Brahma Kamal Sixteen and Counting

Brahma Kamal flower continues to amaze us.

Year after year, as the monsoon sets in it starts flowering. 

This July is special because the Brahma Kamal in our yard decided to delight us with a bumper crop of more than twenty flowers!

Sixteen of them flowering together! Video coming up to count the buds. Before that, how many buds do you see in the picture below?

Did you spot all thirteen in the picture? If not, count again and don't miss the edges of the picture!

Here is a 1:30 minute video counting the buds during the day time.

Same buds as seen as flowers at night around 9.30 pm. What a grand spectacle! See the short video clip.

Buds sprout from the edge of its long sturdy leaves and take few days to form. The stem curves itself in 'S' shape to hold the flower horizontal. See the picture.

As the sun goes down, the buds prepare to open. The show begins past 8.30 pm. More pictures follow.

By the time dawn breaks, the flowers start folding up. You can see early morning pictures in our earlier story.

Those who want to know how to plant a Brahma Kamal in your yard or a pot, do browse our previous stories listed below. These stories are based on our observations over last five years.

Plant with Intelligence- Brahma Kamal

Brahma Kamal- Queen of the Night 

Brahma Kamal- The Magic Continues

Those in Hyderabad/Secunderabad can reach us to get a sapling free of cost. The only condition is that you will share the pictures of first blooming! You can leave your mail ID in the comments. 

You will need filtered sunlight to grow the plant. Otherwise in hot months you have to protect the plant with a sunscreen. This summer, with a spate of showers and humidity, the buds sprang up suddenly. See the picture below taken in May 20. 

Hope we took your mind off Covid lockdown at least for a short while.

Relax. Admire Nature. Even if you don't have a garden of your own!

Stay safe, stay healthy. Thanks for browsing.

   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/29th July 2020

   <hbindia@gmail.com>

#BrahmaKamal #Flowers #MarvelsOfNature #MidnightBloom #PlantWithIntelligence #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB  #Bloomsonceayear #bloomsatnight #queenofnight #synchronisationbynature 

International Tiger Day 2020

29th July is International Tiger Day, also called the Global Tiger Day.

It is meant to increase the awareness about conservation of Tigers in the world. Increase in tiger population indicates healthy ecosystem.

Many groups/departments/zoos will organise events on the Tiger Day.

We will share some of our stories on Tiger Reserves in India. We sighted tigers in some of these reserves and were not so lucky in others despite numerous safaris. That is the lure of a tiger. You don't give up.

Here we go!

Ranthambor

After 25 years in search of a tiger, we were lucky to sight T-24 the famed tiger of Ranthambor. Located in Rajasthan, Ranthambor is easily accessible. You may like to browse a set of six inter linked stories. 

Prelude and Fact File
The Journey- Secunderabad to Sawai Madhopur
Tiger at last
Tiger's Cohabitants
Birds of Ranthambor
Ranthambor Fort and around Sawai Madhopur

Krishna The Male Showstopper

Tadoba

Tadoba in Maharashtra gives you a fair chance of sighting a tiger specially in summer months.

Follow Me Said Sonam The Tigress and We Obeyed!

Maya The Tigress of Tadoba

Manas

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary has unique bio-diversity. More than half the Sanctuary lies in Bhutan.

When your Vehicle Breaks Down in a Tiger Reserve

Bandipur

Bandipur in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu - both the Reserves are easily accessible. Get a feel of the forest through our stories.

Srisailam

It is the largest Tiger Reserve in India. However, we were not so lucky to have a tiger sighting!

Kanha

This was our first Reserve to visit. Even after multiple visits in 1980s, we could not sight a tiger there.

Like all good things in life, Tiger sighting also requires patience. So, if you want to see the king of the jungle roaming freely in his kingdom, follow him. Do not disturb him. Do not litter or degrade his jungles. Do not cut or destroy trees. Effort of every person counts!

Let the tiger prosper. Mankind will also prosper!

Happy Tiger Day!

