Clean Environment and Covid 19

Unity is what Covid 19 taught us or forced us to do so today, but the difference here’s we all have to distance ourselves to stay together in the process of defending from the infectious virus. What this unity proves is that if we decided to stand together we can bring change over anything. Though positivity in Covid is worrisome and life threatening but there’s lot of positivity the togetherness we created by staying at home in influence of lockdown. Air, an essential element of nature, and the life source of every living species, have drastically changed over this period of lockdown since the transportation and industries come to a halt, it gives a great sigh of relief and desires to sustain in this flow.  In Chennai the air quality index has come low as ever and Adyar, where I live is below 8 (of April 29, 16:00) which regularly count 60+ before.

Same as air, the water bodies and rivers too refined without the flow of industrial waste and abuse of human. Prime Minister Modi in his election campaign promised to clean the Ganges River, which become dirtier in the long run of effluent against its state of sanctity, but before he initiate or think about it corona did it on his behalf.  People in belief of overcoming their sins, take bath in Ganges and leave their belongings into the river to become a mess and threat to lives depend on the flow of river. While Covid 19 troubles people and kills many simultaneously, it also silently cleanse the environment by holding us at home, even though it’s uncertain that the recovering of the hole in ozone layer is due to the lessening of pollution levels across the globe in last few months of lockdown, it was a great news and cheerful moment for environmental activists who work on this front.

Like how in sedimentation, the solid matters settles at the bottom of the liquid in lack of motion, the lesser amount of activities on earth helped the environment to resettle things that affects nature and health. I don’t think there could be a better moment like this to look back into the future we come across destructing anything that could be possible to improve our lives and livelihoods, taking nature, the only tool in hand. Now, all taking break at home, and fighting back the Covid 19, nature took this chance to restore the environment to its pristine or close to former conditions. Animals and birds too started to trace back their roots we uprooted to develop our lives or began visiting their ancestor’s homes we destroyed to build our own.

Lately, I was amazed to see a bird picture in Instagram, captured by someone in the neighbourhood and it was the same bird species I found in Kodaikanal. The interesting thing was it was a migratory bird from Himalayas and it flew down to southern states during winter and now I found Chennai has been a stopping ground on its course up and down! Though we know we’re paying a massive price to restore the earth and of course, it isn’t the way we anticipated or wished for things to change on earth, but preserving this state of cleanliness is must when we return to new normal lifestyle. I know it is not possible to quite sustain in this state of clean environment when life kick-starts again and industries open their shutters but creating a balance between environment and livelihood could make better our lifestyle. 

Hope all stay safe

Life changing Covid 19 - 30 days into lockdown

I think the real challenges wait for us only when the lockdown is relaxed, because, so far, almost, I personally feel secure during this lockdown period even though I wasn't content with the indifference in people I connected. People talk about the difficulties of daily labourers, who survive on daily wages, forgetting their own lack of contribution in social distancing and wearing masks which is what going to improve the situation and help the poorer, quicker to get back to their livelihoods.  I don’t think we all could get back to our previous life exactly, because the Covid 19 had almost turned down or blocked the way life progressed as we exposed to rise in transmission of virus, we’re forced to stay home to stay safe and take precaution measures to prevent spreading of virus.

Social distancing comes natural to these ladies... walking back to their houses carrying firewood on their heads, after picking it up in forest near Kukkal in Kodaikanal. Image shot last year during a holiday in mountains.

We have almost used to this custom of lockdown in last 30 days of implement, throughout India, though some continue to act like breaking down the lockdown, three-quarter of people supports the system to hunt down the virus completely. Though we all know this virus is not easily destructive and it could continue to popup anytime into the future unless a vaccine is found, social distancing and masking would become a trend and necessity in our daily life. We, now, have enough time to think about the future and how to adapt to a new lifestyle we supposed to take over once the lockdown is relaxed and the preventive measures to take despite whatever the work we do further.

