Sheep Farm and The Sheep

Kodaikanal upland villages bore a lot of grasslands and sholas around them, providing a great feeding ground for cattle. So, sheep rearing is a natural habit; and to enhance the custom, the Central Government has established a sheep farm in a village called Mannavanur to produce wool from the sheep. 

Recently, I watched a video on youtube on the real purpose of the wool produced here: Sheep farm set up after India's defeat in the war with China in 1962. The main reason for the loss in the war was the cold that prevailed at the India-China border. Indian soldiers couldn't bear the cold because of the lack of woolen cloths available at that time, and keeping that in mind, the government brought the sheep farm on the 1340 acres of rolling grasslands at an altitude of 2000 meters MSL.

I visited a part of the grasslands during one of my trips to Kodaikanal in 2009 - that time, I came close with a herd of sheep from the farm. A little boy was driving those sheep, and they were simultaneously grazing the ground (heads-down like new brides) and kept moving that way. 

I captured the sheep (in the picture above) in 2019 on the roadside near Poombarai. One of the scenic villages of Kodaikanal, on the way to Mannavanur. A rope and bell tied to the neck of the sheep show it belongs to a villager, and the sheep was munching on cabbage leaves from a sack left beside. 

The sheep was cute and dirt as well and smelled not good. Its fur was a tangle, perhaps because of that, because it smelled, or due to the munching of cabbage. Anyway, it cooperated with shots. 

The sheep in the farm produce wool once a year, and every year in March,  the sheep goes through fur removal after growing enough of the same. After removing, the fur transports as a raw material to a place (I forget) where the fur collected from elsewhere goes into the process of making woolen blankets for soldiers defending the country against cold. 

The view of the sheep farm and sheep enclosures

Each sheep produces 1 to 3 kg of fur each year, but in the process, they are halved. The Sheep farm (Southern Regional Research Centre)  in Mannavanur is a regional center of the Central Sheep & Wool Research Institute, a premier Institution of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. (source wiki)

RGB Monday

 Umbrellas from different walks.

November 2021 had come to an end. The entire month has been raining for us despite the rainy season, and this is a repeat factor of 2015, and Chennai needs just 5 mm of rain to defeat the same. And to beat a 100 years of record, we need another 39 mm in less than a day. 

Typically, the northeast monsoon begins in mid of October lasts up to mid-December, but this year it was raining on and off from late July - at the beginning of November, we have achieved our share of rain already. We have overdone our season by 80% of additional rain, and yet we haven't completed it, and the meteorology has forecast a couple more depressions in the sea. 

Heavy rains over the last two days have caused floods in Chennai and its suburbs.  The 3rd week of November saw a terrific rainfall over the north Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra, which had flooded all the rivers and riverbank towns. And before we all come out of the disaster, the easterlies (or trade wind) took hold of the situation;  still, many parts of the region have no power. It's 3rd or 4th time our street flooded; gladly, it didn't take days to recede. 

Crested Serpent Eagle

The first bird I shot from my first time stay at my uncle's woodhouse in Thandikudi, near Kodaikanal, was the Crested serpent eagle. The bird of prey came very close, perching a tree in the backyard of the woodhouse, and I shot the bird from the balcony that overlooks the coffee plantation and wild vegetation. 

I already stayed at Thandikudi twice then and have seen the serpent eagle in one of my trips, but that was the first time I encountered at the close, and the bird was looking for prey - perhaps a little bird that was flying around. The bird flew later with a great swish-swash of its widespread wings. 

My uncle constructed the woodhouse and cottage in late 2015 in the coffee estate he bought lately then, and we have been visiting the property (Smokey Haven) since 2016 until pandemic blocked any course of travel. Glad I hold many photos from the trips to the property to unfold any time to travel back in memories and thus a moment shared with an eagle.

The Crested serpent eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Like its broad wings (with which it flies over the forest canopy), the bird's range is widespread across Asia, with variations within itself; some treat several of its subspecies as separate species. The bird with long feathers on the back of the head (apart from having a look of a large head) give them a maned and crested appearance, and hence feeding on snakes often, gave them their name and are placed along with the snake eagles in the subfamily Circaetinae. (source wiki)

Do age define all?

Do you think age defines all? There's wording in Tamil "Sathikka vayathillai"  to achieve, age is not a barrier, and the same goes with anything as you can't decide what your heart desires despite the health condition and age. Though I know fatigue is not only for the body but for the mind as well. But many a time, the body could not cooperate with the energetic mind or interest level; it is perhaps because of weakness or illness, not age. 

Age, in general, is considered to be a part of the time or phase that takes place in the body and mind as well, but what we have done is define things that have to be done at specific age only. I'm not going to deny that because things generally work adjutant with that, and true to an extent. But this is not with all the cases - some exceptions have the right to think out of the box. It is possible or not is up to the one who tries, and we should not deny it generally because of age.

Like the time that does not wait for anyone, age keeps rising every year either you consider it or not; our body keeps worn out as we used to it, our mind may also feel tired, but we can't say it is the state of mind with everyone. I see many young people feeling lazy and lacking interest/energy to do things; at the same time, I see brisk elders walking thousands of steps daily, working hard, and reading a lot to keep them at a steady pace even though they can't work beyond a limit. What I see is the way they try and experience life despite their age. 

Is there anything that only kids should enjoy these things and adult these and olds that? You can't refine or define your mind as it is beyond your reach, and it consists of many other things than age. Someone in mid-age who loves to wet in the rain would hesitate to step out of the home thinking what the society would say? Of course, are you a kid to play in the rain? Is rain belong to kids? If you are good enough with resistance power (desire sees that?) or ready to face the illness that follows, go ahead and enjoy the natural showering. 

I would say kick away the age barriers. I hear many opposing it and have reasons to argue, like is it ok for kids to explore adult things?  Those who turned age 18 considered adults because 18 is a general age or stage where individuality happens. But is it questionable whether everyone over the age of 18 is mature enough to handle their uniqueness? I have seen people below the age of 18 being responsible and acting consciously and those aged to behave ridiculously. 

Some hesitate to treat the child hidden within them, thinking about society and stuffing themself in a stressful mood, and act as if they lost interest in the childish things. How many adults play video games on the smartphone, and isn't that kids' stuff? lol 

I'm not complaining but want to encourage you to explore things that were fair, lawful, and harmless to the circumstances - that society put behind the bars of age.  If someone feels young at the age of 60, let it be, and age is only a number, and it counts only on aging and never reads a mind. Our life is surrounded by a lot of little happiness, and we should not miss those just because it is not related to our age. 

Outcome of Rain

The day is quite Drizzy and breezy with cold 

Rains for the second consequent week 

Chills down to nerves, to seek warmth  

A cup of tea worked well at this point 

To pull out the numbness through its brew;  

The weather could not be the same for long 

Cheers before it is too warm or cold 

The rain washed away the hazards in the air 

Like a mountain breeze its refreshing to breathe 

Compensates the desire for travel to mountains;  

The street full of shed leaves from the raintree 

Resembles a glimpse of the fall season 

Like the tiny leaves, life spread with happiness 

And collecting it as a pile is a mounted joy.  

P.s I share below a short photo video of recent rain and flood captured from the balcony.