Good morning bhopal !

Tiger at Van Vihar, Bhopal

It was great site to see Tiger waking up to Sunday morning sun in Bhopal. Probably wishing bhopal wala's good morning in his own style !!! (pic @ anil gulati)

Bhagoriya, a unique tribal festival

Story - Sanjay Sharma, Picture - Prakash Hatvalne

The Bhil tribals in the West Nimar region and the Jhabua belt of Madhya Pradesh organise the Bhagoria Haat a week before Holi, the festival of colours that fell on Saturday. The haat, or country fair, is special for the community because this is where young men and women look for soul mates. Bhils constitute around 22 percent of the state's 60 million population. During the festival men and women interact freely, dancing to the beats of dhols and thalis, the melody of the shehnai and bansuri amid the fragrance of tadi and mahua, two types of locally brewed liquor.

During the colourful tribal festival, which allows young people to choose their partners, boys and girls from far and near gather in large numbers. They eat, drink, dance and then elope as part of the wedding rituals. Changing times, however, have caught up with this strange ritual. While earlier they would dress up in all their tribal finery, today Bhil men wear Western-style shirts and trousers and come to the haat. The women have started applying lipstick and talc in a show of modernity. And how do they woo each other? "The boy applies 'gulal' (coloured powder) on the face of the girl and if she reciprocates then they move towards a secluded place deep inside the forest to know each other better," said Bhil youth Digraskar, who chose his life partner in one such haat.

Young men and women interested in each other also exchange betel leaf as a declaration of love.
Couples who elope according to the Bhagoria custom (bhag means to run) are then accepted by society. "A woman and a man who decide to elope come back to a tumultuous welcome and are pronounced wife and husband by their elated families," the Bhil youth said. The Bhagoria Haat, which coincides with the end of the harvest season, is also a platform to resolve old disputes. The festival assumes additional splendour if the crops have been good.

They sleep in air !

If you happen to be at Bhopal's lower lake, and Kamlapati Palace park, just have a look at the tree above and you cannot miss bats in numbers which inhabitate the trees there as of now. One could see few of the flying and hundreds of them hanging on the trees (upside down) during the day time. (In picture - a bat is flying to reach out to others who are hanging - look like sleeping upside down in air ? ) As per the staff members of the palace 'these chamgadars (bats as known locally) come in thousands here during this period and will be there till July'. Their are many stories on bats and some even consider them as bad omen, but in reality it is an helpful and important animal of the eco system. It is the only mammal which can fly.

Website on information on bats state that tropical rainforests could not survive without bats. Bats are responsible for controlling pest insect populations, pollinating flowers, and dispersing seeds. One insect-eating bat can catch 500-1000 insects in one hour! Many plants must be pollinated by bats to produce. Though there are many species of bats but for simplicity they could be categorised into two main groups of bats - the large "flying foxes" that eat fruit, and the smaller insect-eating bats. (pictures by anil)

Wish i was on the boat !

I have never been into sailing but these boats always fascinate me and probably that is the reason I enjoy taking their photographs. Wish I could be on the boats ! It is beautiful site now a days at Upper lake in Bhopal to seeing these boats cruising along the waters of lake during afternoon and sunset. Experts tell me that a sailboat's course is the direction it is heading. The skipper usually sits on the windward (upwind) side of the boat, and the sails are on the leeward (downwind, pronounced lew' ard) side. The wind direction is named for its source. A west wind comes from the west.

Bhopal upper lake has India's first National Sailing Club on its Eastern side. This club offers various options of water sports including sailing. (pic - anil gulati)

The agile mongoose

Mongoose at park on upper lake, Bhopal.

As per wikipedia, Mongoose is a member of the family Herpestidae, a family of small like carnivores. The word Mongoose is derived from the marathi word mangus. In India, Mongoose

are popularly used to fight and kill snakes particularly king cobra. They are able to do this because of their agility and cunning, and their thick coat, but typically avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming their meat. One can easily see many of them in park and bushes in the walking lane over upper lake.

