Solar Eclipse photos from Mount Abu [ 21 June 2020 ]

Mount Abu #SolarEclipse2020 as seen in the overcast skies of The Abode of Gods.

SolarEclipse2020 as seen in the overcast skies of Mount Abu.

Solar eclipse 

Solar eclipse through the clouds

Overcast skies and Solar eclipse

Monkey watching the solar eclipse

Monkey watching the solar eclipse

WHAT A DAY
The longest day in the Northern hemisphere
For some do YOGA as it is Yoga day
Father's Day Fathers have to contend with the Surya Grahan
Today is SOLAR ECLIPSE DAY
and finally 
SUN Day
According to the Mayan calendar, it's supposed to be DOOMSDAY TODAY. 

😳

Mount Abu Post Deepavali Holiday: A Tourist Hotspot [ 30/10/2019 ]

Oh, to be a part of Abu when the sky is clear

Mount Abu a Tourist Hotspot

Oh, to be in Mount Abu When the Skies Are Clear

There’s something magical about Mount Abu when the skies are clear, the crisp air filled with the subtle scent of pine and the promise of the holiday season. As the Diwali lights fade, this hill station transforms into a bustling retreat, radiating warmth and charm. It’s a perfect time to visit, but if you’re planning a post-Diwali getaway, be warned: hotels may be fully booked and accommodation prices may soar if you don’t make reservations.

Thousands of holidaymakers are making their way up the winding roads of Mount Abu, day and night, eager to bask in its cool climate and festive spirit. The energy is apparent as if the hills expect a flurry of activity. Local authorities are working to ensure a smooth experience for all, especially after last year’s traffic snarls that left some visitors stuck for hours. This year, they’ve put measures in place to avoid a repeat, with hopes for a smoother and quicker journey. Fingers crossed!

For those planning to drive into the heart of the town, parking remains one of the biggest challenges. But don’t let that dampen your spirits! I’ve compiled a handy list of paid parking spots where you can leave your vehicle and dive into the festivities worry-free:

Paid Parking Locations in Mount Abu:

1. Kitchen Garden

2. Delwara

 3. Ashok Vatika

 4. Shivaji Nagar

 5. Arya Samaj

 6. Skating Ring

 7. Roadways Bus Stand

 8. Kamla Nehru Udhyan

9. Herbal Garden

10. Polo Grounds (Seasonal Parking)

So, pack your bags, confirm your reservations, and prepare to experience Mount Abu at its post-Diwali best. Whether exploring its natural beauty, soaking in the festive atmosphere, or enjoying the warm hospitality, this serene hill station promises an unforgettable holiday.

Happy travels, and may your time in Abu be as bright and joyous as the Diwali lights that once illuminated its skies.

Abu's Monarch of the Jungle on the PROWL.

“The Night Stalker": A Majestic Encounter in Abu Jungle

The leopard returns to his winter haunts in Abu

Leopard on the prowl

There's a rumble in the jungle,

The Night Stalker is on the prowl,

The Langurs are on the lookout,

The alpha male makes a ruckus,

Warning the others of the tribe,

Here comes the Monarch of the Jungle.

A primal presence stirs in the heart of Abu’s wilds, casting a shadow over the land, and filling the air with a palpable tension. With the return of the Night Stalker, the monarch of these forests, the jungle’s inhabitants are on edge. With their cries of warning, the Langurs, guardians of the treetops, respond to the alpha male barking orders to his troop. The predator has come.

On a fateful evening, around 9 p.m., the Langur’s alarm shattered the stillness of the night. Their sharp cries echoed through the thick forest, alerting everyone to the stealthy approach of the elusive leopard. My daughter and I rushed outside, flashlights in hand, our hearts pounding in sync with the jungle’s rhythm. The air was thick with anticipation. We stood, waiting, until the glowing eyes of the Night Stalker pierced the darkness.

 And there it was—the ruler of the forest, cloaked in rosettes, moving with grace and power. Excitement mingled with fear as we beheld this raw beauty from a safe distance. The leopard moved through the underbrush, its body a sleek shadow blending with the night. Each motion was poetry, smooth and deliberate. Watching the ace tree climber in its element, we couldn’t help but feel both mesmerized and humbled by nature’s grand design.

