Archana – Page 72 – Spice of Life!

16/02/201321/07/2020

Ready To Learn

Its strange that since our work/data is now stored in a digital form, the importance of spring cleaning seems to have reduced. Here in India, other than spring, its the days leading up to Divali (a major festival usually at the start of winters) that sees all households in the throes of a major clean up. Wardrobes, shoe racks, store rooms, kitchen stores and so on all get a thorough make over often with a coat of paint as well. Tons of faded/torn/outdated/outgrown clothes are either given away to the needy or some are possibly recycled into mops/dusters.

Yet I find that our digital ‘storage’ too must be cleaned occasionally. While it may not be necessary to ‘throw away’ things, data may need to be transferred into another format or some such ‘geeky’ treatment.

Here is another post that has emerged out of my e-spring cleaning of the October 2007 vintage!

…..

This has been a difficult week for me.
Reason? I was finding it really difficult to procure a particular soap bar.
Elementary, you may as well say like the legendary Sherlock Holmes. But there
was a huge barrier.

Seeing the deteriorating state of my kadahis
my domestic help recommended a particular brand to get them to sparkle. “None of this
fancy stuff you bring is any good,” she said. However she did not know its
name. Seeing my confusion she helpfully described the product to me.

So I set off to the local shop confident of
making a purchase. What happened was totally surprising. The shopkeeper was
completely foxed by what I was asking for. Any fancy description seemed to draw
a blank.

Finally I began with the description I had
of the soap. I wanted a bar with a picture of a lemon on it! It had to have a
particular fragrance. It was specifically meant for aluminium vessels. This
brought strange looks from everyone on both sides of the store counter. I
seemed like an educated lady, had come out of a car and here I was describing a
brand like an illiterate person! I went from shop to shop with this description but
no one could provide me the ‘right’ stuff. I did not even know what right was
anymore. Did we really have such a large range of cleaning products? Then why
could I not find one for my kadahi?

Here I was a self-proclaimed celebrated
hostess, shopaholic, mall savvy and alert consumer who could not get one bar of
soap. My ego thoroughly deflated I picked up the first one I was offered at the
10^th shop and returned home.

‘This is not the one’ she pronounced.

I gave up. I told her to get a wrapper
from somewhere and I showed the shop keeper to give me the kadahi panacea. The joy I felt that day was something I
had not felt even when I had managed to pick up the rare kantha sari at
the monsoon sale!

The struggle was worth it because my
utensils are sparkling now! Lesson Learnt: Keep an open mind and learn from
everybody. There is no substitute for experience and recommendations from such
a person will invariably make a positive change.

Age should not be a barrier but mental
attitude can be. Overcome it and open your mind there is a wealth of learning
waiting for us!

NOTE:

Kadahi: Wok

Kantha: A type of embroidery from India’s West Bengal state

Best!

Archana

13/02/201321/07/2020

Khatta Meetha

Khatta Meetha or Sour Sweet is an unlikely flavour combination for some but one that many in India relish. Many of our foods (dals- lentil preparations, vegetables) all have both Khatta (Sour) and Meetha (Sweet) ingredients in just the right proportion that one is left wondering if the dish he/she just ate was sweet or sour!!

Lemon juice, Tamarind, Kokum, Amchur powder are usually added for the sour flavour and sweetness is afforded by sugar, jaggery etc. The sweetness kills the sharp tangy edge of the sour ingredient even as the same lemon makes a sweet dish wonderfully memorable.

Obviously our food habits mirror Life in general as if brings both sweet and sour moments. Moments that we cannot avoid moments that make life the beautiful journey that it is. This is aptly captured in an old Hindi movie called Khatta Meetha directed by Basu Chatterjee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khatta_Meetha_%281978_film%29). Do watch it if you get an opportunity to do so.

This is the essence of my blog, to capture both sweet and sour moments that happening around us! Then ofcourse there is Teekha (Spicy), moments that test our very patience and bring out the true nature of our character, that force us to sit up and think.. How can we ignore those?

Enjoy reading!
Archana

09/02/201321/07/2020

Forty and Proud of it…

As you can see its been a while since my last post and I have a zillion reasons for it…

Advancing age doesn’t mean that work recedes – and I don’t mean ‘work’ as in professional work – rather the pile of ‘things’ to be done seems to increase without one even realising it. Whatever be its source, work must be done and done in its time for it to have any meaning….

