SayCheese

Swift Rescue

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:27:09 PST

Taken on 8 December at home in Nellore. The photos are really bad...sorry :(

District administration sounded a high alert along the coast following forecast of the possibility of a low pressure system crossing between Kavali and Bapatla on the evening of 8th December, 2010 and feared the resulting downpour, to the extent of 20 to 40 cms at the time of crossing, would flood the district.

The days that preceded were the coldest from a long time and three farmers succumbed to the cold wave in the district and we had a strange visitor who refused to leave our warm house!

A little Swift! Not the car but a little blue-black bird with huge eyes, a white patch at the throat and at the rump. It was in the hands of some kids playing in the corridor who were trying to get it to fly out into the open. They then planned to leave it on some bush outside. Something told my son and me that it would not last the night out in the cold. Just then it flew in through our main door into our house!

Measured in straight flight, the spine-tailed swift is the fastest bird. It flies 170 km/h (106 mph). They never settle voluntarily on the ground and forage exclusively in flight. They have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces.

They go into torpor in cool weather and we think that is what happened to our little visitor.Due to the cold wave it had entered into a period of sluggish inactivity, suspended physical activity, or dormancy, as seen in a hibernating animal.

We settled it down in a shoe-box for the night and released it with successfully the next morning into bright sunlight.

The storm fizzled out in the Bay and didn't hit Nellore at all!

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Sunshine Mountains

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:17:41 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves.

Papi hills at noon.
The lady of the mountain (in the third hazy range) getting a golden tan, lying there under the hot noon sun. Thank God it's November! Can you spot her?

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Eastern Sunset

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:18:01 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves.

Sunset over the Eastern Ghats.

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Sailing with the Wind

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:56:39 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves.

Click here for more photos of the river

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Golden Silk Weaver - 2

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:44:00 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves

Dorsal view of Nephila pilipes jalorensis / India Giant Wood Spider or golden silk orb-weaver spiders, Papi Hills, Andhra Pradesh.

View Golden Silk Weaver-1 for all details regarding the species.

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Golden Silk Weaver - 1

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:26:26 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves

Ventral view of Nephila pilipes jalorensis / India Giant Wood Spider or golden silk orb-weaver spiders, Papi Hills, Andhra Pradesh.

Females are large and grow to a body size of 30-50mm, with males growing to 5–6 mm. The male is so tiny that he can live on the female's web, stealing her food, often without her even noticing him. She may not even notice that he has crept up and inseminated her! Nevertheless, just to be sure, he usually does the deed when she is feeding. In some, mating can take up to 15 hours! The female lives only slightly longer than the male.

The web can run from the top of a tree 6m high and up to 2m wide. The name of the golden silk orb-weavers refers to the color of the spider silk, not the color of the spider itself. Yellow threads of their web shine like gold in sunlight. Maybe the silk's color serves a dual purpose

sunlit webs ensnare bees that are attracted to the bright yellow strands,
in shady spots the yellow blends in with background foliage to act as a camouflage

The spider is able to adjust pigment intensity relative to background light levels and color; the range of spectral reflectance is specifically adapted to insect vision. Xanthurenic acid, two quinones and an unknown fourth compound contribute to the yellow color.

Typically, the webs are made in open woods or edges of dense forest, usually attached to trees and low shrubs, although they may be in the tops of trees or between the wires of utility lines (Krakauer 1972). These complex webs have a fine-meshed sticky orb suspended in a non-sticky barrier web. The orb is replenished regularly as its stickiness declines with age but the main web can last several years. Prey consists of a wide variety of small to medium-sized flying insects, including flies, bees, wasps, and small moths and butterflies (Robinson and Mirick 1971).

The female buries her eggs in the ground. First she digs a shallow hole with her strong mandibles and legs, which is then lined with woolly silk. She lays her eggs on this silk, covers it with another woolly layer then covers the whole assembly with camouflaging debris and soil. Laying can take 4 hours

How We Humans Use These Webs

Fishing : In the South Pacific, the web silk is used to make fishing lures, traps and nets. In the Solomon Islands, the spider web is collected by winding it around sticks to make large sticky balls which are suspended just above the water. Needle fish are lured to jump out and get entangled in the ball. In Southeast Asia, people make a net by scooping up the web between a stick bent into a loop. Spider webs have been used as bandage to stop blood flow and used to make bird snares.