I shared the news of the leopard’s return with the locals the next day. As always, they took precautions, locking up their goats and dogs, a nightly ritual in this part of the world. The leopard may be magnificent, but it is still a predator, and those living on the edge of the jungle know the stakes all too well.

Three nights later, the Night Stalker returned. This time, hunger drove it closer to the village, testing the boundaries of coexistence. A mason’s dog became the target of the leopard’s hunger, and chaos erupted. With quick reactions, the dog’s owner managed to scare off the predator, but the jungle’s monarch had grown bolder, leaving behind an unsettling reminder.

Grief manifested itself the next night. The Night Stalker struck once more, taking the lives of my neighbour’s two puppies that were kept in a crudely constructed cage. The reality of living near such a powerful predator is both bitter and sweet. We lament the losses the leopard leaves behind while appreciating its untamed beauty. The villagers remain on guard, aware that the leopard is now circling their perimeter and keeping a lookout for easy food.

The Night Stalker’s return is a sign of a deeper crisis—a struggle for survival that forces it to the very fringes of human habitation. Prey is scarce, and habitat loss has driven it to adapt. Once content with wild pigs, rabbits, and the occasional Langur, the leopard now hunts street dogs, and sometimes, even eyes goats and young cattle. Each encounter drives the villagers to guard their homes and animals more fiercely than ever.

Yet, despite the mounting tension, one fact brings a measure of comfort: the leopard, for all its strength and cunning, has never attacked a human in these parts. Its solitary nature and preference for the shadows seem to keep it from crossing that line. It’s a delicate balance, one of respect and restraint, between the predator and the people of Abu.

As the villagers learn more about their elusive neighbour, they marvel at the leopard’s unique abilities. Its agility, unmatched in the animal kingdom, allows it to scale trees and store its prey high above the ground, far from scavengers. Its rosette-covered coat, each marking as individual as a fingerprint, speaks to a lineage that commands awe and respect. Solitary and secretive, the leopard embodies both grace and danger.

“Wagera” is the name given to the leopard in Rajasthan, and it holds a special place in the local lore. Revered for its power and beauty, the Night Stalker continues to inspire a blend of fear and admiration among the people of Mount Abu. Even as they take steps to protect their homes and livestock, they cannot help but feel a sense of awe for this majestic creature. The Monarch of the Jungle remains a symbol of the untamed wild—a reminder that, in the dance between man and nature, it is the leopard that leads.

The pugmarks on our Boundary wall Photograph per kind favour my neighbour Govind.

Want to see Leopards in the wild click below 

THE LEOPARDS OF BERA.

Post-Monsoon Blues Mount Abu [ 1-10-18 ]

News update Mount Abu! October 2018.

Mount Abu

Attention Tourists: Important Updates for Your Mount Abu Trip This Week

If you’re planning to visit Mount Abu this week, here are some important updates you should know:

First, because of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2nd, all liquor and meat shops in Mount Abu will be closed for the day. Keep in mind that alcohol could be scarce and pricey if you were expecting to have a good time at a hillside party. It’s a good idea to either hold off until the next day or enjoy the local events with a sober point of view.

However, there’s more to consider. A local strike, or “bundh,” has been called by the Mount Abu community on October 3rd, meaning that many businesses and services will be unavailable on this day as well. So if you’re planning on making the most of Mount Abu’s vibrant atmosphere, adjust your schedule.

If you want to enjoy Mount Abu’s hospitality, we advise you to postpone any party plans until after October 3rd. In the meantime, you can still take in the natural beauty, the serene surroundings, and the cultural richness of this unique hill station.

May you find security in your journeys and joy in your discoveries! 

Clarion Call to All Abuites!

The residents of Mount Abu have gathered countless times to voice their concerns and present valid objections regarding pressing local issues. In a democracy as great as ours, why should anyone deny the people of Abu the basic right to repair their homes that require maintenance for safe living conditions?

The time has come for us to join forces and fight for our rights to create a safer and better community.

