That's the way I see

On the Roads Again : Daringbadi

2017-02-17T16:33:00.000+05:30

Every time or other I used to get this Question, “Have you visited Daringbadi?” Can you give us some tips about it? The answer was No. Somehow the label Kashmir of Odisha didn't excite me enough to Visit Daringbadi. My heart lies with Koraput as known to all, which gets its equal share of frost, fog and falls.

I was not super impressed with the Images found on Google but still decided to give it a go. Plans were made, hotel booking was done online, a few minor repairs on RE a 350 Thunderbird and we were ready. My Co-rider in this trip was Udipt Ranjan, my partner in UDstudios who was going to do his first maiden long distance trip on his RE a 350 Classic.

Udayan Smiling Behera with Udipt Ranjan

8^th Feb 2017

We started around 6 Am in the morning, filled petrol’s in our RE up to the brim, had some tea and biscuits and off we go.

Biscuit and Tea still a better love story than twilight

The climate was great with no surprisingly no fog at all, we cruised along and stopped at Tangi (Khordha) for another set of Tea and Water. In a long journey it is utmost necessary to keep your body hydrated and take necessary breaks, the idea is to enjoy and not to push hard unless required. Our second stop was at Keshpur for some yummy Breakfast.

Yamma Yumma

From Khaliote Ghati, there are two roads to go to Daringbadi if you are travelling from Bhubaneswar, one is via khalikote and other via Berhampur, Road from Berhampur is a longer but roads are good, where are the one Via khalikote is not bad but occasionally bumpy with congestions. Follow the road to meet at Biju Pattnaik Chakk in Asika and continue on that road up to Soroda. The roads are lovely and scenic in this part.

From Soroda follow the Tikabali road till Daringbadi, Some parts of roads are under construction here I hope they would be over by this summer. No whenever in doubt do ask for directions from the locals they are extremely helpful.

As the sun gradually came hovering above our head, our pit stops increased, taking breaks. I genuinely missed a Go-pro mount on this tour which is on my list now before my next trip. I have been to too many places in Odisha and genuinely speaking most of the main roads are in pristine conditions with proper road and place indications all over.

Probably the first adventurer, Lord of the apes

From the hanuman statue, Daringbadi takes about 1hr or so, the best part of this road is the Ghats through the jungles of course which starts after Raskijodi Temple. Now in almost every part of India you shall find one small else big temple before or at the end of ghat roads, this is because ghat roads were not safe to travel and people used to pray before ascending the Ghats.

Still a common practise among the drivers for a safe ride along the ghat.

Just keep Praying

Finally we reached Daringbadi and checked into our Hotel Padma around 2PM. Can’t call it a proper hotel but a lodge with no restaurant. Other options in Daringbadi are Hotel Utopia, Deers Eco Resort; don’t forget to get your booking prior to your trip.

As I told the hotel had no restaurant we had to venture out for our lunch. On local recommendation we stopped at Dhaba called Hotel Hill View. Wonders how everything is called a hotel: \? The food was okay, but good thing was WIFI: D. forgot to mention, cellular service providers in Daringbadi are limited to BSNL, Reliance JIo and Feeble amount of Airtel.

Time for some Sightseeing

Instead of sleeping in our rooms we decided to roam nearby areas. The suggestions we got?

Hill View Park (the name is getting clichéd here), Nature View Park, Coffee Plantations, Doluri River Picnic spot, Lovers Point, and Dasingbadi Waterfalls.

Enter the Dungeons

We opted for Coffee Plantations first but sadly the park was closed for indefinite time because of Coffee harvesting.

But the Pine and Nilgiri Plantation are good enough for a small walk.

Bae Loves to pose

Opt to plan B Nature View Park and Hill View Park, on the gates of this park we had a shocker, the place was swarming with tourists and it was nothing more than a park.

Prakruit Darshan


Pahadi Darshan

I’m sorry to say this but we didn’t went inside, being from Sunabeda, a man made park is the last thing we would like to visit.

Plan C, Lovers Point.
All the love you need

Lovers point is around 15kms from point B on the Phulbani Route. Sun was getting low as we hurried to this place, planning to get some twilights shots of the fall. Upon reaching the place I realized it contrary to its name, it was just a small cascade with gentle water flowing. Again I drew a comparison between Daringbadi and Sunabeda, why exactly is this place famous for? Instead of Kashmir of Odisha, Daringbadi should be named Ooty of Odisha.
After a long tiring day, it was time for some tea and some serious planning for our tour.
If you want to rest and retire have a time out far from the city with pleasant climate then Daringbadi is for you, else you would be bored for sure.

Day 2
Morning was a bit chilly in Daringbadi, and our hand almost collapsed on the ride to Dasingbadi Waterfalls.

Exactly when you need it

On the Coffee plantation route continue on straight path round about 12kms to reach the Dasignbadi water. The signboard is in tatters still serves it purpose.

Roads are good enough for Four Wheels to cross but I doubt it won’t be in Rainy Seasons.

Finally a place where we could open our Camera and mount on tripods.

The fall was small and beautiful and we had a great time there.

may be also of him

But first, lemme take a pic of me

Shot from Camera D810, Dasingbadi Waterfalls


Dasingbadi Waterfalls , Shot from Camera

Stairway to the falls of Dasingbadi

Dasingbadi Falls from above

In love with the roads

To be Continued... On the Roads Again : Phulbani

Duduma Waterfalls

2016-05-08T00:03:00.000+05:30

We woke up at 5that day with a wake-up call from our client, it was her VIdaai. I'm a wedding photographer by profession, me and my partner were at Jeypore in Koraput Odisha for this wedding shoot.

Morning Bliss

We were done with the shoot and instead of cuddling the bed for some rest we decided to go Duduma waterfalls which is around 70kms from Jeypore. Luckily,this time, I had decided to take my Thunderbird for the shoot for convivence, plus it was Thursday morning, just a few Kms from Duduma waterfalls there is a place called Onkudelli, where you can find Bonda tribes especially females in their traditional attire on Thursday mornings. apart from weddings, I'm inclined towards travel photography, a thing which I enjoy a lot apart from my wedding shoots.

There are two roads leading to Duduma waterfalls one can be accessed from Jeypore and the other from Semlliguda via Nandpur with meeting point at Lamptaput, I suggest the later route for a pleasant journey as this road is under construction accompanied by loads of dust and bad roads. We started around 6am to avoid the darkness and the desolate ghat that falls in between. I have been to these place before so finding the roads wasn't difficult . for newcomers, take the road straight from Gandhi Chakk at the entrance of Jeypore towards Gupteswar, upon reaching the Kota Junction take the left. There is an old iron bridge at Kota junction built by the British's so finding it won't be a problem, at the crossroads one should take the right following the signboards towards Lamptaput. People from Semliguda can take the road near bus stand towards Bheja Chak, from there take right following the countryside to reach Lamptaput, don't hesitate to ask for directions, the people are always helpful.

Dusty Roads

Back to the tour, we stopped for tea before leaving the city limits, as it was still winters, the morning ride was a bit chilly, the new jacket was particularly helpful :D. Even if you are riding in a hot sun, don't forget to wear a windcheater at least, this shall protect you from Sun and breeze, plus don't forget your helmet. Safety is a must. We stopped again at the iron bridge of Kota Junction just after Patraput, Jeypore City limits to take some photos. The bad roads were about to begin

Breakfast

Stop here for Directions

It took us 1hr to reach Lamptaput through the bad roads, where we stopped for some breakfast. Duduma is around 25kms from there thankfully was a better road.

Countryside

You won't find many options in the Breakfast but the place is decent. From there we headed towards Onukudelli to click some Bonda tribes. You can also find many foreign tourists in this place for the same but they are not allowed to click the tribals anymore. Many foreigners used to pay before clicking images of these tribes, so don't be puzzled when someone asks you for some when you click them.And yes I paid Rs50 for two pics and rest 10 for none and my partner 50 for 1, it all about the way you deal with them. Caution never argue with any locals.

Iron Bridge of Patraput

Beautiful Drive from Lamptaput to Duduma

After that, we went to see Duduma waterfalls, which we had glimpses of while we were moving to Onukudelli. The Duduma Waterfall which is about 175 metres (574 ft) high is formed by the Machkund River. Duduma waterfalls is one the third highest waterfalls in Odisha after Bareihipani and Khandadhar waterfalls. Here comes the best part , here you can find three waterfalls from 3sides of the gorge. one from Odisha side and the other from Andhra, the third one is an artificial waterfall formed due to drainage of excess water from Machkund Hydroelectricity Power Project, now how good is that ? Check the images below. few images are from archives from my previous visits to this place.

Add caption

The Artificial Waterfall

View of three waterfalls is not visible from the viewpoint, one has to trek down for the better view. There are stairs that lead halfway, I won't advise you to venture unless you are physically fit or alone.
I wish to see sunset at this point or may be a starry night, but it's not advisable for tourists to be in this place because of Maoist threat and Black Cats combing operations. Saying this, the place is perfectly safe from morning till 5Pm :D.

Panaroma of the Machkund Resrvoir

View of the Gorge

River Machkund

Duduma Waterfalls

The sun was too harsh when we reached Duduma, not at all suitable for photography, so we headed back after clicking some selfies :P. Alas, I would be back here in Monsoon, that's when the clouds play orchestra on these mountains.

Wannabe Daredevil

Best time to visit - Winters and Monsoon.
Mode of Transportation- Best option is to hire taxi from Jeypore else from Semliguda.

Where to Stay in Jeypore - Hotel 180Degrees ( Budget hotel but good service) Hotel Hello Jeypore, Hotel Apsara

Where to eat in Jeypore- MG road has a variety of local street foods especially south Indian for Breakfast. Flavors Resturant in Bell Road is a new hit in town.

Where to stay in Semliguda- Hotel Lemon Castle, Hotel Apple Villa

Bonda Woman

Where to Eat in Duduma- Take the roads towards Nandpur from Lamptaput, the Dhabas provide excellent meals.

Some Selfies

Ask your hotel to book for Cab.

song for a Lady

2014-06-11T23:42:00.000+05:30

Chaos in the minds,
tears in our eyes,

the holiness of being in love is lost somewhere I feel,

long lost are the days of the past,
clouded are the days of present,

we have a mask on our face to cover up our smudged faces,
emptiness hollow in the creeks of volcano of emotions,

flaccid are the days in labyrinth of life,
all cry for the freedom which I feel is mine,

I'm all grown up, but refuse to agree,

I want to be a kid, I want to be born again, I wish to start whenever I fall,

Girl why are u sad,
I know the world is bad,

Trust and love is what you need,
That's what we need to believe,

Accept your pains,
Like a sea does with the sun.

