Rudraksha beads of Shiva temple J P Nagar, Bangalore.

I have got an opportunity to get dharshan of  the holy deity of  JP Nagar Shiva Temple, Lord Shiva- the lord of Moksha.

champa fruit n flower.

On first look of below picture, I am sure that you tell the fruit  is litchi. No it is not the fruit of litchi, it is fruit of Champa ( swarna champa).

Bridge for what?

Bridges are made for  people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc. Here see a bridge, constructed over tributary of  river Bansadara in Orissa. Even people dare not  to cross the river  by using the bridge, then how a vehicle. See below.

A tractor crossing river.



A Chevrolet car  crossing river.



TATA SUMO.

black caterpillar.

A black caterpillar  enjoying food.

Bird in office

A birds visit in my office.

water flower vase.

Keeping flowers in a bowl filled with water  in front of  main entrance of  houses  is  considered as auspicious  as per Indian tradition.

This helps to maintain harmony  among family members as well as neighbours.

It is proven fact  that flowers  have a quality of soothing  stressed mind , this will be reason for keeping flowers in front of door and also may be for welcoming.

The water in bowl will be for preserving the flower till evening. Whatever , the flowers seems very beautiful.

Airport elephants.

Elephants statue  placed  in front of  International  Airport  New Delhi.



In Hindu  mythology seeing  elephants , it is very auspicious before  proceeding  to somewhere.



whatever, these  welcome  statues of  elephants  are beautiful.

Wild plum

This is the  image  of wild plums  I have  seen  in  jungles  of  Orissa.

Sale in progress… wild honey…

This is not on the album “wild honey” by Tiamat or breakfast haven, but on the actual wild honey.In southern Orissa it is a common seen that selling wild honey on road sides.

I enjoy  morning  road run  and  usually every morning  I run about  seven  to eight kilo meters on road by watching  the  happenings around. In  winter it is  common that  the  wild honey collectors  bring  their collected  honey  to market place in morning hours. The honey they sell is very cheap , not more than 150 per kilogram.

Once , I have  got an opportunity  to see  their technique  of collecting  wild honey from a tall tree. First they  made a  torch  with rugs  so that  will not produce flame  but smoke only. Then  they  put it below the  honey beehive , due to smoke  bees  escaped from  hive , they cut the hive and brought it down.

Busy August.

The month August was very hectic to me. Throughout the month I remained on tour in different parts of south Indian states. I was enjoying the tour. Earlier I have not got such an opportunity to travel  many places in a spell. As usual all the tour was purely on official on government expenditure.

My daughter and her pond.

During April I was on vacation at my home. As usual in every April my wife has to go for evaluation duties (she is a higher secondary teacher) and my son to his school. I and my daughter remain at home till evening by watching TV and playing. The summer was very hot during the year even sun burn and stroke were reported in some districts of Kerala, so only option left out for us was to stay indoors.

There was a small pond with guppy, shark and golden fishes in right side garden corner of my house. Which was made by me by using Mangalore tiles and silpoline (silpoline is a waterproof plastic sheet, which is strong enough to hold water for years- silpoline is a brand name). The pond was also full of lilies in white and pink colours. I built it in the year 2005 after we started to stay there. But what happened was, last year the silpoline got leak due to nail scratch of predators which tried to catch the shark (it was grown to about 10 inches and was easy to see- so it become prey). The result was worse. The water holding capacity of the tank lessened about only one inch and the worst summer dried the remaining water and all lily plants and fishes finished. My daughter was so worried on all these, because she used to stay around the pond for watching fish and flower after school, and the fishes were her pet or more.

So I and my daughter decided to make a new pond at same place were the old one was situated. Again the option is only silpoline because that is the low cost one and easy to prepare. But planned in a different way, to save from predators, more strong, give more visibility and style, more width and in natural look.