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ International Tiger Day/ 29th July 2020

#Nature #wildlife #tiger #internationaltigerday #conservation #tadoba #ranthambore #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #natgeoindia #lonelyplanetindia #projecttiger #kanha #bandipur #mudumalai #srisailam #manas #kingofthejungle

Tinda or Apple Gourd KBG-38 Answer

It wasn't Papaya. Our clue in KBG-38 said so.

But still many readers said 'Papaya'.

So, which plant was it?

It was the ubiquitous Tinda टिंडा in Hindi or Apple Gourd or Indian Round Gourd. Its scientific name is Praecitrullus fistulosus.

It is a vegetable popular in South Asia but at the same time boring for some from North India.

Tinda

The plant is a prolific vine prickly with small thorns similar to the zucchini. The fruit is approximately spherical, and 5–8 cm in diameter. Plants are vigorous, productive and begin to bear fruits in 70 days after planting. See the picture below before fruiting.

Health Benefits

According to a health blog Tinda is a water-rich vegetable, it keeps your body cool and healthy, increases urinary flow which helps excrete toxins from the kidney. It also contains a lot of fiber, which helps in digestion, relieves stomach acidity and prevents constipation.

Winner

Although simple to guess, only one out of 300 odd participants got it right! We congratulate the outright winner profiled below.

Gian Prakash: Former Commander Indian Navy, former Head L&D TCS. Currently engaged in full time grandparenting. An alumnus of NIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur, GP is passionate about whatever he does - teaching, sports, cooking and solving crosswords. 

Once again, we thank all the participants from different time zones. Without you Kaun Banega Ghumakkad would not have reached where it has!

Thanks for browsing and keeping the KBG going!

Stay connected, stay safe.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 27th July 2020

#tinda #applegourd #indianroundgourd #nature #plants #naturephotography #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe s #environment #learningfromnature

Seen this Plant KBG-38

From trees we move to plants in this edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad.

You must have seen this plant.

And eaten its immature fruit.

Tell us its name. In any language!

Need a clue? See the picture below.

Oh, that was a big give away!

Now, shoot fast. Name the plant in any language. First three correct answers will be the Winners of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad KBG-38!

For first timers on KBG, you can respond on any of the five channels below:

1. Leave a comment on this post
2. Send email to hbindia@gmail.com
3. Respond on FB
4. Comment on Instagram @ghumakkadhb 
5. Send a WA message. If you want your WA number to be added to Ghumakkad's list, send an email.

The KBG Contest timing is chosen to suit most of the time zones across the world.

Hope we helped you in overcoming the lockdown boredom to some extent.

Those who missed the last edition, we had featured the Camel's Foot Tree and its pod of seeds in KBG-37. It was keenly contested. See the winners in the picture below.

Thanks for participating and all the best!

Stay connected, stay safe.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 25th July 2020.

#nature #plants #naturephotography #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe s #environment #learningfromnature

Breaking Free in Lockdown

Breaking free in lockdown?

You must be crazy!

Well, that is how Ghumakkad felt this morning after witnessing the morning frolic of a Spot Billed Duck in a pond nearby. The duck surely conveyed this message.

Three pictures and a 10-second video clip say it all.

Feel the freedom in a 10-seconds video.

We all are locked down and feeling caged. Physically and mentally.

By observing the birds, plants, flowers and raindrops, we can break free in our minds. And feel rejuvenated.

Our previous posts also tried to convey the positivity even during lockdown. Quick links given below.

A Squirrel Comes Home

I Got a New Life- A Corona Survivor's Tale

Bouncing Back in Lockdown

Stay Home Stay Safe- What a pair of Kittens teach us

Raindrops are like Pearls

Hope we have helped you to liven up your locked down life a bit!

Stay safe stay healthy.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 19th July 2020

#lockdown #coronavirus #beattheboredom #stayhomestaysafe #enjoythelockdown #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #homebirding #gardening #golfchippingathome #earthishealing #plantsarebestgifts
#kittens #explore #makeahome #staytogether #courage #unknownfrontiers #spotbilledducks

Ghumakkad Crosses 200,000 - So What?

Ghumakkad@200,000. So what?

200,000 page views is no big deal.

Internet is full of sites, posts, videos which have millions of views.