Lockdown or Curfew is very new to most of us but we have heard this word in news and movies and Jammu & Kashmir, the northern state of India, frequently go through this in order to control terrorism and protests and some districts in south Tamil Nadu had faced the curfew due to certain issues. Now, the entire country, and most of the countries in world imposed lockdown clearly to bring down the number of covid 19 cases and to break the chain of spreading virus and this is the only way WHO prescribed to the world, following the success of China. The earth and the air is pollution free now, but we’re forced to wear mask! See how miserable man on earth, he could not enjoy two things at a same and need to sacrifice something to get another.

Silence Speaks Louder

Captured from one of my trips to mountains, staying at uncle's woodhouse in  kodaikanal

The world speaks in silence

Desert as ever before

Soundlessness is strange

Yet it is not so quiet,  

Tiny noises make sense

And annoys as well

Diverts the attention of anything

That I try to concentrate,  

Screeches and screams are loud

Perhaps we used to noises

That sustained to a level of decibel

Now, incredible low, due to lockdown

Silence reinstitutes the natural syllabus

In wind prose and bird poems,  

While the most dangerousness stays at home

The endangered are out

To give voice to their lost chord

Or shriek in restoring its space

As if they got their (last) chance

To speak, when world is mute.

Activities against Covid 19

Our state government is doing their best in preventing the spreading of coronavirus and we’re still in stage 2 and stage 3 isn’t that far, but still govt. working to sustain in current stage.  In Chennai, the corporation has hired people to conduct survive on door-to-door basis to identify those vulnerable to Covid 19 and yesterday a couple of men enquired us and we informed them and specifically mentioned about my condition (a muscular dystrophy patient and a wheelchair bound with less resistant power) so that in case anything it would be easier. Govt. had informed a rapid test would be conducted on everyone from April 10, by taking blood samples to detect certain antibodies that react with the Covid 19 protein. Today we had our disinfectant splashed through the fire engine on the exterior of all the houses and shops in our street to prevent covid 19. Already the roadsides are sprayed with disinfectant using jetting machine, the fire engine reached up to 3 stories.  

Chennai with a population of 8 million have 150+ covid 19 positive cases, including 4 in my zone (Adyar), is the maximum in the state that continue to top second in the country. The groceries and vegetable shopping time is too limited between 6am to 1pm to restrain the activities of public that often hit the roads, lying going for grocery. Surprisingly the weather turned wonderful this evening with sudden rush of storm clouds and wind, chilled down the day warm, but I wonder will this mild showering would wipe off the disinfectant splashed on the houses. With each passing day, the covid cases were only on rise so it’s sure the lockdown that announced till April 14^th will be extended to few more weeks. Being stay home is something very difficult to many, but I see people got used to this difference and understand the situation better than earlier, bring hope the success against the covid 19 isn't far away.

Stay home, Stay safe

10 Days Into Lockdown

Being a homebound, the Lockdown doesn’t make great difference in my life except that I didn’t went out for evening walks for last few weeks and I do things at leisure than before.  Usually dad used to go out for shopping vegetables (at marker) and groceries (at departmental stores) and he don’t do it daily so there isn’t a great difference here as well. And we have a retail grocery shop next to our house, where vegetables are also sold in the morning so we buy the most from this shop and only dad goes for a brief walk at the empty streets in evening as he found his blood sugar level had risen to result in mild difficulty in breathing as he stopped going walking after the execution of lockdown. He used to go for a walk on terrace but the little space wasn’t effective and being a stent patient he need to keep down the glucose level to avoid complications.

My brother’s fitness centre (gym) was closed from March 16^th and he too was at home since then and hasn’t gone out rather couple of time. So we were almost home staying and it wasn’t difficult anyway except for mom who has to do the household chores herself as the house maid is unable to visit due of lack of public transportation, my aunt aid her somewhat.  I really feel sorry for many a people who still unaware about the basic precautions of corona and are highly vulnerable to caught with infection. I see more people moving into the streets with no reasons and it looks the curfew actually come into force only after 2.30pm when all shops are closed really. Govt. is taking much needed action, even though we anticipate more, and more testing, the people’s response is disappointing and minutes ago too I see three boys taking pillion ride on bike. What kind of consciousness we create has become a question. Television media, newspapers, social networks are all busy spreading the need and not things of covid 19, but still this kind of indifference, ignorance and forgetfulness are all painful and scary to see and feel.