Talking of advancing age reminds me of a post I had written earlier and published on a website called 4indianwoman in October 2008. Its not available online anymore hence I repost it here, celebrating the fourth decade!!

They say it’s not polite to ask a woman her
age. The answer you get may not necessarily be entirely correct! Some gallantly
say that no woman is older than 35. However much we may shy away, none of us
can halt the march of Time.

I did not really think much about crossing
the dreaded 40 milestone. I was too busy in my ‘sansar’. Each birthday
meant celebrations though I don’t remember having any parties when I was a kid
but more than made up while in the IAF.

So when did this begin to hurt or rather
matter?

The first brush was obviously with the
first appearance of silver (not white!) in my hair. That was promptly dealt
with Mehendi initially and later with more expensive (not necessarily)
better tubes! You wont find many women crediting their white hair for
experience- there isn’t any to! It would be more like the burgundy, black,
browns or now blond!!

I managed this hurdle pretty effectively I
thought. The next brush with my age came up when I went looking for a job in
Pune. While I did not have an issue with belonging to the baby boomer group
prospective employers certainly did as I got some really startling responses to
my searches. Most seemed sceptical about my commitment. The really frank ones
said what do you need to work for? This is not your age to work? Age to work?
Hey I was just touching 40! Usually the person giving me this advice was
someone touching 60!

Did I already have wrinkles and sagging
skin? These comments forced me to increase frequency of trips to the parlour
that lightened my wallet but did nothing much for my face. At least I thought
not.

Any way. I managed to get a job and began
working with someone slightly over half my age. It wasn’t so difficult actually
in fact I think our combination worked quite well. Anyway I was not willing to
get into a rat race and quit the job.

By now a couple more years had been added
to my account. I joined the gym, which did wonders for my ego that had been
bruised often in the age department. I found I could lift as much and more weights
as a 20 year old and was certainly more flexible. Looking around I realised
that most ladies of my ‘age group’ had this quality! Hooray! I guess that meant
I had future bone, joint and hopefully heart troubles under control!

That’s when another enemy struck and at the
weakest point! To be honest I am a firm believer in retail therapy and am an
avid fan of malls, organised retail, exhibitions, stores … Fancying myself an
‘informed’ customer I always made it a point to read ingredients, expiry dates and
of course MRP. Now this is where calamity struck. Silently my ocular lens and
muscles had weakened and slowly but surely I found myself holding the product
further and further away as I tried to read the figures and alphabets that
suddenly looked like tiny black dots. Now this was a definite handicap. In
crowded places besides fear of physical injury being displaced by other
enthusiastic shoppers there is a real danger of misreading the digits (end up
paying more) or buying expired stock (yes, I sadly discovered that glitzy shops
too stocked those!).

I rushed off to the ophthalmologist and
armed myself with a pair of spectacles. But that was not the end of my
troubles. You see, spectacles have to be carried along and worn to be of use!
Right from my childhood I had developed this concept that anyone wearing
vision-enhancing eyegear was a lesser mortal. Probably arose from a staple diet
of vernacular movies that showed that girls with less than ‘approved’ features
or with add-ons like spectacles did not stand a chance in the marriage market!

Help in the form of husband and daughter is
not always around and I gradually was forced to carry my new ‘eyes’ around. On
a sober note, it made me aware how much I took vision for granted.

Now I plan to keep a separate spectacles
pair in my purse and one at home.

I started writing and the Internet opened a
whole new world for me. I was discovering skills even I did not know I had. In
fact joy, sorrow, disappointment, success experienced over the years gave me a
new perspective. They say wine gets better with age…

It took me some time but I am now quite
comfortable and proud of my age. Next up on my list of to-do things is to join
a dance class- obviously inspired by Richard Gere in Shall We Dance!
Irrespective of external appearances, it is important to stay young and happy
at a mental level. Keep yourself busy and learn something new. Age becomes
irrelevant then…

I am proud to be over 40 and you should be
too…

Ciao,

Archana

02/12/201221/07/2020

Speaking Rocks and Stones

The best way to really know our country is to physically travel and ‘see’ different states. This is especially true for our vast nation with diverse habitats and cultures. We have ‘learnt’ history in school but I certainly do not remember anything more than certain names. The Chalukyas, Vijayanagar empire, all were names that shone from behind a thick mist. As things worked out, I got an opportunity to visit some historical sites, one that I took up eagerly.

