Fireflies

I just discovered something that's not going to be of any use whatsoever in my mundane life. Neither will the knowledge of it contribute anything to your perhaps equally humdrum lives.


Yet the thought filled me with a curious sense of gladness.


It's only that there are a couple of fireflies on our rooftop terrace :-)


Now, that reminds me of a curious thing we noticed during our Bangalore trip. On our way to the Bangalore airport, we had boarded one of those green taxis that are supplied by a a certain agency. Well, this was what caught our eye, just below the windshield, above the dashboard on the passenger's side of the car :-)



Impressive, huh ?

Kaalboishakhi

"The thirsty earth soaks up the rain and drinks and gapes for drink again..."
---- Abraham Cowley

The first kaalboishakhi of the season has just been here...and how !

I didn't know what to do...the scent of the wet earth after the first rain, the sight of the trees dancing with careless abandon on the dusty horizon, the sight of sheets of blessed water quenching the thirst of the parched soil...my heart was in a state of ecstasy so hard to describe, so good to experience...and here's the first photo I took from the balcony, before consideration for my camera lens send me scurrying indoors ;-)

Green Nooks

There's not too much of nature to go ga ga over here in our neighbourhood, which is one of the relatively new localities along the E.M.Bypass. In fact, it's still in a state of considerable concretisation, which recently made me succumb to an allergy attack that came and went like a child's smile, only not half as welcome. Now what does one do when one is as used to greenery as I have been since my early childhood, be it in Wales or Salt Lake ? One creates one's own little green patch, of course !

Now let me warn you in advance (in case you begin to harbour great expectations of my ecological entrepreneurship) that my gardening genes are by no means original. I embarked on the process of green-ing my home, inspired by two worthy predecessors, Ma in Salt Lake and Mamoni, here. Ma, as a matter of fact, doesn't know too much about gardening and her excessive enthusiasm once proved to be quite uncongenial for the chrysanthemums concerned when, advised to add a manure of shorsher khol to the budding plants, she overdid the amount of khol in the mixture, rendering the manure too strong for horticultural purposes. Her remorse was genuine and acute, but it didn't help to resurrect the plants. That, however, happened to be an isolated occasion. Ma does have a real passion for gardening and the numerous delicious papayas, guavas and lemons in our back garden are the fruit of hours of planning, judicious care and earnest instructions to often well-meaning but rather ignorant gardening personnel. The latter category included our former driver, Hori Da, whose sporadic sorties into Ma's beloved garden depended mostly on his benevolent moods and eccentric labour. However, that never deterred Ma from buying numerous potted plants, flowering or leafy, arranging them along the ledges of our spacious verandahs and taking care of them more than her own children (yes, Mitu did often level such a complaint against her desensitised person).

The result was that I grew up, with considerable botanical ardor, often having fallen asleep in the afternoon ensconced in my reading chair amidst a curtain of greens, creating a perfect Elysium in my own house. My interest in plants seeped into my journalistic assignments, where I did the rounds of a few front, rooftop and terraced gardens in Salt Lake, finding particular delight in hearing experienced gardeners air their views and proudly display their gardens to the public. (It was a totally unexpected matter that I even landed what sounded like a marriage proposal on one such assignment). Recently, I even did a couple of articles for The Telegraph on the East Kolkata wetlands, the latter endangered by illegal urban encroachment and pollution.

The point is that my love for greenery remains, although a trifle subdued by the air of Kalikapur, which seems to be heavy with dust, dirt and pollen most of the time, rendered even more intolerable by the pungent carbon monoxide that the tea-stall just below our apartment insists on belching into the clean morning air each day. In fact, I requested K to take me out yesterday (our anniversary having been on 28th Feb) to some spot where there would be nothing except greenery all around me for a couple of hours. This would explain the august presence of two silly young adults on the sun-baked, winding pathways of the Botanical Gardens at Shibpur, yesterday at about noon. To be fair to ourselves, there were several other silly young adults all around us. The only difference being, of course, that they were heading for the nearest source of shade they could find/ were evidently blindly in love and therefore not behaving rationally/ they were armed with umbrellas, full sleeved attire and a proper lunch inside them. None of which applied to us. Although we sported nonchalant expressions and took some wonderful photos at the place, half-an-hour of March sun making its best efforts to bore into your skull and suck your grey matter dry isn't really conducive to any sort of comfort, however ardent about flora you might be. All the arrows leading to the garden cafetaria seemed to be as misleading as a mirage. We didn't manage to trace the building and assuage the pangs of hunger assailing us at that point. Exhausted and ravenous, we took a quick route back to Park Street, where cheilo kebab, pineapple blossom and beer worked wonders to improve our temper and reconcile us to the vagaries of our recent experience.

I realised one thing at the end of the day : like art, the appreciation of nature too is conditioned by the state of one's mind.

