PowerShot Sunday - Fossil Tree

The fossil tree trunk displayed at the Ooty Botanical Garden, is from 20 million year old rocks. The trees carried by rivers and deposited in inland lakes were transformed with replacement of the woody matter by silica give rise to fossil tree trunks.  The fossil tree was presented by the Geological Survey of India, from the National Fossil Park in Tiruvakkarai, Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu.

Race against time - awareness on organ donate

It all began in year 2008, when a doctor-couple decided to donate their 15-year-old son’s all functioning organs, after doctors declared him brain dead following his motorbike accident at the outskirt of Chennai.  The organ donation took a new leash of life in the state. The incident turned as an eye-opener for many, has witness drastic increase in number of organ donations lately and moreover the films (Traffic and Chennaiyil Oru Naal) made on this real-life incident has taken a step further enhanced the level of awareness on it.

There are number of movie made for entertainment but only few film releases on social concern, like Traffic and CON that communicate the struggle of transplanting heart, not by surgery but transporting in time. Unlike any other organs, heart can’t keep for more than 30 minutes after it has been removed from the body. But in case of Hithendran - the only son of the doctor-couple, the donor and recipient being part of different hospitals within Chennai at 45 minutes driving distance (considering the number of volume in traffic at city) the heart reached the hospital in astonishing 11 minutes.

The challenge in transporting the heart has been commissioned by the city traffic police; diverted the other vehicles on the route and turned all the traffic signals green. As a result, the heart reaching on time and saved the life of a nine-year old girl, who was being treated in a private hospital in Chennai as recipient of heart. This is a system practiced by the Chennai City Traffic Police, called Green Corridor.  Apart its precious help in transporting heart, Chennai has a reason for patients seeking treatment for heart because of the condition that the government machinery is highly efficient here.

In fact the Tamil Nadu government has the most streamlined transplant programmers in the country, by making the organ donation process transparent and setting up stringent rules for private hospitals, has drastically brought down the instances of organ trafficking in the state. From October 2008 to April 2013, 55 hearts and 362 heart valves have been donated and transplanted in the state. 18 lungs, 310 livers and 623 kidneys have also been donated and subsequently transplanted, in addition of 526 corneas and a case of skin donation.

The heart transplantation is usually done on patients whose life expectancy is seven days to a few months in a priority recipient, who is below age of 60 to maintain a maximum survival benefit and improvement in quality of life. The donor and recipient should also match with blood group and size of heart and even after surgery, the patient have to be on medication life long, so that the body doesn’t reject the new organ. But with certain patients, the rejection comes down after two-three years of surgery to reduce medicines.

Heart is one of the precious organs on body and source of living; and to donate, one really needs a heart in itself. Being a doctor couple, the Hithendran parents understood the wealth of life and it is not an easy decision to take anyone but their sacrifice has inspired and impressed a lot alike. It’s so good to see the awareness of organ donate taking a deep root into our heart and lives. Thanks to those realized the worth of life and spread the message through media, which has greater responsibility where people watch it closely. It seems taking care of our health does not only help us sustain but by donating we live beyond death supporting someone to survive.

ஒற்றுமையில் இந்தியா / India in solidarity

இந்தியா விரிசல்கள் நிறைந்த நாடு

மாநிலங்களாக பிளந்து கிடக்குது.

மனதில் நிலைகொண்ட நடுக்கம்

இனவாரியாக பிரித்து வைத்திருக்கிறது.

உதட்டளவிலே இந்தியன் !

கொடி ஏற்றும்போது உள்ள ஒற்றுமை

தண்ணீர் என்றால் தள்ளி விடுகிறது.

மழை ஒன்றுதான் வழி என்ற நிலையில்.. 

India is a country full of cracks
had split into states.
The tremors in the state of mind
had separated by ethnic.

Only on lip level, Indian!

The unity when hoisting the flag
pulled down when it comes to water.
Rain the only state of route. 

Footnote:  

India celebrates its 66^th independence day tomorrow.  Thinking how united we are inspired to write something.

Some experiment with photography

Wonder what it is? A bamboo hollow! I tried to capture an image through the hollow (the bamboo used as handle in jute bags) but got this one J

I arranged the toothpicks in a manner within its cylindrical box, which impressed me to capture.  

Candle light shot on a powerless night, before inverter installed at home.

Here are some of my old toy cars, parked in a circle on the table for shoot. I used to play with cars long back and these are remaining from the collection of many then. Each of these cars was bought for Rs.10 and some cars which used to looks same often end up fight between us (me, bro and cousins) in guess of stealing each others cars. 

A Drive to Dolphin’s Nose

During out stay in Kothagiri, we drove to the Dolphin’s nose - a popular places of interest near Coonoor, on the Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu. It is an awesome viewpoint with a panoramic view of the vast expanse of the Blue Mountains, but to our great disappointment, the entire view was concealed by blanket of mist by that time. Dolphin’s Nose (click here to see how it look exactly) is an enormous rock formation that is entirely unique and the protruding rock formation looks exactly like what it is named after, a dolphin’s nose.

Well over 1,000 meter above sea level, the spectacular spot is 10 km from Coonoor. But for me the best part of visit to this viewpoint was within the way in itself.  The narrow road to the dolphin’s nose was mysterious since surrounded by mist; the road expands to the lush green tea estates and encloses to thick vegetation and trees produces a sense of passing rain-forest. The most fascinating on this route was, the small streams or natural springs creating mini waterfalls and winding roads making each and every turn exciting.

Coonoor-Dolphin's Nose road passing through fog

As it was time of summer vacation, the vehicles were frequent on either side missing bumper kisses at narrow escapes. We couldn't stop anywhere on the road to take photos or spent time on views, except for few seconds on the mini falls (see below). Wading through mist and traffic, we end at the view point and waited sometime for unveil of beautiful view hidden by mist scarf. But the beauty beneath doesn't seem to respond a bit rather hold her blanket too tight and unwilling to wake up from sleep even it was suppose to be noon. J

The cousins, who accompany us, had been to this place few times and familiar with views, pointed on certain things but it was a clear picture of white to me. While on a clear day, one could see the awe inspiring Catherine Falls with its continuing stream several thousand meters below. There were row of shops near the viewpoint, offering variety of Teas, Homemade chocolates and fancy things… the ambiance of mist and tea plantation was inspiring to have our share of cheers via Tea. I ever tasted tea out of regular one and ginger tea, but like you expect I haven’t tried anything out of usual.

On our way back and again wading though the mist and traffic, we though to check the other two spots - Law’s Fall and Lamb’s Rock - taking the cross road, but someone instructed us that these places too experience similar mist, so it’s  not worth visiting at that time. We drove to Coonoor for lunch, before back to Kothagiri. 

Roadblock: Coonoor - Dolphin's Nose road missed in mist