Ratel- The Unsung Honey Badger

Little is known about this extremely interesting creature, to the fact that nine out of ten Wild Life Conservators have never heard of it. I came to know about this animal during my quest for the Pangolin, in the jungle of Abu, from a Bhil tribal who, having only a vague idea, had mentioned having seen at night what he called Kabar Biju- A Grave Digger, reputed to exhume corpses of children buried in shallow graves and eat the remains.

At this time, one night my hen house was raided by a nocturnal animal. Only the stability of the pen saved my birds from slaughter. Now I decided to trap the animal. The hen house had two compartments partitioned by sturdy wire meshing. The next evening I shifted the birds to one section and left ajar the door of the other. Around early morning the animal once again struck and tried to get to the birds through the mesh. It was bedlam as the birds shrieked while the animal undauntedly attacked the meshing. I reached well in time to latch the door with the creature safely inside. At daybreak after letting the hens out from the other side I had a peek at the interloper. It was really a mini bear sporting a black and silvery fur coat that accorded me a defiant look. He seemed clearly a persistent poultry predator. Bewildered, I let the animal alone but later sought the help of the book "Jungle in Sunlight and Shadow". According to the author, F.W. Champion, the intriguing animal was a Ratel, referred to as a Biju by the tribals and described ecstatically by him at length, as the 'Hero of the Jungle'.

The India Ratel, many a time called the Honey Badger is very much at home in the Indian plains but being evasive, is rarely seen or noticed and is by no means uncommon. Ratels are more like small bears in gait and appearance with peculiar coloring of silver grey & black, stirring out of their burrows mostly at night and are omnivorous, eating rodents, birds,insects, honey and almost every thing that is edible. For Honey, the Badger has a connection with a little brown bird who with its vigorous chirping and fluttering from bush to bush leads the floundering animal to a hive of wild bees. On reaching the hive, the Badger rushes in and protected by fur coat against the furious bees, makes an excellent meal of the luscious honey. The Honey Guide's share of the feast consists of grubs that are scattered all around during the gluttonous onslaught. This is indeed a marvelous compatibility of the bird and the beast for mutual benefit.

Now my curiosity more than sated, I released the magnificent specimen from captivity.

The Real Hero of India - Vivekananda

LOHRI and Makar Sankranti

The festival hearkens as the cold peaks.

Popular conventional belief marks Makar Sankranti
as the time when the winter cold begins to lose its bite

A popular Punjabi saying goes
"Magh tilo til wadhe, tan Phaggan goda kadde"

From the month of Magh (marked by Makar sankranti on
14th January every year (This year on 15th)), the days begin
to lengthen in the measure of a til (sesame seed), while
by the time the next month (Phagun) arrives mid february,
the days begin to acquire lengthening by the measure of a knee length.

Its a Punjabi rhetoric way of putting things.
Don't bother yourself over trying to make sense of it
We Punjabis are like that only

Lohri is the festival, dedicated to the Fire God Agni,
that precedes this Month of Magh by a day and generally
is taken to fall on 13th January every year (this year too).

Festivals all over the world, also serve to mark the passage of time
and seasons, in addition to the celebration of Life in all its colours.

Lohri has the theme of providing succour and bringing joy and cheer
in winter, to offset the proverbial discontent that sets in places that
experience it in extreme.

Whether myths are based in facts or an attempt to preserve sanity,
Lohri also has a romantic angle to it aka Robin Hoodesque of its
main character Dhulla Bhatti, a notorious dacoit,
who had the proverbial heart of gold that beat
for the downtrodden and the weak.

Having rescued girls from the clutches of zamindars
and other "Nobles"
He adopted them as his daughters and found suitable grooms
for them all when non would have them as they considered them
as sullied by lusts of the rich.

Impromptu were the celebrations and the marriage
that was conducted even as no priest would conduct the ceremony,
Dhulla Bhatti played the role of priest and married off the girls
himself to suitable grooms.

The song that emerged from this impromptu celebration
is now sung all over Punjab when the young men go from house
to house to collect donations for lighting the bonfire and
distributing sweets made of sesame seeds and jaggery
(revdi, gachak) etc, while singing Dhulla Bhatti's song.



