A Memorable Experience!

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Baby Olive Ridley sea Turtle collection!

This is a long post, oh, as usual.  You can just see the pictures and read the captions to save time!!!

A group of people from our residential complex went on a Turtle walk on 7th March, '15 (last Saturday), conducted by the Tree Foundation, Chennai.

Short description of the Foundation:  Trust for Environment Education (TREE), Conservation and Community Development and Roots & Shoots India- A Dr. Jane Goodall Institute Program. This was founded in 2002.  More details are in the highlighted link pl.  It is interesting.

This Olive Ridley turtle is one of the endangered species now. The Foundation link says, '22nd February 2014 A Black day for All Conservationists and Animal Lovers! This day, last year we had 824 dead turtles in one night at Penna Estuary!'

I had been reading about this Turtle walk for the past couple of years now.  This year we could join the group and it was really a memorable experience.

The programme started from 7.30 pm with a documentary film show on Olive ridley turtles at their office in Neelangarai.  A volunteer, a young girl,  showed us the turtles which are under treatment/observation etc. She was very passionate about this project, I could see. They have named them as Oliver, Pallavi, Karuna etc.! One Green ridley also was there. Its shell looked as if it was painted by an artist.  It got caught in the fishing net and now is under treatment.  These turtles, when are in the sea, come up once in 45 mts. to breathe fresh air.  Some fishermen spread their net in the sea and wait in their boats for 2-3 days and then haul them out and come to the shore.  Sometimes these turtles get caught in these nets and stay under the water with other fish.  They get dehydrated and some die. They are brought to this Foundation by their volunteers for treatment. Dr. Dharini is taking care of this centre, we were told.

Some turtles get caught in the launchers (motorised fishing boats) and their blades cut the flippers of the turtles which are in the sea.  If the centre gets information about them via the fishermen, many of whom are volunteers here, they are treated here, if possible and then sent back to the sea.  Out of 4, even turtles with 3 flippers can manage in the water, we were told. 

The turtles mostly look for beaches with warm temperature which are suitable for hatching their eggs.  They come to these places (details are in the wiki link) at midnight  from January to March to dig pot shaped holes to lay 100 to 120 eggs at a time (Many people, children from school, colleges, Tech people etc.are volunteers here and they need more, it seems, during these 3 months at least.). The Foundation has got a van describing about the turtles and about their work.  This van goes to schools and the volunteers educate the children about the turtles.

The Tree Foundation's rehabilitation centre is where they take care of the injured turtles. We saw a number of tubs with full grown turtles. One dehydrated turtle even had an IV bottle for a drip. A volunteer said that they have got full-time work here and they need more volunteers.

After the film show, we were taken to the beach to a hatchery (see picture) and the baby turtles were taken out from the holes and kept in a basket.  We were watching their work from the gaps of the hatchery.  I think it is better this way.  Unless we have got experience, we might harm the tiny babies when we handle them.  These baskets were taken to an area near the water.   2 parallel lines (2m. gap), were drawn on the sand and we were asked to stand and watch outside the lines.  No flash bulbs please, we were told.  2 volunteers stood near the water and showed the flash lights in the direction of the baskets.  A volunteer took out the babies one by one and left them on the sand.  The babies started marching towards the light and to the water.  The hatching period is 48 to 52 days, it seems.

Earlier, before the foundation started taking care of the eggs, after the hatching period, the babies started coming out of the hole (pot shaped hole of 2 to 2 1/2 ft. deep) and started walking towards the water on their own.  The sea current/waves' lights used to attract them.  They reached the sea safely. But now, the beaches are full of flood lights (upon the request of organisations like this one, they have stopped switching on these lamps now).  But many bungalows have come up very close to the beach now and they keep the lights on.  We saw these lights even at 12 am.  Don't know how the govt. has allowed to build these buildings close to the sea since after the tsunami, they were banned.  These artificial lights made the baby turtles to scatter on the sand and unless they reached the water within 45 mts. after hatching, they would die, it seems.  Crows and dogs caught them. Now, thousands of babie turtles are saved every year by Foundations like these. One more Foundation is doing this service.

The moonlight helps the mother turtles who come to the shore to nest during mid nights.  They need lot of time to dig holes, lay so many eggs, cover them back smoothly, yes, smoothly and go back to the water.  Their tracks help the volunteers, mostly fishermen, to look for the nests.  The volunteers come there and collect the eggs in a basket along with some sand from the pit and take them to the hatchery where holes are kept ready and mark them.  The eggs come with some gooey substance from the mother and sand sticks on them which acts as food for the eggs, it seems! I got some video links while googling and they are at the end of this post, which show the turtles digging holes, laying eggs, etc. The turtles come back to the same beach they are born every alternate years to lay eggs after they mature! Very interesting!

