen this area of Orissa.





Now some of you might be curious to know about Valmiki, the story is like that, there was a robber named Valya Koli who used to rob and kill pedestrians going through jungle foot paths (the story is of 400BC, so you can imagine the horror in the name of Valiya Koli)
Once he tried to rob renowned sage Narada, he not objected but simply asked some questions- for whom he doing this sin? .Answer was the same as we expect- for his wife and children. Then if they would share the sin he committed during the robbery and killing? He answered ‘yes’, then Narad said to confirm it from his family but no one was agreed to bear. The naked truth opened his eyes and requested to Narada the way to repent, he taught him meditation and Valiya Koli went on deep meditation for many years. Slowly an anthill grew around him. So he become to known as Valmiki- who born out of anthill. He wrote the Great epic Ramayana in Sanskrit. He also knew as First Poet. The Great Ramayana has a divinity in Hindu belief.




Here in these areas of Orissa, suitable climatic condition and the orthodox belief on the story of valmiki or I doubt, the famous belief of abode of snakes might be the reason for such growth and preservation of anthills.
Tale piece: There is a jargon- “ant colony optimization” which related to Computer science and operations research. I don’t know how the term derived and what mean by it?

OWL FIGHTS FOR LIFE.

Today morning I was in my usual morning run, I saw some crows on ground attacking on a bird with loud noises. With curiosity I reached there and scared away the crows, there I could see a big owl, injured and struggling for life. I with the help of my friends saved that owl and kept under shade of a bush. After half an hour it flew away at its own.

Now time to cook and eat.

In my previous post  on Maa Majhi gouri  ,I could not add some pictures  in view of length of the post.here that are ,you find it interesting.




Utensils for hire to cook chicken and mutton ,near temple.




cooking in progress  and eagerly waiting family members.




cooking over……now time to eat…….
shaving off hair is another offering here,see shaved heads in picture(even a lady).

Maa Majhi Ghariani Temple

Majhi Gouri also known as Maa Majhi Ghariani (maa – mother)a Goddess and avatar of Shakti is the important deities of Hindus living in Rayagada, more over the people of southern Orissa and Andhra Pradesh worships Majhi Gouri to full fill their wishes.





On Wednesday and Sundays witness a huge crowd thronging around temple for a darsana (to see)of Majhi and to offer animal sacrifices. On Sunday a large number of cocks and goats get sacrificed here. Bali (animal sacrifice) is the main ritual in this temple.