You shall be free again like a wind singing a song.

_______________÷÷÷÷________________

Moments before the Storm !! Phailin

2013-10-12T16:27:00.001+05:30

Scenes of Bhubaneswar City as Phailin Cyclone closes in.

Day Without You Girl

2013-06-11T09:20:00.002+05:30

It's not late until u start feeling that u have feelings for some you u love when she goes away,

Browsing through the roads, with the wandering wind,
I stop by sometimes, placing the brakes nearby the hill,
Hands on the rocks, with my eyes closed thinking about her,
I listen to my heart beat, dang baby where has u been...

I miss all the little things that happened with us,
I miss all the moments that are shared between us,
And those small fights I do, aren't made to hurt u,
I don't want to explain, I just want you...

The clouds aren't that merrier without you,
The sun isn't as pleasant it was with you,
I thought the rains were my partners, but
Even my tears are lost without u. . .

I have a confession to make,
I guess I'm in love with you again...
I want u to be with me whole my life...

I may hurt you, and I'm guilty for that,

I always think about you, that the fact.

Day-3_ On the Top of Eastern Ghats

2012-11-25T23:22:00.000+05:30

Discovering Secrets of Nagas- Nageswar Caves

It was a chilly morning when we went out, People looking at us as usual; we had our breakfast in Semiliguda itself and proceeded towards the Nageswar Caves near Nandapur.

The Journey was pleasant, with the fields covered with yellow Niger flowers, distant Blue Mountains, blue sky and pleasant wind blowing, you feel as if the nature is singing lullaby to you.

This day of course I had the camera in my hand and we took all possible time by clicking the photos.

Partha on the Top Left , Roads to Nandapur on the right top corner , Niger Flower fields at the bottom

It’s about 40kms from Semiliguda including the twists and turns scenic roads via Nandapur.

We reached the footsteps of Naga Caves around 10:30am and started the ascend . Naga Caves were about 4000ft , where one can see the mystical caves and a plateau like surface above the mountains . Exploring this was our main motive along with the view from 4k feet above. The road was rocky but we expected to be better roads ahead, what we got is more bad roads, there was literally no road. There was a grin when we were riding up through these. We were enjoying the off road biking till it started to get worse and it got even worse up ahead. We stopped at a point, giving rest to our bullet, kissing it and taking pride in being a bullet owner. Any other city bikes would have died a long ago in these hills but here we are deciding to go on further. After the engines cooled off a bit we started again, this time the road was even worse, we were driving on a walkway made my walking over these hills where the stones were all drunk and came down when the tires hit them. It was scary at a moment when my bike started skidding, with the both the brakes applied, one leg on the ground and the bike in first gear, it kept on skid till I got my leg on a solid rock, though I was laughing but yes I was scared to not about me, but about my camera and bike in case I lose balance and fall. There was visible tension in the face of Partha when he saw me , it grew even bigger when I said my clutch wire seems loose a little after .That was it , Suddenly the environment seemed pretty hot for both of us , we decided to stop as moving further is like inviting more danger .

Scenic and Dangerous - Road to Naga Caves

Naga caves were more 5kms to go in the uphill , we could have trekked the distance but we dint wanted to be late on our schedule too i.e. go to Deomali a plan which can't be jeopardized with . So we agreed mutually to return back. We took a shed nearby and found a Lil stream too to quench our thirst. The road was never made of asphalt but was a Kachha Road and thanks to the recent rains it was washed up to the core left with the bare essential mountain road. We heard some weird sounds of the jungle, a Raptor up high in the air and what we dint wanted is to run into a Bear. It took both of us to turn each bike towards our decent. Though we both had different techniques for our descent i.e. I kept my engines off, ND Partha didn’t, we tip topped with the bike till the end of the Ghats. A video on how we rode down .

P.S doesn't try this until you are riding a Jcb. Btw we plan to trek the caves the next time we both are in Koraput.

Partha Spent 6yrs of his childhood in a place nearby called Padua. We went in there to make him Nostalgic about the place and relive his childhood memories. He showed me the place where he lived, where he studied, played, hang out and even attend the social gathering parties (an oil British bungalow now in almost ruins). Yes also saw the Yellow billed Babbler (a bird endemic to the southern India only) which has such a sweet voice.

Anyways were back from Nandapur soon. We reached Semiliguda around 2. We were actually late for deomali. Initially Partha had called his friends to accompany us to the mountains but none came up. We waited for Siddu (Partha’s younger brother) but he was late, waiting for him would have made us more lately which we dint wanted.

Yellow Billed Babbler @top left , Scenery Surrounding the British Bungalow (Bottom)

"After all it’s you and me buddy -let's go." I said.

So close near the heaven-Deomali

We were already behind schedule, as we started late. It was 15kms from Semiliguda to Kunduli, which is a small market place on the Koraput-Vizinagaram road, the gateway of Deomali. I remember watching the old cemented gate many times while going to Sunabeda with a wish that I would ride up those mountains. Well it’s not every day you go near the highest peak our state. For us it was no less than the Himalayas. Upon entering we were greeted by the spell bounding scenery's of that area. Greens , Mountains , streams , it was a typical pictorial depiction of the drawings that we used to paint in our childhood days , with the sun just perfect position near the mountains we rode up fast up the hills . The road was good baring the few bad patches, we were enjoying the sharp turns, uphill riding with the sun gleaming on our faces. We saw few tourists staring at us, probably because they were all on a car and we on a RE (Fate Favors the Doers after all). We reached the gates of Deomali around 4, we were already late to make the climb but the scenery deomali offered was breathtaking.

On the way to Deomali

Deomali the highest mountain peak of odisha at an altitude of 5400feets , sadly most of people are ignorant to these mountains . The golden hour of sunlight was falling upon us as we rode through the lonely roads. Partha had a grin on his face like a baby, maybe I was smiling like an idiot too, blames it on deomali; it’s a paradise in odisha for nature lovers. We almost clicked every landscape while making our way up. We soon reached the end of the roads. Our bikes had been faithful with us this long to carry us this far, we parked them near the view point and patted the seat. There was a family outing there, feasting upon Kheer served in the plastic glass. They were about to leave after the dessert. An old shepherd came up to us, asking where we came from and all details. Partha asked me to give a small amount of money; obviously we were a little concerned with the Maoist thing. The road had messages of the Maoist painted in white and the last thing we would want is to upset the local that came up to us. We were in a jinx, it was getting dark, the trek from there would take about an hour, and no man was about to be seen for at least about 10kms. We already had a failed plan of going inside the Nageswar caves in the morning and coming back from the tourist view point in Deomali was bad for our male ego , further the question was , 6yrs of dreams , 6months of planning and 6hours of waiting to climb the mountains , can it be jeopardized with the fear of the dark and Maoist ??

The answer was no and we decided to continue with the stupidity and adventure. We reached the last view point , the view point now in ruins, with scribbled names of couples all over it , packets of cigarettes , chips , water pouch was lying alone . We rested there for some time, the moon was already up, and the twilights were playing with colors over the Blue Mountains far away. After resting for some time, we decided to move further till there is complete darkness. We were about 200mts away from the tip of the mountain when we felt it was no longer safe to continue further due to the uneven rocky slippery surface. Darkness was the time for mountain animals, most importantly I was afraid of stepping into a snake rather than meeting a Maoist. We sat there for some time to enjoy the pure silence that the mountains offered. It’s not every day you sit in a completely silent environment. I would advise my friends reading this blog to enjoy this feeling of complete silence, it re-energizes you, and fills you with a good feeling and most importantly it offer complete peace of mind. Anyways, the descend was covered in a short span of time, as we collected some dead grasses and sticks to make our bonfire (completely Partha's idea). Lighting the Bonfire was more difficult than climbing the deomali in the windy conditions, but still we managed to light it up after all. And yes posed for photograph also: D.

Awesome_deomali_me and Partha in the bottom posing with the bonfire

We were late; it was about 7:30pm when we decided to move back towards Semiliguda. I was praying to the hill gods to clean away any thorns in our pathway. A Single Puncture and we would have been stranded over there for the whole night until any help could arrive from Kunduli or Semiliguda added to the fact that there was a feeble network connection in the mountains. Saw many owls, lapwings, and a fox, after we left past the deomali gate, with almost every turn we saw people with long sticks, Axe waving their hands to us. I was in the front and it was really very scary , it was dark , you are scared of the place, the Maoists and suddenly with a turn you find a man in the middle of the road with axe in his hand . Phew Scary!! Anyways they were probably the woodcutters and we carried along the path. At the midway to Kunduli, Partha was in the front, and we were driving little slow. Out of nowhere (or probably from village) I saw a bolero was coming up to full speed. That was it; it was enough to boost our turbo as I was warned Partha about the vehicle. We were riding in daunting speed in those mountains, facing the twists, turns and Ghats like experts, and neglecting every pothole and bump that came up on the way. We have to make till Kunduli for the own safety before the vehicle does. It might have been a passenger vehicle but we don’t want to take the risk of the Maoist nor the robbers. The Bolero was no matching for our RE in those sharp turns and ghat roads and our succeeded by leaving it far behind when we reached Kunduli. We sighed a bit of relief and cruised till Semiliguda to have a cup of tea and some snacks.


Memoirs of Deomali

The packing of bags was done soon, we left for Jeypore which is about 45kms from Semiliguda on a straight highway via Koraput. The condition of the roads from Koraput to Jeypore has deteriorated, but thanks to our experiences in the morning they felt like our city roads.
We reached Jeypore (the Largest Town of the Koraput District and also the hometown of our Partha Babu ) around 9:30 Pm, and went off straight to meet Partha's uncle and his Younger Brother SIddu. I thought Partha's uncle would be quite old and I was ready to touch his feet for blessing, but I saw a man of hardly in his 30's gesturing for a handshake. And there was Siddu , who rides a Bullet of 1965 make , took Partha's bullet for a test drive in those streets and came back complaining about the Quality of sound , and also checked for the head of the engine in case of oil leakage . “If it doesn't leak any oil, it ain't a Bullet “came his statement.
We were soon joined by Partha’s youngest cousin of 3yrs , who was as crazy about bullet as his cousin brothers .