This link says: The last three years we have been checking the temperature within the hatchery with an external thermometer and maintaining the temperature within 32 degree centigrade. The sex of the hatch ling is determined based on the temperature in the nest during incubation period.

I think more information should be read from the links now! After the babies were released, our group walked on the shore from Neelangarai upto Prarthana theatre and back.  It took 3 hours.  If we had stayed for some more time, if luck was there, we could have spotted the mother turtles who came to lay eggs too! But it was late.  We had taken some sandwiches and water with us.  And then walked! The volunteers (one person was with Amazon) were with us throughout.

We saw many crabs running here and there in the beach near the water while walking back.  They were very fast.  I think they ran to the water as soon as they saw the lights from the volunteers' torches...(they might have thought 'killers are coming'!). They looked beautiful.  The friends who came with us were good and we chatted all the way and it was not boring at all! Watching the bright moon and sea water was peaceful! I always love the sounds of the waves, esp. at night.  
Now, to the picture story!

A young volunteer is explaining about Olive Ridley Turtle! Click on the pictures to view clearly!

I was allowed to scratch this turtle's belly...I thought he would enjoy my touch like my dogs and cats did!

We are walking past the bamboo hatchery where the eggs are kept in sand holes for hatching. It takes 48 to 52 days for the eggs to hatch, it seems. Every detail was catalogued by the volunteers.

Eggs are inside the hole under the basket. Temperature is maintained inside the holes with thermometers, left inside the hole (32 degrees is the ideal temperature, we were told).  If the temperature raises, they cover the roof to give them shade.

The volunteers are taking out the baby turtles from the holes and place in a basket.  They mark the squares where the  holes are dug by them earlier to place the eggs.  They remember not to stamp on the holes and walk on the empty spaces/squares.  They keep tags like no. 2, no. 3 hole etc.  They remember/keep notes on the no. of days the eggs are inside to check later.

The Yolk sack (the centre part) of the turtle where food is stored.  We should not touch this part, since it is very fragile.  We have to hold it on the sides always. Their main food after they grow up is jelly fish and other sea creatures.

Babies are 'running' towards the sea!
The babies are released on the sand.  The volunteers flash lights, standing near the water so that the babies can walk towards the water.  The smell of the sea and the smooth surface near the water helps them walk faster! We were asked not to take photos since the flash might distract them and turn towards our light.  2 lines were drawn and we were made to stand outside the lines and watch.  The babies were walking between the lines! The scent of the sea also helps them to reach the water, the volunteer said. They were very fast, running with their tiny feet/flippers.  Some children were with us who were shouting when they came near the lines! Children really enjoyed this trip!
Click on the picture to see clearly.

Close up shot of the baby turtles rushing towards the sea.! We could see their tiny foot marks which are not visible here.  They were beautiful!

                     I got this picture from the net. The mother turtles are nesting in the beach in Mexico.                             Picture courtesy: claudio giovenzana www.longwalk.it (Wiki)

Their main predators are humans in the sea and land.  Crows and dogs are other predators on land. Got this picture from 'The Hindu'. 

We saw hordes of crabs running towards the sea as soon as they saw the flash light of our guide! It was fun watching them.  They were cream in colour with long legs! My friend was holding a crab boldly!

Now, to the interesting 'you tube' links:

Olive Ridley Turtle 'digging' its nest.

Olive Ridley Turtles 'laying' eggs

Olive Ridley Turtles 'running' towards the water!

I think I might go back again soon.  The Turtle walk is there till March end! I and my son enjoyed our trip! I can still remember, even after 3 days, how I felt walking under the moon at midnight, when the waves were coming to touch me in the beach! Awesome!

They charge Rs.150 per head and we can donate more for the organisation if we feel.  They need lots of help. The Turtle walk is there every Friday and Saturday till the end of March.

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Latest news about these turtles: Around 69,772 Olive turtles arrive in Odisha to lay eggs

The Most Camera Shy Animal In The World!

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We had been on a tour to Nagarjuna Sagar, in December, last year (just 2 months back!).  We visited the Sagar and then stayed at the Telangana Govt. Tourism hotel, Haritha Vijay Vihar hotel. It was an OK hotel, but the view of the lake from there was beautiful.  It had swimming pool, gym etc.  You can see them in the link.