Monuments at Bijapur, Badami and Hampi (close to Hospet) all in Karanata are not easily accesible. Our visit ended at Hampi but those who can must include Halebid in their itinerary as well. By easy I mean that one needs to travel by train or air to the closest destination and reach these places by road. Luckily the roads are all excellent, well maintained and one covers large distances easily. These are small towns but the three offer comfortable, clean, vegetarian hotels with helpful and courteous staff. Lack of such facilities have deterred me from visiting places despite being a self professed ‘travel enthusiast’. But this time, I was pleasantly surprised.

World Heritage Site, Hampi, Karnataka, India

(Each of the sites named below are linked to the ASI website for detailed information.)

Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur was one place that I had heard of but never really made any attempt to visit it. Its main feature obviously is its dome, a.k.a whispering dome that is second biggest only after the dome at Rome. Whispering a few words in it causes them to echo up to 13 times and naturally everyone coming there wants to experience this phenomenon. Result.. an ear-piercing continuous crescendo of screams, laughter that is sure to send your head spinning. Its best if you visit early (when the Gol Gumbaz opens at about 6AM) so you can peacefully appreciate the skills of the men of yore who have created this monument. There is a museum on the premises that is said to be excellent but being a Friday, it was closed when we visited. The Ibrahim Rauza is yet another must visit tourist attraction at Bijapur. These monuments are under the care of the Archeological Survey of India and have a nominal entry fee for Indians plus nominal camera charges.

The main attraction at Badami is the cave temples. However between Bijapur and Badami one must visit the Aihole and Pattadakal temple sites which are World Heritage Sites. While these are called temples, most of them are not places of worship any more. When at Badami do visit the Banashankari temple – a peaceful serene temple that was originally said to have been built in the ninth century. We were blessed to get a peaceful unhurried darshan of the goddess – a wonderful experience. Dakshin Kashi or Mahakuta is yet another ancient Shiva mandir. Legend has it that the demons Vatapi and Ilvala were destroyed by Agastya at this site.

A couple of interesting things that I recommend: walk in the underground Pradakshana chamber at the Vitthala Temple, Hampi and walk in the secret chamber at Pushkarni. Both involve walking in the dark but some light does filter in and one can see outlines as the eyes adjust to the low light.

Hampi is close to Hospet (about 12-15 kms), a small yet busy town due to several steel plants around it. If I was impressed by the highways we had travelled on so far, the ones under-construction outside Hospet will be absolutely stunning as and when they are completed. The entire region Bijapur, Badami, Hospet and Hubli is well irrigated and we saw flourishing crops along the highways. Bright yellow sunflower fields were our steady companions all through but the other crops changed from jowar, maize, sugarcane and the Hampi area had plentiful coconut and banana groves growing amid towering rocks. People spoke Kannada but were open to answering our queries in Hindi. We looked forward to tasting north Kannada cuisine (supposed to be different) but found that most restaurants offered Punjabi, Chinese, fast foods …. And we opted for bottled water all through. One crosses the Bhima, Krishna and Tungabhadra Rivers and Kudalsangama is a best place to see the mighty Krishna after its confluence with the Ghataprabha and Malprabha rivers.

A strange observation at Virupaksha… When visitors offer money
to the temple elephant, he ‘blesses’ them with his trunk by placing it on their heads . Yet I saw him
‘refuse’ to do so for a foreign visitor… The mahout returned the coin the lady visitor had offered but I still cannot understand the reason for this denial..

The rock carvings at all these sites are
stunning not only for their intricacy, beauty and symmetry but also as
to how the artisans must have worked back then without the help of the
so-called indispensable modern gadgets. The inverted shadow image of the
main gopuram at Virupaksha temple, Hampi seen in a dark chamber about
200m away as the light streams in from a hole in the wall. The Badami
cave temples have been carved from the top downwards and some free
standing ones were carved from down upwards much as we now build our
buildings. The walls here have carvings that record work of the
artisans who created these magnificent structures. Frescos painted with
natural dyes have stood the test of hundreds of years. The three rows of carved rock channels outside the Navrang mandap in the Vitthala Temple, Hampi was designed to cool its interiors by the water that trickled down. The musical
columns at this site are amazing not only for their artistic
creativity but the scientific thought put in to recreate musical sounds
from solid rocks. Ditto for the water channels at Pushkarni, Hampi.

Badami is also home to monkeys and their presence almost amounts to a menace as they steal food out of our hands or snatch bags, bottles expecting them to contain food. Do not carry plastic bags, plastic bottles when at the Badami cave temples. Ditto at Virupaksha temple at Hampi.