So, we decided and started in that hot summer, I was in labour role and my daughter in supervisor role ( joking- she is only 4 yrs. old and studying in UKG, she keep a chair near there to sit and watch and some time in a hammock ). I first removed the remaining of old pond and dug little more and widened the old pit by two days, and laid first layer sheet with normal plastic sheet. Now the turn to lay the good one, new purchased silpoline, on the faith with the brand name, I was not checked it while purchase, but it was desperating, I found it defective while holding the sheet towards sunlight, found holes in sheet, not visible in one look, like pin holes. So I had to hold my work till I get replacement of a good Silpoline sheet, for which I have to further go to the showroom in city and was possible only in next day.

On next day I got it changed and laid the second layer and as third layer, the old Silpoline on top. Now it was so strong to hold water and prevention form tore by predators. The pond got simply ok but it has not having the natural look as I perceived earlier, so I started to think, then come a strange idea to use rubble laterite stones for banks, it give a natural look and prevent from predators nail more over for growth of algae which is good for fishes. Further I had to spare three four days for search and collection of laterite stones from land around. Finally again started after four five days. Laid stones on sides of the pond and filled earth about 6 inches inside pond – the soils of old pond also used.

Within two three days the water in pond become clear, now my worry is about lily, in summer it will not be easily available. I visited one of my relative, she has the hobby of keeping garden, and there was blue lily available. I requested her for one, with very hesitation she give me a tiny one about 2cm, with very difficult and all care (I put it in a small water filled polythene bag) I carried it all the way to my home about 22 km and planted it in my pond same day.

Went to a pet shop and bought 3 pair each guppy, platy, sward tail and white platy and put them in pond. Till then my vacation got over and I left to my work place in Orissa. Last week I again was on a short leave at home. It was very happy moment for me, as I could see the first lily flower, the matter for happiness is it was pink lily not blue( expected a blue water lily but found pink...surprise) more over the pond was with full of fry. Actually the old soil I put was containing seeds of water lily which helped me to regain the beauty of my pond in short period, otherwise it would take minimum six months to get fill the pond.

Now a days my daughter is happy, she gave name to all fishes ..guppu, gooppu, kuppi, toman,tom,jerry etc.…. The other thing is response from the fishes, when ever she reaches near pond all the fishes come together to she and remain there till she leave and same time with me the opposite all will ran to hide under leaves on seeing me.The pond I made is a good experience to me and now I am in thought to make another one to keep Arowana fish and Lotus whenever time allows.

Foo dog or dwarapalaka .. ?

Here in Orissa, I noticed one thing that, in front of almost all temples there will be statue of lions at both side of main entrance. The shapes and style are varying from temple to temple. Are they symbolizing the guards of temple?

In south India, you can see two frightening statues at the entrance of inner sanctum namely Dwarapalakas – mean Door keepers. (Dwar mean door and palaka mean keepers/guard). I think this lions may also be placed as dwrapalakas to guard the temple.

Or, are these Chinese “Foo dogs”? I don’t know.

Bargad- tree which fulfill wishes.

Recently I was in Jaypore ( not Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan) , Jaypore is in Koraput district Orissa. I was there with some work at judicial court. I reached there early at 9 am as the working hours starts in Indian offices at 10 morning. But there the seen was very interesting, a large gathering of people were there before I reach there. They were sitting under a huge banyan tree in front of the court and enjoying the shade by sipping tea and having snacks ( idly and chatni). Really tree is very huge and covering about 2000 square feet. A platform is made around it with arrangements to sit.

As in my home state  Kerala , there I had not seen such huge banyan trees,except  in road sides, which  were also not so huge I have seen here. But I heard  from my father that , at Adayar in  Chennai, there is a huge banyan tree which cover a area of about one kilo-meter.

Someone , who was with me to assist in court work said me that they are taking  medicated oxygen, because in  early  morning hours  it release a large amount of oxygen  that have such a curative power even help to get cured from TB. I don’t know is it  true or not. May it be also a “satta”(Hindi word, meaning Guess)

Whatever, here  I would like to tell here something about  the  importance of Banyan tree to Indians.

 

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.