The amazing Bharatpur bird sanctuary trip

Bharatpur, inspite of reviews of birds not being spotted this year and the water problems did not disappoint me. I am not a bird connoisseur, but still I could see many birds.
We started the trip at about 12 pm.
I had hired a guide to take me around the park.
The bicycles were out of stock by the time we reached. So the only option was to take a cycle rickshaw.
My wife and sis-in-law on one rickshaw and me and our driver on the other, we were all set to begin the journey.
The only loophole is that the rickshaws tread on the main roads in the park. So a good part would have to be covered on foot if you really wanna capture the birds on cam.
The guide was knowledgeable and helped us spot birds.
It also made sense for me to keep noting the names of the birds which I spotted because there were many I did not know of.
So, do keep a piece of paper and a pen handy when doing such trips.
We spotted a total of 23 different species of birds, most of which I managed to capture on camera.
Few pics and names are available at the end of the page.


We had already spent about 4 hours on the park bird spotting.
Then when we returned from one stretch of the park, I asked the guide how much of the park was left because we needed to get back to Agra before darkness sets in.
There are a lot of accidents on the highways because of fog these days.
The guide said that we had 2 options, one was where there were bigger birds like cranes and many other birds near the watering holes in the park.
The other option was the Python point.
The difference between these 2 points was that, bird sighting was guaranteed, but Python sighting was quite rare.
I asked him a few more details like what’s the probability of sighting pythons especially with the sun beating down .. because it is winter season and the pythons too would love to sun bathe.
He agreed with my logic, but still said, that there is no hard and fast rule.. and moreover to sight pythons you will have to walk about 4 kms one way.
I looked at wifey and sil(sister-in-law) .. they looked tired and wary, but they were aware of my instincts and that my day would be made if I captured a wild python moving on my cam.
Very sweetly, they said yes, I felt bad bad because that would mean that both of them would have to walk 8 kms up and down at the risk of not seeing a python.
But then, the same feeling was there even when I was at Corbett, wild life spotting is all about taking chances
All of us started off, it took roughly about 30-35 minutes to start reaching the first burrows where Indian Rock Pythons hide.
Porcupines make these burrows, but during monsoons, when the rain comes down hard, the pythons have nowhere to go, so they occupy these burrows.
One, two, three, four, we kept on spotting burrows, but no pythons…
I knew, the chances were bleak.. but I was only feeling bad for my wife and sil.
Then we spotted a skull of a cow, our driver excitedly asked if it meant there was a python around?
The guide brushed aside his question and we kept looking.
Then the guide said, there is another place, but that’s about half a km inside and there is thick dry grass all over.
I agreed to go, but I asked my wife and sil to stay put on the main path, because the terrain looked scary.
Me, guide and the driver set on the path full of tall dry brown grass.
I asked the guide how he would he able to sight it? Because it would easily camouflage itself.
The guide said that they are lazy creatures and would be near the burrows only.. so you would need to spot the holes.. not the pythons, that’s the trick.
We kept on walking and after 6-7 mins, saw a burrow, empty again ..
I kept standing there, reluctant to move further, the guide was moving and as I turned, I saw him quietly signaling to me to come over.
Amazed, I asked, if it was a python or a bird that he wanted to show… his expression was very cautious.. immediately without asking another question, I moved silently to him.
I saw four fully grown pythons basking in the sun.
Totally awe struck, ,my driver ran back to the main path to call my wife and sil.
Meanwhile, the first python made a movement and started slithering to the burrow and in no time disappeared.
Now, the second also started moving, I knew that this would enter the hole too.. so I ran to the burrow as quickly as I could with my camera.. and waiting for the second python to come to the spot.
As soon as it came, I clicked a few pics of it along with the third one.

Now, I wanted a video, there still was a fourth python which was unperturbed by all this activity.
By this time, my wife and sil also came to the spot.
I moved swiftly again back to the burrow.
I was ready.
In seconds, the fourth python came, tongue wagging, probably seeing the camera too
I was too close for comfort, hardly couple of feet away, but the joy of capturing the video kept my feet glued.
Finally it started slithering down the hole and the trip to the python point was a success.

