Rural India

Haryana Countryside

I have spent the last 4 days driving through the countryside of Haryana. This is probably the hottest time of the year with temperatures easily reaching levels of 46 to 50 degrees. The earlier crop ( rabi season which is from October to February) has already been harvested and the soil is prepared for sowing of the Kharif Crop. Miles of brown ploughed fields are visible as far as the eye can see.

Farm ready for sowing

A very common sight in fields of Haryana is the Blue Bull or the Nilgai Antelope. These animals have a life span of 20 to 30 years and live around scrubby grass lands and open jungles. Many Hindus consider the Nilgai a sacred and holy animal which has made the government ban the hunting of these animals. This has resulted in a overpopulation of these animals which is a major cause of damage done to crops in this region. Controlled hunting of these animals could probably solve this problem of overpopulation.
Herd of Blue Bulls in the fields of Hissar District

Countryside Views

Aravali Hills Saved

Supreme Court to the rescue of the Aravalis

The Supreme Court of India came to the rescue of the Aravali Hills by banning all mining and other commercial activities on these ranges. This blanket ban effects all mining activities of both major and minor minerals including mining of stones and earth for construction. The ban applies to the hills in the Gurgaon and Faridabad region spread over 450 sq mtrs and is applicable till action plan is put into place by the Haryana Government to restore these hills to health. Due to the heavy mining and deforestation that has taken place in these hills over years , huge craters have been left in places where hills stood and the entire ecosystem has been disturbed. So far no action has been taken by the Government for restoration and reclamation of these hills.

This timely action of the courts will go a long way in preserving the ecosystem and restoration of these hills.

Aravalli Hills

Driving out of Delhi into Haryana through Gurgaon or Faridabad and onwards into Rajasthan one comes across a series of broken rocky hills. These are the Aravalli Ranges that extend to almost 800 Kilometres. The northern end of the range begins from Delhi and extends upto Palanpur in Gujarat near Ahmedabad.

The portion of the Aravallis in Delhi and Haryana are a series of isolated hills and rocky ridges.

These are shots of the hills near Alwar.

The range has vegetation as it extends westward and is at its highest at Mount Abu.

Views of Taj Mahal

The Finial

The most striking feature of the Taj is the marble dome that surmounts the tomb. About 35 metres in height, the dome is about the same size of the building. The top is of a lotus design. The top of the dome has a gilded finial which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements.

Shot of the Taj from the right of the main building

Calligraphy on the Walls along with the intricate work

Close-up of the minarets at each corner also topped with a finial with intricate work on the marble

The Taj Mahal Mosque
The Great Gate - gateway to the Taj

Taj Mahal

India's most beautiful and well known building is the TAJ MAHAL. This republic day was a foggy and cloudy morning when we visited the Taj which as ever is a sight to behold. Built by the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaj Mahal, the Taj is today considered a symbol of Love.

Construction of this monument was started in 1632 and completed in 22 years in 1653 . Twenty thousand artisans and craftsmen worked on this magnificent building made of white marble. The marble was brought from Makrana in Rajasthan.

The building was designed by Ustad Isa Afandi of Turkey. He was chosen by Emperor Shah Jahan from amongst some of the best known architects of that time from around the world. However some historians consider that the Persian Architect Ustad Lahauri Ahmed is the principle Designer.

Whereas the White Domed Mausoleum is the most familiar and well known, the Taj is actually a complex integrated structure of buildings and gardens.

The focus of the Taj Mahal is the the white marble tomb, which stands on a square plinth consisting of a symmetrical building with an iwan , an arch-shaped doorway, topped by a large dome. Like most Mughal tombs, basic elements are Persian in origin.

Building flanking both sides of the entrance to the Taj

Anita and Utsav in front of the Taj

Grey Heron

A large wading bird, the grey heron is found across Asia. It has a white head and a bright pinkish yellow beak. Feeds in shallow water and lives on fish and frogs. Their flight is slow with necks retracted into the body. The call is a load croaking that sound like 'phraaank'.

The birds breed in colonies on trees next to lakes and wetlands.

Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea

There are four subspecies:
Ardea cinerea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758. Europe, Africa, western Asia
Ardea cinerea jouyi Clark, 1907. Eastern Asia
Ardea cinerea firasa Hartert, 1917. Madagascar
Ardea cinerea monicae Jouanin & Roux, 1963. Islands off Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania.

Love Birds - Rose Ringed Parakeets

A common bird in India, the rose ringed parakeet is a gregarious bird which is often kept as a pet. An extremely noisy bird, it has adapted itself to urbanisation and deforestation that is taking place all around.

The rose ringed parakeet is sexually dimorphic - the adult male showing a black and pink band around the neck while the female and young adults show no ring around the neck.

It's Valentines Day and these Gold Ring Parakeets truly represent the spirit of this day.

Facts :

Scientific Name : Psittacula krameri

Distribution : 4 subspecies , 2 from Asia and 2 from Africa

Diet : Feed on fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables

Basking in the Sun

The Indian Black Turtle is a common sight in the waters of Bharatpur. Being cold blooded, they spend the day taking in the warmth of the sun,

Paths

Yellow Splendour

A yellow gladiola flower in bloom

Dawn

Two views of Dawn from the same spot shot in opposite directions - The rising sun on the one side and the fog laden marshland on the other.

Dawn Breaking

The Owls of Bharatpur

Amongst the numerous birds that are resident of Bharatpur are owls. A common species of owl found in Bharatpur is the Collared Scoops Owl. This bird is found in wooded and forested areas on trees which have heavy branches and leaves. The face is whitish or buff with brown or red eyes. Like all owls, this is a nocturnal bird and is difficult to spot in the day because of its natural camouflage.

Spotted Owlet
Another species of owl that is seen in Bharatpur is the Spotted Owlet. This is a small stocky owl of about 20 cm in size. The bird feeds on insects and small animals.

Painted Storks of Bharatpur

200 Kms south of Delhi is the city of Bharatpur where the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is located. Also known as the Keoladeo National Park, this is a world heritage site that has over 230 species of birds - both residents and winter visitors. The time to visit the sanctuary is the winter months of November to March when along with the local birds, a host of winter visiting birds from places as far away as Siberia come to the park to breed and escape the cold winters of their host countries.

One popular bird in the sanctuary is the Painted Stork. This is a tropical bird which breeds in Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia.

The Painted Stork feeds on fish, frogs and large insects and would normally be found in wet marshlands and shallow waters.
The birds make their nests on trees with dry sticks . The nests are large and usually contain 2 to 5 eggs.

The young juvenile birds are dull in colour - brownish and without the bright colours of the adult bird.

The adult painted stork is a large white bird with black flight feathers. The long slightly curved downwards beak is yellow. The tail and legs are pink. This is a broad winged soaring bird and like all storks flies with its neck outstretched.

India Gate and surrounding areas

Republic day is approaching and India Gate is fully lit up for the occasion. This is a major landmark of Delhi and was built by the British as a memorial to the soldiers who died in the 1st world war and the Afghan war. Since 1971, a shrine has been built under the arch where a torch burns continuously and is known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti ( the flame of the immortal soldier).

The structure is over 42 mtrs high and has the names of 90,000 soldiers that died in the various wars engraved on the structure. Designed by Lutyens, it is surrounded by green lawns and a pool. Evenings see sizable crowds of picnickers.


National Gallery of Modern Art

If you are an art lover , a visit to the the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi is a must. Started in 1954, the gallery has paintings from the period 1857 onwards and has paintings of all the modern day Indian painters and also includes paintings of British painters of the 19th and early 20th century.
The building was formerly the residential palace of the Maharajah of Jaipur.

Yellow Rose

One flower that brings a feeling of joy and delight is the rose and the sight of a yellow rose is particularly pleasing. Whereas romantic meanings are attributed to all roses, in the yellow rose is purely a symbol of friendship. The origin of Yellow roses was the Middle East where they were found growing naturally in the wild. Today they are cultivated all over the world.

Colourful effect of light on this closeup shot.

These shots were taken with the Nikon D80, Lens 18-135 mm. Exposure 1/60 sec, F4.8 , ISO 200. For the close ups an additional attachment lens was used.

Facts on Roses

Botanical name of Rose is Rosa and belongs to the family Rosaceae.

This is a perennial shrub that contains over 100 species