Trust Me

 "Trust me!"

"It takes both sides to build a bridge"

"Suspend(ed) over calm waters"

These are some of the creative captions given by the readers of KBG-53 Contest. The contest featured a picture of a Cable stay Bridge in Laknavaram Lake in Telangana India. The picture fired the imagination of the participants with almost 50 different captions coming in! The renewed format of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad online contest as a caption competition has been accepted very well by the readers.

Cable Stay Bridge

Laknavaram Lake in north eastern part of Telangana was built in the 13th century by Kakatiya rulers for irrigation of surrounding areas. This 40 sq-km lake apart from acting as an irrigation source, is now a popular tourist resort. We had visited the lake in 2019. The readers may browse our detailed story titled 'The Lake that Charms You'. KBG-53 had featured just one picture of the bridge in the lake that connects one of the thirteen islands. Other islands are accessible by boat. Here are few more pictures of the lake and the bridge for our readers.

For those not familiar with the geography of the region, see the route map from Hyderabad to Laknavaram. 220 kms, 5 hrs by road on NH-163.

Caption Contest

We received close to 50 captions for the KBG-53 Contest. We appreciate the creativity of Ghumakkad's readers. The complete list is given below for wider readership.

KBG-53 Winners

The Jury found the captions very interesting. We thank all the contestants. We are delighted to share the winning captions along with a brief intro of each Winner. Thanks are also due to both the Jury Members- Manik Srivastava and Neeta Bhargava.

Amandeep Kaur holds an MBA(Fin) and works with a US company in India. She loves to interact with people. She has won the KBG contest several times. Her caption is simple and appealing.

Mukul Bhargava runs his packaging industry in Bangalore. Fond of gardening and travelling, he is a second time winner of KBG contest. His Hindi caption means "Life is as tall and as deep, and melodious like a harp".

Greh Bhushan Sethi is a former Colonel of Indian Army and holds a PhD. He has headed several educational institutions in Hyderabad and been advisor to many educational trusts and societies. I keen golfer he livens up any gathering with his wit and humour. His two worded caption "Trust Me" was much appreciated by the Jury. The bridge is telling us 'trust me' for safe passage across!

Ranajit Sen, Pharmacy graduate from BITS Pilani has been on the Board of several pharmaceutical compnies besides being member of Advisory Councils set up by the Govt of India. He has a great sense of humour.

We share two other PQs- picturesque quotes- on the same bridge but not part of this captions contest.

We end with a quote by Edgar Allen Poe about spending time around a lake.

Hope we have helped you in overcoming the Covid boredom to some extent. We will continue sharing our virtual travels and test your creativity in the upcoming KBG Contests.

Stay connected, stay safe.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 16th March 2021

#nature #laknavaramlake #telanganatourism #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe  #captions #travelfun #naturelovers #craetivecaptions #pqs #picturesquequotations #laknavaram #cablestaybridge #virtualtravel

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

#nature #Migratorybirds #demoisellecranes #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe  #captions #learningfromnature #naturelovers #craetivecaptions #pqs #picturesquequotations #khichan #rajsthan #chuggaghar

Ghumakkad is Eight!

Hurray!
Your blog turns EIGHT today.
Time to express our gratitude to each one of you.
A big thank you from www.ghumakkadhb.blogspot.com team.

The Journey
It has been an exciting journey all the way. From a mere travel blog, Ghumakkad has transformed many folds. Our set of eight stories on Bhutan was the starting point. And we haven't looked back since then. First three years had only a handful of page views since it was a blog by invitation. Once we made it open, the growth has been overwhelming. See the graph below showing 194,700 page views.

 Our Spectrum
Here are quick links to give you a taste of the wide canvas of your own blog:

• Kaun Banega Ghumakkad  KBG online contests, the logo for which has been designed by well renowned illustrator Ramya Sriram. You may click on some of the well contested KBGs like San Jose Gurudwara, USA, Daly College Indore, Fox Millet and Al Noor Mosque Sharjah UAE. 35 editions of KBG have been keenly contested so far.

• Wellness: Our posts on Beating the Covid-19 Boredom, Bouncing Back in Life, Yoga for grandpas, Learning from flowers have appealed to the readers. The idea has been to bring a smile on the face of our readers. Lockdown has been gloomy. How to liven up our life during such trying conditions? Read on.

•  Reader's Contribution: It has been a pleasure to showcase the stories written by our readers. Browse the stories here Coyote Gulch- Hiking in A Stream written by a ten year old hiker and Women Hiking in Water by four adventurous women who nearly got swept away! The latter hike is hailed as one of the top-5 adventure hiles by NatGeo in USA.

