Driving Through Assam

What is the favourite pastime of grannies?
And of grandpas?
Read on to find out.

Pictures will tell the story. But before that the context. We were a team of 20 Navy veterans and spouses all in their late late-60s. We bring you a set of stories based on our visit to Manas National Park in November 2018, which should be read together. Quick links are given below:

1. Who were the travellers?
2. Guwahati the Gateway to North East India
3. Driving through the Bamboo land (this story)
4. Manas National Park- What is so great? 
5. MNP- Where crickets sing like Temple Bells
6. Bodo Village- Living with Nature
7. Where to Stay in Manas
8. Deepor Beel A Ramsar Site

Back to the tales of grannies and grandpas. Let the pictures do the talking.

In fact Saraighat Bridge was the topic of 13th edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad (KBG) an on-line contest. Read more about the bridge and winners of the contest here.

Count again! There are 14 nests clearly visible in the picture. On the tree there must have been 50 or more! 

Cultivated and green countryside like Assam, attracts many birds. In a harvested field on the way, we spotted a large bird. It was naturally camouflaged. With my 50mm lens, this is what I got.

If you zoomed the picture, this is what you will see. A Lesser Adjutant Stork of the Stork family. Painted storks are more common. We earlier spotted Wooly-necked Storks nesting on a tree on the highway.

India has plenty of rural wisdom which ensures pollution free and eco-friendly living. Like the fuel cakes made of cow-dung and mud paste! See the picture below.

 Special thanks to Dr Chitra Shanker for identifying the flowering plant.

Interacting with people on the way, we felt that tomorrow's India is full of hope and promise. Like what the eyes of this child convey!

Thanks for browsing.

We will take you on a Tiger Safari in the next story. Stay connected.

    -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 19th Apr 2019

#Assam #India #bamboo #grannies #grandpas #guwahati #saraighat #brahmaputra #dhabas #handicrafts #manas #highwaydriving #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #tigersafari

Powder Puff- Squirrel's Favourite

What do squirrels eat?
Berries and nuts everyone would say.
But they also relish stems of fresh flowers like Powder Puff. Ghumakkad observed this 'feast' by a squirrel on a Powder Puff bush in a municipal garden in Jaipur Rajasthan recently.
Actually that observation triggered the 14th edition of KBG Kaun Banega Ghumakkad Contest. Let us see the squirrel feasting on the flower. 

The plant or better called a shrub from the touch-me-not family looks like this:

KBG-14 saw very enthusiastic response. Almost 400 readers browsed the contest clues reproduced below.

Since the plant has origins in tropical regions across the world, and we had shown only the buds, it left the choices wide open. A whole family of plants have similar looking buds. But the flowers are different. So we decided to give the benefit of doubt to three fastest responses nearest to Powder Puff! In fact the first three correct responses came within a few minutes of the Contest going live.
Yes, the correct answer to KBG-14 is Powder Puff - Caliandra Heamatocephala. But we also accepted Mimosa Nutalli. Here are some more pictures of Powder Puff buds, flower and the squirrel feasting on the plant.

Ghumakkad was lucky to capture the squirrel in action on video. Here is a short 20-second clip for you. Please ignore the background noise. The park was located close to a National Highway in Jaipur.

There is a longer duration video on YouTube which Ghumakkad had shot the same morning.

It was a treat to observe the speed at which the squirrel was munching and discarding the waste! The first day when I observed the squirrel at work during my morning walk, I hadn't brought my camera. The next day I carried the camera but the squirrel was not there! I waited patiently and it appeared from nowhere! And then the action started. It must have eaten about half a dozen flowers before climbing a Babool tree nearby.

The Contest
The response from the readers ranged from Eucalyptus, Daisy, Magnolia, Gulmohar to Strawberry. We sincerely thank each of the 400 or so participants for their effort.

Special thanks are due to Dr Chitra Shanker for her technical advise and guidance.

We congratulate the winners:

1. Ankur Gupta, Author and Business Professional, Mumbai
2. Raghu Suryavanshi, Social Entrepreneur and Blogger, Goa
3. Helga Lakhotia, Former Nursing Professional, Traveller and Foodie, Germany

There were many more correct answers later. We wish them faster response and better luck next time.

We hope the squirrels and plants will continue to thrive.

With each Contest Ghumakkad is also learning!

Thanks for your continued support.

  - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 17th April 2019

#kbg #kaunbanegaghumakkad #kbgcontest #clues #funwithnature #photowalks #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #nature #flowers #buds #identifytheflower #contest14 #powderpuff #mimosanutalli #squirrel #winners 

KBG-14 Which Flower?

After a series of Contests featuring Forts, Palaces and Bridges, we now resume our focus on Nature.
KBG-14, the 14th edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad is here.
See the picture and identify the flower from its bud. More clues in the story.

Clue No. 1: When the bud opens!

Clue No.2: Squirrels are very fond of these flowers. See the picture below. We will show you a video later.

Happy Hunting!
Remember, first three correct answers get featured in the next post.
Send your response NOW!

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Dr Chitra Shanker/ 15th April 2019

#kbg #kaunbanegaghumakkad #kbgcontest #clues #funwithnature #photowalks #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #nature #flowers #buds #identifytheflower #contest14 

Saraighat Bridge over Brahmaputra

Kaun Banega Ghumakkad Contest No. 13

KBG-13 the jury is out.
The picture shown in the contest was Saraighat Bridge over river Brahmaputra in Assam (current spelling Asom) India.
The winners are:

1. Commodore R Asokan Indian Navy (Retd)
2. Col Avinash Tiwari (Retd) and Mr Deepak Jena
3. Prof Sabyasachi Mondal, IIIT Allahabad

There was a tie for the second place. Winning responses came within 45 minutes! We congratulate all the winners. Well done.

Brief History

Saraighat bridge was built over Brahmaputra river near Guwahati in the years 1959 to 1963. The river flows West to East.

The bridge connects Northern and Eastern parts of Assam and further all the NE states. 

Originally it was the first rail-cum-road bridge in this part of India. Later on a three lane companion road bridge was constructed and inaugurated two years back.

The pictures shown in the contest were taken from the new road bridge. The clue was the eastern and western boundary of the bridge which are different. The pictures with clues are reproduced below.

It was heartening to see more than 50 correct responses. As in the earlier contests, more than 200 readers participated. 

Interestingly the winners came from different age groups from a youthful 25 to veterans nearing 75 years! They came from different backgrounds as well. From MBA students, research scholars and professors to Armed Forces veterans, they all added to the richness of the Contest.

Ghumakkad is once again grateful to all of you for taking this Contest forward.

KBG-14 will feature the Nature again! Sharpen your knowledge of trees and plants near you.

Stay connected.

      - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 14th April 2019

#kbg #kaunbanegaghumakkad #kbgcontest #clues #funwithtravel #photowalks #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #saraighatbridge #brahmaputra #assam #northeastindia #winners #kbg13