Amid hale and hearty greens, One is dazzled by a brilliant blue; An electric crown, a dash on the shoulder to woo; A small, striking bird; Enchanting its captivated admirers, with a musical note too! [Small Niltava Male]
Author: Shalini Gopalakrishnan
A leopard in a tiger kingdom
Completely camouflaged he sat at the road’s edge; Cautiously but confidently, he rose; Calculated were his steady strides; He crossed the narrow winding track; And crouched at the meagre water source; His eyes scanning the surroundings while he drank. Quenched his thirst, chose his tree and swiftly climbed; Settled on a sturdy vantage to keep…
Gratitude – An Indian Black Turtle Story
A slow saunter across the road; A block of black rock to the untrained eye; Rambling not afar, we angled right at its path. We hit break. It halted. We killed the engine. It waited. Unhurried, we stood by for the pedestrian to cross. After an eternity, firm steps resumed sauntering. Five pairs of eyes…
Mystical Dudhwa
‘A spell is cast, a drama unveiled, enter their arena and you feel the mystic,a lot to offer, both majestic and mild, they will enchant you with their style!’ These lines seep into my mind whenever I think of the forests of Dudhwa. A lovely reminiscence retraces the winding and straight roads; the cold winter…
A Magical World of Mine
Where…. I sleep under the starry cover of the silent night sky with the glowing moon singing a soothing lullaby, I wake not to toneless alarm, but to the mellifluous medley of the birds, And my eyes open to the tender rays of the sun, I learn under the guiding tree that personifies a wealth…
An African Adventure… (Part III – Masai Mara Reserve)
The much dreamt off destination of any wildlife enthusiast across the globe would undeniably be Masai Mara. We were eager to see the big cats. We reached from Naivasha to Mara in time for the evening safari. And just minutes into the safari, our keen eyes spotted the completely camouflaged felines; a pride of about…
An African Adventure… (Part II – Lake Naivasha)
Our next halt was at Lake Naivasha. The resort was a beautiful place with the lake at its periphery. Tall and huge trees adorned the entire plot. Lots of trees meant lots of birds. They were everywhere shooting in and out from various directions, of varied sizes, colours and calls. It was mellifluous cacophony. Parakeets,…
An African Adventure… (Part I – Amboseli National Park)
As I boarded the aircraft that would traverse a slice of the globe and transport me to a continent known for being the second largest of its kind, harbouring the world’s largest desert, oldest human civilization, hottest temperatures, sparkling diamonds, an incredible wildlife and friendly old tribes, the only music ringing through my head was…
A Wild ‘Affair’
Ranthambhor, Kanha, Pench, our national animal had eluded me in all these places. And so I decided to take refuge in Bandhavgarh, the Land of Tigers! Evening safari of the previous day had proved tiger-less. A new day brought in new hope, and we embarked on our next safari with renewed vigour. Just minutes into the…
Every Tree has a Story..
Every tree has its own story, each branch its tale to tell, Of the abundant happy leaves it mothers, Of the numerous jolly birds that flock its humongous form, Of the painted tender butterflies that soar high to pursue its wide peak, Of the tiny insects that scurry dutifully along its trunk, Of the lazy…
Walk the Wild... 