Silk of strength : The Golden Orb Web Spider's silk is set to become a major product. The silk is almost as strong as Kevlar, the strongest man-made material and can be used to make

parachutes
bullet-proof vests,
lightweight clothing,
seat belts,
light but strong ropes,
as sutures in operations,
artificial tendons and ligaments.

In the American Museum of Natural History, a piece of cloth is on exhibit that has been woven from golden silk from over 1 million golden orb female spiders.

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Munivaatam Falls of the Papi Hills

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:20:07 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves

At Perantalapalli, a remote tribal village, on top of a hill is a Shiva temple established by Sri Balananda Swamiji in the year 1927. He worked for the development of the locals Konda Koyas and Konda Reddies. The temple and the ashram ‘Sri Krishna Munivaatam’ has given the falls its name. The idol of Shiva here has a serpent shade over it. History has it that Balananda Swamy while travelling down the river from Rajhmadry to Bhadrachalam, stayed for the night at Perantalapalli. As he enjoyed the moonlit night on the sandy banks of River Godavari, a lady appeared before him and lead him to a spot where a hooded Shiva idol rested in a thicket of bushes next to a flowing stream. He decided to construct a temple at that spot. Since no priest would perform pooja in this remote place, the local tribes took over. Eating meat and hunting are not allowed in the vicinity of the temple. Complete silence is a prerequisite during the visit. In 1969, David Adam, a young British national, became a disciple of the Swamiji and has lived in Perantalapalli till recently.

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A Cruise Up The Godavari River

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:49:47 PST

The cruise up the river started at Rajahmundry. These boats have AC cabins on the lower deck and an open air seating arrangement on the upper. The ethereal scenery of the Papi Hills and the dense jungles that cover it are quite like the scenes one sees in Kashmir.

The Godavari, which runs from the west to the south of India, has a big river basins in Andhra Pradesh. The Coringa mangrove forests in the delta are the second largest mangrove formation in the country acting as a barrier against cyclones, tropical storms and tidal waves protecting villages on the coast. Part of this has been declared a sanctuary, the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, and is renown for its reptiles. With a length of 1465 km, it is India's second longest river. It originates near Trimbak in Maharashtra state and flows east across the Deccan Plateau into the Bay of Bengal near Narasapuram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

The Papi Kondalu (hills) got its name from the word Papidi meaning 'the partition on the crown of a woman's head. The Papi range splits the river Godavari. There is a story in history that says that a demon, Papi, tried to stop the river but Godaviri with all her might killed the demon by tearing up a path on its head to flow on.

Untouched nature at her best with picture postcard prettiness of a hilly countryside patch-worked with quaint little farms, a landscape dotted with tribal habitations and river banks densely forested with Teak, Arjun and Rose Wood. The waterfalls at Munivaatam is an added attraction.

If the Government finishes the construction of Polavaram Project, the entire Papi Hills and its jungles will be submerged in water. The Polavaram project or the Indira Sagar, is a mega project (Rs 13,500 crore) envisaging the construction of a dam across Godavari river, linking two rivers, Krishna and Godavari, to develop a vast irrigation system that would cover 15 out of 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh. It would generate 960 MW of electricity.

Polavaram dam will submerge a total area of 38,186 hectares

22,882 hectares of rain-fed agricultural land,
12,801 hectares of what is called ‘poramboke’/government or wasteland, and
3,223 hectares of forest land.

Officially, over 276 tribal villages in the agency areas of East and West Godavari districts and Khammam district (of which 274 are in the Fifth Schedule area) will be submerged. The project will also submerge villages in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

The Ecological Impact

Endangered species not found in submergible area. The submergible area includes 107 Hec, of Teak plantation, of 1927 to 1973. The riverbed is breeding and feeding area for crocodile and other aquatic animals, while the adjacent forests harbour many other wild animals. The area of proposed submergence abound in rich wild life and threatened species life Tiger, Panther, bison, blackbuck Chousingha - Crocodile Pythons peafowl etc. The damage to wild life habitat is irretrievable.

The area also containing good timber and bamboo forest and is a source of raw material for adjacent forest based industries as local and Urban population the project will effect forest 730 hectares of wildlife sanctuary including the riverbed which forms breeding ground for crocodiles pre-impoundment conditions are ideal for breeding crocodile and gharial. The prospects of Crocodile farming can be assessed only after survey of post impoundment conditions. The damage to scenic value of the natural forest will be apparent.