The celebrations acquire much more intensiy and gusto
if there has been a marriage celebration in the house
within the preceding year.



Here's the song that is sung

I wish all Yahoogroup members the very best in their Life for 2011.
May the fires of Lohri burn away your flaws and
illuminate your Life
with the Blessings of the Divine Goodness

The DEADLY MALAISE- Poverty becomes History

Poverty, the dreaded scourge sadly endured by Humans, mankind has miserably failed to eradicate. Over 20 millenniums, civilizations have flourished, romances blossomed and ended mostly tragically, kingdoms overthrown, technology has triumphed but Alas! Nature, Godmen and human beings can hardly account for doing away with stark poverty for good.

So, having Reverence for Life and being a champion of Humanness in Humans and with the desire to do my bit to ease the curse of Poverty, humbly I have launched the voluntary activity of feeding the poor children in Mount Abu. With no dearth of a multitude of beggars passing by my gate every day, I have chosen the mangy urchins, progeny of rag pickers camping all over, for succor. Every morning, a group of starving disheveled kids vociferously gather at the gate and my daughter-in-law, Anisha, herself a mother of two handsome boys, smilingly doles out a sustenance pertaining to our resources, to each child and not hesitating to discipline and humor the miscreants with tips to be more presentable the next morning. Believe me, the pursuit has worked wonders.

And finally, it is our sacred duty to stretch out our hands and say " In spite of what separates us and what we have in common is Humanity", and thus the least we can do for the needy and hungry is to Bless, Love and Protect them.

2011- A Challenge- Perceived by A Seer as a Year of Turmoil

Today before you say an unkind word
Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife
Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life
Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive
Think of someone who walks the same distance.

And when you are tired and complain about your job
Think of the unemployed, the disabled,

and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down
Put a smile on your face and think
You are alive and still around.

Merry Christmas 2010- A Call to Serve the POOR

Christmas is a Spiritual and Sacred Festival as it celebrate birth Of Jesus.

Infant Jesus was born in Bethlehem -House of Bread- and his emergence was accorded deep reverence by poor shepherds, who first came to know about his birth and then by Three Wise Men of the East, who brought gifts of GOLD, MYRRH and FRANKINCENSE.

Jesus is known as 'ISA' in Eastern Lands, the dedication being fragrant with with sweet and sacred associations. However, the gospel records say so little about the early life of Jesus till he suddenly surfaced as a teacher at the age of 30. It is believed that Jesus traveled in Asian countries and came in touch with Budhist and Hindu influences. His gospel is reminiscent of the wisdom of Sri Krishna, Budha and Rishis-Hindu Sages. Quotes an Eastern record, "He is great and just Isa and Isu, in whom dwells soul of the Universe". His thought ' Be ye perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect', shocked the Jews as the expression was essentially Aryan and thus Indian. His sayings were simple and revealed an artist and a deep thinker, in fact a Rishi-sage who saw the Universe with the eyes of a creator, soul of a seer and was a man of cosmic consciousness.

Jesus moved in an atmosphere of Essenes and observed the triple vow of poverty, vegetarianism and simple living and had the Aryan reverence for life. So Jesus, born a Jew, theoretically belongs to the Hindu group of Krishna and Budha and the trio are brothers in the Kingdom of Spirit

Puri, a township on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Orissa state, India,is an exotic place of Hindu pilgrimage. There stands the sacred temple. Near by roll and gush the waves of the sea and near the temple stands a small abbey- ashram with a beautiful garden dedicated to Christ . In the center is a small shrine having the Crusifix. Every day during a prayer meeting portions of Psalms and the New Testament are recited both by the members of the abbey as well as outsiders.

Jesus is a living truth, was despised, rejected and crusified by civilization, but today is enthroned in the hearts of both pious and sinners in the East and West . Jesus Christ belongs to the race of Prophets in this world of hate and strife. Will love triumph some how!