Official report says there isn’t a community spreading of corona in India, but I think we aren’t far away from a situation that could worsen us. The causes of covid 19 continue to rise in India and we have crossed 3k people confirmed with Coronavirus of 229 recovered and 86 confirmed death. Our state is in 2^nd place with number of corona sufferers. Though we continue to quote stay home, I see the social distancing is something people fails to follow or give a thought in practice. I wonder do people wash their kerchiefs daily, the piece of cloth what many tie on their faces in India, instead of surgical mask, to prevent virus. And how careful people are when washing their hands? We are staying in home but seeing people in groups or crowding our street (there’s a chicken shop two houses away from us is crowdie in morning hours) looks bit scary and likely infectious.

That’s all for now! Stay home, stay safe and hope the situation turns better for all-over the world.  Let’s wish for peace and quick recovery of people from covid 19.

Nature Heal Its Own

View outside the home... something sure to unchanged for sometime
or at least till April 14.

Nature volume increased 

As artificial noises decreased
The days become quiet
As well the afternoons are blissful,
Eventides turned pleasure
As birds sings in chorus
The days turned out beautiful
As well as sunny, expose
Nature at its fine light and shadows.
The nature would heal its own
If not man continue to dig its wound
Nature forced us in from of Covid 19
To take a backseat at home
To see how nature tackle its own
What world stumbles to reset!

Take care all 

Conquer Corona

Prime Minister Modi has called for a 14 hour curfew, all over India on March 22nd to bring down the spreading of deadly coronavirus - COVID-19!  He insists for self-restraint rather than using forces to restraint. For those wonder why this 14 hours curfew and what changes would this bring in? Researches around the world have estimated that the life expectancy of the virus is 12 hours. Our curfew will be held on Sunday from 7am to 9pm, i.e. if we wait 14 hours, the germ that can live for 12 hours in public places will be destroyed in the meantime.

Then when the curfew is relaxed and next day when we go to the public places, will find those germ-free. This procedure is followed in other countries, where they have sought help from the military to confirm the curfew and those who violate this would be arrested or fined. So let us accept our Prime Minister's loving plea and support the government in a democratic way and uphold our nation's prosperity and well-being…Stay home, Save the Nation. Jai Hind

Protect from Corona

Corona, the crown of virus, is threatening the world like anything done before. This invisible to eyes, virus, has shaken the masses of all despite however strong the countries are. No one anticipated the virus would spread at this vast but India being the second largest population country in the world had drastic control over the virus. Like any other countries the virus entered India through passengers landing from foreign countries, though the number of affected has rose to 150 now the awareness among people to hands clean had greatly turned down the spreading of virus and shutting down on places wherever people gather  should help prevent further and downstream the virus. Though the media creates lot of hype and make news’s to panic people, the widespread knowledge shared on corona is quite dynamic.

Tamils is a community where hands and legs washed is practiced on daily basis whenever someone enter the home from outside but this culture was forgotten in the urbanisation and city life where people live on apartments the most, we can’t expect this to continue  as water is not available always outside the home. Now, this corona has created an opportunity to retrace this practice and make realize people the importance of hand washing and schools in particular insisted this in kids/students which became obvious when one my nephew (age 5) rushed to washbasin when we offered him something to eat when he visited us. Still I feel not many people are fully conscious about this spread of virus and are indifference thinking it won’t affect us as the number the victims are less compared to many developed countries, but I can’t image what a similar situation could India face if the virus spread seriously.

Though the economy of the country going to hit hard due to block of trade and entertainment but in a state of life-and-death we can’t think better and it is all in our hands and limiting our activities is the only way to enhance the downgrade of the virus. Let’s stay home and watch things settle for good as we have nothing to do to stop it immediate or bring remedy, let stick to the adage  ‘prevention is better than cure’ and all work towards that.