On the way back, all of us were happy and satisfied that the last leg of 8 kms had paid off.
We left the park by 630 pm and reached Agra on time.
For all people who wanna visit this park, you definitely should consider visiting it.
It’s not all that well managed, but its not bad either. Birds would leave you smiling at the end of the day … and if you manage to spot an Indian Rock Python, then that’s a welcome bonus.
Also, the rates have been fixed and are to be paid as per the charts.
Please do not pay tips to either the guides or the rickshaw people. This is also clearly stated on the ticket windows there.
Because if people start this trend, then it becomes an expectation from their side, they keep pestering tourists at the end of the trip. Personally, I feel, this leaves a bad taste at the end of an eventful trip.
The standard rates are as below :
Entry : Adults(Indian) : Rs 25/-
Rickshaw : Rs. 70/- per hour
Guide : Rs. 100/- per hour
Bicycle : Rs 10/- per hour

Video of the Indian Rock Python available here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU3pPBm9Gyw

Pics available below (quality severely degraded because of size restrictions:
2 Indian Rock Pythons trying to get inside the burrow


Common sparrow having his bajra lunch


Common sparrow again


Green peas


green peas again :)


flower bud


Mynah


Indian Roller - commonly called neelkanth


Purple Sunbird


Common Parakeet


Dusky eagle owl


Indian Hoopoe


Indian Hoopoe 2


Collared scops owl


Monitor Lizard


Spotted Owl


Brain Fever bird


Oriental Magpie Robin


Blue Throat


Kingfisher


Kingfisher Silhouette


Water hen


Ibis


Kingfisher Silhouette


Common Pigeon

Been quite a while since i blogged last.. ah well! Life is crazy.
It was benchmarking time, its that time when a hundred thousand people have their destinies written for the rest of the year by a few thousand people.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I was a part of both the sects.
When I was a part of the 'few thousand' people I gave a lot of gyaan on what to do, what not to do, though in my heart I knew that the people whom I was telling all this, knew this, they were good people, doing quite good things.
As a part of 'karma' cycle, I got back the gyaan I gave * 20 from the one above, a lot of it unwarranted, but I'll leave that for another day...

Now, this was the boring part of my life.. the fun is yet to begin!
And bet ya, in as little as 3 days from now!
Pretty excited to be taking a 'rebellious' optional off day after. I wasn't planning to, but then even Columbus never planned to reach America.
Have also taken a few resolutions, not as a part of new year, but as a part of the benchmarking exercise... must say that the 'rebellious' off was one immediate resolution :)
Then there is the GOD of all movies which i am catching again this weekend.. AVATAR! This time, again with a couple of office friends... waiting for the IMAX experience.
And then, in a few days, i am off for vacations!!
Wow, what a month! it has had everything so far.. and I expect the year to be no meaner...
This is the Chinese 'year of the Tiger'.. and that's my favorite creature.
So I expect myself to uncover some surprises, pull off some quick ones this year..
and yeah free myself from the clutches of the KGB.
Now, before this blog gets intercepted by some intelligence sleuth, I need to make a point.
I am a harmless creature and KGB is just a metaphor for Россия.
Don't get me wrong, i love them! :)
It's just that its been too much of togetherness.. i wanna break free.

A few resolutions that i could think of :
-->Do not be an emotional fool and over commit yourself to the job. Yaad kar, rocket singh ne kya bola tha..
-->If the average working hours per day exceed 9:15 minutes, try every trick in the book to bring it down to 9:15. Bahut utha liya fayeda, ab mera number hai.
-->Do atleast 2 holiday destinations every year from today.
-->Film a wild tiger in the deep jungles. If you manage it, then you are worth your weight in gold.
-->Do not watch films starring Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan, Saif Khan and Kareena Kapoor even as supporting actors.
-->Lose the prosperity in the belly and get flat.(The neighbour's kids are already calling me uncle)
-->Click some pictures from my new camera, which people could just go 'wow' about and show the world that not everyone needs a full time DSLR.
-->Chuck the old & ring in the new. Applies to clothes & friends. Conditions apply.
-->Show the dirty people their place, the pig sty.
-->Keep ma and pa of both north and south smiling! As KJo(cheap acronym) says, its all about loving your parents.

1 day, two movies.
10 AM : Huffing and puffing, reached the cinema.. got the 3D glasses on and quickly settled into the seats. That was the last time before intermission, that i looked at Tina and another dear friend.
The concept was new and the movie was AVATAR.

The name sounds pretty Indian, but that's where the similarity ends.
After that the way we were taken into a dream of fantasy was so fulfilling that were left gasping for breath by intermission.
The visuals, the world, the creatures were so stunning that maybe God could take a cue and create a new planet like this once ours comes to an end.
The Na'vi tribe had a language of their own language to speak.. they had customs, love for the fellow creatures.
It made me cringe to feel like a human being.
We are, yes we are the most hypocritical race ever produced.
We lie to ourselves when we say that we want to save the planet. We kill all other living things in our sight, so that we could reign.
We are 'THE ALIENS', we pollute the world and if its anyone who doesn't deserve to live on this beautiful planet, it is us, it is you and it is me.
Every single thing that we do, pollutes our planet.
This feeling of mine, was vented by Cameron too, through AVATAR.
And that's why I respect him. He showed a mirror to the world by making a film which shows the human race's real ugly face.
We are the villains.

Now the technical brilliance part : This is THE BEST cinematic experience unfolding in front of you in terms of stunning visual effects, dramatic 3D, hair raising fights and the oh-so-brilliant creatures.
Nothing might be real, but the intent of the film is...
So real, that it tells us what garbage we actually are and how we are proud of being this garbage.

I liked a few lines from RGV's(Ram Gopal Varma, a weird and erstwhile intelligent indian film director who gives a few good ones in between) blog.

"When someone asked me if the special efx of AVATAR will inspire other filmmakers, I said that on the contrary they might have a reverse effect. What I mean is that we can only aspire to become someone when we can atleast have a belief that we can reach someone’s potential but James Cameron in AVATAR created a bench mark so high that it will take years for us lesser folk even to comprehend it let alone attempt to execute it.

It’s like if you aspire to be a runner and somehow hope to run at a speed of 20km per hour which may be the world record and then when on the track you see a guy running at 200kmph you would rather give up and come back and make family dramas and TV serials and leave the running to James Cameron.

Titanic was fantastic but it did not shake me up inspite of everyone else around me back then saying that James Cameron is God of cinema.

But with his second coming “AVATAR” I have surely turned religious.

I want to pray to him for making “AVATAR”.

I hate him for making all us so-called filmmakers in the world feel like ants. (Read ch*****)"

When I came out after the movie, the hangover remained for a few hours.
I am still ashamed of being a human.
The human being is the most intelligent creature on this planet, but also the most selfish, calculative, manipulative, hideous, ugly, sinister and unfriendly creature on this planet.

Avatar is par excellence. If you miss it, you miss knowing the real face of being human.
I give it a 10 out of 5.
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Movie over, had nice lunch, chatted, bought a new carry case for my nice 'near -professional' new camera!
Time to head for another movie now..
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Avatar had taken the wind out the the sails of other movies and that's the reason why another brilliant movie "Rocket Singh" was 'easily-available' on a weekend.

The movie starts with Ranbir Kapoor, who's a duffer at everything passing his BCom just marginally.
He thinks of taking a sales job. He gets rebuked, beaten, bruised and screwed all in the first few days of his job.
He does everything he can for his job and his boss, but he cannot be unjust to his job and this rubs his boss the wrong way.
How Ranbir puts every piece together to make a company of his own to bring his boss's company to its knees is the main plot of the film.
I wont give away more.
Now talking about this boy, Ranbir, I somehow am impressed by him, he acts, dances well, looks good and is confident.
All these are really difficult to find in today's actors, more so in star kids.
He manages to pull off the whole show on his shoulders.
The scenes where his boss finds him doing some odd job in an electronic store really touched my heart.
My heart went out to him when he said to his manager "har aadmi ke paas do qualities hoti hain.. upar jaane & neeche aane ki, aapne mere liye sirf neeche aane ka raasta chhoda, what could i do? what did i come to you for? just one chance"
Now at most times, all of us working in any industry have felt this against our bosses.

Bosses are not friends, they just pretend to be friends.
Kaam nikla, fir tu bhi nikla.
That's what bosses are about. Aah.. let me not get started about the boss thing..
These days there is very high amount of negative polarization against him and if someone just nudges me, i will burst out and spew ash and lava like volcanoes :)

So lets stop here.. Ranbir Kapoor was brilliant.
A must watch for all people who feel that they can do something and hate their bosses for not letting them do it.

Some days are just not meant to be yours..

Had a hectic day at office! The joy of a breakthrough in an issue quickly evaporated.
Was witness to a marathon fight in which i wasnt directly involved.. but it was between 3 members of my team...
My personal opinion.. the way the younger members see things is not right.
They need to just improve their vision.. all this poisoning is not helping them in their careers.
The way they deal with things, they are only doing more harm to themselves...
And it was also sad to see that they managed to poison others' ears as well!

Saw a video sent by another colleague. This is about sixth sense computing which was showcased at TED, Infosys Mysore.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tv/TED-India-Pranav-Mistry/videoshow_ted/5231080.cms
The capacity of the human mind amazes me!! I mean just look at the idea. 10 out of 10 for the idea.. and an additional 10 for the simplicity of thought process.
Another 10 for making it opensource.
So that makes it 30 out of 10 for this guy Pranav!

And we choose to waste our mind in fights! that too trivial ones.
God! bucketing.
Painful.

