Ghumakkad Harsh

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

World Environment Day 2013

_____________ World Environment Day 5th June 2013 ____________________

Dear Fellow Earthling,

Another Environment Day has come.
Let us not plan anything big. Let us just keep the environment in our neighbourhood clean and green!
That would suffice.

And remember, every person counts.

Only then can we hope to sustain the ecological balance. And enjoy Nature's bounty-- like the picture below:

Spread the message.

Happy preservation!

Ghumakkad Harsh
5th June 2013
____________________________________________________________________________

Friday, 24 May 2013

Life is a Switch

_________________________ Life is a Switch ___________________________

Life is all about Switches.

Also called ‘buttons’ in the internet era.

You only need to know which button to use and when! (See picture below courtesy Johnny Sajem)

Many of you from the Industry, NGOs as well as my former MBA students would remember. We had said leadership is all about the ability to shift gears. That is another variant of a switch.

Take your iPad or Laptop. You need to know the ‘Start’ and ‘Power on’ buttons. Thereafter there are many soft buttons to be used.

Your camera, mobile, TV, AC, car, bike or any other gizmo. You got to know its buttons (switches).

Even human being—we ourselves, friends, family, boss—all of us get switched on! Sometimes the outcome of that switch is happiness and some other times anger or sadness. Once again, we need to know which switch to use and when. This ability comes with learning and experience.

These switches in life take many shapes and forms. It could be a physical device as in a gadget. A software controlled button. Or a mere touch like when your pet dog needs you on return from school or work. He just needs your touch.

Or, watching a sunset together switches the emotional state of a couple!

Now before you look for a switch to abort this story, one last point. Our ability to take control of our lives lies in knowing which switch to use and when! Like switching a railway track.

Select your own path in life.

And yes, God has the ultimate switch for everybody. But we don't have to worry for His actions.
Let us be happy switching our lives..

- Ghumakkad Harsh

24th May 2013

___________________________ Life is a Switch ____________________________

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Golf Umbrella for Plant Protection

___________________ Golf Umbrella for Plant Protection ___________________

Ever seen a golfer using his golf umbrella to protect a flowering plant? Read on.

With temperatures soaring to 44 degrees Celsius and more in Hyderabad thus summer, it was a challenge to keep the garden green. Potted plants are easy to protect from intense heat. Shift them to a shaded area and water it twice. Simple.

But what about plants in flower beds? We have to erect a temporary structure to provide sun shade. That requires fabrication. Needs some 'bandobust' as we call it in the Fauz! In the meanwhile, the plants were wilting in the Sun. See the pictures below:

Heat was increasing and time was running out. Eureka!
I dashed for my golf umbrella and covered the plant! See the picture below.

Now don't get ideas! This is not another poster for the recent Hindi film 'Aashiqui-2'!

And the beauty of this arrangement is-- once the Sun goes down, fold the umbrella and let the plant be bathed in a water spray. Next day, put the umbrella back!

Jugaad-- what they say! Necessity is the mother of ....!

Take care of your plants in the summer as much as we take care of ourselves!
Happy gardening!

- Ghumakkad Harsh
23rd May 2013

_____________________ Golf Umbrella and Plant Protection _____________________

Monday, 20 May 2013

Facing the Enemy

_________________________ Facing the Enemy ___________________________

A mother is a mother. Whether human or animal. Here are few pictures of a cat and her litter of three kittens. How she cares for them and how she protects them.
Captured in our garage doorway in Secunderabad, India.

Despite an unequal opponent and being on the other side of a metal gate, the cat did not run away! She crouched like a tiger and gave such menacing looks to the dog as if warning it "How dare you?" See the picture above.

Of course, after a stand off the dog walked away. And the kittens emerged back from the garage. As if nothing had happened.

And the mother cat obliged the hungry kittens!

Thanks for viewing nature's many lessons. Like facing the enemy steadfastly.

Bye till the next.
Ghumakkad Harsh

20th May 2013

_________________________ Facing the Enemy ____________________________

Monday, 22 April 2013

World Earth Day 2013

_________________________ World Earth Day 2013 __________________________

Today is 22nd April, World Earth Day. To generate awareness about our environment and the need to preserve it.

My take is that environment is an asset which we have borrowed from our children. We have no right to degrade it. We should hand it over back to them in a better shape than what we inherited. Are we doing so? The answer is an emphatic no! We have denuded forests, polluted the rivers/lakes, discharged poison into the soil, killed tigers/ other animals and caused global warming!

What can we do? Many many small things like:

Avoid use of plastics
Recycle paper and kitchen waste (gives you vermi compost at home)
Let rain water re-charge soil around your house/apartment.
Use solar energy for water heating and emergency lighting

These measures do not require big investment. Just do it!

Take a pledge.

Remember, every person counts. So, get going.

We can count on you!

Ghumakkad Harsh/ 22nd April 2013

__________________ Let us preserve the environment _______________________

Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Ranthambor 6 The Fort and around Sawai Madhopur

________________ Fort and around Sawai Madhopur _____________________

As mentioned earlier, the National Park covers a core zone of 330 Sq km. This includes Ranthambor Fort and Ganesh Temple built in 10th century AD.

Overlooking the Aravali ranges, the fort is indefatigable. See for yourself.
Sadly, we could not trek up the hill for more views from inside the Fort. May be next time.

We now take you around Sawai Madhopur town which houses various Hotels and Resorts for the tourists.

It offers packages for every budget. The town thrives on tourism. Summer/monsoon months of July-Sep are lean season as the Park is closed.

Pictures:

Thus ended three days of excitement at Ranthambor and Sawai Madhopur.

Your experiences/pictures are welcome.

Till next

Ghumakkad Harsh/ 10th Apr 2013

Postscript: Links to all our stories on Ranthambor are given below:

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

Happy browsing.

#Tiger #Ranthambor #T24 #Sambhar #Cheetal #Aravalis #Zone6 #BirdsOfRanthambor #Fort #PugMarks #SawaiMadhopur #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB

____________________ End of Ranthambor Part-6 _______________________________

Ranthambor 5 Birds in the National Park

____________________ Birds of Ranthambor National Park __________________

Ranthambor National Park has plenty of avi-fauna.
During the two days (27-28 March 2013) when we took the safari into the park, here are few pictures. Most shots from a moving vehicle-- hence at times not as sharp.

There are many more species which we sighted but are not in the pictures. These included:
Grey Indian Partridge
Brahminy Mynah
Grey Hornbill
Spotted Dove
Collared Dove
Cattle Egret
Lapwing
Common Ducks etc.

Enjoy the picture of other species which we could 'shoot' with my camera. Please do point out if a bird has been wrongly identified. We will acknowledge your contribution while making the correction.