Natural Beehive

Honey Bees have built a natural beehive in the Indian tulip tree opposite our house. Popularly known as Portia tree or Pacific rosewood, a flowering tree from mallow family, continue to bloom throughout the year but shows great blossoms in warm weather should inspired the honey bees to build their hive.

The beehive shot here was from early monsoon in Nov and the beehive disappeared later and I thought the rain and winter cold should have washed away. But again in February the honey bees started to build the hive and its bigger now than what you see in these photos. I couldn’t capture it now as the density of leaves have hid the beehive

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Summer Breeze is Back

The summer breeze is back;
A favourite time of the year
Is here, and it embrace me;
The tender cool invisible wind
Inspires to take a break, to breathe
A refreshing sort of wind
Caressed me to goose bump.
While the sun shines bright
The simple cool sea breeze
Is a pleasure, immeasurable by levels;
Hold back lot in memories
I cherish solely sitting in the living room.
The trees shoot leaves outside
Brought spring in the air
Doubles the delight of summer
That ever leased alone to warm up.

Visit to Amirthi Zoological Park, near Vellor

Two weeks before, I visited the Amirthi Zoological Park in the vicinity of Amirthi forest on the foot of Jawadhu Hills, near Vellore.  Though the zoological park comes under Tiruvannamalai district, the Vellore city is closer by 25 kms.  I was planning to visit the park for last few years, and when I made a visit to Balamathi Hills, adjacent to Vellore city in Feb 2018, I couldn’t make up to the park due to lack of time and I too did not want the visit to be a hurried one.

I learned the zoological park is accessible by wheelchairs and visiting a park in the forest environment could never miss out of my pocket, because I’m someone always enjoy visiting forest and stay close to nature. We started the trip from home (Chennai) at 8am and get there by 12.30 pm, meanwhile stopping the car for breakfast and buying lunch (biryani) at Arcot, and the route from there was scenic and beautiful as it took us through mountains and countryside scenes.

'The Arcot – Kannamangalam is the best and shortest route to reach Amirthi for people coming from Chennai; and Arcot is the right place to buy food stuffs because there's nothing available at Amirthi, even though there’s a canteen run by the forest department, outside the zoological park, we could not expect anything surely. They don’t allow carrying foods inside the park, so we had our lunch at the parking lot and there are slabs to sit around the trees to have lunch but there’s lot of monkeys and stray dogs to cause fear.

Indian pond turtles

Amirthi is a small zoological park, developed on 25 hectares of forest land, which covers 25 km of forest, made as a wildlife sanctuary and tourist spot the other half. The park opened in 1967 has minimum number of animals and birds and during my visit I found many empty cages to make me disappoint.  The zoological park seemed to be renovated lately or the works haven't finished yet, as many cages left with a note of under repair; the park is well paved to reach every corner of the park without difficult and it helps to take closer looks at animals and birds in cage. 

Python relaxing at its room

I saw Indian pond turtles inside a glass tank and Golden fox in a den like setting, roaming alone sadly.  There’s a section for snakes with a series of glass rooms but only a python and Russell’s viper is available to see, while other rooms are empty. I saw a sign board at the park, warning people on snakes since the park is located in the vicinity of forest snakes are supposed to wander freely on the campus.  Mongooses are enclosed in a room next to snakes and porcupines in another small cage, peacocks, pelicans and herons are put in subsequence cages.

Golden Fox (see on the right) in its cage

 Pelicans and herons

There are many colourful images of animals, birds and reptiles painted on the walls inside and outside of the park captured our attention. The park, established in a forest land makes feel its presence though the number of trees that exist from the forest environment had made a natural canopy throughout the park to make feel always cool and shady. Amirthi zoological park could be a best picnic place for family and friends to spend a day on natural environment and shadows, apart watching animals.

Amirthi is a very small zoo where you could not expect more; even the children’s park in Chennai has more animals to attract visitors. Apart the park, there’s a seasonal waterfalls about a km from here which had to be reached by trekking. The best time to visit the park is from September to February to make use of more greenery and to enjoy the waterfalls and river run beside the park, but even on midsummer you won’t be feel the weather once entered the forest environment.

