an encounter with royal tiger - National Parks,India

fascination with fear @ rachi creations

“Tiger Tiger. burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye.

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?..”

By :William Blake

TAG TIGER: The big cats with big bright round yellow irises, the claws sharp ready for hunting, their unique stripes on their strong body, which no two tigers have identical stripes and the roar could be heard more than a mile away.

I had my life’s first ever direct interface with the wild-life. Recently I visited “Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka” and “Bannergatta national park, Bangalore”.

A journey started with the stay at “The Kings Sanctuary” just 200 kilometer from Bangalore, situated close to the “Nagarhole National Park”. A wildlife resort which have a perfect blend of traditional India with its stylish décor. It also provides a jeep safaris to the National Park. Nagarhole National park derives its name from the combination of two Kannada words. 'Nagar,' meaning snake, and 'hole,' meaning streams. Nagarhole Park was set up in 1955. It have a large variety of wild species like eleplants, tigers, leopard, gaur (Indian bison), dears etc. Long back it was the prime hunting location for the Maharajas of Mysoor. But recently it is renamed as “Rajiv Gandhi National Park after the late Prime Minister of India”.



Nagarhole National Park is counted among India’s best wildlife parks.Early morning we started to the Jungle safari in the bus. The sanctuary is quite a few kilometers away from the resort. There was a thick green forest and the strange sound of the morning jungle created a buzz of unlimited questions..like “Will it be safe to go?”, “Will I be able to see any animal?”, “What shall be the feeling when I will spot any exclusive species…?” As when I was there in my deep thoughts, the bus was stopped with a sudden strong brakes and somebody echoed…Tiger! Tiger!! Within the micro second everybody was alert and came close to the cab’s seat. A robust bodied TIGER crossing the road. The tiger walked really like a king without bothering about the bus which was just five meters away.

There was enough time for all of us to see the “NATIONAL ANIMAL OF INDIA”, the Tiger. I have seen tigers in the zoo of some circus but to see the tiger roaming around freely has been the most outstanding and memorable experience. Indeed, there is so much of thrill, fear, excitement to spot the tiger. Though many other animals were spotted then, but nothing matched the wonder of watching the tiger.

I reading more to know about the Nagarhole National Park (NNP), came across a story would shatter away all the great experience we had there. The true story of the livelihood of the tribal living in the village close to the NNP. Check the Link.

Tigers are an endangered species due to shrinking habitat and large scale poaching resulting from human-tiger conflict. Their skin is secretly sold as the decorative items in the global market. And many Wildlife Conservation programs and organizations are made and followed to save and conserve them. India poses the largest the population of tigers around 2500. Inspite of the fact that the current estimates put the world population of wild tigers at about 5,000-7,000 only.

One of the interesting fact, I came across my knowledge is that the Tiger is the National Animal of almost six countries including India as follows:

1. Bangladesh
2. India
3. Malaysia
4. Nepal
5. North Korea
6. South Korea

India, have a religious connection with the tiger, as Hindu Goddess Durga, rides on the Tigress. We often call her “Mata Sheravali” in the need or just remembering God.

Similarly even children remember “Shere Khan”, a character fearfully menacing with Mowgli in, The Jungle Book, the Animated story enjoyed in childhood watching on the televisions.

The big cat, Tiger is a strong swimmer and a great runner with the night vision six times better than that of humans, reflects a very special philosophy of life leading with swiftness, strength and acute accuracy.

I was already mesmerizing in the moment of spotting tiger at the Nagarhole National Park. And this continued urge, to see ones again the Tiger, at Bannerghatta National Park is situated 10 km south of IIM-Bangalore. The journey to the park takes nearly half an hour from Bangalore. This hilly surrounding is the home for one of the richest flora and fauna. The 25,000 acre zoological park makes this a major domestic and foreign tourist attraction of Bangalore.

Imagine, the tiger around you, very close as it could even sniff and force you to faint. Yes! this is indeed the real experience of coming across to tiger at this very small yet miraculous Bannergatta National park. The pictures flicks speaks more than what I shall describe or express about the wonderful and enchanting encounter with the Tiger, at Bannergatta National Park.