The hotel where we stayed.

I and my son had a morning stroll in the garden at the backyard of the hotel.  Fog was there on the lake and the atmosphere was beautiful and serene...The garden had  my favourite sparrows! Some beautiful flowers also were there.

A type of Nandiavattai/Crape Jasmine flower!

I had never seen bougainvillea flowers so closely until I saw them here!

Then we saw these! You know how I am! I am fascinated by everything! Have a look at these!

When we saw these animals first, they were grazing the garbage, making some grunting sounds.  The young ones were running here and there.  But as soon as my son lifted and focused his camera, the big white and black pig was making a grunting sound and all the others stood still! As soon as he lowered the camera, they started grazing again happily, wagging their tiny tails.  Again, son would focus his camera on them 'and as if the big one said 'STATUE', all of them stood still! We did this 3-4 times and then we felt sorry for them and left them alone!

Did the leader say 'STATUE' or 'POSE' (like humans!)

For once, this is a small post!


Edited to add on 5.3.15: Now, it is not going to be a small post!

When I and my son were watching these pigs, we were discussing about another pig incident. (I don't like to call these poor animals as swines! It sounds very insulting!)  It is not their mistake that a fever is named after them.  We should not promote them by leaving wastes like these everywhere.  It is long time since I have seen pigs.  Now, let me write about another character of these animals!

Around 25 years back , when we were in Hosur, we had Andy, a Pomeranian with us.  He used to chase a pig which had tiny piglets with her.  Later on, whenever the mother crossed our house, she used to walk up the steps to our house, stand on them and grunt 5-6 times and then go off.  Andy would be inside the house, barking! I used to watch the pig from our window! She was quite huge! All animals take care of their babies very well, like us humans!



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Happy Hobby!

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I had my first vegetable garden when we lived in Hosur.  That was an independent house and we had space at the front and the back.  I grew from peas to potato and onions there.  The red soil over there was very fertile and everything grew up fast and healthy.  This was in the late 80's.

Then in my previous house in Chennai, I went for just flowers (link here).
Now, we live in a flat.  I have kept some pots with desert roses in our balconies, which are easy to maintain.

One of my friends here, took the initiative to start Roof Top gardening.  She consulted many specialists in Roof top gardening in Chennai and we started implementing it nearly 4 weeks back.

We went for 'soil-less cultivation' method.  They provide thick plastic containers as shown in the picture, with coco peat, vermin compost, organic manure mixture and seeds.  They place perforated rubber sheets beneath the basket so that if at any time, during rainy season or something, the excess water will drain out easily.  Since soil is not used the basket is very light weight.  The coco peat is made of coconut fibre.  It acts as a sponge and retains water for longer time.  We have got a small 4 ltr. water can/water sprayer.  One can of water per day per box, is enough for the current weather now.  We may have to water the plants twice a day once severe summer starts.  Coco peat acts like a sponge and so, is wet/retains moisture for a long time. To start with, we bought 5 containers/baskets.  3 of us are maintaining them. 

Our Roof Top Garden!

Starting stage.  Some sprouts of greens (paalak/spinach) can be seen.

This basket is just for paalak/spinach! We should cut the big leaves with our nails one by one (!) when they grow and use.  In this way, the leaves will keep on growing for nearly 3 months.  We can remove when the growth dwindles and sow more seeds. 

Beans plants and Paalak leaves! We can grow 2-3 types of plants in one basket!

This basket has got greens (Arai keerai), cucumber plus bitter gourd plants and creepers.

Close-up picture of the beans plant.  Flowers have started blooming!

This is ladies finger/bhindi/vendai kaai flower.  You can see 3 tiny bhindies also! Click on the pictures pl.

This is cucumber creeper.  Flowers and buds can be seen here!

I did paalak paneer (link) yesterday.  Before cooking, I ate some raw leaves which were very tasty:) It was a happy feeling, growing our own vegetables and using them at home!

Paalak/spinach leaves.  I plucked them yesterday and did Paalak paneer!

Added this picture now (4.3.15) to show the rubber mat with holes, beneath the plastic box/trough, which will protect the flooring when it rains.  The box will not stick to the bottom flooring.

Mr. Radhakrishnan (Besant nagar, Chennai) was the consultant for us and we are very happy with the results.  He can be contacted in this number: 9444620185.

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Lonar Crater Lake, Salt Water/Soda Lake! But Ducks Swim Here!