We bid Goodnight to Siddu and Dada and went Partha’s Elder Aunty’s (Bada Maa ) home where we were about to stay . Bada Maa had prepared Parathas along with Veg Curry upon which we feasted upon . Sadly my common cold was responsible for my indifference in my taste buds and it was hard to eat with the swollen tongue .
We prepared the bed with layers of carpets and bedsheets and lay flat while going through the photos of Deomali . What a day it had been , we were smiling at each other while watching the photos and slept with the happy feelings of the day .

Day-4 to be continued …
Amazing 3 falls of the mountains..

Koraput Long Haul _The Dangerous Ghats _Day2

2012-11-22T00:20:00.002+05:30

Flash Back

I won't eat anything, I won't be vomiting in an empty stomach right?
I won't be staying empty stomach, that would make me vomit!
Where are my medicines? I want two of them, that won't make me vomit .
It's handy, keep two-three poly-bags in case one feels sick .

The above lines are pretty gross I know but these were the sort of conversations that used to happen when people were about to travel the Sunki and Salur ghats. Don't know if it was because of the altitude or the driving that made the people vomit .


During the monsoon , the view of the distant mountains.

But the scenery's from these ghats are breathtaking. One should visit them in the monsoon time; the clouds, the fogs the road and the drizzles making the road look painted as black. The distant mountains, the greenery and the streams flowing one can enjoy a lot more if he could cope up with his fears. The risks in the ghat roads are numerous; shooting stones, landslides, blind turns. If you don't pay attention while driving, well you can very well reach the bottom of the mountains very soon .


An old Record shot during the monsoon :D

Day 2

The alarm went blaring when it was 6 AM . I dint care to snooze, I switched it off instead. After all we are on a holiday. Don't know about Partha but after he silenced his phone he reverted back to his snoring. We planned to leave Brahmapur as soon as possible around 6, but we managed to get our body moving at 8. We searched near the bus stand to relish local South Indian tiffin. Idli , Poori , Upma with tasty Sambhar (don't know why even the costliest restaurants in Bhubaneswar fail to provide the taste and quality in this department) followed by a hot tea . I was searching for cobbler to do a stitch work on my woodland shoe. This shoe of mine has been my trip partner since 7 yrs and no I'm not a miser to buy a new shoe but I am not comfortable in any other shoes than this. Plus it matches with my leather brown jacket which I wore in the trip :D. The stitch work was done And we headed back to our lodge. After checking out, we tied our bags with the bungee cords tied hard into nooks and corners of the bullet back seat. It's wasn't an easy job to tie those cords, and one has to be absolutely sure that they won't fall up in the ride, because if it does the consequences could be devastating. Anyways we did make sure they won't fall off by punching hard into the bags, checking their stability.
The lodge owner came out to bid us farewell, asking questions out of curiosity, where are you going this and that and finally concluded that we were in search of adventures or sort. We were out of Brahmapur town soon and stopped at the nearest Petrol pump to fill the tanks .

Near the Petrol Pump_ Clicked by a random smoker near the shop :P

Probably Spot Billed Pelicans

Finally we started our journey towards Koraput around 10 AM IST running 4 hrs late from our scheduled departure no more than 300 kms away from our destination , after all its Indian Stretchable time :D. On the second day journey we were more confident. The level of anxiety had come down and was filled with eagerness to reach our destination as soon as possible. We tested the very name of The Royal Enfield, Made like guns, goes like Bullet. The road was almost as straight as an arrow, with no traffic, clear weather with perfect temperature what else does one need to enjoy the highway? Cruising went along and we tried to make our individual landmark records on the RE, 100 was the average speed this time and we barely came low on the acceleration. After a hundred odd kilometers we decided to rest our bikes and have some water (which we weren't carrying), the place was somewhere in Andhra Pradesh. This was the place where Partha spotted Pelicans (probably spot billed). And it was his idea to swap the bikes up to till we reach Srikakulam which was about 100 odd km from there. We rested for about 20 mins there and started the journey again after we exchanged the bike. We reached Srikakulam toll gate around 12 noon. If anyone is taking a road trip to Koraput via Andhra, then remember to continue straight on the highway from Srikakulam (without taking left to enter the city) towards the next toll gate you find, where you have to take the right to enter the Rajam Road. It was quite an individual felt that we covered so much in so less time, but this part of the journey was painful for the four of us , that's me Partha and our both RE. Both Partha and I felt pain in our back and waist due to the driving. We sat on our respective bikes and came to a conclusion that swapping is never a good idea be its the bike or wives :D. My bike refused to Self start and I kept on apologizing that I won't repeat this again but no avail. The battery was down and I couldn't figure out why it happened. After all the battery recharges itself in a long run but here it was low as zero watt bulb. Kick made the job and the bike started and Partha said we can do a check up at Jeypore. We were 70 kms away from Rambhadrapuram the junction where we had planned to have our lunch.

It was around 1:30 pm when we reached Rambhadrapurm. Stomachs growling like the engines, we parked our rides in front of the hotel and every eye was looking at us. We grabbed the window seats to keep a look at our luggage. Partha fulfilled his last night wish to eat Biryani, I was more interested in slurping a plain meal with Sambhar and Rasam (unlimited :D). I asked Partha to eat the Biryani with Sambhar. Initially he was skeptical but liked the taste I guess in the last. We eat till our neck and were in no mood for driving. We searched and found a perfect place under a tree with cemented slabs, birds chirping around, the perfect place to lie down. Partha wanted to rest for 5 mins but it was another 30 mins after which we started again.

We Reached Salur Soon and it was time for us to face the ghats. With music bud plucked in my ears, I was enjoying the scenery and the songs. I asked for the blessing from the deity at the start of the ghats. In India almost before every ghat road there is a temple where people seek blessings for their safety. It's basically a matter of belief and depends purely on an individual basis and faith though. Partha was far ahead of me. He took out his camera for clicks. Mine was dug deep in the dungeons of my bag, plus its very uncomfortable to hold an SLR while driving where the lens manages to get banged to the tank of the vehicle. The sun was at its ease and was gradually painting the surrounding golden. The song in my playlist came up "Kesharia Balaam .. Aao Padharo Maare Desh .." Was just perfect to boost up my good feeling.

View of the Ghats , click By Partha

After all I was driving all alone up to these ghats in a bike, a wish that I had since my childhood and no I didn't vomit at all. Partha was my man, he clicked with many photos, including me and yes I returned the favor too with a video of his riding in the ghats. Would share the link soon :) ***** . My Mom asked me to stay careful and yet I was here driving the ghats in one hand. I know it was kinda stupid but who cares, I'm safe after all .

Partha and the Bandana

Partha's love with the camera and the scenery's continued till it was dark and we stopped for a tea at Pottangi, which is about 35 kms from Semiliguda our destination for day 2. The tea had a peculiar flavor don't know if it was the cow's milk or others, but I dint enjoyed it. Anyways, the gates were over and as we moved towards semiliguda. We were greeted by the cold waves that we were missing for long.

Reached Semiliguda around 6 pm , and searched for a hotel. I used to live in Sunabeda which is about 3 kms from there and had a bit knowledge about Semiliguda. If one is looking for a good hotel with good food then Hotel Lemon Castle would be the perfect choice for you . If you are on budget , hotel CnC is just fine in which we stayed .
After throwing our bags in the room, I took Partha for a city ride of Sunabeda and some evening snacks. We both agreed Sunabeda should be seen in the daylight. We saw a bird that was very uncommon there. Black, glossy, with long beaks. Before we could identify it flew away. We searched our field books later on but couldn't get to a conclusion. I also took Partha to the HAL museum, where one Flying Coffin (MIG-21) was resting in peace, with the museum contained historical picture's of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited factory Photos.
We went back to Semiliguda. I demanded to have some soup to enjoy the cold weather. Sadly the restaurant in CnC was crowded like a trade fair with family's were dining like the serials of Ekta Kapoor. The decibel level was high and no we didn't enjoyed this time. After we gulped down the soup we decided to have our dinner in our room only, for we dint had the patience and ears to hear those loud laughs. The room service delivered the food within 30 mins. We ate our food happily with the sweets old songs going on in the TV and slept off.


SleePy

DAY-3
To be continued ..

Koraput Long Haul _Day 1 and The Induce

2012-11-19T11:23:00.002+05:30

So finally I'm squeezing out some time to write down the experience of my maiden bike trip to the green lands of Koraput. I don't know if I could describe the place in my words or not , but it was one of the most beautiful places that I ever visited in my lifetime yet .
The Koraput I'm talking about is the undivided district in the southern part of my state Odisha , The land of Green , Mountains , scenery's and jungles .

Steps to the Plunge

You know I want to take my bullet to the mountain tops of Deomali " said Partha .

When I bought my bike buddy , I wanted to ride my bike up to those lands too, I said

What say you , shall we go ?? Wish you had a Bullet frowned Partha .

As a matter of fact I do , A Thunderbird Royal Enfield of my bro which he hardly uses .
Lets plan this then " Partha said with a Grin .

That was the start of our tour planning , over a cup of tea and some snacks near our office . Partha had made the route map of the southern odisha Odyssey , including the budget for fuel and other expenses .
I want to tell you all that without him this tour wouldn't have been possible and I owe every bit of the experience to him . It was a little hard to convince my family members for me to go on this tour , added to the woe that I have been ill since a few days before the tour , but how can I submit to the illness of mine to my long held dream. My hormones were high and my family members could do little to persuade me about not going on this tour .