Source: Polavaram Project: Environmental Impact appraisal Report, Irrigation Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad May, 1985.

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves.

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My Son's Araku Experience

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:17:44 PST

The Araku Valley

Wild Flowers in the Valley

A Tribal Village

A Elderly Tribal Couple with Aakash

Smiling Faces

Coffee Berries

Bee-Keeping

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves.

The Araku valley, located on the Anatagiri hills, at a height of 1,161 mts from Sea Level, is the place with great natural scenery and greenery. The Valley located 112-Km from Visakhapatnam is home to 17 tribes quite untouched by modern civilisations. Their rhythmic tribal songs and dances, the Dhimsa dance in particular, are marvelous. They cultivate coffee and are good apiarists.

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Crewcut Hills

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:18:08 PST

Taken by my son, Aakash, November, 2010, during a bike trip of about 2400 km from Kadapa to Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Vizag, Araku and the Borra Caves.

I had told him that he should get me photos of what he sees. He always brings home photos with friends in every scene! Horrorifying! These were taken for his mom....:)

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Fairy Duster

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:19:38 PST

Taken in July 2010 at Bengaluru.

Calliandra haematocephala. Powder-puff, Fairy Duster, a sub-tropical plant the family, native to India, Mexico, Madagascar, South America and the United States, is grown as a hedge or shrub in the landscape for its powder-puff-type flowers which are very attractive to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Derived from the Greek words "kallos" (beauty) and "andros" (stamens), flowers of Calliandra can breathe life into any dormant landscapes and are like miniature pink fireworks detonating in a sea of deep-green leaves.

Fairy Duster Essence

http://www.desert-alchemy.com - find an essence from 119 individual flower essence that works for you!

The essence of this flower can be used when one has inflated expectations or are in the process of building castles in the air. It is excellent for nervous excitability and over-reactivity to stimuli. They are safe, effective, and with lasting effects, the flower essences is a powerful support for modern healing.

balances the tendency to swing back and forth from high to low energy states;

emotions not necessarily being released, but becoming obsolete and no longer having power over you;

enables you to handle greater intensities of energy and stimulation without disruption;

groundedness and alignment of the mental, emotional and etheric levels;

seeing new ways;

sensitive to what is happening around you and interacting with your environment while remaining balanced mentally and open in heart;

soothes and stabilizes the nervous system and the flow of energies through the nervous system.

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Rock Star

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:50:28 PST

Taken in July 2010 at Bengaluru.

The yellow variety of the Christ thorn.

You can also look at the
Red
Pink varieties

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All Sewn Up in Silk

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:07:00 PST

Taken in Sept 2010 at my farm in Nellore Dist.

Photo Credit

Weaver ants are reddish ants that are champions of cooperation when it comes to building elaborate nests on treetops.The nest starts very simply. A group of worker ants finds a leaf that is soft and easy to bend. Several ants line up. Each holds an edge of a leaf in its mandibles and feet. Slowly, the ants pull the two leaf edges together. They link their feet and pull until the two leaf edges are nearly touching.Worker ants carry newly hatched larvae from the old nest and gently squeeze them between their mandibles causing them to ooze a thin thread of silk with which they stitch the leaves together.

Weaver ant pupae are harvested and sold as food in markets in Thailand and the Philippines. They are said to have a creamy flavor. People also eat adult weaver ants. Their taste is described as lemony or creamy and sour. The Dayaks in Borneo mix adult ants with rice for extra texture and flavor. Weaver ants are fierce biters, so people who harvest them have to be extra careful! For the past 2,000 years, the Chinese have made use of the voracious appetite of weaver ants for other insects. They use them to control insect pests in their citrus orchards. The ants have a strong chemical in their bodies called formic acid. Crushed ants are used to fight infections.

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Heart's on fire

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:08:50 PST

Taken in March 2010 in Chennai.

Anthurium andraeanum, Flamingo lily, Tail flower, Painter's palette, Boy Flower, Oil Cloth flower.

Anthurium, pronounced an-THOO-ree-um, are once-seen, never-forgotten flowers. Their unmistakable glossy heart-shaped bright red flower bract (which gives them their popular name of painter's palette) surrounds the true flowers, which are in the form of a spike (or spathe) at the centre. The flowers contain an anguine curved or straight cop (spadix) that sticks up from a big flamboyant and slightly creasy bract like a caudicle. They come in shades of reds, pinks, white, lilac, green and chocolate brown. http://www.flowersofindia.net/

This beauty is very poisonous and the general symptoms of poisoning are blistering, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), hoarseness.

