Exotic Flowers - bits and pieces

Kodakanal is not only a tourist destination or summer paradise; it’s a wonderful place to explore exotic as well wild beautiful flowers. Kodaikanal has one of the best climates to grow variety of flowing plants to blossom at vibrant colors, enriches the already fascinating atmosphere and gracefulness at exists. Many a time I had said Kodaikanal is one of my favorite place and among many a thing that cherish me at sense, flowers had been my enormous passion and desire to ahead there just like many other flourish my heart.

Even I feel sorry for the evergreen, mist and moisture environment being draw backed into a concrete jungle where only man could live other than any others. I still hold breathe though the remnants and hope left around the mountains in protection of nature and wildlife. Comeback to flowers, I had wonderful opportunities while staying there a good few times at different locations and each cottage or house has at least few flower plants to bloom at exotic and even the general flowers look enhance and more refreshing in vibrant colors.

The flower you see in the picture above is called 'Sweet William'. Doesn't it rely upon the essence? But there’s an interesting yet bad reputed  story behind the flower which bears a common English title, even it believed truly uncertain, Sweet William is often said to honor the 18^th century Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.  Prince William, the younger son of King George II is infamous for his generally brutal treatment on the enemies and his savage after the Battle of Culloden earned him the title Butcher Cumberland. It is also claimed that the Scots sometimes call the flower as Stinking Billy and to this day, there are many in Scotland who will not grow this plant in their gardens.

Also the English botanist John Gerard referred Sweet William, a member of the large Dianthus family in his garden catalogue of 1596, 150 years before Culloden. Sweet Williams are a hardy biennial flower that sown during mid-years, blooms in pretty colors of pink, white, red and purple.

The green flower you see in the photo below is called Sedum, a flowering plant from the family of Crassulaceae whose members are commonly known as stone-crops  The sedums are cultivated as garden plants, due to their interesting and attractive appearance. The various species of the plant differ in their requirements: some are cold-hardy but do not tolerate heat and some are quite opposite. The so pretty blue color delphinium on the photo down right is little harming to humans because of the presence of toxic in them. The plants commonly seen on high elevation areas significantly cause cattle poisoning on rangelands in western US.

My dear kingfisher

My Kingfisher collage
(click image for enlarge)

My dear kingfisher 

I meet you every day
and miss you equivalently
thus I or you on our own job.

We find either regularly
or sometime at our intervals
unlike the late morning wishes
we often exchange in silence.

I feel cheerful seeing you
appealing in robin blue
every time u come perch
the glorious gulmohar tree.

Opening the red beak
you sing a vibration song,
a distinct yet unique one
is my favorite mimics tone.

I attend your calls; sometime
dialed from far away bushes,
I feel your presence, whenever
I catch you in my mind voice.

You play a role in my life
that I could cherish anytime
and you’re my beautiful blue bird
I feel close to my heart.

Vehicle Safari @ Topslip

Wild sunset captured through windshield  

It was first time for me taking a wildlife safari into the forest and Topslip offers two kinds of safaris on two phases. One at morning and another at evening and other than the vehicle and elephant safaris, hiking is also offered at exploring the forest with a guide walks on. Since we reached Topslip at noon, we had enough time relaxing and I wandered around the area and conversation with a guide excites more and made anticipation at safari. There are two timings for evening safari and we booked the 5 pm van ride which is only possible for me even its tough or impossible without carried by two or three. Glad the support from guides and my cousin helped me take a seat inside the van (swaraj mazda) and behind the driver seat I got wonderful view on front and side windows. My cousin, who sits beside, took care of me though the rough driveways and the safari lasted for two hours, before halt for sometime at the elephant camp inside the forest.

A small traffic jam in jungle. One of the guides diving away a elephant (tamed) stood on the safari route.
He's the one I conversed during my afternoon stroll in Topslip

The elephant camp which is called Kolikamuthi is a place exclusively converted for elephants to keep trained and housed. There are elephants from juvenile to majestic old; stays at comfort and trained under the Malisar tribes who settled alongside the camp with families. The tribe belongs to the elephant handler’s caste are skilled in working with these Asian elephants. The camp which once allowed private vehicles to visit was banned and now the only way to visit was via the safari van or forest jeep. Even we had no opportunity encounter with wild animals during our safari, we are chanced to check the elephant camp to feeling better than disappointed a lot.