• PQs: Pictures leave a lasting impression on our minds. Picturesque Quotes created using Ghumakkad's picture have inspired many readers. Sample a picture of a suspension bridge with the quote superimposed. More than 100 PQs have been created and shared through our blog. 

• Video Clips: Most of our stories also have a short video clip or two. The readers have particularly liked the clip from our story on Ross Island in Port Blair.

• Tips for Teachers: Ghumakkad being a teacher has always believed in sharing of knowledge. Some of the stories which were liked by the teachers and students alike are Learning from Students, When Students Select B-Plan Finalists and Uri The Movie with Many Lessons in Management.

• Nature: Nature continues to inspire Ghumakkad. Stories like Nature's Clock have intrigued scores of readers.

• Treasures of India: India has plenty to explore for a traveller like Ghumakkad. Forts, Palaces, Temples, Churches, Mosques, Villages and Ruins- it is so exciting. Treasures like Laknavaram Lake not so well known, but a great getaway. Hill stations have their own charm. Whether the Himalayas in the north or the Nilgiris in the south, hills always fascinate us. Browse the story Why Kodaikanal written by two teenagers pictured above. 

• Wild Life: The thrill of sighting a Leopard in a city like Jaipur! Who won't feel excited?

All Time Greats

Many readers ask 'Which is your favourite story?' To which I respond 'Whichever has been read by most readers!' A quick glance at the blog stats gave us the following data:

Readership
Your blog has global readership as seen in the graph below.

Road Ahead

With prevailing lockdown and travel restrictions worldwide, Ghumakkad may not be able to travel far. But there is so much to observe and learn from our immediate surroundings. We will strive to bring smiles to your faces despite the lockdown. In addition, we will also take you to places which we have been but are yet to post the stories! Those of you who wish to contribute a guest story are most welcome.

Acknowledgements

There are numerous people who have helped us grow. Some of them had been acknowledged in our 6th Anniversary post. In addition, we place on record our appreciation for Trixie Asirvatham, Chitra Shanker and Ramya Sriram for their unstinted support.

We also thank each one of you for your continued support without which Ghumakkad wouldn't have been here! Do give us your feedback to help us improve.

We are reminded of an ad for chocolates which said 'Never too old for a chocolate'. Ghumakkad started blogging at sixty. So folks 'never too old to start blogging!'

    -   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 25th May 2020

#GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB #EighthAnniversary #BlogAnniversary #HarshBhargava #ThrillOfWriting #JourneyOfLife #BringingSmiles #makingadifference #kbgcontest #kaunbanegaghumakkad #wellness #motivation #inspiration #positivity #nature #environment #teachers #learning #india #mysteriesofnature #travelforfun #beatthelockdown #wildlife #keepgoing #blogger #pictures #photowalks #powerofobservation #students

Dawn and Dusk PQs

Dawn creates magic. So does dusk.

Yesterday while at the golf course, the dawn was simply spectacular. I could capture its colours in my cell phone.

Later in the evening, while waiting for the movie in RSI open air cinema, the sky after sunset caught the eye. It was dusk and its silent beauty.

Here are two PQs- picturesque quotes on the pictures of dawn and dusk.

The PQ on Dawn is based on Rabindranath Tagore's famous line 'Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark'. We derive strength in our life with faith. Don't we? 

It is the original picture, not photoshopped except for watermarking.

The PQ on Dusk is inspired by Bernard Williams simple words 'It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream'. Dreams are important to move on!

Here are some of the earlier PQs related to sunsets and sunrises.

 

Gautam Buddha had famously said that 'What we do today is what matters most'!

Thanks for browsing.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 24th Feb 2020

#PQs #picturesquequotes #dawn #dusk #nature #tagore #bernardwilliams #sunrise #sunsets #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Leopard in Jaipur?

Jaipur is famous for:
Hawa Mahal
Amer Fort
Galta Ji
Ram Bagh Palace
And many other places.

Leopard in Jaipur? Yes, Jaipur also has a Leopard Safari in the heart of the city.

It is called Jhalana Leopard Safari Park. 
Where is it located?
Just 5.4 kms N-E of Jaipur airport. Mere 15 minutes drive. See the maps below.

Fact Sheet:
Set up by Rajasthan Forest Department in 2016 and opened to public in 2018


Erstwhile game reserve of the Royal Family
Spread over 23 sq kms
Has 38 Leopards. Thus it has the highest density of leopards per sq km in the world.