The sunset

In picture sunset from Upper lake, Bhopal.

The Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal are kind of the pride of Bhopal, though now they are being faced by problems of pollution, detoriation of quality of water and siltation. Both these lakes are man made reservoirs. Upper Lake was created by Raja Bhoj, Dhar king in 11th century by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River.The Upper Lake has catchment area of 361 sq. km and water spread area of 31 sq. km. The wetland area of these lakes supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. Diverse flora provide ideal habitat in the form of food and shelter for a large number of avifauna, a delight for nature lovers. Sunset at upper lake especially in summers is thing to watch - probably that is the reason Bhopal Municipal Corporation has named one corner of the lake which has a park as 'Vardham sunset point'. One could also see Takia Island, in the picture. Takia Island is a small island on upper lake which has a mazhar of the Shah Ali Shah Rahamatulla Alliah and has religious significance.

The spotted one.....

This is picture of spotted deer at Van Vihar, the National park at Bhopal. A nervous animal, is camera shy and always alert. It is most commonly found member of the deer family in India. Spotted deer is herbivores and loves grass. Van Vihar is great habitat for them in Bhopal. It does not have any enclosures except the outer boundaries of Van Vihar, hence they can freak out. Grass and other plant species growing in Van Vihar are sufficient for these herbivores except in harsh summer when grass just dries up, they need support which probably Van Vihar staff does for them.

It's a water day !!

In picture birds enjoying in water at a park near upper lake. Well they are celebrating Rangpanchmi in their own way !!!. As summer moves in this part of India birds and other animals were also seen hiding in for shelter or near wetlands that too are drying up in Bhopal.

Bhopal marks Rangpanchmi

On the fifth day after Holi, in Madhya Pradesh "Rangpanchmi," is celebrated which marks end of festivities involving colours. People apply colour on each other and enjoy the day as summer moves in central India. Being a state holiday state offices in the capital city of Bhopal were closed. Shops in Bhopal were closed during the day but some will open up by evening. For some like nationalised banks, media offices, and central government offices it was working day as it was a state holiday not at the centre.

Youngsters had fun and enjoyed the festivity. For some it is an opportunity to have bhang or beer. For many who do not prefer colour and but had a holiday were seen at places like upper lake or were at home. Bhopal police was in full colour to prevent any untoward incident event and had put both personnel and barricades at many important points in the city. Though some policewala could cough up some extra bucks from younsters driving cars at a high speed or either without licence.

Chidyatol, Raisen

This is a picture of a water body in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. It is popularly known as Chidyatol. It is near Bhopal and is place to go for many especially during monsoons.Research work is underway recently on such bodies and structure in the same region.

Recuitment ad !

Recruitment ad - reaching out to right people is crucial hence choice of media becomes vital in recruitment ads. Well one needs to be creative as the placement of advertisement should entice people for job.

An ad for support staff in medical center in the Mandla district written by a chalk piece was displayed on a bin placed right at the footsteps of the staircase in Narmada ghats, Mandla. May be right placement to make sure that many read this ad, off course was free of cost but very much gender insensitive !

The first holi wish !

Juvenile common Iora at kaliasoot forest area wishing citizens of bhopal - happy holi with her beautiful voice!!

It's summer time !

As temperature soars in Bhopal, one can see road side shops selling caps coming up. This marks arrival of summer in Bhopal. With Bhopali's two wheeler not preferring helmets ; caps do sell in numbers here. It helps in preventing, blocking sunlight from the eyes. Caps starting from Rupee twenty onwards in various combinations are available on these shops. Though temperature is soaring but sales still have not, shop owners say it will do after holi. Earthen pots with and without taps which help to keep drinking water cool could also be seen at the road side shops in bhopal.

