Ghumakkad Ghar Aaye

 "Ghumakkad Ghar Aaye" घुमक्कड़ घर आए 

"उड़ जाएगा हँस अकेला , जग दर्शन का मेला" 

"Birds of these feathers flock, fly and flirt together"

These are some of the creative captions given by the readers of KBG-52 Contest. The contest featured a picture of hundreds of migratory Demoiselle Cranes feeding together at a feeding ground in Rajasthan India. The picture fired the imagination of the participants with more than 30 different captions coming in! The renewed format of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad online contest has evoked greater response form the readers.

Demoiselle Cranes and Folklore

The Demoiselle Cranes migrate every winter from northern latitudes of the earth to warmer regions of India. Khichan, a small village in Rajasthan becomes the winter home to more than 20,000 Cranes every year. The villagers take pride in feeding the cranes. The cranes are part of the local folklore. Vijay Gulechha, a resident of Khichan village has shared the following story and the accompanying music courtesy Renu Bhandari of Jaipur.

When we talk of folk music of Rajasthan we find it replete with different moods and emotions. The most heart rending songs have been the 'virah 'songs or the songs of separation. Those were the times when men used to go to distant lands in search of a living while the womenfolk stayed at home. Those were also the times when the best ever songs of separation were written. One thing worth mentioning is that most of these songs resonated with a strong sense of hope. 

'Kurjaan' undoubtedly is a folk song which tops the list of such songs . It is melodious, lyrical and has a lurking quality that has made it immortal through generations. 'Kurjaan 'is the local name of the Demoiselle Cranes. 

Here is where the song writer's imagination flies with such finesse and smoothness. The hopeful, pining wife earnestly requests the flying bird to take her message to her husband. Those were the times when birds were used for sending missives. Enjoy the song sung by Anupriya Lakhawat and linked below.

The feelings of the lady, her desire and hope, her running down to her mother in law to tell her that her son had arrived, only to realise that he had come in her dreams and not in reality. The pathos, the melody, the perfect use of language has made it a symphony of longing and hope which reverberates in the socio-cultural psyche of the people of this beautiful region.

Readers may also browse our earlier story of the Cranes titled 'Demoiselle Cranes- Morning Roll Call'

Contest Winners

The Jury appreciated the contest entries. For deciding the six winning captions, the Jury were unanimous. Few captions were suggested by more than one reader. Complete list of the captions is being reproduced below for the readers to appreciate the imagination and creativity of the contest participants. 

Our congratulations to all the winners. Winning captions superimposed on the picture of the cranes feeding together follow. We take pleasure in introducing each of the winners briefly.

Ashutosh Anand, former Commodore Indian Navy is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and University of Loughborough, UK. Full of life, he can brighten up any conversation. His caption 'Ghumakkad Ghar Aaye' घुमक्कड़ घर आए meaning 'the wanderers have come home' was the first to hit the Contest.

Ramanand Baliga former Director IBM India is an MTech from IIT Kanpur. He loves travelling and gardening. He has won the KBG Contest many times. His caption 'The Kumbh of Cranes' highlighted the large gathering of cranes as in a kumbh- कुम्भ which means a huge religious fair held every 12 years with more than six million people.

Our next winner is Nidhi Bhargava from Bangalore. A Kathak dancer and an entrepreneur, she loves gardening and travelling. She has won KBG Contest on several occasions. Her caption उड़ जाएगा हँस अकेला, जग दर्शन का मेला (By Sant Kabir), symbolically means 'Every human being like the crane, has to fly away alone in the end'.

JVR Moorty's quote added a humorous touch to the caption 'Birds of these feathers, flock, fly and flirt together'. A former Commander Indian Navy, Moorty has won the KBG Contest on several occasions.

Our next winner is a Professor from BITS Pilani Goa campus. Dr Veeky Baths teaches in the area of cognitive neuro science and loves to interact with people. A regular contestant of KBG, this is his first KBG Award. His caption in Hindi means 'Even the river, gusts of wind and national boundaries can not stop these birds!' Many other readers had also given captions on similar theme.

The next winner has visualised the sighting of the cranes as a heavenly experience. Neelam Sawant, an Army spouse, gardener and traveller gave a crisp caption 'Traffic jam in paradise'. She is a second time winner of KBG.

The Jury

We thank the Jury for taking time off and selecting the winners. Manik Srivastava and Neeta Bhargava- both love Nature and do their bit to preserve the environment. Both of them are widely travelled and are Naval spouses settled in Secunderabad.

We congratulate all the winners and thank all the participants of KBG-52. KBG-53 will tickle your imagination on seeing a cantilever bridge!

We end with an anonymous quote used as a PQ showing a lone Demoiselle Crane in flight.

KBG-53 is coming soon.

Stay connected.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 12th March 2021

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