During the safari we found a tusker amid the wild, but before we touch engross a mahout’s head appeared atop draw backed the excitement and the elephant was grazing at the bunch of bamboos.  We also got to see Malabar giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur perch to a tree at far distance. Though we aren't fascinated by wild animals, the presence of nature throughout the course was awesome and adventures. Apart eyes were keen watching out the window and through windshield, the nose were inhaling the fresh breeze blowing on the face as I seated close to window. I sight an unusual sunset of glorious sun beams flashed between the woods. There was a beep sound accompanied throughout the course inside the van and a young guide kept hanging on the footstep whose job was to describe or identify any species found on the way.

A mahout driving a tusker in wild;

(right) Elephants at Kolikamuthi Elephant Camp. 

The safari comes to the conclusion about 7 pm with enough twilight left behind. I was able to see a bunch of deer on the grassland while returning on power wheelchair to the lodge after being shifted from van and once again the guides were helpful carry me out. Since we brought our pet along with us to Topslip, mom and bro couldn't join the safari as pets are not allowed inside the forest they stayed at room. We are glad at least the forest officers were favor to allow the pet to stay along with us with a condition of not bringing it outside. Because dogs are the favorite prey of leopards, the officers fear the animal might come sniffing the dog smell. Even at night we made sure, the dog doesn't make noise. It was really a terrific night yet exciting a lot with thoughts about staying amid wild and scare of leopards.

The scenic driveway into the wild (the safari track) 

[To be continued…] 

Out of Africa

Only few films leaves impression at heart and Out of Africa is one of the kinds. The beautiful yet romantic drama is staged through the African landscapes, works on the script loosely adopted from the autobiographical book Out of Africa written by Isak Dinesen, which published in year 1937. Meryl Steep plays the brave women of pseudonym (Karen Blixen) flawlessly expressing the love and disappointment elegantly, flapped wings like an angel throughout the film.

The story drives back in 1913 at Denmark’s cold winter hunting ground chugs into the vast wild Africa, Karen travels in plan of starting a dairy farm in British East Africa (now Kenya) with boyfriend Blixen, who she marries following a brief ceremony. But her anticipations went distressed when her money misused to purchase a coffee plantation rather a dairy farm; she lost faith with husband later learning his extramarital affairs and lead her contract with disease. She also develops a close friendship with a local big-game hunter(Robert Redford) which later turned into love affair, moved her close with him and they go for hunting and camping in forest together. But their differences on material affairs kept them away from marry and financially lose drive her back to Denmark writing her experience on Africa.

The film also touched by the concern of education and health of African tribe children and alike the prominence of words, the scenes weren’t enlightened. But the African chef and care taker of Karen’s house amazes through their English speaking and beholds the expression on eyes, rather indifferent action on face. The most impressive was the background score, whereas its romance or revealing the vast wild Africa, music plays an adjacent role upon the breathtaking scenes: the biplane ride above the African landscape and passage of steam locomotive seems uneasy to forget stunningly. Even I watched it through the home theater connected to LED TV, the impressions seem to never unchanged and I would count this film as one of the best I have watched.

Fact

The film released in 1985 (the year I was born) was directed and produced by Sydney Pollack under the Universal Pictures.  I too learned the film was one of the vastly awarded, including seven Academic Awards on main resources:  the sound and cinematography which fascinated me a lot on front.  The soundtrack by John Barry took the fifteenth place in the American Film Institute's list of top 25 American film scores.

Afternoon

Pic by Jeevan (click to enlarge)

In the silence of afternoon

myna plays music
using its chirruping notes
perch to a gulmohar branch.

The early sea breeze
usually embraces in mid-summer
illuminates the memories
of sweet summer holidays.

The usually lazy afternoon
plays active role in mind
engage seek with memories
fishing the best out of memory.

The mild sunshine
coming out of cold winter
the year’s first raindrop
touched the ground a day ago.

Sipping away a tea
at the end of afternoon
cherishes the mind ever so
to fly like squeaking parakeets.