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I had mentioned in my earlier posts about our road trip to Ajanta, Ellora caves (posts are yet to be written!) and other places here and here.  I should have written about the places we visited one by one just as we saw them.  I didn't do it... I seem to write randomly; wrong decision!

We started from Chennai.  It was December end and so we had booked hotel rooms in Hyderabad, Aurangabad etc. for the New Year holidays, before we started.  On other days we looked for hotels in the net, went in and stayed for the night. This way, we saw many places on the way, as we wished! Just the three of us, I, my husband and son.  Our driver was driving.  This was the first trip we travelled like this, without pukka planning! But we enjoyed.

On our way from Nizamabad to Aurangabad, we came across this lake (thanks to the net!).  It was nearly 4 pm when we reached this place.  The small towns we crossed, Hingoli, Nanded, etc. had very narrow, crowded, dusty streets.  I have never seen places like these in the "northern" part of India earlier.  But everything is interesting for me! I like watching people and so never get bored!

We had an interesting lunch at a restaurant, Vatika, at Hingoli on the way. It was looking beautiful with a nicely decorated garden with designer trees etc.! A quirky bearer there said that they would specially cook vegetarian food in separate vessels for us! We had our food (which was decent) in the open garden with a cat (who resembled our Goalie) for company. However, while the restaurant looked beautiful from the outside it didn't have a proper toilet! Four stone slabs for the floor and four tin sheets on the sides with no roof! This was their toilet for LADIES and gents had a designated corner in a lawn in the rear, it seems.  We never expected this...but no other good restaurant was nearby and we already had our food! The owner promised my husband that a new toilet would be there in another two months and asked us to come there again!

The beautiful restaurant we visited, which had no toilet! Typical India!

I have never heard of this place, Lonar, before. My son had planned to visit here.  This lake is in the border town, Buldana, in Maharashtra, near Aurangabad. We had started seeing Marathi boards after Hindi and Telugu when we came near the border to Maharashtra!

Let me tell you about my impression about this lake. Then, to our friend, Wiki's details.  The narrow muddy road to this lake is deserted, nearly.  We could see some dry fields on our way.  Then we saw this lake.  It looked like a big pond.  One watch tower with rickety steps was there.  I was wondering why we came to this dry, dusty place.  Son asked me to go up the ladder, in which some rods/steps were missing!  Husband never experiments but I do! Then, son told me the importance/the story of this lake from the landing of the watch tower!

Wiki says:

Lonar is the world's third largest crater. It has its genesis nearly 50,000 years ago, when a 2 million-ton meteorite impacted the earth to create a depression 1.83 kilometers in diameter and 150 meters deep. Lonar Lake is a saltwater lake, which was created by a meteor hitting the Earth during the Pleistocene Epoch. The impact crater thereby formed, is the only hyper velocity meteoritic impact crater on basalt rock. A lake that evolved in the resulting basaltic rock formation, is both saline and alkaline in nature.

Another wiki link says: 

A series of low hills surround the basin which has an oval shape (almost round) with circumference at top of about 8 km (five miles). The sides of the basin rises abruptly at an angle of about 75°. At the base, the lake has a circumference of about 4.8 km (three miles).

Now, to the pictures, we had taken there:

Lonar Lake, Buldana, Maharashtra

Located in Buldana district of Maharashtra, this fascinating lake is believed to have been created over 5o,000 years ago due to a meteor impact which formed a depression 1.83 kilometers in diameter and 150 meters deep. Apart from the splendid beauty of the lake and a few treks, the place is famous for several temples like Daitya Sudan temple and Kamalija temple located around the lake. The lake is both saline and alkaline in nature and the historical documents say that the lake produces all the elements to make glass and soap. - See more at: http://www.thebetterindia.com/16813/travel-explored-5-offbeat-weekend-getaways-near-mumbai/#sthash.MLJruJGA.dpuf

Lonar Lake, Aurangabad. The above two pictures were taken on 29.12.14 when we were there.  The banks do not look like a jungle here. 

This picture is taken from Wiki.  The date is mentioned as September '12. Full of greenery! Different types of trees are there in separate rings, it seems! The place is home to many animals and rare birds!

Wiki says: The slopes are covered with jungle interspersed with teak trees. A belt of large trees about a mile broad runs all round the basin; this belt is formed of concentric rings of different species of trees. A ring of date-palms followed by a ring of tamarind trees (nearly 1.6 km or a mile broad) leads to a ring of babul trees, bounded on the inside by a belt of bare muddy space.
 