Museum of man celebrates its foundation day

Indira Gandhi Manav Sangrahalaya (Museum of Man) Bhopal is illuminated as it celebrates its 32nd foundation day. A two event on March 19 & 20, 2008 had many cultural events, musical programmes, and special exhibitions to commemorate the same.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya is an autonomous organisation of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is dedicated to depict the story of mankind in time and space. Set up in April, 1979, is spread in 197 acres of undulating land, in front of the Bhopal's upper lake. It has natural rock shelters with prehistoric rock paintings, going back to mesolithic period, and evidence of other ancient human habitations

Scaring the crow away !

Scarecrows are an integral part of the rural landscape. Made of stick, hays and clothes, with a cap or turban as headgear, these contraptions have been in use for centuries. Farmers need to adapt constantly to keep the birds away.

THE WORD ‘scarecrow’ literally means ‘which scares away crows’, hence the name scarecrow. Traditional scarecrows remain the best; it’s economical, affordable and an integral part of our rural life.

If you’re traversing across various part of Madhya Pradesh or that matter rural India, you could encounter variety of scarecrow in the fields with sown in rabi crop. Scarecrows are kind of an essential part of the rural landscape. Though with reeling water crisis many districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh are witnessing drought hence may not be having crops but if fields are sown, and / or crops are there you will find scarecrows.

Gardeners’ Dictionary defines scarecrow as a crude image or effigy of a person—often entertainingly dressed—that is set up in a farm field or garden to scare crows and other birds away from food plants. These are used to prevent crows and birds to feed on recently cast seed or fresh crops, and also to prevent them to flock over the fields.

Normally farmers use old clothes and straw to create a menacing looking figure that they hope would frighten crows away from the freshly planted crops. Scarecrows date back several centuries in India and across the globe. Answer.com describes that the earliest known written fact about scarecrow’s are from the year 1592. One of the oldest designs of bird scare is the scarecrow is in the shape of a human figure, which is used till date. It also has different forms and some are real creative.

In Madhya Pradesh too one might notice its different forms. Some use painted earthen pot with a human face and place it upside down on the wooden pole; others may have human figure with a traditional turban on its head or may have a cap if they intend to give it a modern look! They say crows and birds adapt get adapted to the designs, hence one needs to innovate its shape and designs and even use number of scarecrows in the fields. Sizes vary depending on the field size. Normally they use clothes that are bright so that it is visible from a distance.

Though many question effectiveness of these scarecrows to frighten away the birds. But, with technology coming in options like flexible bird netting, motion sensor combined with a sprinkler system and reflective PET film ribbons are some of the available options but for many of us, like me, traditional scarecrows would remain the best. These are economical, affordable and are part of our rural life. Scarecrows are known throughout the world, although they called different names in some counties.

In Scotland, for example, a scarecrow is called a tattie bogle while in Sommerset, England scarecrows are commonly referred to as Mommets. While one is talking of scarecrows it is necessary to mention ‘klopotec,’ which is a wooden mechanical device on a high wooden pole, resembling a windmill. It is used as a scarecrow in wine growing landscapes of Slovenia, Austria and Croatia.

Anil Gulati

Bole Chudiyan !

Colurful glass bangles (chudiyan) on sale in the recently held Bhopal mela. Available from as cheap as Rupees five for a dozen to fifty or even more but still were a fast sell - an appeal for visiting girls and ladies !. Various types of bangles were available this time varying anything made of glass to metal to lac and even plastic. The rareness of a color and its unique value mattered when it came to its price tag.

Bagh prints – herbal touch, tribal creativity

‘Bagh prints’ are trendy, cool and comfortable cloth material and off course if you visit MP you should buy Bagh prints. An array of products are now available made from Bagh printed fabric - be it ladies suits, sarees, dress material, dupatta, bed-covers, pillow covers etc. one can find all. Bagh prints have unique hand block printing, printed using vegetable dyes. The fabric used originally was cotton, but now saw tassar, crepe, and silk are being used with excellent results. Bagh layouts are dramatic with use of black and red alternately on a white background. Production process is painstaking and manual. Though the techniques and designs are age old but the prints retain its contemporary appeal. Bagh prints derive its name from a small tribal town in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. Bagh's proximity to the river was an important reason for its choice as flowing river water is vital to the process of printing. The black colour is prepared with ferrous sulphate mixed with tamarind seed powder and glue which is cooked in water and stored for use. Each sari takes a minimum of three weeks to complete after the design is printed. During his period it is washed at last three times and sent to the bhatti or oven at least twice. Two persons stand knee deep in water to wash the fabric so that superfluous colour is removed. The fabric / sari are boiled in a cauldron of water on a bhatti with regulated heat for the colour to emerge.