I really enjoyed the place despite being a Sunday; there weren’t much people around the park and only at the time of leaving found a bus full of school kids having lunch at the parking lot. Staffs at the park were kind to inquire about my convenient there, and was I able to go everywhere? The only thing that bothers me was to see fewer animals than expected. Though I don’t like seeing birds or animals in enclosed cages while they have wing to fly and legs to run… I’m at least happy to see them because even if we go to forest seeing them is doubt. 

I took many photos and I can't post all at a time here... so my future posts will carry those.

கடத்து காற்றே / Hijack wind

The image captured at Kurangani, near Theni
and it is a highly windy area.

காற்றே, என்னை கடத்தி செல்
உதிரும் இலை போல்
திசை தெரியா என்னை
அழைத்து செல்.
விண்வெளிக்கோ, இல்லை
சவ குழிக்கோ.
சமவெளி கடந்து
பள்ளத்தாக்கில் உருண்டு
மலை முகடுகளை  முகர்ந்து
அருவியில் விழுந்து 
கடத்தி செல்
காற்றே, எல்லை கடந்து.

----------------- --------------------

Wind, hijack me

Like a deciduous leaf

I do not know the direction  

Take me.

Either to space, or

To grave;  

Across plains

Rolling down the valley

Sniffing the mountain ridges

Falling in the waterfall

Hijack, wind

Across the border!

Summer Spy

The sun shines as bright 

As winter shields are removed; 

Bare the sky, fall sunlight 

On anything apparent on earth.

The sun supervises, for 

A perfect timing of spring/summer 

And leaves, being fragile 

Fall prey easily to sun’s radiant.

The sun splashed its colour 

Of yellow, on leaves that were green 

As ripe falls to ground; the earth

Becomes a yellow carpet to walk.

The sun changes its path 

A journey from south to north

Emit great radiant, to dry leaves 

Crushed later underfoot.   

TELC Jubilee Church (aka German Church), Kodaikanal

Every time I decide to travel, even if the destination was same, I do some research for any new places to see because I think only if there’s a search for something a travel would be interesting.  And old is something always fascinate me and top my list of places to see, more than anything newly constructed. If you’re a follower of my blog, would know Kodaikanal is a beautiful place where I had yearly vacation in last several years and have covered overall places, but still my search of places haven’t end or doesn’t seem to. And one such place I visited in recent times was the century old TELC Jubilee Church.

Kodaikanal has many historic places esp. churches that are more than 100 years old, built during British regime and TELC (Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church) is a cute little church with unique architecture that really made me wonder have I seen anything similar in construction. It has a cylindrical bell tower to capture our attendance at glance and constructed in granite stones, the church still looks amazing in its original structure and features. As it located on a small hill mound, one need to climb the rock stairs to reach the door front, opening a small wooden gate at the entrance what resisted me further going up close to church.

We visited the church in evening after going through another historical church (which I would write about later) and the weather was pleasant with mild sunshine as we went in search of the church. It took us sometime to find the church as many unknown about it when enquired at the locality and Google maps did wrong locating as well; the church hide away like a treasure in a patch of woods cover above the upper lake road in Pambarpuram area of Kodaikanal. My parents, grandma and bro went up to the church, to capture some photos on my behalf and they were invited by someone in charge, took them around and explained about the church.

Dad, mom and grandma posed in front of church

The church was founded in 1906, by the Germans and the Swedes who emigrated over a century ago in Pambarpuram area of Kodaikanal and the church practiced worship in four languages: German, Swedish, English and Tamil, from the following year. In 1919, the Tamil congregation of different German, Danish, and Swedish Lutheran missions joined together to form the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC). And following the independence of India, in 1947, the Germans and the Swedes agreed to the self-administer of the church by Tamil people and later on to till date the worship is conducted in Tamil by designated priest.  

What I think special about the church was its architecture of German and Sweden, though I have any idea of its architectural style, its unchanged look of ancient beholds. The church still holds the sacred objects leftover by the Germans and the bell outside the church is also a German established in year 1923, and the name of the church is engraved on the bell in Tamil. The sound of bell is heard up to 2 km in radius. I find the entire atmosphere of the church is quiet and being evening, the birds’ noise was pleasant as natural prayers.  TELC Jubilee Church is a different aspect of Kodaikanal, from the regular tourist places, but I hope the future won’t be the same.