TRIBUTE : NIAGARA

NIAGARA

Life ventured into vague debenture,
Spent in sordid fits and starts ;
A dream devoid of adventure,
A fiasco of cynic hearts ;

I groped about each morning
For fabulous grapes, however sour,
Stumbling, often, into obscure yearning :
For one brief, magical hour.

Then, one sultry summer evening,
You stunned me from grey slumber,
Sung me into swift, simple meaning
Stoked strength into my dying ember ;

I drank nectar of mist and water
Smiled rainbows of solace
Rose to froth, all a-flutter
Seeped in iridescent grace…

Nightmares thinned to nothing.
Doubts died of sheer exhaustion.
I found my own Xanadu :
Wisdom to ease each question.

Resurrected by nature’s own creation,
I now stride centuries tall,
Humbled by revelation :
Oh Niagara, how proud you fall !


08-07-2009

Chick-Chihuahua

Awwwww. Now this is really sweet, don't you think ?

Spring

You can feel it all around.

In my state of mind (euphoric) ; in K's state of mind (serene), in the energy and enthusiasm Mansi and I /K and I are beginning to invest in our habitual walks each afternoon/evening (considerable). In the amount of people you get to see oudoors early in the morning or late in the evening (lots !). In the call of the wild (birds chirping frantically and dogs too awed to start their barking-at-strangers routine). In the smiles you are bestowed on by utter strangers when outdoors (the Carnegie magic). In the maniacal sweeping and cleaning that seems to be going on all around (indoors and out). In the distinct difference in the nature of fruits and vegetables that are now available at the local greengrocers (better nectarines and strawberries and even mangoes, it seems !). In the budding leaves on every single tree, bush and shrub (dense clumps and tight clusters of white/green/red). In the gradually increasing amount of daylight (sunset after 7 pm). In the unwillingness of the boys to stay cooped up at office for prolonged durations , now that they want to be home while the sunlight lasts and venture outdoors for a walk or a game. In the huge clearance sales at most shopping malls, where skirts, capris, walking shorts, dresses and sandals are replacing the stale stock of trousers, jackets, coats, mufflers and boots. In the Walmart ads of early spring flowers already being on sale. In our looking forward to the next long weekend, which happens to be Easter. In the rising hopes and swelling hearts everywhere.

Crocus flowers : Heralding a new seasonal cycle

Yup, there's no doubt about it. Spring's well on its way. And it's just the harbinger of better things.

Re : Shades of Sunset

I was aroused from my nap yesterday afternoon by a sudden change of weather, attested to by the wind quite literally howling and growling in my ears, especially since the surprisingly warm sunny weather had enticed me to leave the window up and the blinds undrawn. I got up, groggy-eyed, to close the window and put the blinds to, but the spectacular shades of sunset in the sky at that moment (almost exactly 5.15 pm) wouldn't allow me to remain in bed any longer.I practically ran to find my camera and capture the vivid flourishes of gold, pink, violet and blue that swept across the sky and left me trembling with an inexplicable ecstasy. K says that the colours are so bright and plentiful here because of the relatively nominal pollution. That makes me wish we could convince everyone back home to each do their daily bit to keep the environment clean and clear, if only for the sake of being blessed with such divine views. Here are a couple of photos. Please click on them to view enlarged versions.

Aren't they simple gorgeous ?

P.S. Here are the latest captures :

K had to re-route the car and stop abruptly for the latter, we're both glad we did (he, because it now seems totally worth it and me, because he looked pretty grim at that moment !)...

Global Warming

Publication: Times Of India, Kolkata
Date:Feb 15, 2009;

(Section: Times City;
Page Number:5)

Missing chill signals Danger: Study Research Says This Could Be The Beginning Of A Drastic Change In City’s Weather Pattern

Prithvijit Mitra TNN Kolkata: The missing winter chill this year and the unusually mild monsoon last year could be ominous signs for the city, warn experts. These could be the indications of the beginning of a dramatic change in Kolkata’s weather pattern, predicts a research based on the findings of NASA. The study reveals that the carbon content in the mid-tropospheric level above Kolkata is unusually high. It is getting worse and the damage is permanent. Drastic changes in the weather pattern are the most likely fallouts of this change that has set alarm bells ringing among scientists. From 372 ppm in 2002, the carbon content in the layer has gone up by 4% till 2008.

“It was already high in 2002, which is the base year for the data. It has been steadily rising ever since, making the layer warmer. The warmer and thicker it gets, the heavier will be its impact on the local climate. It is still too early to predict the extent of the impact, but the bad news is that the damage is permanent. Even if all foul emission is stopped now, it will take hundreds of years for the carbon content to reduce,” said Gautam Sen, who is doing the study.

The dominant part of the carbon in the layer is believed to be carbon dioxide. It is also suspected to have some black carbon, which is worse. The layer also has particulate matter that might have percolated from the lower atmospheric layers.

“We are still not very sure about the nature of the carbon content. But if it has got particulate matter, the impact on weather will be even greater. They could lead to radiation and make the weather warmer. Once they have infiltrated the mid-tropospheric layer, particles tend to get trapped there and keep floating for hundreds of years,” explained Sen.

