Backyard Babblers

YellowBilled Babblers are a frequent visitor of our backyard in the morning and evening and the birds arrive as a group of 5 or 6 squeak like squirrels or mouse until they keep away. I remember following or seeing these birds from our days in apartment, with open vegetation in front of our home, the birds forage frequently on ground and trees. Lately, I see one of the babblers, a common resident breeding bird in Sri Lanka and southern India; keep hitting the mirror of a neighbour’s window and sometime the rear mirror of dad’s bike, perhaps seeing its own reflection thinking it to be some other.

Not only babbler, I have seen bulbul behaving similarly and hope many other birds follow the same. The babblers here were shot during noon sunlight in late August and they were digging on the corners of the compound wall for forage. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory and has short rounded wings and a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. 

Hai dude what's up? (below)

nothing to say ya, let me find

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OPS, Out of the Blue

Unexpected has become the state of Tamil Nadu now, from the unexpected illness of former chief minister Jayalalitha and her sudden demise, and the grand revolution of youth andenforcement of violence and law on jallikattu, Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam’s (OPS) resignation and his open speech (last night) at the Marina beach, following his silent prayer at the memorial of Jayalalitha has kept the state furore. The almost people of Tamil Nadu is already in dispute once Sasikala, the close aide of Jayalalitha, sworn as general secretary of AIADMK and when she was selected as ADMK’s assembly president (which will let her to become CM) has intensified the against feeling. At this situation, O.Panneerselvam’s sudden visit to J’s memorial and his silent prayer for about 40 minutes and claiming that he was forced to resign the office of the chief minister has provoked the public and all social media started to flood with support for the OPS.

It’s obvious who should be behind the scene and of course, it’s the Sasikala and team. Except being a close aide of Jayalalitha, she had nothing to do with public and political scenario, but her takeover of Jaya’s house and now office is approved by none including millions in their own part, AIADMK. It’s the upper level leaders and ministers of certain groups, who celebrate her for their need and deed, lead her to these posts which she deserves not. Nowhere in their long run of friendship had Jaya indicated her to take leadership after her or gave a little post in the party and in between she was expelled from the house by Jayalalitha after she come to know Sasikala’s family had misused in name of her. Things’ being like that how the party men go behind her and propose for the post of general secretary and now CM is shameful. While there are many true party men and seniors with experience at the 45 years party, selecting an inexperienced and corrupted to lead the Tamil Nadu will absolutely won’t be fair.

More than an assistant of Jayalalitha, she hadn’t put front on anything or focused anywhere. But all of sudden she emerged as Chinnamma (small mother) and speakers of the party started to praise her for reasonless.  Perhaps this inspired her to take bold step and before all, her family was back once Jaya breathed last, and thus forced OPS (who have been appointed as CM for couple of times by Jayalalitha during the difficult situation) to resign by giving pressure via his colleagues. If this was the scene even before she took oath as CM, we couldn’t imagine what kind of attitude the govt. would hold and the state of public if she became CM. There couldn’t be a limit for the unruly things and what has been achieved through the one man army, by Miss Jayalalitha, would be collapsed due to ineffective ruling.

The Jaya’s demise continues to be a mystery even though the doctors reveal certain details, OPS has said to form a commission to enquire about her death. After the OPS opened up, the overnight meeting held by Sasikala with all MLA’s had removed him from the post of party treasurer, but he has said to take oath as CM, again, if people of Tamil Nadu wishes. After the midday meeting held at the presence of Sasikala, once again, the 131 MLA’s (who supported Sasikala for CM) has been hijacked in buses to safest places or on tourism to keep them away or meeting OPS to lean their support. Things has been going on its own, and don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow where they are meeting the governor and request to form a govt. headed by Sasikala. But the overall support of Tamil Nadu is for OPS, including myself who admire his simplicity and down-to-earth attitude. Let’s hope for the best. Support OPS!

RGB Monday

Here’s RGB Monday to keep away your Monday Blues and make feel colourful and yet cheerful! And this Link-in feature invites your colourful photos with the content of RGB – Red, Green, and Blue. Please add your link-in at the comment section (along with your comment)and it will be mentioned at the bottom of the post.