Royal Bengal King’s roar is still a nightmare for me but haven’t said that I do love “Sher khan”. We all need to protect and conserve animals and even this royal cat which is so much endangered species, for the proper food-cycle and life-cycle on earth for better living..

Live life a king size and let the King of the jungle also live!!

Enjoy Traveling!

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Things You Didn't Know About Me

Things and funny facts you might not have known about me, here it goes on demand:

• My mom as at my age now 24 was already taking care of one yr. old baby girl which is me. My pet name "Umi", was kept by my papa, he too being very creative in his own way, thoughts to have its each letter represents their presence. "U" represents my father’s name Updesh and "M" represents my mom’s name Meera. I guess next letter “I” stands as I, me to Myself.. I like coincidences, and this particular numerology about my name and birthday is simple wonderful. I was born on 7th September which is the 9th month of the year, and believe it or not, but my name also consists of same numbers. My first name “R-A-C-H-A-N-A” has 7 letters and my surname “S-H-A-K-Y-A-W-A-R” has 9 letters.
• I traveled in India over 23 years. Lived in all the major four directions of the country, including the core center of India. I'm Indian! An Integrated Indian!Almost “4276.26834 miles”
  
  
  

  The of directions is North-West-East-Centeral-South. From, Mathura, my birthplace to Baroda(Gujarat), studied from Std. I-VII, the heading towards Guwahati(Assam) where I completed my schooling and getting my bachelor degree in Hotel Management, and further to Gwalior(M.P.) where I did my MBA. And finally to Bangalore shift after Marriage.
  
  Hence, am experienced of almost the major ethnic cultures of India, which works as a huge strength, being a Tourism Student.
• Indian flag having a "Chakra/Wheel" with its 24 spokes, which intends to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation, was sometime in my childhood I believed that the spokes represented the number of "States" in India, as during that time there were total 24 States. There was no "Uttranchal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and above all the status of Delhi to "national capital territory" was not there.
• I got introduced to computer almost 15 years ago, playing games and studied as a subject in school. But I got my first laptop, in year 2001, brand-IBM and the Window program I worked there in was SmartSuite-2000, which often made me difficult in working on normal MS-Windows. But that laptop gave me ability to handle well the lappe, in fact I got my control over MS-Paintbrush, and painted around 20 mater-pieces. (Ref. to http://www.freewebs.com/rachanashakyawar/ ).
  Today I have another laptop, which is brand-HP again 19months old and its working with wonders. But interesting I poses one more connection with computer ever since last 5months, that is I have a Computer-Software Engineer/Husband.

• It’s been long back when Archies introduced publicly in India with its Gallery of greeting cards and other gift accessories. It was something like revolution of Yr.1995, where all started greeting on seasons, particularly on the Indian festivals and ethnic occasions with its fascinating greetings. It was the same era when I was having my thoughts over expressing through sketching. I started making my own greeting cards for my friends and family. I gave it a commercial name “Rachi Creations” which was very much inspired by Archies Greeting Cards. My first name RACHANA which is in Hindi language, have its English meaning as “Creation”. Thus it became Rachi Creations..
• Childhood is the time to grow a passion for things and hobbies. Collecting coins and stamp are some of the common yet interesting hobbies. So, even I had a collection. But in my case it was Pebbles and stone which I found walking down the streets or just playing in sand gave me huge variety and excitement for the colorful, nice, smooth, tiny, cool pebbles. They have always inspired me. Don't get surprised! As even today walking down the lane, my eyes search for that tiny one. "
• If you were to buy me a drink I'd have Orange Juice. I don't like aerated water like Coke, Pepsi , coca-cola etc. Although recently I have stared having few gulps of Sprite, which more tastes like lemonade! I am also very much chocoholic, so if I drink milk than Bournvita is compulsory. And coffee is something I am very much addicted to.
• Orange is my favorite fruit and my favorite color. Again one more coincidence.
• Being a Girl, shopping comes very easy to me but I like to have a market survey, before buying the product. The matter of fact is , I might even postpone my shopping list if I don't find what I am exactly looking for.
• When I seriously like some movie or just a t.v. show, I feel as if it should have more extended series. Hence I luved the movie "Sister's Act-I,II" , Home Alone, Harry Potter.
• I have to have the last word !
• I love Elephants! But unfortunately I don’t have any at my home . I look forward getting one as my pet soon.
• I feel enriched! Life is bountiful. Ah yes, I am often seen doing the flamenco and applauding my own ass. Dontcha you love to do it?

~ OK..that's it for now...I apologize in advance because I'm not sure this is really all that interesting. But as an aside, I believe there is so much of silly yet cute in my own way expressions and things in my life.
~ I hope this blog shall also have an extended series of the things you don't know about me.

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A Window to the Past - a bicolor painting

A trail into black and white has been really very much deeper than what I expected. What I love about this Zebra-colour painting, with its beautiful curves, patterns and designs. Because this painting is different than what usually people make, I shall tag it as “Unconventional ART but in the willful way.” Almost all colours fade in front of this bicolour painting.

I appreciate, and heartily thanks for this piece of Art and the written thought process given by the creator to publish in the blog.

" Well…where to start? All I could say is that it is my first painting ever…I thought I was a goner in these type of artworks but there you are….the owner of this blog said it could be worth something so here it is…..I call this genre as weird artwork…..as you see that I never ever liked what you all call ‘modern art’…..its just plain, ugly….and a little sad(if truth to be told)…so what’s better then to start a new style….I’ve experimented and here is the result…..maybe you wont like it.

I’ve really tried to make this painting as eye catching as I could….wanted to be sure to make this absolutely memorable. Idea was hovering in my mind for quite a few weeks which then took shape and presently in this form.


I want to dedicate this painting to an anonymous person who made me a much better person, untapped the bitter face of life for me….my life then was never same as before. Look up closely ….I’ve painted her name somewhere…

Between you and me….particularly this painting mean a lot to me…gazing towards it opens a window to the past…..all memories, pain, endurances becomes more clear then ever before .I’ve put all my effort, my imagination, my pains, grief and sorrow to my first painting and very soon I am going to make a new one which would be greater and better then the debut. Look for it.

Please mail me your thoughts and your suggestions at- nations_of_dominations@hotmail.com , will surely love to hear from you. "

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Butterfly Park - an emotion of hue

When I think of butterflies, colorful flippy-flip wings, the first thing that comes to mind is probably my childhood.

Watching butterfly for the moment is like an experience. There is so much than initially meets the eye and keep lingering in the mind. Moments of childhood reflects when I see kids running after the butterfly, in the garden.

As a child, butterfly have always provoked my imagination, say its beautiful-colorful wings or the way it flutter all around the flowers. Have always Inspired me to look nature as heaven. My favorites have been “Common Jezebel” and “Monarch”, which I found in plenty in my garden. They are in the bright colours, yellow-orange-red, a touch of white and black stimulating the mind, soul and creative thoughts.

Almost my every painting made a space for butterfly, fluttering the colours and creating an aura of happiness.

Not many things have changed for the kids of today, I still find them fascinated for butterfly like I used to be in my childhood. My very cute little cousin sister ASTHA, often sings the poem in Hindi “titilee udd ke chali phool ne kaha aaja mere pass,titilee boli hatt badmash.”(Butterfly flutters, Flower says to her to come near it, butterfly says to flower you are very naughty.. )

Also she made this blog go colorful with her contribution of small drawing of butterfly, in spite of her hectic schedule of school.

Many inspiring quotes and poems have been written merging the butterfly and life.

And the someone I like..

“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think its forever..” CELEBRATE JUST LIVING..
"Just when the Catterpillar thought that the World was over, It became a Beautiful  Butterfly.."

• Love is like a butterfly,
  it goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes.
• You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder.
• How does one become a butterfly?" she asked. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.
• The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity.
• The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.
• The fluttering of a butterfly's wings can effect climate changes on the other side of the planet.
• Everyone is like a butterfly, they start out ugly and awkward and then morph into beautiful graceful butterflies that everyone loves.
• A caterpillar who seeks to know himself would never become a butterfly
• I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man
• When a small child, I thought that success spelled happiness. I was wrong, happiness is like a butterfly which appears and delights us for one brief moment, but soon flits away.
• I embrace emerging experience.
  I participate in discovery.
  I am a butterfly.
  I am not a butterfly collector.
  I want the experience of the butterfly.
• Love is like a butterfly,
  hold it too tight, it'll crush,
  hold it too loose, it'll fly.

In school, I was thrilled to know "the life cycle of butterfly", wondering how the ugly formation turns up to so beautiful colourful butterfly, after much of struggle and juggle of life.

Now what if are able to see more than 100 species of butterflies under one roof, is’nt it amazing..

Location: 10 Kms from IIM-B, Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore,KarnatakaComprises: Environmental Study, Research, Museum and Conservation
Establishment: Nov 25, 2006
Main Attraction:  As follows...

• Nature's most colorful species Butterflies in all its various hues are very well display in the country's first butterfly park .
• Its of this kind is country’s first and the world’s largest , spread over 7.5 acres in Bannerghatta Biological Park .
• A butterfly conservatory, museum with an audio-visual room.

Reason to conserve:

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 play an important ecological role as pollinators.

Motive behind Establishment: The main motive behind creating this Biological Park is to promote a greater awareness, appreciation among the public and above all to facilitate the conservation of butterflies.

The butterfly conservatory has a polycarbonate roof and is a 10,000 sq.ft. circular enclosure, inside which the living environment has been carefully designed to support the species of butterflies as well as the plants and shrubs present there.

Amazing effort has been made to create the aura which has a tropical setting including the complete humid climate, with an artificial waterfall and lots of plants and shrubs that attract butterflies. The conservatory leads into the second and third domes, which have a museum that will have dioramas and exhibits. The park also encompasses a butterfly rearing house, plant rearing house and host plant garden.

With so much of minute details given in the design, it surely stands as a victory in the race. Children loves to watch and feel the world of butterflies above all they get to learn a lot instantly they enter the park.

Finally we can learn a lot from this “Butterfly trail”, which will help us to come closer to nature and our lost childhood hues. We need to join hand to conserve all the endangered species including Butterflies, for the better and healthy living on the earth.

Some strange butterfly facts to share with you. Amaze your friends! Enjoy!

• The word butterfly came from the English word Buttorfleoge. Perhaps because, in mediaeval times, butterflies could be seen hovering around butterchurns or that their excrement is yellowish in colour.
• Butterflies range in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches.
  The smallest butterfly is the Western Pygmy blue from Africa, which has a half an inch wingspan
• World's Largest Butterfly
  The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing.
  This huge, poisonous butterfly lives in the rain forests of Papua, New Guinea,
  and is an endangered species with a wing span of 11 inches.
  Males of the species are much smaller than females.
  The second-largest butterfly in the world is the Goliath Birdwing and
  it lives in Indonesian rainforests and has a wingspan up to 11 inches as well.
• Butterflies are the second largest group of pollinators.....next to bees.
• Since butterflies are cold blooded it is necessary for them to warm up their flight muscles. This is done by basking in the sun in order to absorb heat
  
  
• Butterflies can attain a flight speed of up to 45 kph.
• Monarch butterflies journey from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of about 2,000 miles, and return to the north again in the spring.
• There are about 24,000 species of butterflies.
• Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.
• Representations of butterflies are seen in Egyptian frescoes at Thebes, which are 3,500 years old.
.
• Many butterflies can taste with their feet to find out whether the leaf they sit on is good to lay eggs on to be their caterpillars' food or not.
• Butterflies have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton. This protects the insect and keeps water inside their bodies so they don’t dry out.
• In India, the families and the numbers of species of butterfly is more than 1163.
• All butterflies have six legs and feet. In some species such as the monarch, the front pair of legs remains tucked up under the body most of the time, and are difficult to see.
• that a caterpillar grows to about 27,000 times the size it was when it first emerged from its egg.
• If a human baby weighed 9 pounds at birth and grew at the same rate as a caterpillar, it would weigh 243,000 pounds when fully grown.

An Irish Blessing for all:

"May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun. And find your shoulder to light on. To bring you luck, happiness and riches. Today, tomorrow and beyond. "

Respect Green Nature.

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Mission Kashmir - redirect to Paradise.

Kashmir have always out shined as the jewel crown of India studded like diamonds on the Great Himalayan Ranges inspiring many poets, photographers, artists and above all the Bollywoodwith its enchanting natural beauty.

Very well said in Kashmiriproverb,that means "The world is a theatre of love", and surely it gets reflected in the twinkling eyes of Kashmir People

India being a place where each state have its own unique language and distinct warm culture, Kashmir in its own simple way poses all the best cards to support the tourism. People from all over the world come India only to visit and feel the magic of Kashmir despite the hassle of terrorism. When you move in the valley on the zig-zag roads, with serene smell of flowers , almost for that moment one forget the pain and anguish suffered by the people. The composed voice of locals often gets translated through the art and craft which is so beautiful and colourful.

The tranquil passes in the breeze, felt sitting in the shikarain the Dal Lake and watching Himalayas covered with white snow. The beauty is simply incomparable to any place in the world.One feels God's presence in the nature which is indeed the strength of the region. Hence we call it "Kashmir-Paradise on Earth".

I believe that the road to a tourist-filled Kashmir goes through "Gulmarg". A mountains famous for Snow Skiing, accelerating with the best quality of snow, with the competitors like Switzerland and France. My Friends made a trip to Gulmarg for the adventurous skiing, and the brought the beauty capturing it in their cameras, its aura. Even though I have not visited J&K, I got very much moved by just watching the pics..and wished to visit the place soon..

The colour and culture of Kashmir some how really fascinates me but at the same time to visit the region..I have to every time rethink of the decision keeping in view of the consequences and past history that still follows in the day to day of there life. Call it as the security status, which often peeps into the first few pages of the newspaper..or say it the mercury this New Year 2008, dipped to deepest minus degrees in last two decades.

I might be having many excuses to not to visit J&K but , interestingly I have got one very big reason to visit it, is that its pleasing food. Authentic Kashmiri cuisine, traditionally known as "Wazwan" really fascinates me. I learnt about this cuisine a long back during my IHM days. The traditional number of courses for the wazwan is thirty-six. Which includes some of the rich variety of dishes like, seekh kababs, methi korma, tabak maaz, Zafrani murg,Rogan Josh served along with heap or rice and Yakhni Pulao(rice preparation). Robust flavours of the spices like–cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, saffron makes the food so lavishing and delicious.

"Kahwah", the green tea prepared with saffron, spices and almonds, is my favorite drink, as its washes all the oil from the throat leaves with the soothing warmth of flavoured tea. Indeed the moment, the first gulp, goes in... all I wonder is this is simply Heaven.

We often find many loops and uncertainty in the system while traveling J&K, forcing us to every time rethink t0 travel there. There have been many studies on this major issue, the tourism of J&K, and resulting into a vacuum situation every time. Hence, here we made a SWOT analysis, of the region Gulmarg. A simple analysis yet with strong strategies and thoughts to ponder on, Identifying the Strenghts , Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. Keeping SWOT in mind, we can improve on our strenghts, rectify our weakness, work on the opportunities ahead and take firm major steps for the threats. (plz download the ppt file of Gulmarg-SWOT analysis, given below.)

I shall start my journey "MISSION KASHMIR" in the valley of flowers, breeze and warmth soon because being an artist I dont want to miss the beautiful, coloureful picture made by God, to be unseen and unexplored

Enjoy Travelling..!

 

PRESENTATION. Download (click here)

...redirect to PARADISE.. (PPT file) Incredible India..

Check the ppt Below:

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