A hotter mid-tropospheric layer could have far-reaching consequences, said experts. It could alter the temperature-pressure balance in the region, which is important for maintaining the regular climatic cycle.

“There is no doubt that we are witnessing a climate change in the region and the change is irreversible,” said S S Bala, regional in-charge of the Central Pollution Control Board.

“Rising water levels and increased salinity is playing havoc with the ecology of the Sunderbans,” said environmental researcher Subir Ghosh.

Weather experts, however, also pointed out that rising carbon levels is a global phenomenon.

BEGINNING OF THE END?

ATMOSPHERIC LEVELS 0 - 1.5 KM: Boundary layer 1.5 KM - 8 KM: Midtropospheric layer 8 KM - 15 KM: Upper tropospheric layer 15 KM - 32 KM: Stratosphere

LIKELY IMPACT OF RISING CARBON CONTENT

Disturbed temperature pressure balance. Heat generated at the mid-tropospheric layer could radiate back to the lower layers making them warm

Higher temperature might raise pressure and lead to high rainfall

It could also melt ice faster in higher altitude and raise the water level of rivers and the seas. This has started happening in the region."

Should complacence still be our mood of the day ?

Exit Fall

Time to bid goodbye to fall too, as leaves vanish overnight and brown heaps of them are shovelled away by maintenance crew. Birds migrate elsewhere, seeking warmer climes and enough foliage cover to rear their young in safely and securely. Nature removes her gifts one by one and shows us a totally different aspect of her we in India are not very familiar with. Yes, Halloween signals fall end and we are all getting braced up to welcome (not sure that's the way I feel but let's be a tad magnanimous, shall we) winter with bare branches and a colourless Christmas...the following video captures the state of things here in our neighbourhood.

Sunshine on my shoulders...

"My heart is a garden tired with autumn,
Heaped with bending asters and dahlias heavy and dark,
In the hazy sunshine, the garden remembers April,
The drench of rains and a snow-drop quick and clear as a spark;

Daffodils blowing in the cold wind of morning,
And golden tulips, goblets holding the rain --
The garden will be hushed with snow, forgotten soon, forgotten --
After the stillness, will spring come again?"

- Sara Teasdale, The Garden

You know, Mamoni (my mother-in-law) still hasn't recovered from her daily surprise of discovering me hidden behind the long green silky curtains of our huge window seat in the living room, brushing my teeth, eyes closed and a blissful look on my face, thanks to the sunshine streaming down on me through the glass. Even on the hottest summer morning Because I seem to share a beautiful bond with the sun that has always made me responsive to the way the sun does or does not appear on every single day of the year. Most of my poetry has been composed while I was lazing in the sun in our verandah, hemmed in by the sight of greenery on all sides, my wet hair soaking in the warmth of the tropical sun, my arms and legs basking in the sunshine and my sun-kissed face glowing with a feeling of well-being and exhilaration. Yes, the sun affects me that much and that positively. And, of course, I cannot refrain from bursting into song when I recall certain sunny days that form parts of a Kolkata winter. When you are picnicking at Falta on the suburbs of the city or repeating for the umpteenth time that visit to the Alipore Zoo that is so ritualistic a part of our childhood lore. Chomping away on hot sweet jilipis with a bunch of friends at the Bidhannnagar Mela, late in the afternoon or exchanging notes on a fashion faux pas at the annual college fest, when being spotted playing truant from the morning classes itself was something hot and happening. And of course, the number of times I've fallen asleep, relaxed and unresisting, a book in my lap and head in the clouds, in an armchair on the roof or on the parapet in the JUDE corridor, is too many to enumerate. Let it suffice that sunshine gives me a heady sense of hope and harmony, release and rejuvenation. Makes me want to do things. Sing songs. Write poetry. Grow plants. Germinate a novel. Dream of a utopia. Venture into new territories. Conquer the world.

So though I went all hyper at the sight of snow and the sense of an awe-inspiring silence, it won't last, I fear. I have a sinking feeling that my creativity and happiness will hibernate soon, horrified at the thought of a winter that throws leaves and life into disarray and toys with the idea of destroying the permanence that the sun embodies in my life.

"So dull and dark are the November days

The lazy mist high up the evening curled,

And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;

The place we occupy seems all the world."

- John Clare

Very first snowfall of the year...

I was a bit tired and grumpy this morning, having not slept very well last night. So I had gone back to bed immediately after K had left for office today, around 9 am. Moumita's call woke me up about 11.15 am. She was breathless with excitement and said she knew how mesmerised she'd felt the first time she'd witnessed it and couldn't afford to have me miss that thrill today. I pulled up the blinds and watched magic unfold. But I've saved a bit of that for all of you and here it is !

Prelude to fall...our personal captures (from within moving vehicle) in New Hampshire,end-Aug, 2008...