A colourful and yet delicious grocery shop on the outskirt of Chennai.

I shot the picture at a small town next to Cholavaram on way to Periyapalayam, in  north of Chennai. The shop seems to sell adequate for a small towns alike and what hangs over are fruits and locally produced snacks. But the baskets beneath has what I looking for the post, the RGB colors.

I always like these small kinds of shops than malls, where we get anything that a household needs and we could move friendly with the shopkeepers and was adjustable in many ways. I have purchased a lot from the grocery shops alike from the childhood, and having one adjacent to our house we could buy anything without paying but they used to have a note and collect money at the end of a week or month. And we could communicate socially with them while purchasing and they could be trustworthy because many a time our house keys are given at them to give back to family members if one exit house.

Pls. do share if you have experience with small grocery shops J

1. Devilish Angel

Cattle’s on Drive

Last Sunday we went for an outing and long drive up to Nagalapuram trekking base, across the border of Tamil Nadu to experience mountains and checking couple of dams. Once crossed the Periyapalayam, the landscape turned quite rural and into the state of Andhra, I come across many cattle’s and some in groups where drove by farmers.

During our lunch halt near a village, on the roadside, we find little groups of goats drove by the villagers perhaps on their way to or from grazing.

On our way back and close to evening, the buffaloes (below) seems to drive back to home... the picture was shot near Uthukkottai, the border town of TN-Andhra.

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My Pongal celebration 2017

I know it’s late by two weeks to post on Pongal, the harvesting festival of Tamils, but it’s better late than never. I think you all know about the youth revolution that took centre stage following the Pongal and though it wasn’t an easier task for people to come forward to protest for their rights and protection of bulls, the entire week was like an extension of Pongal with the voices of slogans indirectly, alongside supporting the traditional sports, emphasis the wealth of bulls and farmers. We couldn’t think of Pongal keeping away the farmer and it was farmers festival overall but we have the reason to celebrate as they are our life savers, producing food for us. Pongal festival brings happiness for farmers and Jallikattu is a part of the celebration and we got back the traditional sport in right manner.

Coming to the post, this year’s Pongal was different for me and was able to feel the mood more than latter years. Though we celebrated Pongal in the traditional way, where we lit firewood’s on the outside of the home and made Pongal (boiling of rice and milk) in the mud pot, the Pongal event conducted in our street by the backstreet boys was really uplifting. They created a friends group in name of APJ Abdul Kalam and conducted Kolam contest, running race for different age groups and couple of fun sports.  The event was started from the eve of Pongal and the Kolam contest happened at the night itself but they came to capture our Kolam (along with the others) only in the morning and we unknown who’s the winner. The boys and girls participated in the races and won gifts from the organisers and what really impressed was all showed up in traditional dresses.

But what keeps me bothering was how I missed capturing the event or at least the kids running around. The songs played in the speakers and people talking over the mike let the festival feel in the air. I put some special programs and movies on record (thanks to DTH) and moved out of the home to enjoy the festival and while things happening around; mom prepared the Pongal in the mud pot on the firewood’s and before it overflows I was with camera to capture the moment and once the rice boiled the whitest foam forms and milk is poured to restrain its flow. But it was me asked her to wait to let it overflow, though I don’t believe such thing will change things for better but this custom of overflowing keeps me going. Lol

The pot Kolam in my previous post was drawn by mom along with the above one but the coloring job for the couple of pots were given to our next door neighbour and she did it pretty colourful. We stayed awake till midnight for them to finish the Kolams, amid the troublesome mosquitoes and my cute lil friend Achu was also wakeful to give company and it was fun to be along with him. The sweet Pongal boiled in the pot was later offered to the Sun, the foremost source of energy to the entire living on earth and helps in high yield, which is a form of thanksgiving to nature and farmers who transforms the resource into edible. On Mattu Pongal, the third day of Pongal, I went for an outing on ECR and visited my great grandma’s village. I will write on it later. Follows few shots from the offering: 

The offer to energetic sun

My favorite  "ven pongal and vada"