So what if Ghumakkad's blog has crossed 200,000 views! It is a miniscule count. Agreed.

Numbers don't matter to us. What gives us joy is our readers' feedback and the fact that Google searches have repeatedly put us on top!

We get a kick when a reader plans a trip to the Andamans after reading our stories of the islands.

We get a high when Google Search selects our story on top! See below three search results two to three years after posting the stories:

We feel excited when readers exchange 'live' messages from places like Bhutan after browsing our stories of the Himalayan Kingdom.

We feel thrilled when readers go to a Tiger Reserve and share their account of first-time-lucky sightings!

We feel humbled when fellow teachers appreciate the use of 'Live' cases (shared by us in the blog) in their MBA classes.

We feel elated when stories like 'Dancing at Eighty' inspire the younger generation of dancers.

We feel blessed when our story of a Covid survivor appeals to 2000+ readers who feel reassured.

We feel great to publish guest stories from teenage readers and senior citizens alike!

A Squirrel Gets A Home by Rohini Tiwari

Fallen but not Forgotten by Trixie Asirvatham

We get a sense of fulfillment when my former-students-turned-entrepreneurs make a mark in their lives!

Proof of the Pudding

Week after week, Kaun Banega Ghumakkad online Contest triggers inquisitiveness and learning about Nature, Wildlife and Travel. Readers wait anxiously once the next Contest date is announced.

Gratitude

We express our gratitude to each one of you. We wouldn't have travelled this far without you. 

The first 100,000 views of our blog took five years. Whereas the next 100,000 came in three years. All because of you. Take a look at our growth and other statistics below:

For those readers who are new to our blog, you can browse to see the spectrum of our stories in the recent post 'Ghumakkad is Eight'.

We firmly believe in sharing of knowledge and experiences as depicted in the PQ- picturesque quote below.

Once again, a big thank you to each one of you! 

Stay connected, stay safe and stay healthy.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 6th July 2020

#ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #200000pageviews #bloggers #travelblog #wildlifeblog #natureblog #picturesquequotes #pq #blogreaders #thrillofsharing #gratitude #joyofsharing #knowledgesharing

Camel's Foot Tree KBG-37 Answer

KBG-37 proved that readers are responding to the Contest without seeing the clue! How can we say that?

Because most early responses looked at the picture which had red Ixora flowers in the background. However, the flowers were neither in question nor in focus. The question pertained to a dried-up pod which had shed its seeds, curled and twisted itself!

So next time, please do look at the clue in Kaun Banega Ghumakkad and then key in your answer!

What is the correct answer to KBG-37?

It is a pod from Camel's Foot tree also known as Orchid Tree because its pink flowers resemble an orchid. 

The scientific name is Bauhinia Purpurea. It has a close cousin named Bauhinia Variegata which is called Kachnar कचनार  in Hindi. We are reproducing the clue below.

Why is it called the Camel's Foot Tree?

Because its leaves resemble a camel's foot prints in sand. See the picture of the leaves below.

Where is it grown?

It is a tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is grown on road sides, parks, gardens and avenues. It attracts birds, insects and bats. Flowering in winter, the petals create a pink blanket under the tree.

Contest Winners

More than 300 readers participated online. Our winners came from across the continents. Congratulations to all three.

• Maninder S Chahal is a BITS Pilani alumnus settled in Canada who enjoys composing music, photography and nature hikes. When not playing music, he gives financial advice to companies and individuals. 
• Sangeeta Jaishankar is an army spouse and a plant hobbyist. She has over 60 varieties of plants in her garden which moves with her every two years or so! She is also an amateur mural artist. 
• Nidhi Bhargava is a Kathak dancer, nature lover, home maker and former entrepreneur. Living in Bengaluru, she loves gardening and observing the birds and trees in her enclave.

Credits

We are grateful to Chitra Shanker for her continued research guidance.

Once again, we thank all the participants from different time zones. Without you Kaun Banega Ghumakkad would not have reached where it has!

Stay connected, stay safe.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 3rd July 2020.

#pod #seeds #kachnar #camelsfoottree #orchidtree #nature #plants #naturephotography #wildplants #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe s #environment