Day 1

Datz me with my Bullet nd My bagpack (which looks like i have stuffed by dead wife in it :D)

Partha Babu with his Get up

In the last week of October , we started our journey on 27th evening . There was a feeling of fear and anxiety within both of us , but was all covered up with smiling faces because we were finally going to live in our dream . We packed our bags to our Respective RE (Royal Enfield) . Partha has a RE Classic 350 which has the same engine of mine but different in design . Anyways after Seeking blessing of my mom and hugging her tight I said I would be back soon well and fine . She bids farewell with her watery eyes , of course the concern was there , over 1500km drive on a bike , to a place infamous for Naxals , roads were bad (which she thought ) , her kid was ill for many days , plus why a bike , why do you want to go on a bike , why don't you take the bus , hire a cab and move around there . It would have been out of the budget was my simple answer , how can I expect her to understand the feel of riding a bike on the roads I love .
We filled our tanks near the petrol pump near Khandagiri , where my buddy Tanuja came to see me off .
She had watery eyes too , not cause of me going away on a tour but on me going on a tour without taking her :P ( she would probably kill me if she reads this , probably which she would do :D ) Anyways jokes apart she is after all one of my most trusted buddies with genuine concern for me :) .
20kms away from home we stopped near a toll gate before khurdha to have tea , the twilight hours are probably the worst time to ride , with insects colliding to your visor and one lucky bastard gets lucky to bite you in your eyes too, so a stoppage was necessary . Near the gates , people were staring us like we were aliens from another planet .All curious to know , where we came from and where we want to go ( this thing continued to happen until we reached back Bhubaneswar again ) .

We had been warned for night driving on the highway for the Bhubaneswar to Berhampur route due to the sudden diversions and the plight of trucks that drive like need for speed cars during the night time , which we had concerns too . We initially thought to drive slow , but the conditions of the road were much better than that of driving conditions in Bhubaneswar city traffic at night . We cruised with a speed around 100km/hour with a minimum Avg. Speed of 80. We stopped by the Chilika Ghats before Rambha , the last highest viewpoint where we can see the chilika lake . We reached Brahamapur around 9 PM and searched for Nandan lodge that we had booked earlier . I found it pretty confusing there , every other street had a shop/hotel named Nandan . My friends from Brahamapur might put some light on this matter I guess . More than 30mins drive from the highway to the lodge , damn this drive was more painful than the 180kms drive from Bhubaneswar . The room was ok more like the creepy Honeymoon suite from the 1960 with an LCD TV . We threw our bags and went out to have our dinner . Partha was interested to have Biriyani , but I wanted to have some tandoori Roti with some curry , finally we went to the famous Girija restaurant in Brahamapur . We sat inside one of his cabins accompanied by pretty girls with one family , needless to say we don't mind their chattering as long as they gave a glance at us with a smile . We both were wondering whom were they actually looking at ( a censored guys stuffs here , and yes out the Water Well , every fair frog do look beautiful to a toad :P ) . We charged upon the Tandoori Nan ND Chicken Curry like hungry dogs , the curry was too yummy , and forgot to mention the famous chicken pakodas for which Girija was famous for. Also the Caramel Pudding as dessert was yum Yum . It has an overdose of scents but I dint mind as the pudding was as soft as cotton . We headed back towards our room , parked our bikes inside the garage of the lodge , and slept early as preparation for our next day journey ahead.

P.S : - there was a safe distance between two of us :P .

Day -2

To be continued in the next Post :)

Let The Winters Come

2012-09-20T13:19:00.001+05:30

Again back with some more scribbling :D . Some friends liked my previous scribbling , so thought of getting back with some more mindless free style writing :D . Hope you like it :) .
Life in Bhubaneswar is getting bored day by day , the only thing that calms me is a dream . The dream to visit the land of Eternal greens the Koraput , the place where I grew up , the land where I learn what life is , filled with numerous memoirs , happy and sad .
Whenever I visit those places again my heart fills up with a good feeling that lasts long :) .
This year , I'm planning for a Bike trip ( with 2 Royal Enfield ;) ) to these Mountains with my Buddy Partha ( Interested members are welcomed :D ) this winter . Bas

Sharing some thoughts :)


Ever Scenic

Let The Winters Come ,

When the time will dawn ,
The engines will start ,
With the winters all set ,
The fog too thick ,
The sound of the engines shall echo the peaks ,
Ride we off through the scene ,

The Sky <3

Greeting the cold breeze with a grin ,
Racing to the tops with the sun ,

Taos Mountains

Hands on gold flake ,
Puffing hard , accompanied by the lizard posing upon the rock ..
With feet numb ,
Shivering body heart still warm ,
Shall look for the clouds till they pass by ,
Drawing shapes as they go by ,
Once again shall breathe the intoxicating air ,
Sing with the birds , chant their prayers ..
My sweet Lil heaven , I will be there ..

Let The Winters Come :)


Me :D

Forest and Forest GUMP

2012-09-02T17:50:00.001+05:30

2nd Sept 2012

Oh how much I wished to be back again in the greens , out of my concrete life ( am not talking about my career or income :p ) far from the maddening crowd , wishing just to go on a walk inside the greens with birds chirping and pooping all around :D .
For me birding is a big stress buster, and no I'm not talking about watching girls go by in front of Pal heights or big bazaar but the birds in the wild .

Today I was invited by my buddy Tj to Jay Dev Vatika , where she was doing a PORTFOLIO shoot for a girl . I just went there to help her in any way I could . I was late for the meeting and got confused with the roads inside and ended up taking the longest possible road towards them . But Luckily I found a group of Grey Francolin .

I took out my cam as quickly as possible and followed them sneakily,
But these swift creatures are hard to
Capture , particularly with the sun behind the closed doors of the clouds , the only thing you can ask for, is the bird to be lazy enough to move . At least , patience paid off , and I ended up getting a decent pic of this birdie which I was seeing for this long for the first time .

After the Photoshoot , which went pretty bad for me actually , with the absence of sunlight , backlight , rains , humid sweaty conditions , all I wanted to climb up the nearby rock and sit there like Sambha (from Sholey ) , while returning back , I saw a Lil birdie up near the rocky bushes , we followed up quietly but two untimely vehicle with blaring honking sound , made that birdie disappear into the bushes . Tj bid farewell soon and stayed back for some more birding .
Interestingly this time also , I lost my way to the main gate and ended up getting the same bird on the road .
Jumped up with joy with a camera in my hand , I sneaked up on that birdie which looked like a wagtail to me . While I was fully dedicated in getting a clear snap ( so as to get all the comments and like which I can thank individually so that my post shall remain at top * as said by one of the members * yeah that did hurt ) . A man came upon with full force , walking briskly towards the bush where i was kneeling down shouting " kana hela .. kana hela ... " I signaled him to keep quiet , but he came up close and in a hushing tone asked the same Question . "" kana hela ... kana hela .. " Sapa ... Sapa ki ... ??? ( What happened .. ?? Is there a snake ? ) ohh photoo uthaucha .. ( Oo it seems you are clicking )
Sapa ... Sapa ki ???
The man in mid 30's , was in blue uniform , may be a guard of the garden or something , the Gump of the story .

I said in a very polite manner , Stand where are you are standing and please keep your voice low , I'm clicking a bird .
Oh chadhei .. ( He exclaimed with a grin on his face ) are awe Gouda Kana uthaucha .. aeita ta prabala achanti .. ( Oh birds , why are you clicking these , they are available in plenty here ) .

Oh , but this is the first time I'm watching this bird here , I replied .
Arre tame kumbhatua dekhinathila agaru .. Hahah .. Ki Katha .. ( Arrey you hadn't seen a Coucal before .. )
Me : Kumbhatuta kauta ba ..
Gump : Aeita chota kumbhatua para ..
ME : Naa aeita kumbhatua nuhe ..
Gump : Arre sir ta kuhanti aei sabu kumbhatua boli .
ME : Bodhe tame sir jani nathibe kichi ..
Gump : Au kichi naa .. aei guda ba chota kumbhatua ,gacha kana kariki ta poka khaanti .
Just then the wagtail picked up a worm on the ground .
Gump : Oo eeae talu khauchi nai ... Hmm ... tahele aeita kumbhatua nuhe ... Hmm
And then he departed with an evil grin on my face :D .

I followed the wagtail everywhere I could , and I never knew it was such a lazy bird that refused to fly , or can I say I have improved my birding skills ??.. Hehe :D .
As I said earlier , there was absolute low light with it starting to drizzle , I finally got a decent of the wagtail which I found out later on to be a Forest Wagtail . A lifer for me .

Of course the birdie ;)
FOREST WAGTAIL

Yes the Girl :D

Tj Getting Serious..

Baris mein yehi sab Socha Karte Hain ...

2012-08-31T21:18:00.000+05:30

baris mein yehi sab socha karte hain ..

ki sab kuchh tham pad jaye ,
thake thake se hain jo hum , bas sukoon kahin mil jaye ..

bas yuhin kahin mann karta hai
chalte chalte ruk jaun..
bekhabar baris kabhi barse
to us paani mein bhig jaun
bahut thaka thaka sa lag raha hai
un bhagte hue raaho pe kahin baith jaun ..

ki kabhi bhigte waqt darr na ho
bachpan ki tarah wo din firse ho
jab joote hote the haath mein
baris mein nange paun chalte
patton se khelte
kagaz ki nav chalate
chatri pakad kar udne ki kosis karte
matti mein kudd te
kachhi sadak par yun kudna
kyun kho si gai hai wo sab baatein ..

Kahan pe aa gain hai yeh sab haalatein ...

dosti ke liye cell phone ki jarurat hai ...
dil ki baatein batanane ke liye Facebook ki jarurat hai ...
Mummy ko Love u kehne ke liye reason ki jarurat hai ..
to hasne ke liye pagalpan ki jarurat hai ...

motorcycle ki vroom vroom mein chalti apni saasein hai ..
baris mein kya bolun ab , yehi meri saathi hai ...

Kahin chai ke dukan pe ruk kar ,chai pete hue ,baris mein yehi sab socha karte hain ..

BBSR to DELHI

2012-06-07T20:44:00.003+05:30

22nd April 2012

It had been quite a while since I had gone for a trip outside my state . So when the assessment was over in my office, it was time for a long vacation (the extra days would be without pay of course ☹).

The bag was packed and was puffed up to the core, including my camera and three lens, and dress for my 7 days stay. The light brown bag of mine looked more like a camels belly and weighed a ton.

My train The Rajdhani Express was scheduled to depart at 11:30am so I was at ease in the morning time. The final packing was done and after bidding farewell to my family members I rushed to the station and secured my berth early. I was happy that I got the side upper berth coz I have a phobia that I would fall down while sleeping in the lower berth :D. I chained my luggage and then sat comfortably looking for more passengers to fill up (but obviously I was more interested in a female companion :P). A family of 4 joined by my side. A boy and a girl with their parents. You might be thinking the lady luck is shining on me, but I seriously had no intentions of bird watching on a girl of 16yrs.

