Just About Everything

It is that time of the year again. Yes, Jazz fest 2014 just got over today after a three day Jazz music affair that most of us wait for eagerly. This time I got  a chance to watch Sumith Ramachandran perform. As usual I loved the ambience and the music. Here is a clipping from the Jazz fest 2014 (Saturday, Nov 29th) at The Dalhousie Institute, Kolkata Some of the the other artists who performed this time were, Four On A Swing, The Ska Vengers, Th richens Tentett, The Shuffle Demons, The Bodhisattwa Trio, Monojit Datta... You can also check out a clipping from the last year's fest at  Jazz fest 2013 Kolkata .

Sharing a very brief video of idol immersion. You will get a glimpse of idol immersion in the Ganges. The water and the lights make the whole scene dreamy and peaceful. Not a very clear video but you can make out the boats at a distance.

Flameback Woodpecker I am sharing pictures of birds that flocked around my house (South Kolkata). We don't usually get to see a Woodpecker or Jungle Maina that easily! The Jungle Maina picture is not good at all but I put it up anyway since we don’t get to sight it that often. Jungle Babbler Jungle Maina Koel

Today is Vijaya Dashami (Dussehra) and it is the last day of Durga pujas, and like every year, we think Durga puja gets over too fast and too soon L And like every year, I saw some amazingly beautiful creations this year. I will post some of my favourites in the next few posts. On the occasion of Vijaya Dashami (Dussehra), I would like to leave you with a message that I received from a friend today:- Dasha Hara is a Sanskrit word which means removal of ten bad qualities within us: Kama vasana (Lust) Krodha (Anger) Moha (Attachment) Lobha (Greed) Mada (Over Pride) Matsara (Jealousy) Swartha (Selfishness) Anyaaya (Injustice) Amanavta (Cruelty) Ahankara (Ego) So Vijaya of Dashmi literally means overcoming and defeating these bad qualities. I wish you a  life full of joy and peace. Happy Dussehra.

Hoolock Gibbon (female with a baby) North East India is amazing in terms of the diverse flora and fauna it supports. It is therefore not surprising that the only apes found in India, The Hoolock Gibbons, are found in North East India. The populations of these apes are on a decline.I am sharing some pictures of both the male and female Hoolock Gibbon. These pictures were taken by Some Jha during her Arunachal Pradesh trip earlier this year. Hoolock Gibbon male Hoolock Gibbon female

Orange Oakleaf Here is another amazing collection of butterflies from North-Eastern India. These beautiful butterflies are from eastern Arunachal Pradesh near Wakro, in India. These butterfly pictures were taken by Soma Jha during her trip to Arunachal Pradesh this year. Isn't the Orange Oakleaf butterfly(the picture on the left) amazing! It looks just like a dried leaf! Butterflies are often found around mud puddles, especially male butterflies gather around puddles of mud to get nutrition which they don't get from nectar. It seems they get nutrients and salts by sipping the moisture from mud puddles. Males transfer the nutrients during mating thereby ensuring that the eggs survive. Interesting! Common Maplet butterfly Mud Puddling  Red-based Jezebel White Dragon tail butterfly If you like butterflies, you may like my earlier post on butterflies :- Butterflies of India - Nagaland Common Birds & Butterflies in China

The world and therefore the people today are so focused on their own individual needs, and instant gratification, that it is indeed a refreshing change to come across people who are different! I thought or believed that the majority of people today and especially, the youth of today are only interested in focusing on their own needs. In a consumerist society that we live in today, it is indeed difficult to focus on anything other than accumulating more and more. But thankfully, I am wrong, contrary to what I have been thinking, there are a bunch of people, I guess in every part of the world, who are different, and perhaps that is why there is still so much good happening in the world today. A couple of days back I found out about  a NGO that was founded around 3 years back. The name of the NGO is Vijaya Agamani Foundation (Agamani) and it is based in Kolkata. It is formed by a group of bright young people who come from professional backgrounds such as Engineering, Medical, tea...