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Christ Plant

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:56:11 PST

Taken in Bangalore in July 2010.

Euphorbia milii, Crown of Thorns, Christ Plant is a woody, succulent species of Euphorbia native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821. It is suspected that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times, and legend associates it with the crown of thorns worn by Jesus.

Check out my photos of the same plant, different colour.
Pink
Yellow

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For Mr.P N Das

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:15:52 PST

Taken in Bengaluru in July 2010.

Gaultheria procumbens, Wintergreen, the oil of which acts like topical aspirin and is used for relief from musculoskeletal inflammation, rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, neck pain, whiplash injuries, chronic joint and muscle pain. It looks beautiful in a garden as a ground-cover under trees as it requires shade.
Oil of wintergreen, when applied over sore muscles and joints, can provide the same relief as one would get from taking an aspirin. Science has revealed that the key to wintergreen action is linked to the action of Aspirin. Wintergreen oil is comprised of a compound known as methyl salicylate, aspirin is salicylic acid. Wrap arthritic joints in wintergreen poultices to great effect! It could be used internally as a tea to speed the process on along. Source

For Mr. P N Das.... for pain in the *@!*

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Tubular Spectacle

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:51:02 PDT

Taken in July 2010 at Bangalore and Nellore.

Russelia equisetiformis, the Firecracker Plant inspired by the scarlet, long, tubular flowers which resemble red colored firecrackers, so common in India. Also called, coral plant, it is a multi-branched subshrub with slender, rushlike stems that are angled with ridges and leaves that are reduced to little more than small scales. The wiry branches start out erect then fall over to cascade down in lengths as long as 4 ft. Source

What a contrast this plant with tubular flowers makes with the tubular bamboo!

Bamboo, the ecological saviour!

Bamboo is a great plant for individuals concern with a green environment. There are some 1500 different species that are native to every continent except Europe.
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on this planet. It has been recorded growing at an amazing 47.6 inches in a 24 hour period.
Bamboo is a crucial element in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A grove of bamboo release 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. Because of this, planting bamboo is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and help fight global warming.
Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. It can be harvest in 3-5 years versus 10-20 for most softwoods. It can out yield pine 6 to 1 in biomass production. It is also one of the strongest building materials with a tensile strength of 28,000 psi. To help give you an idea how much this is, mild steel measures 23,000 psi.
It is a great soil conservation tool. It greatly reduces erosion with a sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of 25%. This dramatically reduces rain run-off, preventing massive soil erosion and making it very earth friendly.
Bamboo can be eaten (new shoots), made into fiber for clothing, it can be used in concrete reinforcement, in can provide great livestock feed with the foliage being up to 22% protein, it can be machined into numerous forms of lumber, etc. It might be easier to compile a list of what bamboo cannot be used for than what it is used for.
Bamboo can also tolerate extreme conditions that most plants cannot. It was actually the first plant to re-green after the atomic blast in Hiroshima in 1945. Source

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Mirror Mirror on the Road!

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:07:33 PDT

Taken on 25 October 2010 at A1 Plaza, NH5, Nellore.

Every time I travel southward from Nellore city, I visit the A1 plaza on NH 5. I love the gaggle of geese that roam the gardens there. There are four in all now, and are a treat to the eye.

Yesterday, it had rained, and the little puddles in the paved drive-in gave me some great photo opportunity.

Anser anser domesticus, the White Geese are domesticated and kept as poultry for their meat, eggs, and down feathers since ancient times. These geese are often preferred as they look better plucked and dressed, as the down feathers are less conspicuous. They make pairs for life and display courtship activity in spring.

Water Colours August 2010

The Eyer May 2010

Lazily Alert Feb 2010

View from below Oct 2010
Goose stepping to water Oct 2010
Flag the Goose Oct 2010

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Flag the Goose

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:55:38 PDT

Taken on 25 October 2010 at A1 Plaza, NH5, Nellore.

Every time I travel southward from Nellore city, I visit the A1 plaza on NH 5. This was a part of the Reliance Industries petroleum retail outlets, which decided to shut down all the petroleum retail outlets owned by it directly, as surging crude prices and the absence of government subsidies have made operations inviable. Around this abandoned Reliance Fuel outlet are20 odd flags, though torn and tattered by the winds, still fly high as if reminding us that failure and success are just two sides to a coin. One must just flip the coin ones again.