Bhopal haat, the handicraft- handloom place in Bhopal which now is trendy, normally has a bagh print counter whenever there is any festival or event. Plans are their to set up a permanent counter not only of Bagh but also of Maheshwari prints in the same place, keeping in view of the demand.

Lesser Whistling Duck in Bhopal

Lesser whistling ducks (whistling teals) at Bhopal's van vihar. For more info on lesser whistling ducks please scroll down and have a look at Whistling away from camera !

Phadke studio, Dhar

Dhar, a district of state of Madhya Pradesh hosts a studio which not only has a history but offers learning and has many interesting sculptures lying in a closet. Phadke studio was established by Raghunath Krishna Phadke, an artist and sculpturist who came to Dhar in the year 1933 from Mumbai on a call from the Dhar King. Later on he established his studio in Dhar in Khanderao Tekri, which now is called ‘Phadke Studio’. He was awarded Padma Shri by Government of India in the year 1961 for his contribution in field of arts. In the year 1971 he was awarded Doctorate in Arts. Statues made by him are established at Dhar, Indore, Dewas, Ujjain and Mumbai. Presently several statues made by him and his successors (in pic) are lying in the closet of the studio, which now is in dismal condition. Dr Phadke died in year 1972.(blog welcomes more information on the studio)

In flight stork

Lesser Adjutant Stork in a flight over kalisoot dam lake in Bhopal. Lesser adjutant stork is a large stork bird whose upper body and wings are black, but the belly and undertail are white. It feeds on reptiles, frogs and fish and can be sighted near wetlands.

Red vented bulbul at van vihar,bhopal

Red-vented Bulbul is a member of the bulbul family. It is common Indian bird, vivacious, widely distributed in India and can be easily sighted in Bhopal. A highly adaptive species and can be found in both cities and in deep forests. Red-vented Bulbul is about 20cm in length, with a long tail. This dark and crested medium sized bird has black head and throat and red under the tail coverts. Red-vented Bulbuls feed on fruit, nectar and insects.

Wikipedia states that The Red-vented Bulbul is incapable of synthesizing vitamin C. It shares this feature with a very limited number of other animals, among which are certain fruit bats and primates (including humans) as well as the guniea pig.
(pic @ anil, van vihar, bhopal)

Bhopal Gate

Bhopal gate ((martyr's memorial), Bhopal.

'Golden Shower' in Bhopal

‘Golden Shower Tree’ (Botanical name - Cassia fistula) Bhopal. The tree flowers every year during middle of March, giving Bhopal lanes a yellow lustre. This flowering plant belongs to the family Fabaceae. It also popularly known as Amaltas and Laburnum.It is an ornamental plant but many of its parts have medicinal properties. (pic @ anil gulati, place - arera colony, bhopal)

In Ayurvedic system, the seeds are recognized as antibilious, carminative, and laxative while the root is used for curing burning sensations, leprosy and skin diseases. Leaves of the tree is used for treating malaria, rheumatism, and ulcers.

Dhuandhar falls in Jabalpur

The Narmada river, while making its way through the marble rocks river plunges through a narrow rock in Jabalpur giving it a powerful roar and smoking cascade. It is called Dhuandhar falls and the plunge is powerful, roar is audible from a far distance. The fall and the breaking of the volume of water at the crest present an awesome spectacle.

Statue of liberty in Guna !