PANGOLIN -Amazing Remnant of PAST AGES

Rarely seen,the most remarkable animal to be found in Indian hilly and plain jungles is the Pangolin, a surviving and living relic of the past ages. I came to know about this weird creature when I was a student of St.Mary's High School, Mount Abu in the year 1952, while reading the autobiography of Jawahar Lal Nehru, independent India's first Prime Minister. The book written in 1932, when he was a political prisoner in Dehra Dun gaol, humorously recounts his life in gaol. Since the gaol was small, as a special case political prisoners were allowed, morning and evening to go for a walk outside the prison gate for a view of mountain ranges, the fields and for a glimpse of the public road.One day as Jawahar Lal was standing at the gate talking to the Jailer, he saw a tribal on the side of the road carrying a strange animal on his shoulder. Noticing the curiosity of freedom fighter, the Jailer obligingly sent for the man. At close quarters, Jawahar Lal Nehru observed a mammal that seemed a cross between a lizard and a crocodile about 2 feet long having claws and scales. The awkward animal, very much alive had been twisted in the form of a knot and the owner had passed a bamboo stick through it and was merrily carrying it on his shoulder. He,called it ' BO' and when asked what he intended to do with it, the man smacking his lips and smiling from ear to ear confided that he would make 'bhujji'- a tasty curry out of it. It was after referring to some books on wild life that Jawahar Lal came to know that the animal was a Pangolin.

Being deeply interested in animals and more so in life history and habits of rare wild life and feeling that the Hills of Abu could be the home of the strange animal, I decided to investigate. I started with our milkman, a local tribal and drew a blank. Then I turned to a wizened Bhil woodcutter and struck pay dirt. The man smiled at the way I described the animal and confirmed having seen it on some occasions while collecting fire wood and called it 'Ban Rohu' -forest fish. Then he indicated the area where I should look, adding that I may be lucky to see the creature lolling in the sun. It being a warm afternoon during my school holidays in December 1952, I set off immediately carrying my air gun and Kodak box camera. The section that had been pinpointed was a small valley in the jungle,off Saal Gaon. The afternoon jaunt was a wasted hike. I did see an occasional rabbit skirting by, some wild fowls, painted partridges and many peacocks. Now more than determined, the next morning after breakfast, I set off again and was at the site around afternoon. It was warm and as I trudged along a not too defined path, I saw the creature lolling in the sun in full glory, camouflaged by the dry grass but as I mumbled 'Eureka' the creature stood upright for a moment and scuttled into the bushes. Now more interested and dejectedly, I loitered around for an hour, hoping for another glimpse of the recluse but no dice. So I returned resolving to get to the bottom of the intrigue. Now looking up a book on wild life seemed a likely solution. In my quest I went to the Public Library in the evening. My query about a book on wild life was Greek to the caretaker but he permitted me to browse the few racks of books available. . Not a single book on wild life existed. On seeing me depressed the caretaker suggested that I may try the elite Rajputana Club library. So I trudged to the exclusive club, to find it open but deserted. I explained my mission to the elderly caretaker and obligingly I was escorted to the library having hundreds of ornately bound volumes, neatly arranged in teakwood polished almirahas. The first almirah yielded what I was looking for- the book ' Jungle in Sunlight and Shadow' written by F.W.Champion, during his posting in Imperial Forest Service of India. A whole chapter suitably illustrated with prints of original photographs was dedicated to the animal.

Champion, a passionate lover of nature and wild life considered the Pangolin as the astonishing survivor of past ages. He had an exceedingly engrossing time in tracing and studying the animal as it spent most of its time under ground in burrows, rarely venturing out in day time. The animal with its armor consisting of thick scales overlapping like those of a fish seemed to have stepped straight out of a journal of ancient ages. The creature is a toothless mammal and so feeds on termites and all insects. Its flesh is regarded as a delicacy and also as an efficient aphrodisiac by tribals and jewelery such as rings crafted from its scales , when worn is termed as lucky charms.

The Pangolin, as a creation of Nature in all its finery, pleases, attracts and at times frightens and Mother Nature alone knows that it aims at and depicts.