I cannot end this post without mentioning the trees that I identified…
The Vitthala temple, Hampi has a supposedly 160 year old Chafa
(Plumeria) tree (still blooming). The Virupaksha temple has a couple of
Kailaspati trees in its premises and there are two huge Kadamb trees
outside the Mahakuta. The Ibrahim Rauza had massive Thespesia in its
beautiful lawns- much bigger than any I have seen around Pune. These were common around Bijapur but less so in the other towns mentioned here. I noticed the occasional Shirish but Maharukh was commoner around Hospet and Hubli. Sag (Tectona grandis) grew rampantly everywhere in fact, there were what seemed liked dedicated plantations at some sites. The landscaped gardens have some beautiful trees (Sawar, Sterculia foetida, Chandan etc). The
Badami cave temple complex has some lovely trees growing on the rocks –
an effect that we as bonsai enthusiasts struggle to achieve.

When visiting these sites make sure to wear strong, comfortable walking shoes. Carry your cap and sunglasses, sunscreen and drinking water. Its a good idea to take services of a local guide as they have an uncanny knack of bringing these silent stones alive. There is lot of walking involved plus climbing up and down often irregular and long flights of stairs. Keeping some analgesic creams for your joints may be a good idea!

Concerned authorities have worked hard to preserve our heritage. The sites are extremely clean, well maintained and surrounding manicured gardens add to their beauty. By visiting them we can reconnect with history and really know this incredible country of ours.

Happy Travelling!
Archana

12/11/201221/07/2020

Stay young at heart

Its that time of the year again, the summer is over and winter is just making its presence felt….
The slight nip in the early morning air (in Pune) is fast dispelled as the sun rises makes its way up over the horizon… The markets are blazing with colour – from flowers, lanterns (आकाश कंदील ), blinking coloured lights.. just to name a few.
Its Divali and time to feast and enjoy.

Take a break from your regular routine and indulge yourself in things you otherwise stay away from.. yes it includes gorging on sweets.. Thats the point of regular year round exercise…
🙂

And what is Divali without fireworks and Rangoli? While there are several very strong reasons not to almost literally ‘burn’ away money on firecrackers, some may like to enjoy a few phuljhadi’s…
What I am really trying to say is that its time to let your hair down, enjoy little pleasures …
Keep alive the child inside you..

Happy Divali!!
May the festival of lights bring another year of joy, fulfilled dreams, good health and success!!
Cheers!
Archana

05/10/201221/07/2020

Air Force Day

08 October is celebrated as Air Force Day each year. Now as civilians we look upon with pride our tenure in service, never for a moment regretting our life therein or complaining about hardships we had to face (alright, we did crib occasionally) but remembering only the wonderful people who we were fortunate and privileged to have been with.

We lived without many so-called “city comforts”, learnt to innovate with what we had, found ‘new’ uses for the same old things (fashionably called ‘thinking out of the box’ but a ‘box’ a.k.a trunk, was our treasured possession vital to transport our wordly belongings in our normadic existance), adopted a “live-and-let -live policy” with flying frogs, snakes, scorpions, monkeys and so on (our homes had a common habitat with theirs) and hopefully instilled the same never-say-die spirit in our children as well.

What we did have around us were strong, eternally optimistic, fearless soldiers who put their country and mission before their lives, who saw the lighter side of life in every situation and made a sure fire impression on every person they interacted with! We met wonderful people and developed friendships that survived several postings and learnt to stoically accept when Fate took away anyone from what was our extended family.
Life must go on, Impermanence is the very essence of Life…

Here is a recap from a couple of my older posts…

…. We had lived in dilapidated ‘bashas’, read freshly delivered 2-day old newspapers, stayed connected via trunk calls then STD PCOs, accepted snakes, leeches and scorpions….

We lived in clean fresh air, our kids had plenty of space to play… The friends we made are for life. The lessons we learnt still stand by us. The skills we gained come in handy even today in the urban jungle that is now our home….

All the very best to the Indian Air Force.
Happy Landings to all the men in blue.
Archana

02/10/201221/07/2020

Eco Friendly Ganesh Idols

While there is general increase in ‘green’ activists their voices are most markedly heard prior to and during Ganesh Utsav- especially in Pune. The reason obviously is that the idols (usually made of ‘shadu‘ – river mud) and the nirmalya (flowers and other offerings made to the God) have to be immersed in water. Though Pune is proud to have not one but two rivers that flow through it, they have dams built upstream to provide water for the burgeoning city and irrigation. Hence the rivers usually are a little better than a trickle of murky stinking water or at times covered with Hyacinth. The authorities usually let off extra water into the river from the dam at the time of Ganesh Visarjan.