If you are passing through Guna, a district in state of Madhya Pradesh you may encounter and get attracted to replica of New York City's Statue of Liberty - a universal symbol of political freedom and democracy. One can see the same in Royal Homes complex on Guna road in the Guna district. Though the photograph shown was taken sometime earlier, as of now statue is bit damaged.(pic @anil gulati)

Some more interesting facts about Guna

Guna, is a district in north-eastern Madhya Pradesh. The district is home to the heritage citadel Bajrangarh fort, though now it is lying in depilated state. It is also had religious places such as Bishbji and Jain shrines besides a few other interesting places. Though it's not on a tourism map, neither many people know much about it, except in political circles. Guna was once famous for saris from Chanderi block of the district which recently became part of the newly formed district Ashok Nagar. The information superhighway (web world) reveals that Guna was also the birthplace of one Vijay Kumar Patodi, a mathematician who died at the young age of 31 but attained fame for his papers.

Gohar Mahal, a reminiscent of architectural expression in Bhopal

Gohar Mahal an architectural expression built by Bhopal’s first Begum still retains its ‘historical’ touch. On the edge of ‘VIP’ road over upper lake of Bhopal, presently known for its fairs, festivals held by Department of handlooms and handicrafts for displaying artifacts produced by the artists from the state and across India is buzz place for bhopalis.

The palace was built in 1820 by Qudisiya Begum, the first woman ruler of Bhopal. She ascended the throne of the erstwhile princely state in 1819, after her husband’s death, and then onwards political power rested with the Begums of Bhopal.

The Mahal must have been a marvel, which one can visualize from its restored building and the ruminants. In picture is ceiling of one of its hall overseeing the lake which was restored. Remains of paintings and the intricate woodwork in the mahal reflect its architecture marvel. The Mahal is a magnificent fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture. Parts of wall used outside the hall used to put light the earthen lamps still retains some original gloss of the paint which used to shine and lighten up the light of earthen lamps. One can also see motif of two fishes facing each other on the walls of palace.

(Picture - Side view Gohar Mahal, @ anil gulati)

Flame of the Forest

The red palash flowers bloom in Bhopal

Palash (botanical name - Butea monosperma and frondosa ) is also sometimes called as ‘The Flame of the Forest’ - when large group of such trees are in flower it seems that the forest is on fire hence the name. The flowers, are scentless and consists of five petals comprising one standard, two smaller wings and a very curved beak-shaped keel. The Palash here is also associated with Holi as flowering happens near holi. For ones who wish to play herbal holi its flowers are boiled and the colour obtained is used to play Holi. Medically dried flowers are used as a diuretic. The gum obtained from the tree is called Bengal Kino. It contains tannin and is used in the treatment of diarrhoea. The seeds have anti-helminthic properties and are used in the treatment of worms. The flower is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.

The black winged stilt at Bhopal’s upper lake

Seen in the picture is Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) at the edge of upper lake nearing Van Vihar. As seen in picture it is black and white in colour with long orange-red legs and a straight black bill. It has black on the back of the neck, a white collar and a red iris. It is normally found in temperate and tropical shallow wetlands. It usually breeds in freshwater, including lake edge, marshes, swamps, river-beds and flooded fields, also found in coastal salt marshes. They can be easily seen on Bhopal’s wetlands like edges of Bhopal's lakes, van vihar etc.

Black-winged Stilts feed mainly on aquatic insects. They rarely swim for food (unlike the Banded Stilt), preferring instead to wade in shallow water, and seize prey on or near the surface. Occasionally, birds plunge their heads below the surface to catch sub-aquatic prey.

'Balancing rock' in Jabalpur

On the way back from Madan Mahal, a fort build by Gond Raja Madan Shah, on a top of rocky hill in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh one can see this rock formation.Madan Mahal fort in Jabalpur dominates the skyline and provides a panoramic view of the town and the country side around it.

One can see numerous rock formations around Madan Mahal but one which attracts attention at an exit if Madan Mahal at the mountain is ‘Balancing rock’ (pic @anil gulati). Balancing rock is an independent rock balancing over another rock, wikipedia calls it as an eroded volcanic rock formation.