Yesterday, it had rained, and the little puddle in the paved drive-in where the geese marched in to give me my photo opportunity, reflected a tattered white flag. I was instantly reminded of the 'goose flag' used in game hunting of geese. I had to wait a long time to get this perfect shot, what with my husband and son flapping their arms in disgust as I made them wait in the car!

'The Flagman', Randy Bartz, invented the concept of goose flagging using the 'Orginal T-Flag' back in the late 1980’s. Since then Randy has perfected the art of flagging geese across North America! Through years and years of trial and error, he has perfected a superior line of Goose Flags.Since these simple flags as a decoy for waterfowl hunting, the idea and methods of using wing-like motion to attract geese and ducks into shotgun range have become a major part of this sport. Although the concept of mounting an artificial set of fabric wings on stiff wire and sticking it onto a wooden dowel seems simple, using flags has become fairly sophisticated.

Photo Credit

Water Colours August 2010

The Eyer May 2010

Lazily Alert Feb 2010

View from below Oct 2010

Goose stepping to water Oct 2010
Mirror mirror on road Oct 2010

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View from below

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:54:14 PDT

Taken on 25 October 2010 at A1 Plaza, NH5, Nellore.

Every time I travel southward from Nellore city, I visit the A1 plaza on NH 5. I love the gaggle of geese that roam the gardens there. There are four in all now, and are a treat to the eye.

Yesterday, it had rained, and the little puddles in the paved drive-in gave me some great photo opportunity.

Geese do not normally exhibit pecking or cannibalism and usually live harmoniously among themselves and with other creatures. They have very strong flocking instincts and can easily be herded from one area to another. It is because of the combination of their memory and flocking instincts that geese will return home as a flock of their own accord in the evening, even after being permitted to range over distances of 5 km or more. This allows the birds to make long trips every day, if necessary, to find their food.

Geese are effective weeders because they like grasses but do not like many broadleaf plants and have thus been used to weed a wide range of crops including asparagus, potatoes, fruit shrubs, nursery stock, tobacco, nut trees, grapes, fruit trees, beets, sugar beets, beans, hops, various ornamental flowers, onions and strawberries.

Water Colours August 2010

The Eyer May 2010

Lazily Alert Feb 2010

Mirror mirror on road Oct 2010

Flag the Goose Oct 2010

Goose stepping to water Oct 2010

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Goose Stepping to the Water

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:52:43 PDT

Taken on 25 October 2010 at A1 Plaza, NH5, Nellore.

Every time I travel southwards from Nellore city, I visit the A1 plaza on NH 5. I love the gaggle of geese that roam the gardens there. There are four in all now and are a treat to the eye.

Yesterday, it had rained, and the little puddles in the paved drive-in gave me some great photo opportunity. They marched towards a puddle in front of the car and as they marched in, their Goose-step was better than the Wagah or London display!

The goose-step is a special marching step usually performed in formal military parades and other ceremonies. While marching in parade formation, troops swing their legs in unison to a nearly horizontally position while keeping their knees locked. Originating in Prussian military drill in the mid-18th century, the step was called the stechschritt (literally, "piercing step") or stechmarsch. In many armed forces, this step has been modified into a lower angle raise the legs.

At the Attari-Wagah border at sun-set, the retreat ceremony takes place with the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) on the Indian side and The Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side putting up a well co-ordinated and spectacular display of the Goose step which compares very favorably with the changing of royal guard in London.

Water Colours August 2010
The Eyer May 2010
Lazily Alert Feb 2010

View from below Oct 2010

Mirror mirror on road Oct 2010

Flag the Goose Oct 2010

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Walking with Sunsets

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:31:15 PDT

Taken on 18 October 2010 at the A. C. Subbareddy Stadium, Nellore, AP.

This is the place where I walk every evening for about an hour! The spectacular skies create a backdrop befitting any movie star in any movie. I had to increase the brightness in this picture to give you glimpse of the stadium. These photographs were also taken here
Sunset Delight
Whose-line-is-it-anyway?
Just a cloud?
Godfinger

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Sunset Delight

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:32:48 PDT

Taken on 10 Oct, 2010, during my evening walks at AC Subba Reddy Stadium, Nellore.

Sunset Delight- if it were an ice cream, 2 scoops for me!