Delight through Sunlight

It was a fresh morning just out of dews, wrapped in warm sunlight as we moved out of the woodhouse in mountains (of lower palani hills in Kodai) the sun was dazzling above the sky even before it was 8 am. It was a coldest night of December blanketed quite in mist, clouds and rain and a day and two night stay at the woodhouse wasn’t different from the mentioned above until we hit the road sparkled in  dazzling sunlight.

The trip to the woodhouse then was a short break from our drive to Munnar, and the weather was awesome at both the places contrary to the splendid sunshine we had on the morning when we moved out of the woodhouse. It was blissful getting into the sunlight from an experience of overcast and mist weather for a week, thanks to the Ockhi cyclone formed in the ocean then, though it created a great damage in southern India it treated us well with multiple waterfalls flowing down the mountains and adventurous drives through dense fog and forests.

Further down the hills on road, the ride became magical with many light and shadow moments waived in front, with sun filtered its energy rich rays through natural foliage. The rain soaked mountains, trees and roads all sparked in sunlight radiates joyful ride and this is something I always enjoy anytime we pick up a return journey in morning. The play with light and shadow continued all the way to foothill but it wasn’t a sunny day all the way to Chennai rather many surprises waited ahead what I could share with image later.

Linking this post with ShadowShot Sunday2 

At the end of the day

I felt chillness in wind
despite the warm sunlight
bestow, whatever under its glow;
the trees swish to wind
blew, the gloomy mood
while sky cleared the clouds
blue-sky isn’t a surprise.  

The sun’s ready to set
splashing its golden rays
to lavish, before it vanish;
the environment is greenish
thanks to eastern waves – MJO
for bringing faraway clouds
to help flourish our environs.

Rains took a break
or almost finished its course
though, the scores aren't fair
competing with other places;
it was refreshingly cool
and I could feel the cold in breeze
since winter isn't far.

Destruction of water sources and Madipakkam Lake visit

First time, drive through the Madipakkam, Pallikaranai (marshland) and Sholinganallur-Akkarai (the extended areas of south Chennai) road after 2015 flood and really fed up seeing how things changed around esp. multi-storeyed buildings on the places where some water bodies or marshes existed not long ago. I’m never against development but what kind of development or cost matters and destroying a water body or lake or marshes could never gift anything to society… everyone knows the importance of fresh water and preserving the ground table water could never compete with any other. The December 2015 had greatly flooded the entire areas mentioned above and countless were rescued through boats and uplifted by helicopters, as well food dropped from same and the main reason for submerge of houses up to first floor were because of  the construction on lakes and marshes. I had seen the transformation of these places from marsh grasslands to concrete grounds and had felt sad many a time how the water sources had turned to concrete blocks. It’s apparent that without government approval these are impossible… corruption, improper planning had made an unbalanced development and whatever reason we built in front us to justify, the nature rules out quite.

The Sunday outing had been disappointing seeing the disappearance of water bodies to concrete blocks and building and the only console was to see couple of lakes being dredged and waiting for the freshwater (though i doubt) from the upcoming monsoon. I stopped at the Madipakkam Lake view road for some time, and while having a coffee, I could see people relaxing in benches and taking walks on the paved public walk along the road and the lake. On the other side or east bank of the lake have rows of palms trees, which is a common sighting around the lakes in Tamil Nadu once, as these trees helps preserve ground water near and around lakes even during dry seasons.  The Madipakkam Lake is also dry right now, where kids playing cricket but I wish it was maintained clean.