Jabalpur, an ancient city in the central part of the state is located on the shores of river Narmada, and is known for famous Marble Rocks, but also has many other interesting sites including its unique topography. The city is surrounded by low, rocky, and barren hillocks and is a pleasure for many Geologist and Archeologists.

Beautiful and graceful at Bhopal's park

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore


Picture - The brush footed butterfly at ‘Jiwan vatika’ park near Van Vihar, on the upper lake, Bhopal.(pic @ anil gulati)

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Butterflies are important economically as one of the major agents of pollination. In addition, a number of species are pests, because they can damage domestic crops and trees.

India's diverse and varied fauna includes rich heritage of butterflies and moths. It has more than 1000 species of butterflies. Bhopal capital city of Madhya Pradesh hosts not only large number of birds including migratory which frequent this city especially during winter but also is abode of variety of butterflies and insects.

Splendours of Udaygiri

Caves of Udaygiri, which means Mount Sunrise, are one of the several groups of ancient monuments situated in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, in India. These are the gems of a golden era and the remains of our past splendour.(pic@anil gulati)



INSCRIPTION MENTIONED in the caves in Vidisha indicate that these are of the reign of Chandragupta II (382-401AD), meaning the caves date back to 4th - 5th century AD. The caves in Vidisha are testimony of the zeal for excellence of the artisans of the period. These caves possess all the distinctive features that gave Gupta art its unique vitality, vigour and richness of expression.

Situated in Sunpura and Udaygiri villages of Vidisha district, these are group of twenty rock-cut caves sanctuaries carved from a sandstone hill. The architecture and the sculpture, and decorative feature of these caves give them a unique perspective. The caves are numbered probably according to the sequence in which they were excavated, beginning with Cave one. Out of the twenty caves of Udaygiri number one, two, three, four, six, seven, 16, 17, 19 show distinct features of architectural value. Cave number one is a rock-cut cave with structural portico in front of pillars having capitals in vase and foliage design. Caves number one, three, four are plain rock-cut cells with sculptures of Dvarapalas, Vishnu, Ganesha and Sapta Matrikas on the exterior of number four, rock-cut image of Skanda on number two and a linga with face in number four.

From sculptural point of view, cave number five in these caves is important because of the famous Varha incarnation scene contained in it. It is also referred by some as ‘Varha Gupha’. Lord Varha is in human form with head of boar, shown lifting up the earth out of waters. The scene is attended by the gods, sages and the river goddesses. Cave number nine - 12 have enshrined image of Lord Vishnu and are contemporaneous with Lord Vishnu’s figure of cave number six. Cave number 13 has a large rock-cut sculpture of Lord Sheshashayi Vishnu. Containing this colossal statue, this open cave is twelve feet long.

As we go to other caves four, six, and 19, we observe that the shrines become larger and more ornate and cells appear more spacious and the simple porch assumes in cave number 19 the appearance of pillared hall. A stage in process is seen in cave number four, known as Bina cave. Cave number 20 has four sculptures, two each on both sides of the entrance to the main shrine. Inscriptions indicate Jain sculptures in the cave.

It is also the decorative features of the doorstep in the caves, which adds significance to their relative antiquity amongst themselves and as compared with the structural examples. The caves in Vidisha could be referred to as the gems of a golden era and the remains of our past splendour, worth a visit to the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Contributed by Anil Gulati

Kanha calling !

Kanha, national park in the state of Madhya Pradesh has diverse variety of mammals and bird life. Lot of hype surrounds on viewing Tiger at this park but Kanha is also a great deer park. It has four variety of deers i.e. spotted deer, sambar, basingha and barking deer.

In picture (@ anil gulati) is seen a young Sambar deer in Mukki range of Kanha National Park in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. Sambar Deer (Cervus unicolor) is the largest among Indian deer and is common in forested hillsides (preferably near cultivation), woodland and open scrub, and dense forest up to 2500 m altitude. Literature says that sense of smell and hearing are accurate but power of sight is only reasonable. They move silently in the dense jungle despite their size and also swims well. Grass, leaves and various kinds of wild fruits form the diet.