I had to increase the contrast to be able to see the rays over the man with the halo. I was spellbound that day. The day before the sky was spectacular in another spectacular way but I couldn't catch it on my camera coz I hadn't taken it along. Now if the sun is bright at 5.30 pm, I walk with my camera, clicking away much to the amusement of my fellow walkers. It is strange that no one who walks with me even notices the sky until I point it out to them! Strange! I thought that was the reason people walk in the open as against a quick cardio on the treadmill.

I also spied on a few dung beetles walking across the tracks of the stadium. They rolled balls of mud-coated dung that were twice their size in front of them. I stop to watch them till they disappear into the grass. By then my friends are about 200 meters away and I run to catch up.

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Photonastic love

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:15:10 PDT

Taken in July 2010, in Bangalore.

Oxalis triangularis, False or Purple Shamrock or the Love Plant. It is lovely as an indoor plants but does need sunlight. It has uniquely colored leaves of deep maroon-purple and unusual trifoliolate foliage. Small clusters of light pink to lavender flowers borne above the lovely foliage display a wonderful contrast too. The leaves move in response to the levels of light. Watch it in action. This type of movement due to sensitivity to light is called Photonasty.

They had grown it in a wonderful manner. The rich foliage of Crape Jasmine with its white windmill like flowers provided a perfect background to the vividly coloured Shamrock. All this was around a potato tree.

The effect was spectacular!

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Evil Eye

nalinihebbar@gmail.com (Nalini Hebbar) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:24:11 PDT

Taken on 4 Oct, 2010 in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.

Every house under construction has these hanging on the wall to absorb the evil eye. They also have an effigy of a fully clothed man made of hay with a pronounced exposed phallus. The envy of material possessions including livestock, skill, wealth, beauty, health and offspring, it is believed, elicits misfortune. This is not seen only in India but all over the world; and the belief is so deep seated in every culture that one finds it very difficult to disconnect from it. It's called drishtidosham or nazar in India.

In India a lot of rituals are a part of our life and maybe the fear of the evil eye is the reason for many of them.

The mirroring back of the evil eye takes the form of small mirrors that are sewn, braided or crocheted into clothing. This mirrors back the bad energy.
Indian women wear kohl or heavy black makeup to emphasize their eyes not only to shield themselves from evil eye but also to prevent themselves from accidentally inflicting it on others.
Cords strung with blue beads are placed on newborn babies. When the cord breaks and the beads are lost the child is considered to have a strong enough aura to protect him or herself from the evil eye.
Red cords worn upon the wrist or neck are thought to have a powerful effect against ocular malevolence.
The red pigment, Kumkum, is applied to the cheeks and forehead.
Black dots are painted on children's foreheads/cheek to avert the evil eye.
Aarti, a traditional Hindu ritual of holy flame on a plate is carried out in which the plate is moved in a circular motion around the person's face so as to absorb the evil effects. Sometimes people are asked to spit into a handful of chilies kept in that plate, which is then thrown into fire. If there is a lot of smoke, your fears were misplaced since there was no one evil eye on you in the first place. If there is no smoke of the burning throat and eyes kind, you are declared freed of all the evil cast on you.
A mixture of turmeric and agriculture lime resembles the blood of a slaughtered animal. This is used during Aarti on all directions to wash away all the evil eyes cast.
For vehicles limes or lemons being used instead of chilies. These lemons are crushed by the vehicle and a new lemon is hung with chilies in a bead to ward off any future evil eyes. These are hung at the doorways of the garage for continued effect.
Hanging of the pumpkin or the ash gourd at the entrance of a house. Pests and evil eyes now have a resting place in them.
Many Indian shop keepers burn a piece of newspaper and then wielding it in a circular motion in front of the locked shutter of their shop.
Lemon in a glass tumbler filled to the brim with water.
An aquarium in the south side of the main room of the house.
Carrying Neem leaves while travelling and burning them when you get back home.

Symptoms

dehydrating effect on its victim
vomiting, diarrhea, stomachaches
the drying up of the milk of nursing mothers and livestock
problems with the blood and eyesight
lack of rain, the drying up of wells and the withering of fruit
impotence in men
clumsiness
dry coughs
itching
hair loss
dry skin
lackluster due to the drying up of prana, chi, life force and the easy flow of prosperity in life.

This has been a crazy post for me!

Now on, everything I see, everything seen by me or everything that happens to me, physically, monetarily or spiritually, will need kilos and kilos of red chilly and would entail a large donation of my digestive enzymes that would otherwise have broken down my starch into sugars!

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