The train departed at the scheduled time. I was greeted by the automated voice the echoed in the coach “Welcome to Rajdhani Expressm, while a tetra pack of Jumpin along a mineral water bottle was served. With the temperature soaring outside the A.C inside the train was least helping. Anyways I had an empty seat in front of me, on which I rested my legs and started the sighting seeing as the train moved.

It was just before Cuttack when I was joined by the fellow passenger in my front seat.
“ Galti se dusre compartment mein chala gaya tha, paani ka bottle laana to !! “He exclaimed to the waiter of the coach. The man was in around his mid 30s. With sleek glasses, the man resembled the face of our old Ollywood actor Shriraam Panda. “cooling nehi ho raha hai !!! cooling ho raha hai kya ?? he asked while nodding his head . “Nai garam ta laguchi .. Rajdhani re tike pare thik hei jiba “( Nope , I’m feeling the warm too but its Rajdhani, would be okay with time “ I answered in odia coz I was pretty sure he was an odia too with the hindi accent he was speaking. He was not satisfied with my answer and asked the Waiter to call the technical engg. asking the same Question “ Cooling nei ho rahah hai .. “ To which he answered that “saab ho jayega , bahar itni garmi hai thoda time to lagega hi andar “

After sometime, a tomato soup cup without salt and 2 hardest bread stick ever (probably made by the same company which made the railways tracks) appeared with a small butter packet on a tray sachet.

Train Journey in a Rajdhani train was always a delight. The time has taken its toll on Pantry car and catering service and we are served with B-grade food. This happens mostly in the Bhubaneswar – Delhi Rajdhani.

After the not-so-enjoyable-appetizer, the fellow passenger in my front asked in sweet voice “nida laguni?? “ (Aren’t you feeling sleepy? “, I got the motive of his question and said him politely “if you want to sleep you can sleep “

He helped himself in putting the sleeping berth, and the bed roll, and went fast asleep.

Train journeys are the most exciting journeys for me and flight journey the most boring. The ever changing scenery by the window, the sound of the train and another train gusting by, the insertion and dissection of the track. There is so much to see outside. How can one be asleep so soon? With the people besides me pulling to curtains for their privacy, I retired to my upper berth, reluctantly taking Jim Corbett omnibus with me.

Lunch was served soon. Packed half cooked rice, moisture less green salad, the spicy dal and the black chicken curry. Probably the best item in the plate was the mixed pickle. Panda Babu didn’t even bother to take his lunch enjoying his long deprived sleep. With Nothing left to do, I kept on reading “The man eating tigers of Kumaon “by Jim Corbett. The description by Jim Corbett on his hunting experience of the Man eater Tigers take you to the jungle itself. It feels as if you are on with him while he is pointing his gun nozzle towards the tiger. Thanks to him, the train journey wasn’t as boring as it could have been.

I kept on reading the book till was dinner time. I preferred the vegetarian meal this time, but the menu was not so different after all. It was all the same, this time the chicken curry was replaced by a panner curry, which had a taste of haldi than anything else. Luckily the dessert, ice cream gave some sort of compensation to my taste buds. Pandu babu still dreaming about his dream girl, was snoring down .

I checked my luggage again, and then flattened out on my berth above while listening to some music, gradually sleeping to the lullaby.

It was around 3am when there was a lot of hooch poach near my berth. Around 5 policemen rushed to the side row and called up the man sleeping at the side upper berth . “ Neeche aa .. Neeche aa .. “And when he came down, they caught hold of his shirt collar and asked in a daunting voice “Yeh samaan tera hi hai na .. chaal saale neeche chal “. Almost everyone in that row woke up and the coach assistant team joined in. On asking the policeman revealed that the man was carrying Ganja with him and secured around 5bags from him. The man was in his mid 30’s had board the train from Kharagpur. The police had information beforehand and was successful this time in catching him. The train assistance team asked us to verify our luggage once again. People had a discussion about the incident for about an hour or more before all went to sleep.

I slept late and woke up around 8am with the morning. Tea, soup and steel bread sticks being served at my berth. Panda babu was still asleep. I was amazed how one man can sleep so much. I finished off the remaining part of the novel and around 9am I went down waking panda babu up. “ Bhai , Nida Chaduni ?? “

I spent the remaining time of the journey sightseeing from the window, while having little chit chat with Panda Babu.
He said, he is a regular traveler by this train and how pissed off he is from the services that are offered by it including the food and all.
Finally the train arrived at the New Delhi Railway station and after a lil bargain with the auto driver I set off to meet Raja Bhai.

When it Rained

2012-04-16T14:09:00.000+05:30

But there's no point in looking back and saying I was unlucky.

Jamie Redknapp

The work load was pretty high that day and I couldn’t even get my lunch in time. I thought to have it at home after my office shift is over.

It was 3 in the afternoon when my colleagues from second shift came in. One of them smelled smoke due to gold flake ( " A Cigarette Brand "in case one dint knew ;) ) . He informed me about the upset weather outside and that it’s drizzling. My stomach thundered inside with hunger. I hurried off from office. It was a sudden downpour and I was racing with the cyclist, bikers and auto rickshaws towards home while the listening to the song " Rim Jhim gire sawaan " on my earphone . Feels Nostalgic yeah , when you hear a situational song .

When in school, it was so much fun when it rained. I took the longest route back to my home, walked slower than a turtle holding my cycle by my side , dancing with the umbrella ,jumping from heights holding the umbrella breaking it most of the time :D . hmm .. those were the days , but now the first thing I ever think now before getting drenched is ''yaar mobile geela ho jayega ''.

The traffic light was about to be green, I slowed down, I saw a girl , Fair, tall with specs, while her head was sheltered by a yellow plastic bag,she wore a black jeans with a tee of violet and white patterns .
I was looking at her. She came nearer waving her hand as if she was asking me to stop. But I didn’t! My foolish epic fail safe brain warned me that she might be waving for an auto behind me, don't u stop and make a mockery out of you. ..Please don't stop... And so I dint...
But a while later my heart urged me to look back... When I had almost crossed the traffic... I sneaked a peek into my rear view mirror...
Walla .. There were no auto, no bus, not even a cycle...

And she was looking at me … :/

Chilika Bird Census 2011 :- Trip Report

2012-01-27T22:54:00.000+05:30

7th Jan 2012

Aye.. It's Saturday and well past the midnight as I hurried to get inside me a blanket. I set the alarm off my mobile to BUZZ at 6 A.M and the Ring tone of Reliance Flute, which I use in the case of emergencies (because I hate that tune :P)

I had a peaceful sleep, dreaming about what is in store for me during the trip tomorrow. The Clear blue sky, the clouds passing by, the blue water and birds and hundreds of birds flying by.

I was nearly closing to a common kingfisher in my dreams that when I heard the sound of Dhirubhai Ambani Flute fantasy tune and the bird flew away. Dreaming times are over boy, wake up .

I first wake up call went to Tanuja , who was sharing the bike ride with me ( and the petrol cost :P ) . The Meeting was about to start by 10a. m so we decided to leave Bhubaneswar By 7:30 am.

After having some Breakfast I headed towards patrapada to pick her .

Initially Partha was going to go with us, but due to some reason he and his 2 friends ( co-birders ) had to travel by bus .

Bag packs ready , petrol tanks full we started our journey greeted warmly by the climate . The cool breeze and the clouds shadowing over the mountains nearby made an ultimate view to start the trip .

With each passing milestone I kept on counting the Indian Roller on the wires by the NH . These birds are considered a good omen , and I kept on smiling, thinking about what is in store for today :) .

Around 8:30 am we reached somewhere near Khurda for a tea and snacks . I was just going to have some tea , but the Vada and green chilies were too mouth watering to be avoided :D . We Grazed like lazy cows on the hot Vada and curry until horror-struck me when I saw the time . 15min more and it was gonna be 9 . Had to do 65 odd km in an hour . I drove non-stop till we reached Balugaon well before 10 am , another 10mins and we were at the Chandraput Research Center where the briefing and grouping of members was to be done .

The scenic view inside the Research facility was very pleasing to the eyes , with the cool breeze flowing by the side I wished to take a nap near the banks but maybe some other time :P .

When we got inside we were greeted by some skeptical eyes near the entrance ( probably wondering what these two are doing here , well even I thought that too :p ) and then by two women in khaki at the reception .

She checked our names one a piece of white paper , but there was no info about it . Then She asked , which organization we are from ? . " Birds of odisha " I murmured .

We did get a confirmation call from the Dfo office .. I said

Only Birds of odishaa??.. Hmm. achhhaa !! She exclaimed and forwarded over the register to enter our names in it .

After which we got a file containing a notepad , calender , key ring , and a pen .

Tanuja asked me " abe.. hamara naam kyun nehi hai ? , hum jaa rahein hai to ? " ( Why isn't our names listed , we are going alright ? ).

I said : - Abe .. yeh to mil Gaya na.. ghar mein dikha dena ( referring to the file which we got :P ) saboot ki hum log gaye the :D . ( Show this in your home as a proof that we had gone for the census ) .

Instead of waiting outside , we decided to take our seats in the hall . I

Preferred the last rows where I expected least volley of Questions in case .

The hall was pretty much empty with only Shekar Dattatri ( about whom I was briefed by Partha later ) putting up his Cam on a tripod , accompanied by some other guys with a Big canon Gun in his hands .

Gradually the hall started filling up with, and I was still looking for a known face who were coming in the hall . Partha was the first to join , followed by sanjib Bhai ( whom I saw for the first time ) , Satya Bhai , Shakti Bhai and others .

The first group session started with a packed house probably with a “HOUSE FULL “ board outside the doors with many members standing up . There was an introductory speech about the wetlands which went pretty long , followed a briefing by Dr. Shri U.N . Dev . i was poked by satya bhai from behind asking me “ photo uthau .. photo uthaucha ta “ ( click the photos .. Are you clicking the photos “ ( referring to the slide shows ) . It was well past 12 and I could hear the stomach growl of the members by my sides , what I thought would be the most interesting part of the methods to count the birds , all flew like a cuckoo bird over my head .

Finally the session was over with the members being divided into smaller groups , to cover the huge area of chilika lake . It started out in a decreasing order from the group 17 ,

And as the number came down , with each group number we both were anticipating our names , as still skeptical as in the morning when we entered the room .

Tanuja asked me again “ abe , yaar .. naam hai ki nehi ? “

“ yeh mila hai na … ghar mein dikha dena saboot “ ( refering to the file ) i said again with an evil grin on my face :D .

At last our name came up in the group 1 . With Mr. Akash rath as our team leader , we got introduced to the other members in the group except Aditya . I joined the small Queue to quench my hunger with others, while Satya Bhai was the first one with the plate :D .

After the lunch Group 1 were off to “ Rambha” which was around 30kms from chandraput by road on a Bolero , with me at the back and our forest official Tapan Babu leads the way with a bike .

Our Team Leader Akash Rath said about his experiences at the Bird census , while Mr .Umakanta biswal re-introducing himself as “ Kuna bhai , every one knows me with this name only “ much like the our very own famous dialog by Actor Ajit from the movie kaalicharan “ Saara seher mujhe Lion ke naam se janta hai “ Plus to add his 20+yrs of experience in the bird census of chilika .

The newbies in the census were Sri S.K. Mohapatra ( ICZM) , Tanuja and me ( with a name typo in the group form typed as UDAYA , sounding like one of the south TV channels ) . I was really thankful to sanjib Bhai for that I got this chance to be a part of the bird census :) . Plus

I kept on counting the Indian rollers by the NH :) .

We Reached our hotel around 3:30 pm at Rambha , and were allocated rooms at the top most floor .Rambha was our base camp while we were to cover “Gaurangapatana , Kumarpur , Talatalanasi , Budhibaranasi , and samla in our census .

I had always seen Rambha in pictures , but now that I’m finally here I wanted to see its beauty with my naked eyes . None of us were interested in taking any afternoon nap either and we decided to take a small trip out to the places nearby .

A small Bumpy ride by the beautiful side of the lake until Kuna Bhai halted the jeep on watching a group of ducks nearby . Aakash Bhai was first to jump out with his cam ready soon to be joined by others . We were greeted by a Brahminy kite who was flying close enough , while I got a full frame shot of it Aakash Bhai was halfway inside the marshy lands among with the livestock to get a clearer picture of the ducks in the vincity. What we found out were two small groups of Tufted Pochard and Common Pochard .

After a few photographs of the Shepard kids and a photo here and there we started off again , after the sunset where the sun was getting into his most beautiful form for the second time in the day .

A kingfisher on the rock and this time Aakash Bhai halted the jeep , but the bird flew away . It was at this place when Tapan Babu spotted a turtle caught in a net , he went to off to call the local fisherman who could rescue the turtle . It was a fresh water turtle and Tapan Babu said that he would release him into a big pond ahead , and turned him upside down so that he couldn’t take out his head or claws :D .

The Turtle

The Best Sunrise Ever :)

Our trip continued with more bird sighting on the road , along with a freely moving peacock , about 300 odd egrets ( containing cattle , median and little egret all at a single place ) , a dead crow ( possible victim of disease )

Deceased crow

Egrets in view, black winged slit , jungle crows and others . The turtle was released into a pond on our way back and we ended our trip having pakodas and Chai. At the evening time I had a briefing with Kuna Bhai and Aakash Bhai about how to count birds , things to do and all . After having a yummy dinner at the forest office we headed for sleep .

8th Jan 2012

By 5am i was ready with my hairs combed , and then called up Tj and others including the driver whose snore could be heard far off . It was around 6am when we all got down waiting for our Guide in the census Purna ch. guru who fled from the scene with the car along with Tapan babu to make the necessary arrangements for the trip .

There was an odd pungent smell while me and kuna Bhai were standing in front of the hotel , “ Do you know what the smell is “ he asked. I was thinking about any clogged drain in my mind but preferred to remain silent so as not to make a mockery out of me. He said “ its the chilika lake , the marshy lands , and the ammonia released from it “ . I was nodding my head in affirmation until Mohapatra Babu came up pointing out to the clogged drain. Instead of saying anything .. I preferred nodding my head again :D .

Our transportation arrived and we reached Rambha Jetty in almost no time .

The Sunrise was a perfect blending in to the chilka lake , the warm hue , the sound of the bird , wish I could stay in this place . As the people started loading of bags into the boat we started counting up birds , with Mohapatra Babu with the notepad , Kuna Bhai and other counting including me of course :D .

3 kingfisher to start ( which I was seeing for the first time ) and they flew before I could get any shots too :P much like in a dream. Herons , Egrets to add-on along with tufted Pochard .
Soon we jumped in our boats , me , Tanuja and Kuna Bhai were siting a single place , Tapan Babu again leads the way sitting in the front , while our guide Purna Babu at the back and others , Aakash Bhai wanted to have his seat at the tip of the boat but he was snagged off by the boatman citing about the danger involved while the boat in the tides .

The sound of the boat engine was no less than that of a jet engine , or shall I compare it to a Yamaha with a worn out silencer pipe.. Whatever it was it was very painful .

And I was thinking to myself if I could get any closer look at any bird with this sound in the background . I was missing the boat ride of mangalajodi in this case which gave ample silence to see the birds .

Every Beautiful scene at chilika

The boat made the turn like an alligator and started off slowly . I saw some more common kingfishers along with the white throated ones . And then we were greeted by the Brahminy Kite . I have been always fascinated by the look and color of this bird ever since I saw his kind at Rushikuliya during the Olive Ridley turtles Nesting time , this bird flew from one of the trees to grab an egg with the sunrise on the back , a majestic scene that I can’t never forget .

So here he was giving a pose as the boat was passing by , Kuna Bhai , and Aakash Bhai shouted for the boatman to slow down , followed by me and Tanuja but he did as he wished :P . The kite flew away watching the bamboo aerobics of one of the boatmen in the front .

Moving a bit further I spotted another brahminy kite and pleaded to go near him , this time slowly . Our camera’s went on clicking like a machine gun capturing the bird on every approach such that one can produce a stop motion clip out of it :P . What we all wished to stop the motors of the boat and watch the bird more closely which the boatman did obliged when the bird flew away and we were far off from the perch that he was sitting .

The Very shot of Brahminy kite that i got

I had an instant grudge on the boat man , cursing him to be a fish and eaten up by the very bird .

He has no interest in birds and is probably a random hire by the census team .. kuna Bhai said .

To which again I nodded my head in affirmation :D

After sighting dozen of little cormorants on the perch , I saw some movement in the water nearby the light house in the Lake which were found out to be the Irrawaddy dolphins. This sight was also new to me as it was for all . The dolphins are predominant in the satpada side of chilika but none of them with me had seen them here . Purna Babu took out the Gps and his mobile phone to spread this news while we waited for more sighting of the dolphins .

We found there were around 2 dolphins who came for a morning swim this side :P and we were presented with Biscuits as a starter to our breakfast .

Light House in Rambha

Grey Headed Gull

As our boat moved , more cormorants were counted , along with a dinosaur ( probably a brontosaur ) , with Grey headed Gull to follow , and more cormorants . A whiskered tern following our boat while Brahminy kite up in the air keeping his eye .

It was around 10am , fishes were running inside my stomach .

And when Tanuja was about to get fainted out of hunger , bread jam , with boiled egg and bananas and oranges came to our rescue .

Our breakfast was almost finished When we saw a flock of tufted Pochard , we all pleaded again to stop the boat , but the boatman had already decided to accept my curse and Din’t stop. Probably he wanted to spend the evening with his Gf at the Chilika Banks :P .

We headed towards Talatalanasi , where we spotted a grey heron . We took a break there for coffee and more bread in the small island . Instead of waiting near the stove for our coffee we all moved out in different directions , where Kuna Bhai , Aakash Bhai and I were searching for the wetland dependent birds joined by Tanuja later after clicking for butterfly for a while .

Grey Heron

The coffee was ready , we all joined in the shady place to have the cup . There was roasted fish too which was cherished by all except me and Tj .

We soon left the place , and then started the journey of “ No birds land/water :p “ it was not until an hour till we saw a cormorant . The weather was playing his part , with dark clouds passing by and the sun playing hide and seek , while the water was changing its hues and saturation , with the pleasant and cool winds to collide with us , I almost heard 3 members of our group snoring :P ( I won’t name them :D ) . Although I woke them shouting “ 20 more Cormorant :D “ It was one of the most beautiful time of the boat ride in Chilika that I had ever experienced :) .

It wasn’t late when everyone woke up to hearing about a huge flock of Pochards again to which every1 got busy in counting . And when we were a Lil closer to the lands we saw a little grebe splinter running .

Tufted Pochards

It was around 1.30pm and I could almost see the place where we started off our journey in the morning when Aakash Bhai pointed out an osprey far off .

Pleading went to the boatman , but that did not please him .. “ The boat will overturn if we go there “ he said . And we all went into silence .

We reached around 2pm at Rambha Jetty . We escorted Tapan babu and other staff in the bolero to the forest office and then headed for Chandraput .

On the way back I saw an open billed stork , to which everyone got off from the bolero to have a look . Probably because no one saw it today .

We had our cold lunch at chandraput , before starting the counting process , that had been done on a rough pad and Kuna Bhai started listing those in the Official form .

Soon the other groups joined in , including that of Shakti Bhai , Satya Bhai , Sanjib Bhai , and Partha .

Satya Bhai asked “ Kano milila?? “ ( What did you get ? )

I said “ Brahminy kite “ , that when I saw another one flying :P .

Brahminy Kite :)

We all were having a Lil chit chat over the birds and founding that day when Satya Bhai asked us to go home as we were travelling by bike .

After bidding farewell to all , we started our journey back to Bhubaneswar with a little bit of chai - wai in the middle . I was pretty much tired from the day and preferred driving slow and we reached Tanuja’s home around 7:30 Pm .

While driving back to my home , I kept on thinking about the experience that I had today , the boat ride , the scenery , the birds , the weather .. Each moment of today shall be long inscribed in my memory . It won’t have been possible ever with the group “ Birds of Orissa “

What a day i had .. And what a night that is about to come , which I shall spend snoring and dreaming about today .

:)

PEACE :D

The group

List of Birds spotted: As per the final census record

Little Grebe
Little Cormorant
Cattle Egrets
Little Egrets
Intermediate Egrets
Grey Heron
Gadwall
Gargeney
Tufted Duck
Water Rail
White-Breasted Water Hen
Bronze-Winged Jacana
Black Winged Stilt
Little Pratincole
Yellow-Wattled Lapwing
Kentish Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Stint
Brown-Headed Gull
Whiskered Tern
Little Tern
Small Bee Eater
House Crow
Jungle Crow
Black Drongo
Brahminy Kite
Common Hoopoe
Lesser Pied Kingfisher
Small Blue Kingfisher
White Breasted Kingfisher
Osprey

P.S:- Special Thanks to Sanjib Sarangi , Satya Brata Mishra and Shakti Nanda :) .

