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Menri Monastery

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            Students of BA 4th and 6th Semester accompanied by teachers of Department of Geography, went for a study trip to Rajgarh region of HP. The tour commenced on 14th April 2022 and our first stop was the Menri Bon Monastery at Dolanji, near Solan.            Menri Monastery, ”medicine mountain”, is the name of a Bon monastery in Tibet that has been re-founded in India. The name derives from the medicinal plants and medicinal springs on the mountain. Menri became the leading Bon monastery in the Tibetan cultural region. The abbot of Menri is recognised as the spiritual leader of Bon. Menri Monastery, Dolanji Tonpa Shenrab             Bon is believed to be the original religion of Tibet founded by Tonpa Shenrab (whose name means “Supreme Holy Man”).  The Bonpos, (followers of Bon) maintain that Bon originated in the land of Olmo Lungring, situated to the west of Tibet and covering one third of the existing world. The founder of Bon religion is Lord Tonpa Shenrab Miwo.         
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Chappar Chiri and Motemajra Birding

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Chappar Chiri and Motemajra 27 April 2013 Rajiv Das and I drove through Chappar Chiri to Motemajra in the afternoon and had some delightful sightings. The four most outstanding were the grey francolins, floating nest of Little Grebe with its occupants, Spotbill family on an outing and the Pheasant Tailed Jacanas in their breeding plumage, in that order. Our fun started with the spotting of a flock of Scaly Breasted Munias in the reeds in swamp just short of Chappar Chiri. Although they did not permit us any pictures, yet the sight of a flock of around 11 birds was a pleasure in sheer numbers! It was here that we heard the call of Black Francolin which continued for all the time we were there. As we drove further I saw a pair of Grey Francolins feeding in stubble of a freshly harvested wheat field. We parked the car and waited inside as they were headed in our general direction. Soon the were with in grabbing distance and offered us great full-frame close ups. In the field were
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Wire Tailed Swallow

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The Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to other aerial insectivores, such as the related martins and the unrelated swifts. Wire-tailed Swallow breeds in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to Southeast Asia. It is mainly resident, but populations in northern India migrate further south in winter. This bird is found in open country near water and human habitation. Wire-tailed Swallows are fast flyers and they generally feed on insects, especially flies, while airborne. They are typically seen low over water, with which they are more closely associated than most swallows. The neat half-bowl nests are lined with mud collected in the swallows' beaks. They are placed on vertical surfaces near water under cliff ledges or more commonly on man-made structures such as buildings and bridges. The clutch is up to five eggs. These birds are solitary and territ
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Wild Side of Chandigarh

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Sukhna Lake nestles in the north-eastern corner of Chandigarh. Beyond the lake is   Shivalik piedmont, a gently rolling plain dissected by large number of ephemeral streams locally known as choes. This undulating plain is not very wide. Most of this area is forested and forms a buffer zone between the city and Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. The lake itself is a great attraction for migratory water fowl in winters. A large water body and very less human presence have made it a very important biotope. Last week a paper reported that some Open Billed Storks and Spot Billed Ducks have stayed behind and are nesting. I was intrigued so the first opportunity that arose saw me accompanied by my friend Prithvi, laden with camera, binoculars, field book and water-bottle heading towards Sukhna. This part of city has a very jumanjisque character. You park your car and climb up the embankment, you are in the forest. It is a very surrealistic feel and as we walked up, I stumbled on to a herd of Sambar
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Shooting the Moon

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How many times have we heard James Deacon, John Wayne, Glenn Ford, James Stewart etc. drawl “Must be a drunk shooting the moon?” But last week I actually shot the moon...of course not with a gun but with my new 500 mm bazooka of a lens. After having downloaded the picture, I suddenly realised that yes there is a rabbit on the moon we have read about or the man or the lantern bearer. So I started reading and came up with a large volume of information. Then I thought why not share it with my friends...I know it is not really  Moonshine(!!!) but then it is all about shooting the moon, mooning, rabbits and folklore...  The Moon I Shot The Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit, is a rabbit that lives on the moon in folklore, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in  East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle (C).  In Chinese folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion of
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Dodra - Kwar: Where Griffons Dare

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  Dodra – Kwar is a very less known cultural region of Himachal. It is a narrow valley drained by River Rupin, and enclosed by loft ranges of middle and greater Himalayas. Last year, a jeep able road was completed, connecting this valley to Rohru. Prior to this, people of this valley travelled by foot or horseback to Rohru. The easier rout was to walk along the river and reach Netwar, a large village in Uttrakhand. Netwar is also the confluence of rivers Rupin and Tons. According to the folklore, this valley was a part of the kingdom of Tehri but was given in dowry to the princess who married King of Rampur Bushahr. Thus it became a part of Himachal. The very idea of biking up to an unexplored region is very rib-tickling; so the plans are made well in advance and on 30 th May two of us load our bikes and scoot off. The rout we are to take is Chail, Kufri, Narkanda, Baggi, Khara Patthar, Rohru, Chanshal, Dodra and Kwar. The return is from Rohru to Hatkoti, Jubbal, Theog and Shimla ba
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The Celestial Artwork

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Baisakh (April) is so pleasant, The branches blossom with new leaves. The soul-bride yearns to see the Lord at her door. Come, O Lord, and take pity on me! - Bara Mah - Guru Nanak Dev Ji April is the month of new leaves, ripening wheat and birdsong. The bare branches of trees bloom in to hues of reds and greens as leaves burst forth from bare branches. Bougainvillea explodes into colours as birds sing their nesting songs. This is the time when Mr. God sneaks in and paints everything in myriad hues of divinity. Winters are over and summer approaches. Plants and trees erupt into a riot of colour. Mulberries are laden with luscious purple fruit. Ants, flies, bees, birds and squirrels flock to the trees gorging on fruit or each other. A bee eater in his robes of green, red cardinal’s cap and kohl lined eyes meditates on a branch. Suddenly it darts at an unsuspecting bee flying by and breaks his
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