From there we went past the Pallikaranai marsh and it was another place to put me upset. The weather on Sunday was pleasant, and just coming out of a noon shower (rain),   I enjoyed a super cool ride through rolled down windows. But it wasn’t same nearing the Pallikaranai marsh on Radial road, and we’re forced to close the windows quickly as it smelt very unpleasant. The very reason for the bad smell was, the Chennai dumping yard is located at the heart of marshland and I was shocked to see how speedily the garbage dump is swallowing the shallow marsh that’s home to many species of aquatic, fishes and birds. I have seen flamingos and pelicans in large numbers during migration season (October-May) and I would say, still it’s a best place for bird watch and I could see couple of watch towers but I really wonder how could one watch birds there when even standing for a minute is hazard to health! The Sholinganallur-Akkarai road passes through Buckingham channel is another spot I had seen birds and it’s an open landscape adjoining the channel is another groundwater preserving area sliding into the same pit.

Pallikaranai marshland rapidly filled up by garbage dump, creating a great environmental destructive 

Interesting skywatch

The weather has been different, pleasant and cool these days in Chennai with pretty sunny day times and gloomy evenings mostly end up with mild showering to thunderstorm. Sky watching has become interesting pastime these days from different cloud patterns emerging across the sky and built up of massive clouds make wonderful evening show on the west sky, which sometime glows to orange to pinkish. These days mostly, altocumulus sky pattern is visible through the day and many a days with such pattern brings showering in the evening. Fish scales or altocumulus, is   groups of puffy clouds traveling on a humid morning can mean afternoon thunderstorms. I really enjoy this pattern of weather or a mixed pattern of sunshine and rain or overcast sky by the end of evening, where either it rains or not it’s welcomed.

Last night and early morning there was widespread rain across Chennai or almost part of north Tamil Nadu, with Thiruvallur district (to north of Chennai)  received best of almost 140 mm of rain, which is unusual for this month. The rain in evening is quite a disturbance to commuters, who were returning from office, but everyone understands the urgency of rain and rain is must as all reservoirs around Chennai are dry. Here I share few sky shots captured from this month.

The balcony and a step outside home, from where I frequently skywatch… on the left corner in the image is the adopted dog Jack, sleeping from a mat.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday and Good Fences by Gosia

Chameleon and Rain Tree

Perhaps it was afternoon when I casually came into the balcony; spot a chameleon taking nap on the branches of the Rain tree or Monkey pod (Albizia saman) grown opposite to our house on the roadside. The chameleon wasn’t taking nap quite but was on its usual slow pace push ups and I didn’t want to miss the chance, so quickly reached the camera and took few shots because the iPhone don’t zoom for that long.

Actually the Rain Tree was wrongly planted in our street or unaware of what tree was it when planted because there isn’t enough space for the widespread tree to grow in our street and the tree separated into two branches at few feet from the ground went growing wild in multiple directions to look distracting and blocking the wind. Though we managed to cut few branches of the tree sometime back it started too grown again to damage the look. Post winter the tree lost many of its thick pinnate leaves to leave ground yellow carpet but it hasn’t bloomed yet in white and pink.

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Ganesh Chaturthi at Home and Neighborhood

Home Ganesh

One of the prominent Indian festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated on Monday and we too had a piece of the event at home. Dad bought Ganesh clay idol from the temporary street shops selling the idols and other elements for the worship and by the end of the noon things came to conclude and we had lunch with dishes offered for the Ganesh. The day was celebrated in front of the television and by the evening the clay idol was left in a bucket of water – the usual way of dissolving the idol that we are following for more than a decade.

The clay idol left in a bucket of water to dissolve

The clay idols are designed to drop in rivers by the time where rivers are flooded following the rains, but the climate change or delay in rains had left rivers dry during this season forced people to look after lakes, ponds and sea. Many in the neighbourhood, including my cousin drove to the beach to drop their idols but we found this method (dissolve in bucket of water and use it later for trees/plants) comfort and eco-friendly. I always keep this upfront to encourage others to follow this easy and need of the hour… but we can’t force unless they wake up. In the evening there was a cart procession from the street end Ganesh temple but as soon they started the rain interrupt and delayed the procession and the time it come over our place I had dinner, so couldn’t take proper photos and the one at below comes from dad.

The cart procession shot from the balcony - actually there's two Ganesh Temples in our area and only one took to street on Ganesh Chaturthi (monday)  and the other temple cart is postponed to Sunday.