Two Safari sessions every day in the morning and evening.
In each session only 10 vehicles with 6 persons each permitted.
On-line booking through Rajasthan Forest Department website. You have to register before making a safari booking.

Private vehicles not permitted.
The Park has two zones. As of now, the vehicles can cross over from one zone to the other. But in future when the number of visitors goes up, the safari vehicles may be restricted to one zone only.

Cost of a Safari
Safari ride for Indian nationals costs Rs 390/- per head including taxes. Govt ID is mandatory for buying a ticket.

Ghumakkad took the afternoon Safari on 15th Feb.
Pictures.

A bit of history of the Park as displayed in the Interpretation Centre.

How are Leopards Identified?
Each leopard has unique set of spots and rosettes as explained below.

The Safari Begins

Those who have not been on a jungle safari, see the short clip below to get a feel of the jungle and how the safari vehicles navigate.

When multiple vehicles converge on a spot in the jungle- a short 30-second clip will interest you.

The blue sky in winter months is not to be missed!

As with many National Parks in India, there are monuments, temples, villages and other human settlements located inside the park. Jhalana reserve has a Kali Mandir inside the park. It has been fenced to provide security from the animals. The visitors have access during limited hours. See the picture below.

The safari continues past the temple.

The Park has an old hunting tower called 'Shikar Haudi'. Additional fee is charged to visit it.

Although we paid the fee but we could not visit it due to failing light. 
We waited at a water point hoping that the leopard will come to have water. See the video clip below.

We spotted more foreign tourists that afternoon. One couple had taken nine safaris earlier! Talk of patience!

All we could spot were Blue Bulls-Neel Gai नील गाय both male and female and variety of birds. See the pictures.

We then spotted a half-eaten kill of a blue bull. It indicated that the leopard was not far away. However, further wait did not bear fruit.

After a long wait lasting almost two hours, we were a bit disappointed. To add to our woes, three passengers in our vehicle became very impatient. They wanted to abort their safari and requested to be dropped back at the main entrance. We thus lost 30 minutes of safari time (total 3 hours) to drop the impatient visitors. Ganesh our driver, drove the electric vehicle at break neck speed to save time.

We rejoined rest of the vehicles waiting for the leopard. As the light was fading, we started the return leg of our safari rather reluctantly. We were still hopeful of a sighting. Not for me but for my brother Raj and his wife Sarita- both first time safari tourists. As they say first time lucky! While these thoughts were crossing my mind, our vehicle was moving slowly on the dirt track.

Another few minutes up an incline and a bend and we saw a dark shape moving ahead! We slowed down and cut all the noise whatsoever. It was a leopard ahead. Some 50 feet ahead. Walking on the sand track.
Excitement built up. Camera whirred. For my 300 mm lens on 1/800 speed setting for a moving vehicle, the light was really low. But the shutter won't stop. See the 5 second video clip first. The voice over is in a whisper.

The above video was then followed by a series of pictures. We kept following the leopard till he decided to ease himself in a bushy patch. We respected his privacy. See the series of pictures below.

We shot a 30-second video as we followed the leopard. Our driver alerted the other vehicles in the vicinity. One of these vehicles approached our vehicles and applied brakes. That disturbed the leopard and he disappeared into the bushes. Talk of disciplined wildlife tourists!

After another wait, we sighted the leopard again. This time we went solo to make sure the leopard is not disturbed. Here is a minute and a half long video clip of the leopard leading us. Once again, the voice is in a whisper to avoid disturbing the leopard.

The sun had already set. All vehicles have to clear the park before 6.30 pm in winter. We had our fill. Except that we had to forego the visit to Shikar Haudi. May be the next time.
Raj and Sarita sure proved first time lucky!

The evening clouds in otherwise clear sky cast a magical spell to the forest. We hope that the 'man' does not destroy the forest.

Mahatma Gandhi's words on the importance of forests echoed my mind. Here is a PQ- picturesque quote superimposed on the Jhalana forest.

Jaipur has seen many changes. Jhalana Leopard Reserve is one of such changes. You may view our earlier stories on Jaipur by clicking the links below:
'The Changing Face of Jaipur'
'The Pink City Beyond Pink'
'Rural Jugaad'

Thanks for browsing. Your feedback is welcome as always.

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

#jhalanaleopardsafari #leopards #jaipur #rajasthan #forests #pqs #picturesquequotes #conservation #leopardspots #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb