Nature - Inspiration at its best !!

I look back to count the most inspirational moments of life.. And I cannot stop thinking about the dew drops, simple flowers, blue sky, cool breeze and the life sounds echoing in my ears...Appearing as they are !! No pretensions !!

Blessed Morning !

I had often heard it from other travelers. Decided to give it a try.....A 1600 kms long journey through the fertile coastal coconut land of Kerela deported me to the southern most tip of India - Kanyakumari !!

And this is what I caught !! There is something in the morning air that enlivens your soul & immerses you completely in itself !! The sunrise experience - that is too personal to put in to words...So let my pictures speak to you !!

Kanyakumari is also synonymous to the great legend Vivekananda, in whose memory that Vivekananda rock has been erected. Let me quote a few lines from the legend who enlightened not only a nation but the world with his incomparable wisdom:

"All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction.
Love is therefore the only law of life.
He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying.
Therefore love for love's sake,
because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.

- Swami Vivekananda

(ps: all pictures taken from sunrise point at Vivekanandapuram)

Some places have the serenity and glamour to immediately register in your sub conscious mind. Like this one – German Bakery at Kovalam beach in Kerela. Hope will be able to go their again, sit before the vast canvass of calm sea and lie idle for hours. Till then the memories will suffice!

Time out

Certain things/moments come across very powerfully in life and shake you instantly. A similar thing happened on my recent weekend drive with a couple of friends to a nearby wilderness. We had no intention of visiting this place, but we saw a small sign board and thought to give it a try. Following around 9 kms of muddy road we landed to this place. Throughout the road, we were not sure what we are up to! But I guess it was worth it.

We spent some time at this spot. It set me thinking, the best things in life are natural – by itself, not attracting attention or making loud noise. Just existing to enjoy be themselves. One needs to have the desire and patience to explore them. Once you do, life is never the same. With a lot of effort, I dragged myslef back to my urbane life, but with a handful of liveliness and bliss to be with me till I come back.

EVERYONE'S IMPORTANT..

Wolves used to live in Yellowstone, which is in the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains. But many people thought wolves were pests that killed livestock and harmed crops. In 1926 the last wolf in Yellowstone was shot and killed. For the next 70 years Yellowstone did not have any wolves. Scientists decided to restore back wolves in the area in 1995. About 15 gray wolves were brought in from Canada.

With wolves, the predators have been introduced back in the setting. The wolves have been hunting and eating elk, a member of the deer family. The elk leftovers provide food for animals such as ravens, eagles, and bears. Wolves also scare elk from streams. With fewer elk near the water, plants that grow there, such as willows, can grow taller. "Benefits of this new plant growth include more habitat for birds and more plant food for beaver," Ripple explained. "The number of beaver in northern Yellowstone has increased dramatically since wolves were reintroduced." Wolves have such a big effect on Yellowstone because scientists believe wolves are a keystone species. Keystone species are species on which a large number of other plants and animals depend. According to scientists the reintroduction of wolves has affected more than 25 species in Yellowstone. (Source: National Geographic)

The wolves always hunt in a group and can run till 50 kms in search of their prey.In winters, they have to work hard to dig in the snow to search for food. The leader in the group is always respected. If he has a viewpoint, the rest follow. The females are also active in the hunting group and contribute actively. Average gestation period in females is two and a half months. Soon the younger ones get adapted to the group living. They start consuming meat within 2-3 weeks of birth.

HUDDLED IN A GROUP

Mearcats, I heard about them for the first time on the Discovery Channel. The world of mearcats is portrayed somewhat fearful and hidden. Groups of these tiny creatures are involved in monotony of digging tunnels to keep safely away from the vicious hyenas, eagles and other creatures in their habitat. They stick together and one will die for the entire community. The climatic conditions are extreme in Kalahari desert and they have to hide themselves from scorching sun as well. The dig burrows in the desert sand and live deep inside. The younger ones are also hidden in the holes. They watch taking turns and make specific noises in response to predators presence and once the predator leaves, they give one level of information. It's very interesting to see how those little creatures work, very similar to we human beings. Infact much better than human beings.

MASCULINE SACRIFICE

Hi! I have discovered this new information about a bird called EMU. Emus belong to an ancient group of flightless birds known as ratites, which includes the cassowary, the kiwi, the ostrich and rhea. There ís an average of about 5 lakh emus in the wild in Australia, but this varies highly depending on the season. Numbers can rise towards a million, and fall to about 2 lakh. While most birds wait for longer days in spring before breeding, for Emus it's reversed. It's shortening days that switch on their reproduction instincts.
And that's not the only reversal. Another surprising thing is that the male sits over the eggs for incubation. The Emu sits on the eggs continuously for 56 days and make sure they are protected from other wild life. They spend uncomfortable winter weeks on the nest, without food or drink, before doing sole parent duty for the next year and a half. Eventually the female leaves the first male altogether. With the nigh temperature soaring to 00c, they provide the warmth to the eggs with the cushion of their soft features.