People are urged to avoid idols made of plaster of Paris, instead use idols made of shadu that are supposed to dissolve easily once immersed. There are workshops galore wherein people make and then worship their own shadu idol. On Visarjan day, the authorities and activists urge people to immerse idols in specially erected ponds/tanks so as to protect the river.

Yet I am not sure that only using shadu idols is sufficient to overcome the challenges. Even if the idols do dissolve as they are meant to, who manages
the piles of shadu that now collect in these ponds and how? Can our river take this additional load? The PMC is already struggling to deal with garbage generated by the city.
Is there any other
option?

This Times of India article mentions that 14516 idols were immersed in artificial ponds on the final day at 14 spots in Pune alone and the SWaCH has collected 90 tonnes of nirmalya. I am not sure if these figures include immersions made on the prior days and those actually put into the river. Yet the figure seems miniscule considering Pune’s population of several lakhs. The nirmalya can be composted but what about the idols? This is an extremely disturbing article in the Pune Mirror that describes how idols were thrown into the river from the ponds under cover of darkness.

While the scriptures mandate an idol made out of mud, the current conditions force one to think. Is there any way in which individuals can take care of their idols from home itself after the Uttar Pooja instead of depending on the local authorities?

Pune, Ganapati immersion, Eco friendly Ganapati

Here are a few ideas and I have provided links to published articles where ever possible:

Immerse the shadu idol at home itself in a bucket. Once dissolved, the mud can be gradually added to plant pots at home.
Use an idol made of Alum that will purify the water as it dissolves. Mr Ramesh Kher from
Pune thought about making an idol out of alum which was sculpted by artist Vinod Kamble. What a wonderful idea!! Read
about it here – published in Jagran City Plus.
Use an idol made out of metal (silver or panch-dhatu). A symbolic immersion can be done at home and the idol reused the next year. I am not sure if this is acceptable under the religious texts but some people are known to do so.
Fashion an idol out of grains. They can possibly be later consumed as Prasad. Other food products can be used as well. Read this article in Times of India. It describes many other types of innovative Ganesh murti. One that struck me most was drawn on a wall and washed off with coconut water.

Any more ideas?
Pessimists may well ask if one family (one idol) can make any difference at all. But surely every bit counts and the success of this effort can inspire others…
Think about it..
Archana

25/09/201221/07/2020

Ganesh Utsav in Pune

Pune is widely known for its Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav and for various reasons we had preferred to watch them on TV or read about them in Sakal. This year we finally made it to the streets (albeit with tons of doubt- do we, should we go into the crowds etc etc) and here is a photostory of what we saw. It was a wonderful experience.
Before that, let me answer some FAQs, doubts that many of us may have, want to ask but dont know whom to ask. Obviously the answers are based on our experiences. Do take a decision based on whatever your particular circumstances.
So here goes:

Does the darshan involve lot of walking: YES. go prepared with sturdy shoes.
Which route do we take: Well, some homework will really help you get the most of your trip. The Sakal dated 23 September 2012 has a map depicting locations of different dekhave. Depending on your planned visit time and vehicle, you can choose to begin at Kasba Ganapati and end any where in Tilak Road. If you prefer to walk, then you may be able to cover fewer Pandals. If you are on a two-wheeler then do remember that certain roads are closed for all vehicles and you may have to park it some where and take bus number 11 (no prizes for guessing which is this one).Four wheelers are best left at home and three wheelers (ricksha’s) are difficult to find….