The Suitable Groom

2012-01-10T00:46:00.000+05:30

26. Dec 2011

Everyone wishes to sleep late on Sundays, covered in blanket, especially on a winter morning, and then some have to attend the office. As I had missed my office earlier for a short tour to Sunabeda (Koraput), I had to attend office today.

Our office has one of those weird timing resembling factory shifts. It’s pretty much the same like that of H.A.L factory in Sunabeda, where the siren goes loud at 6 a.m. and the other comes at 2 marking the end of one shift, except for the fact that we don’t have any siren over here in my office.

In the front of my office there is a beautiful park called the Buddha Park or Buddha Jayanti Park for people who don’t like short names :P .

Buddha Park is pretty famous as a video shooting location, for serials, album songs and films.

What interests me are not the long walkways, but the bird watching space (hey ain’t talking about the girls who jog there :P, but the beautiful 2 legged creatures.

I reached my office and hurried for the finger recognition attendance device, “Beep - Thank You “said the Automated Lady Voice from the weird looking box at the time read 6:10 A.M there. From there I slowly made way to my chamber.

My office has one of those entrances like in Ghost Bungalows of Tulsi Ramsay’s Horror Movies. Here the device is placed exactly near the Dungeon Door where our creepy monster lies with a Trishul holding it like an Oscar award. Inside our very own office dungeons, there is a Data Library where I spot the I.T. guys occasionally giving the same look like Tulsi Ramsay’s Saamri.

I had this plan set on every morning shift of mine, 1and half hour of birding with a Nikon D90 and 70-300mm lens, and the rest 30 mins for breakfast and tea :D . Don’t blame me, every guy in the morning shift starts his work at 8 :D.

Thus without wasting any time I went inside the Buddha Park jumping over the fence. The main gate is a bit far away so I prefer saving my energy :D.

It has been 2 months since I’m doing my rounds in Buddha park and I got some very good shots of the purple rumped Sunbird , the Asian koel , sparrow , The White Throated- Kingfisher , Red Whiskered Bulbul , Indian Roller (my favorite which I got recently), shikra , Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie Robin, Red-vented Bulbul , The little green Bee Eater and many more.

After a 30mins walk up the nearby uphill, I felt a little uncomfortable to continue. I thought of getting back to one of the park benches to rest.
While coming back I saw many Green Bee eaters sitting on the wires. The place I was standing is an incomplete pathway and I have never seen people coming this way to walk or jog. Generally I don’t click the birds on an unnatural perch like wire but since I was close I thought of trying the full frame portrait shot of the Green Bee eater. I walked up very slowly towards the Green Bee Eater, sometimes standing still. Finally I crawled near enough to get the shot I wanted.

The jogging members were watching me, probably my action’s aroused their curiosity of why am I behaving like a circus clown. A father and daughter duo came up to me, making the birdie fly. Damn! My 15mins just flew away with the bird. The gentleman asked me the very obvious question that he came up for “Photography karucha nai ?? (So you’re doing photography huh ?? ).
“No I was just making the tree grow by simply watching it through the camera view finder “I muttered myself. “Agyaan (yes) I said with a forced Colgate smile on my face.

And then came the very obvious second question with a sarcastic laugh “arre ... aeithi kano uthaucha ??? What are you clicking here?? “I said “BIRDS “... Oh birds ... That's right. Said the gentleman while her daughter was smiling at me as if I was talking about the girl’s hostel next door

After they went away I waited for some more time for the bee eater to return. This Lil bird has a tendency to perch on the same branch/wire again. And there it was, back on the wires close enough for me get the body shot and again.

I clown walked close to the bird, praying not to be interfered again. I saw a man with a brown monkey cap coming towards me; I hurriedly clicked a few shots of the bee eater before it flies away. The man was making weird noises while rotating his hands like a merry go around. “wouut … wOu ..w Ou ..“.

What in the name of god was that sound, whatever, it was very irritating!
Before I could get more shots the birdie, the shot of the day for me, I got intervened again. Damn it! I missed again. The merry go around man did his job. His long hands were propelling himself forward as he walked, weird enough to make people disperse from his way, so how could a Lil birdie sit quietly???.

The man got passed me and made a U-turn after walking 10 steps. When I thought he would be leaving now, he halted like that of the bus with a power brake caution sticker at the bumpers.

I was expecting the obvious questions again.

The man here was around 5’8” height, with a pot belly, short trousers of light blue color, rainy shoes of black color, cream color shirt with a half sweater of light brown color with white borders at the shoulders. He had a broad face with a little beard, small eyes, relatively bigger chin and short neck with the brown folded monkey cap I mentioned earlier. I shall call him merry go uncle (MgU) for our following conversation:

Mgu : Are you a photographer?
Me: Yes
Mgu: Are a professional one?
Me: Ahh... No more like hobbyist
Mug: So what are you clicking here?
Me: Birds sir... These are called the bee-eaters... I’m trying to click them.
Mgu: So you get paid for this? Or for what are you doing this?
Me: Sir, I said I'm a hobbyist photographer. I do it, because I like it.
Mgu: Hey, click a photograph of me; I want to see how photographers of Odisha click. I live in Delhi, so I want to check out what u guys have got.

I had seriously no interest in clicking him. I might click him may be after 10-15 years when he would have enough wrinkles on his face :P. Yeah photographers are shameless people as my buddy Tanuja says :D. Irony is... She is also one of them :D.

Me: Oh sir I would love to, but I won’t get a decent portrait shot with this lens of mine. May be later.

I know that was the dumbest answer ever. If I get the portraits of the birds then why not humans. Anyways as I told, I had no interest in clicking him.

While I was over with finishing my sentence, Mg Uncle came near me.

Mgu: Are u college student ??
Me: No, I work at Tarang Television.
Mgu: what work?
Me: I work as a motion graphics artist
Mgu: ohh... goood goooood ..

I knew he dint got any of it on what I said, from his face.

“Actually, I’m a textile engineer. I live in Noida. I did ma textile engineering from Madras. As u know kid there were no such institutions back then in Odisha so I went to Madras” he said.

I thought “But why are u saying this to me uncle, go away I want to Bee Eaters in my desktop wallpaper today.” He continued to say more. “I came here to search a groom for my daughter. She passed her engineering from KIST College and works at TCS Delhi. It has been a week and I’m still searching for the right groom. The suitable candidate that I came to see said to his father that he is not getting a day leave from his office to meet us. But then I saw that guy here in Bhubaneswar. ‘mu bhabuchi sie love marriage kariba, nahele emiti kahinki karithanta?? (I think he is willing for a love marriage or else he wouldn’t have done such kind of thing) “mu jaiki kahili mahapatra babunku, apanaka pua ta buluchi aeithi, gharaku asuni. Dekhantu sie kauthi love marriage kariba. (I said to Mohapatra babu, that his son would go for love marriage or else he would have come home)

Ahh uncle, gimme a break! What can I do if that boy wants to go for a love marriage?? (I thought to myself)

And merry go around uncle was generous enough to continue without hearing anything from me. I said “Why don’t u search online in matrimony sites”.

Mgu: I have done all but I can’t find anyone.

|

|
Mgu : and your salary??

**k (censored here for the blog :P)

Mgu: Oh that’s great! Why don’t u get married now?
ME: Uncle, I don’t think I’m well settled enough.
Mgu : What are u talking about? The salary you get is well enough to sustain in Bhubaneswar. You must be having you house here right??
Me: Yes.
Mgu: Oh good! How many brothers and sisters are you??
Me: Four! 2 brothers, 2 sisters
Mgu: And you are the youngest?
Me: Yes
Mgu: Au bhauni mane sabu baha hei sarileni ? (And you sisters are all married)
Me: Yes
Mgu: Then why are you waiting to get married.
I asked my daughter to search her own groom, but she says “nai daddy, mu love marriage karibini” (typically like of the opera dialogs huh :P)

She is 26yrs, works in a good company, but she is pretty much against this love marriage. aji kali love marriage re north re jou jhia manaku mariki pack kariki pakeidaucanti, sei bahut dari jaichi “ (Nowadays there so much of murders happening in love marriage where the wife gets packed in a polythene to be thrown outside)

I was like, WTF... I wanted to pierce a dagger into ma chest hearing these things. Moreover I was thinking even the Bee eater won’t perch here for the next month after hearing this.

MgU continued: Hey how old are you??
Me: I’m 25yrs old.

After hearing me, Ohh .. 25yrs .. hmmm … aammm .. you get married soon boy. Do u believe in love marriages?

Me: Sir ain’t thinking of any marriage right now at this age, but may be in 2-3 years.
Mgu: I think you are suitable enough to get married now. I have a younger daughter too. She is around 23yrs old, reading at KIST too.

So what did u say your name was??

Me: It’s Udayan.

Udayan Sarathi Behera (in James bond style)

Mgu: And where is your village??
Me: Salepur, Cuttack.
Mgu: Ohh SALIPUR … Rasogolla’s
Me: Yeah ..
Mgu: and what’s you caste??
I was like what, why do u wanna know my caste??

“Scheduled caste, Chamar”, I said.

Mgu: “Ohh .. chamar! .. (after a long pause)

No problems, I have no problems with caste. All castes are equal. I treat them equally.

Okay, you carry on with your photography” he said as he walked away.

Good Riddance I said to myself.

Mg u was searching a suitable candidate in me. All went well and agreeable about me and my background. I was almost selected to be the would-be groom for his youngest daughter until he found out about my caste.

Poor man had a probable heart break hearing about ma caste.

Ain’t saying I wanted to marry his daughters :P but sadly yes caste-ism still exists I said to myself as I jumped off from the fence again to make ma way to office .

P.S :- The shot of the Day that i was talking about :) The Little Green Bee Eater

got this shot during my next visit :) .