V Day

I remember the college days in Nagpur.. 9 years back.. the first year in college..
the excitement in the dudes of our hostel was palpable.
I was way too timid in the first year to do such things :P
The guys were all getting ready... in the morning.. gelling their hair and making plans to go to the law college square in the evening (That was one of the happening places with a young crowd).
Few guys thought this day would change their life.. buying roses from florists across the road.
Few had cards and goodies ready.. one guy even came into my room at 630 am, woke me up and showed me his card asking if what he had written was fine...
Me :"heck, she is your target.. not mine.. how would i know?"
Friend : "dekh le yaar... meri english achchi nahi hai"
Me : "hindi mein likh de yaar, uski bhi english aise hi hai :P"...
Believe me, the euphoria in the hostels of the colleges was so huge... people just expected that 'The day is today.. the time is now.. if not now.. then never'.
There V Days were more about showing someone.. that i am with Ms. XYZ ... marking territories.. showing off.
All that hoopla.. and then popat.. instances of a few girls.. rejecting.. few guys not able to say anything at ground zero and getting the cards back..
Finally at EOD, all of them came back dejected... mouthing expletives.. and then a crate of beer from the bar across the road ordered generally to drown in... and bunk the college the next day..
All the 4 years, 15th feb was zero attendance day in our college.. poor lecturers always wondered what the students were upto on 14th. Most of the lecturers were SRS sympathizers.

I really wondered where the students got all this enthu from..
Then one fine day during second year... i fell for a girl from another college... and the funniest part was i started beahving in many ways like the guys from my hostel... thats another story though..

V Days in the college were really funny.. but the spirit and never say die attitude - exemplary. It was one of things that money cant buy.

Fast forward 9 years.. and now I am married, will celebrate it in a more civilian way :) with my wife. Life is a lot more organized now.. but I still miss that fun.

aashiq banaya.. aashiq banaya... aashiq banaya .. aapne!

The generation has moved ahead! and i feel like a grandpa already :)
there is a post on the BB...
How to make my girlfriend miss me soooooo much!
not so long ago, people used to think twice before posting such things on general BB... forget about bigger & better things like PDA! :D
People are replying left right centre... buy a bouquet and switch off the mobile for a few days... then call her and see.. how she tells you how much she missed you these 3 days!
mind blowing yaar!!
The talent for aashiqui has always run deep in our blood... right from the days i saw anil kapoor wooing madhuri dixit in the 80s and 90s.. or aamir and juhi coochie cooing and saying... 'tumhein pata hai... aaj maine tumhe kitna miss kiya??'
All these years, from the transition of India from the age of scooters to mobikes, from landlines to cell phones, and from girls to chics... the 'aashiqui' thread has remained common!

There is an undying spirit... which says... when a lion also needs a lioness... what wrong am i doing??
Perfect sir! You are doing no wrong... i am just discussing the bird's eye point of view.
I remember.. while in college.. all this was pretty normal... infact guys of the same hostel.. same room try to upstage each other to win the lioness!

I salute the 'aashiqui' spirit.. just like India salutes the Mumbai spirit.. i love the fact that no matter what the odds.. no matter where you are.. no matter how many people are there around you.. no matter which platform you choose(including the BB) ... the famed 'aashiqs' just 'do it' anywhere!

Salaam.

Yuck aaj kal

i knew what was coming my way.. when i saw the tacky guy naming his tacky production house 'Illuminati'.... what?? does he operate that secret society or something?? or is he Robert Langdon??
Fine.. i have a negative bias against the one time national award winner... but then i thought deepika and rishi kapoor might neutralize the strong negative undercurrent.

but no... 1st scene of the movie.. deepika and saifoo (sounds like a dog's name... saifoo - sheroo .. nahi?)
main pile on nahi karna chahta... bullshit.. i know where this is going... bloody youngistan lingo.

Deepika had a plastic expression.. her voice never conveys the feeling that her face wants to.
She is a perfect depiction of a plastic doll gone famous!
She would now have to learn acting after becoming a superstar!
Similar things were said about Aishwarya 'Plastic' Rai... during her 'Taal' days.. but now she has brushed up her skills and also got herself the tag of first lady of Bollywood... so what's wrong with Deepika.. so i discount her! afterall she is a newbie.

But Sheroo.. sorry .. Saifoo... man this guy amazes me.. i sometimes think i shouldn't be discriminatory about his Donald duck voice modulation..
but then his acting pisses me off so much that i end up targetting him :)
His dances so badly that i can dance better than him.
he looks old now... and when he does the youngistan lingo.. it pretty much looks like the neighbourhood friendly uncle trying to flirt with the girls on the streets.

The sardar scenes were quite nice .. though sheroo looked unconvincing as a sardar.. but the intent was good and the romance looked fresh.. so liked that part.

Apart from that.. pretty avoidable fare.