Pune, Ganapati, festival, ganesh utsav, pune

Map from Sakal to help you plot your route

What do we take along: Drinking water, cap/umbrella depending on the weather, cash (to buy some the irresistable toys on sale-some shown in the photos that follow), Cell phone, medicines as required (headache) etc. Keep your bag as light as possible.
What about crowds? Well, it IS a public celebration of the highest order so people (and LOTS of them) are a given. But we were not too troubled by them. Some roads are one-way walking plazas especially at peak rush hours. People are from all walks of life, young and old all out for a wonderful experience. TIP: Visit the pandals on days before the Gauri visarjan when crowds are smaller. The electric decorations are best seen at night (Eureka!) but visitng just around sunset means lesser people.
What about Cleanliness? Contrary to our expectations, the roads we visited were clean. No piles of garbage, no peculiar odours and no beggars. Ofcourse there was no rain on the day of our visit, which may have helped.
What about Safety? We saw several only women groups, ladies with children and daughters all out to enjoy themselves. Personally at no point did we (as women) encounter the so called ‘eve teasing’. There are plenty of police who are very helpful. However its a good idea to leave your jewellry, wallet etc behind and carry only bare minimum cash.Take whatever other precautions necessary when moving in a huge crowd.
Any spots to Rest: Sadly the answer is no. There is no place you can rest your tired soles but if you are lucky enough you may find a tea stall that has some chairs. Grap a cuppa to revive both the sole and soul! This year, reports say that some public temporary toilets have been installed and to be fair we did spot a couple near Mandai. However there are no reports about their state of cleanliness.
Is there anything to eat? Yes, lots of typical Puneri street food. Vada pav, Pav bhaji, Bhel stalls are aplenty. Packaged water was available as well. There was the occasional stall selling ukadiche modak. If you make a trip during the day time, some popular eateries may be open, which makes it a good opportunity to eat their delicacies.
Anything to Buy? Retail therapists may find a different range of wares to choose from. Hawkers sell a vast variety of toys, trinkets, balloons, bubble blowers that are great fun. We particularly loved the battery powered ‘horns’. Are great to spot your companions in a crowd! Lots of Lotus, Durva, coconuts etc- stuff that is typically offered to Ganapati.

The following slide show has some captions that describe the ‘what and where’ of each image. I hope you can view those easily.

There are still a few days before Anant Chaturdashi- the day for Ganesh Visarjan. We travel outside India to enjoy festivals of different countries. We need to explore, enjoy and experience whats happening in our cities first.
Go ahead!
Archana

31/08/201221/07/2020

Bark of the matter

The Bentham and Hooker system classifies plants based on the structure of their flowers. In the field, there are several tips whereby its possible to study the flower and identify the Family that the plant belongs to. More ‘homework’ may be required to pinpoint the name.
However problems arise when faced with an unknown tree which is not in bloom as then identification becomes difficult.
Some plants have distinctive leaves and some have peculiar trunks/barks which makes them easy to identify or helps you shortlist some names even if you don’t see their flowers. e.g. Arjun, Gorakh chincha…
While this sounds easy, believe me, its not. I know of Botanists who end up confused when faced with a young specimen or need to carry twigs, leaves back from the wild to civilisation to refer to their journals, Google Baba, herbariums etc for a precise name.

This post is dedicated to amazing tree trunks that I have seen over the last year or so. These are just a few out of zillions. Its not meant to be a lesson in botany– far from it. Its just a weak attempt at capturing the wonders in Mother Nature…
Enjoy…
Archana


The matti tree- The water maker. When the top layer is cut, water surges out almost as if from a pipe. This water can be consumed.

Elephants scrape off the bark of the Matti tree to get water

Orange coloured bark of Silver Oak inside coffee estates in Coorg, India. They seem to be up to five-six storey high…

A supposedly 20 million year tree fossil in Lalbaugh, Bangalore

Ficus nervosa a.k.a Loth A person can easily stand inside the gap seen above.

The creeper Entada has a convoluted, grotesque looking trunk

Raktakanchan- red sap from its bark

Bursera – its bark has a very fragrant oily discharge

Coffee trees have crooked knobly stems and the trees can live for over 100 years

Bark of Undi- Calophyllum inophyllum

Strangler vines inside Dubare reserve forest

Rough bark of Prosopis elengi (Shami)- grows easily in Rajasthan

Salai (Boswellia serrata). Its bark peels off as papery whitish layers and a green layer can be seen underneath. Several trees on Vetal tekdi, Pune usually found growing near Moi (Lannea coromandelica)

Massive bamboos- up to six stories high- die after flowering

28/08/201221/07/2020

Floral Feast

The last few weeks have taken me away from my workdesk which explains the long interval from my last post. I came across several beautiful plants, trees and flowers during my journeys making me wonder if I should contemplate another work change!!
I am not a shutterbug but these images do capture their amazing colours and shapes.
Here are some of the beauties for you. I could identify some, some are for you to identify…
A feast for your eyes!

(Tip: you can click on any one image to watch a slide show- however the captions may not be visible there)

Hazari mogra