I am climbing the rickety old steps of the watch tower! A couple of rods were missing!

Not many trees are seen here now.

The Kamalaja devi temple seems to be very close to the lake! Looks very ancient!

A closer look at the temple. I read that people from the surrounding villages come here to attend the temple festival.  They leave all the plastic bags etc. on the bank,  which is not good for the lake.  

One more view of the lake. 

The other side of the lake.

Another panoramic view of the lake. Pl.click on all the pictures to view them clearly....

We saw a lone duck here, in this salty, alkaline/soda water.  People used to make soap in ancient days, it seems.

Wiki says: The historical document called the Ain-i-Akbari (written about C.E. 1600) states:

These mountains produce all the requisites for making glass and soap. And here are saltpetre works which yield a considerable revenue to the State, from the duties collected. On these mountains is a spring of salt water, but the water from the centre and the edges is perfectly fresh.

The lake was first mentioned in ancient scriptures such as the Skanda purana, the Padma purana and the Ain-i-Akbari^.

Buldana district in Maharashtra, where the lake is located, was once part of Ashoka's empire and then of Satavahana's.  The Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas also ruled this area. During the period of the Mughals, Yadavas, Nizam and the   British, trade prospered in this area. Several temples found on the periphery of the Lake are known as Yadava temples and also as Hemadpanti temples (named after Hemadri Ramgaya).


Though this is a salt water lake, it is surrounded by trees and so, looks like a forest. It is a residence to many types of rare birds and animals!

Wiki also says: 

The modes of formation are also entirely different and it is practically certain that the Lonar salts are derived from an unknown source in the bed of the lake. It is true that water is continually flowing into the lake and that except by evaporation there is no loss. The main feeder stream could not however supply this amount of alkali nor could the other smaller supplies coming in during the rains, for on all sides of the lake vegetation is abundant, particularly where the main stream flows in continuously. Were any quantity of alkali present in this water, vegetation would suffer considerably and, with exception of a few varieties of plants, eventually die out entirely.
 

Sun had started setting down and we left the place at last! This was on the left side of the lake.  We noticed some 6-8 peacocks on the opposite side of the lake, which looked like a barren land.

EDITED TO ADD, THE NEXT DAY: My son said that there is a Maharashtra Government's MTDC hotel nearby where tourists can stay and visit this place.

I read this article about this crate today with more beautiful photographs.

Updated on 12/6/2, read...
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The Shadows Of His Hands Are Singing 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhaara'!

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I have been watching my friends and relatives making animal images in shadows, since my childhood.  Even I showed my children, shadows with fingers on our wall at home...dogs, fish and birds. Not more than that! But the video which I saw this morning made me dumbfounded. It will make you too!

If you know the song 'Mile sur mera tumhaara' and had seen the video since our Door Darshan time, you will enjoy this, better! Every picture in the video is shown in the shadows! The shadows are lip sinking with the song's lyrics! Amazing! If you are not familiar with the song, watch the video of the song first and then, this video.  It is the second one below this video. Now, let us see the singing shadows first!



The last image of the Four lions, the Emblem of India,  and the flying flag, brought tears in my eyes! Beautiful, aren't they?   The beautiful rabbit, the Goan with a hat, Balamurali Krishna singing with his hands moving, the mridangam artist playing, the Taj Mahal, the peacock, camel, elephants,  people on a boat, North East Indians dancing,  I can go on... The video shows the artist playing with his fingers. Needs 100% concentration for doing this, I am sure.

Now, watch the real song:



You know what I did while writing this post now? I opened two windows in my computer, one with the shadow video and another with the song video and watched both frame by frame! I love this song and am never bored of hearing this.  I had done a post on this earlier too (here).

I looked out for the name of the artist and got it! His name is Prahlad Acharya. (link). He hails from Udupi (Karnataka), MY home town!

He was interested in magic from his childhood and  learnt magic from Uday Jadugar,.  He learnt shadow play and other magics while travelling with him during his shows. The link says:

'Today, the 40-year-old has traveled across the globe, telling stories using shadows. He can perform the Panchatantra tales, Kannada folktales such as the story of Punyakoti, the holy cow who kept her word to a tiger by offering herself to it after she fed her calf.'

I came across another video of this artist,  which is also interesting (link)

Now, I came across the Wiki link of Prahlad Acharya! We can know more about him here.

He comes in my 'People whom I admire' list now!

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