Mangalajodi Trip Report

2011-12-13T23:48:00.000+05:30

11th Dec 2011 :-

Waking up Early on a Sunday morning was never my priority nor I guess it is for anyone else :D. I woke up around 4:30 am with sleepy eyes and a blanket covered from head to toe and the first thing I did was gave wake up calls to all the participants, except Chikun who was already online :D.
Me and Tanuja reached the Bhubaneswar Railway station around 6 am, where Sushree was waiting for us with closed eyes (I guess she was sleep walking). After inquiring about the Berhampur intercity express of 6.30am arrival we ran towards platform no. 4 for our tickets as its less crowded there. But there was a long queue over there too and it was already 6:15. My first thought at the ticket counter was "hey no one's gonna check the tickets till chilika" , letz go WTC. But then as a responsible Indian citizen I thought; nope No WTC, thatz when I asked the ladies to do the honors (i.e to do the tickets). As Swastik and Alok decided for the biking tour we were left with 9 members who got united near the last compartment of the intercity. The lady on the mic was going on announcing about the departure of our train. We all were about to board the train, when Madhumay called up from a STD booth asking of our whereabouts (his phone is in dead mode so he couldn't communicate with us before). It was going to be 6:35 then, and the lady went on announcing about the departure of the train but then I remembered the scene from DDLJ where sharukh was giving a helping hand to kajol to get into the train. I thought of something very similar to happen where instead of the former characters it would be me and Mohit pulling Madhumay in. Nevermind thankx to our Indian stretchable time, Madhumay made it (WTC :P) and the train left around 6:40 am

The sun near the horizon, the distant paddy fields passing by, the wee golden hour and the cool breeze of the morning. Traveling in the train in the morning hours was fun, along with the excitement to be at Mangalajodi. We arrived at Kalupada Ghat station about 8:15am where Santosh (from Eco-tourism Mangalajodi) was waiting for us with 2 Auto-rickshaw's .
The village scene at Mangalajodi was quite welcoming to us while we made our way towards the Eco-tourism center. Shreeja asked 'Bro, is this the place ??' I asked her to hold her patience for a while.

Upon reaching the center, she asked again 'Bro, is this the place ?' I again asked her to wait a little more :P

We were greeted by Laxmi ji there, who asked us to get freshen up and wait for the breakfast. What we initially thought thought of 5min wait stretched up to more than 40mins. Alok and Swastik joined us in the wait too. The looks of the members made me to check periodically about the progress in our breakfast, while I saw Laxmi ji preparing parathas for us. Some members got busy clicking a Treepie perched on a nearby tree, some other got busy in clicking macro, while some just waited. finally around 9:20am breakfast was served. We gulped down the parathas and hurried towards the auto to reach out for the site.
When the auto hit the bumpy road, I said 'this is the place! This is Mangalajodi', and the rest of the members in the auto were peeping out of the auto like one does from the window of an plane but here to see the swampy green marshy lands.

***


watch tower road

On the way saw many Open billed storks nearby the fields when the members of the auto decided to halt. Shreeja was the first one to jump out, followed by Swaroop, Sushree and Chikun with camera's in their hands charging upon the grey heron who was looking at us. 1,2,3 click and up the bird flew away by the time I would jump out of the auto to click. Then I thought it was already getting late and we should be hurrying up to the watchtower as we would get more birds out there. The ride from there was like a passenger train stopping at every sight of a bird. Swaroop saw a open billed stork near by and literally jumped out the auto (as soon as it stopped) in Singham style to shoot the open billed stork (with the camera of course) but as very obviously the birdie flew away :P. I advices Swaroop to be steady in approach and to shoot while in the auto and then gradually go closer slowly, but I was the first one to jump out on the next stop upon sighting a Purple Moorhen. Luckily there were many and each one of us clicked several shots of the bird. We decided to walk from there to the watch tower while clicking the nearby scenery and birds till we reached our boats.


Purple Moorhen

One the first boat, I was accompanied by Tanuja , Anurag and Arpit. On the second boat there were Chikun, Swaroop ,Swastik and Alok. On the 3rd boat there were Shreeja, Mohit, Madhumay and Sushree. Poor guys on Boat number 3 had to wait little more to get the hoods of their boats done.
The very first sighting was that of a Pond Heron, followed by the Black Winged Stilt in the waters as the boat slowly moved on in the marshy lands. On the way I saw a a man sitting at the tip of the boat with a canon L series 500 mm lens. I decided to hide my cam with 300mm lens until we got past him :D. Our guide was standing at the tip of the boat like the man on a watch of a ship, informing us about the birds 800ms away for which I could only see as dots in ma camera. I asked our guide for the binocular but sadly he said it was in the boat number 2. The birds who came near after that were the Northern Pintail and again the Black Winged Stilt. Birds every where flying, perching, grazing along with the scenery, cool breeze and the slow boat ride. Everything was just too good. The Little Cormorant was sunbathing with its wings opened, while the Whiskered Terns were flying around catching the dragonfly and giving various poses. A Jack Snipe was sneaking by the left while the Large Egret was posing in the front followed by a Pied Kingfisher.


Birds flock in flight

We were nearing the boat no.2 in which Swastik and Soumya were clicking in burst mode of the camera like the men with machine guns. Our guide asked for the binocular from the guide in Boat number 2 from there we went parallel till the Ajay Kudiya house. With the help of the binoculars and our guide we were able to see the Glossy Ibis, Sea Gulls and the Norther Shoveller, while we moved the very own Splinter, Little Gerbe (with a background score of Bhag Dk bose) was making the run along with the Green Frogs competing with it in giant leaps. Probably the Indian sport ministry is in the process to sign them up for the Olympics to win gold for India.
We had many discussion with our guide like how people used to poach, what they used for poaching, how the locals have came up together, how this place is getting importance and so on.

As we moved on we saw the Little Egrets, Black-Tailed Godwits, Phesant Tailed Jacanas, Bronzed Winged Jacanas and Purple Herons. I heard someone saying from boat no.2 'arre sie mota, fulfulia chadhei ra pakhaku neiki chalo'. (take me closer to that fat fluffy bird) they were the Brahminy Duck in the vincity. As we neared the Ajay Kudiya house a Brahminy Kite was sitting there. While we got busy in clicking the beauty our guide exclaimed 'he is welcoming you to Ajay kudiya'.


Norther Pintail in flight

It was around 12 noon. The sun was over head and we could feel the heat of it. We waited for our Boat no. 3. Our guide said that all the birds come to this place after the sunset and go elsewhere else after the sunrise.
As we neared the hut , a guy was singing the song Balunga toka , i said to myself " probably he is welcoming us too :P .

After a small walk and few group photographs (courtesy our guides who clicked 5 pics of the group because the camera was still in burst mode :P ) we made our return journey towards the watch tower.
Just when I thought our journey was over, I saw a kingfisher hovering in the air and diving into the water. I saw this for the very first time. I didn't bother to take out my camera but just watched the beauty in action.

Alas our journey of the boat ended. While our autos were on the way to watch tower, we decided to rest inside the watch tower. From the top of the tower we saw the fish getting roasted, smokey fish as one the locals yelled.
Many of us were looking down at the pot and the fish with watery mouth to get a bite of it. Before they could ask our autos arrived and we went back towards the Eco-tourism center.
All were hungry as a tiger but we waited for our vegetarian Lunch to arrive. Rice, Dal, Cauliflower curry..yum yum specially the Dal. We all filled our stomachs upto the brim and took rest under the shed.
It was around 2:30 p.m. We decided to board the Khalikhot DMU at the Mukteswar P.H station. After clearing up the bills we all went towards the station and waited till 3:30 pm for our train.
And the wait was not over with it, our train halted at khurda station for about One and half hours. I went near the TTE asking about the departure of the train. Mohit and Madhumay went further asking the driver of the train asking about the same :P .
Finally we decided to board the Intercity Express and we reached our destination around 6 p.m.

What a day it was! What a memorable 12hours it has been! I was filled with the memories of the birds flying in flock, the sound of the boat, water, the birds, the peace and tranquility of the nature.
I hope everyone enjoyed as much as I did and I look forward for another trip to Mangalajodi; the land of paradise for birds.

The members were :-

Arpit Pradhan, Mohit Varu, Anurag Mishra, Tanuja Sethi, Udayan S Behera, Sushree Das, Shreeja Behera, Swastik Mishra, Madhumay Mallik, Chikun (Jaga), Swaroop Mishra and Alok Kumar Sahu.

Bird Sighted:

1. Little Cormorant
2. Whiskered Terns
3. Black Winged Stilt
4. Wood Sandpiper
5. Black-tailed Godwit
6. Openbill Stork
7. Pheasant Tailed Jacana
8. Bronze Winged Jacana
9. Jack Snipe
10. Purple Heron
11. Citrine Wagtail
12. Little Grebe
13. Grey Heron
14. Little Gerbe
15. Great Egret
16. Pied Kingfisher
17. Common Moorhen
18. Little Egret
19. Sea Gull
20. Northern shoveller
21. Brahminy kite
22. Glossy Ibis
23. White Browed Wagtail
24. Indian Pond heron
25. Purple Moorhen
26. Northern Pintail

Along with White Throat-ed kingfisher, Purple rumped sunbird, Drongo, Pied Mynah.

Details of the Rate charts :-
Ticket from Bhubaneswar to Kalupada Ghat - Rs 25 (single person)
Auto from Kalupada to Mangalajodi - Rs 150
Breakfast at Manglajodi Eco-tourism center - Rs 35
Auto from Eco-tourism center towards watch tower - Rs 100
Boat ride

- Rs 600 for 4 persons
Lunch at Eco-tourism Center - Rs 65 (Veg)
Ticket from Mukteswar PH towards Bhubaneswar - Rs 10

Fun and Peace in Mangalajodi - Priceless

That's the way I see

On the Roads Again : Daringbadi

Time for some Sightseeing

Plan C, Lovers Point. All the love you need

Duduma Waterfalls

song for a Lady

Moments before the Storm !! Phailin

Day Without You Girl

Day-3_ On the Top of Eastern Ghats

Koraput Long Haul _The Dangerous Ghats _Day2

Koraput Long Haul _Day 1 and The Induce

Let The Winters Come

Ever Scenic

The Sky <3

Taos Mountains

Me :D

Forest and Forest GUMP

Baris mein yehi sab Socha Karte Hain ...

baris mein yehi sab socha karte hain ..

BBSR to DELHI

When it Rained

Chilika Bird Census 2011 :- Trip Report

The Suitable Groom

Mangalajodi Trip Report

Plan C, Lovers Point.
All the love you need