Darmstadt (Germany) tour

Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Orissa

Satkosia spreads along the magnificent gorge over the mighty river Mahanadi in Orissa. Established in 1976 as a wildlife sanctuary, Satkosia is a paradise of immense scenic charm. It is one of the best ecosystems in the country, representing a diverse floral and faunal extravaganza.

The name Satkosia originates from two words; sat meaning seven and kosk meaning two miles, indicating the length of the gorge as 14 miles or 22 km.

The area was declared as Satkosia Tiger Reserve in 2007, comprising two adjoining wildlife sanctuaries; the Satkosia Gorge sanctuary and Baisipalli sanctuary. The reserve is spread over 4 districts; Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh. 

The reserve has an area of 964 sq km with 524 sq km as core area. The area is also a part of the Mahanadi elephant reserve. Satkosia is the meeting point of two bio-geographic regions of India; the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats, contributing immense biodiversity.

Few flowers from my Garden

Nainital (Uttarakhand) Trip

Visit to Bhedaghat Dhuandhar falls

In his book The Highlands of Central India; Notes on their Forests and Wild Tribes, Natural History, and Sports - Captain J. Forsyth speaks eloquently about the infinitely varied beauty of the rocks: "the eye never wearies of the ... effect produced by the broken and reflected sunlight, now glancing from a pinnacle of snow-white marble reared against the deep blue of the sky as from a point of silver, touching here and there with bright lights the prominence of the middle heights and again losing itself in the soft bluish grays of their recesses. Here and there the white saccharine limestone is seamed by veins of dark green or black volcanic rock; a contrast which only enhances like a setting of jet, the purity of the surrounding marble."

James Forsyth (1838–1871) was an English traveller in India. After receiving a university education in England, and taking his degree of M.A., Forsyth entered the civil service of the East India Company, and went out to India as assistant conservator and acting conservator of forests. In a short time he was appointed settlement officer and deputy-commissioner in central provinces.

Bhedaghat is a town and a nagar panchayat in Jabalpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated by the side of river Narmada and is approximately 20 km from Jabalpur city. Its most famous sights is the Dhuandhar falls.

Random Clicks

@send from android phone

Odisha trip

@send from android phone

On the way to Alwar

Rural India - I ( On the way from Kashipur to Muradabad)

Pictures shoot from HTC One X

Bangalore in red

Today I arrived Bangalore by morning flight. As I enter the city I saw the city's Gulmohar were at full blossom.  April and May is the peak season when these flowers are blossomed and whole city is painted in red. Botanical name of Gulmohar is  Delonix regia. In Hindu mythology these flowers are considered as 'Crown of Lord Krishna"

White Radish Cultivation

Yesterday we left office quite early; to avoid traffic congestion on highway we diverted our vehicle through nearby village. There was no proper build-up road and on both side of road we came across white radish cultivation. We purchase few farm fresh radish which where just uprooted from the ground...they where really delicious.

Village Green

My visit to thousand Lingam Temple

It is 10 km from Cumbum in the Theni District in Tamil Nadu, India.It is the second biggest town in Theni district after Theni. The soil in this region is mostly red soil in nature. The water in Cumbum is very sweet to drink. One can see the backdrop of Kodaikanal Hills from Cumbum. Apart from that Cumbum has most vigorous activity in agriculture. It is one of the major tourist attractions in the Theni district and draws tourists from different parts of the state, particularly during the southwest monsoon. June - October is the best season due to monsoon activity

My visit to Mullaperiyar Dam

As the middle-aged British lawyer, W. Stuart Sampson, was walking around in Theni district way back in 2003, a farmer kissed his feet. Mr. Sampson knew that such an extreme way of expression of love to him by the farmer was only because he happened to be the great grandson of British Engineer, Col. John Pennycuick, who constructed the Periyar dam.

British engineer, Colonel John Pennycuick, who built the Mullaiperiyar dam, the lifeline of farmers of the Southern districts. For, the Periyar reservoir, an engineering marvel conceived by Pennycuick, which diverted the west-flowing river in Kerala into parts of Tamil Nadu, has been the lifeline for agriculture in five southern districts for over a century. The two states were involved in a bitter stand-off after Kerala stressed on the need to build a new dam in the place of the aged Mullaperiyar dam. The Tamil Nadu side was against this proposition citing that the dam was in perfect condition and especially since TN manages the 100 year old dam. 

On Labour day..

The Labour Day in India is celebrated in order to honor the contribution of working men and women. It is observed on the first day of the month of May. The Labour Day in India is also known as the May Day. May 1 corresponds to the International Workers’ Day which is celebrated around the world. It is observed as a national holiday in around 80 countries including India. History of Labour Day in India 

Labour Day in India or May Day was first celebrated in Chennai (then known as Madras) on May 1, 1923. The initiative was taken by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan. The leader of the party, Comrade Singaravelar arranged two meetings to celebrate this occasion.

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Panchamukha Ganesha Temple

My Visit to Madras Central Prison

In 2007 I got chance to visit Central Prison Madras along with one of my Historian friend who was doing research on British filing system for India Prisoners.  The prison was 172 years old when it began to be demolished in June 2009.  Prisoners from the prison were moved to the newly constructed Puzhal Central Prison starting from 2006. Madras Central Prison was one of the oldest prisons in India. It was located in Chennai (formerly Madras). It was initially called the Madras penitentiary until 1855 when it was renamed to Central Jail. It was originally built to house transit convicts who were to face the ‘sazaye kaala paani’ in Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and constructed at the cost of Rs 16,496 on 11 acres (45,000 m2) of land. The prison housed Subhash Chandra Bose and Veer Savarkar during the days of independence movement.

Common Cell at Central Prison Madras

Happy Holi 2012

My Kitchen Garden

Everyone has memories of their grandmother cultivating a garden. Gardening is also a way of recharging your batteries… We often hear people saying that when they are weeding, it clears their minds. Plants have a marvelous effect on stress! Cultivating your own kitchen garden has become more and more fashionable, particularly in the last Cultivating your own kitchen garden has become more and more fashionable, particularly in the last 4 or 5 years, and balcony gardens have started to come in recently. More and more people are having a go at growing their own vegetables, herbs and spices. Not forgetting that it can be educational and fun for children as well.