To learn more about our ongoing struggle, read: Mount Abu: “Decision-Making” — Farce or Facts?

click: Mount Abu –‘Decision-Making’ “Farce or Facts”??

Click the picture below to read Hindi news:

Mount Abu News

Mount Abu News

Post-Monsoon Blues Have Begun

The post-monsoon blues are here, and they’re hitting hard. The local newspapers have announced that drinking water will be provided only twice a week, for one hour each time. This means tough times ahead for us Abuites, with baths limited to twice a week and precious water becoming an even rarer commodity.

Come mid-summer, water tankers will be in high demand, and prices will skyrocket—no ice for the crock, indeed. It’s shaping up to be a challenging year for Mount Abu.

Are any soothsayers out there willing to gaze into their crystal balls and predict what the future holds for “The Abode of the Gods”? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your insights in the comment section below.

3 OCT 2018 

ABU TALE

Last Blue Moon 2018 Rising Mount Abu.

Blue moon Rising Mount Abu.

Blue Moon Rising Mount Abu

The next monthly Blue Moon will now take place on 31 October 2020.

Hope to make it to the moon with a soft landing.

Cleanliness Drive in Mount Abu. 15 March 2018

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Mount Abu 

Mount Abu is actively working towards the Clean Indian Mission, striving to uphold the slogan. Cleanliness is close to god. I’m sure the Gods are pleased to see an all-out effort being taken by the administration and the local Abuites to live up to the dream of Swachh Bharat.
I’m thankful to the chairman, Mr Suresh Thinger and his team under Shankar, who landed up outside my Abode with a JCB to clean the stream that was in a pitiful state. The pristine stream over the last decade or so had silted up and looked more like a gutter than a stream.
This is the first time that someone from the administration noticed the pathetic state of our streams.
They have reduced all our streams in Abu to gutters, as it has clogged the natural flow due to miniature dams being erected to preserve the rainwater. The water bodies that were constructed are now filled with silt and debris, making them irrelevant. No dredging plans have ever been in effect, leaving these places silted over with no rainwater. I believe that all these so-called rain harvesting efforts by the administration be put aside and removed from the embankments so that in our small hill station normality returns and no flooding occurs in this Abode.

A few snaps of today Ever so grateful to the Abu Administrative. 

Shankar Team Leader 

 JCB with staff in action 

Dredging our stream Yek! The stench!

Mount Abu,blood donation a super Spring event 11 March 2018.

Mount Abu, blood donation  11 March 2018.

We hold World Blood Donation Day on 14 June every year, but here in Abu, any day is Blood Donation Day. The Abuites of this small hill station only have to know it's gonna be blood donation day. They turn up from all walks of life. Everyone, including locals, armed forces, and various associations like the Lions Club and Rotary Club, showed great enthusiasm and fervour. They all head to make every blood donation camp a memorable event.
Today they held the event as usual at the Global Hospital. The turnout was exceptional.
As the saying goes, a pint of booze will do an individual some good, but a pint of blood donated will do you fine! Feel better and fitter….

The signature of my Family Doctor Dr A K Sharma Appreciates his poem.

LET US MAKE A LIFELONG PACT

 Let us make a lifelong pact

With this angelic munificent act

 From our parents’ pious legacy

By true decree, not a fallacy

 Love dyed in sacred red

In ambrosia of one’s blood

 WBC with their soothing balm

Spreading peace and serene calm

 Platelets preventing bloody hemorrhage

Saving from many vicious outrages

 Various factors battle like saviors

Armed to the teeth like kindly  warriors

Every drop is of great value

To every life a tender rescue

 The dues to all one’s life’s credit

Blood the precious seraphic gift

 Truly priceless and truly great

Betters health the more you donate

 The only way to gift a life

Sans sacrificing one’s own life!

…

My brother-in-law Jimmy sent me snaps via WhatsApp. 

A request by DR. A K Sharma
PLEASE INTRODUCE AND PROMOTE

Mount Abu Sloth Bears an update

Mount Abu Sloth Bears poached.

"After a census exercise, this year, it was estimated that there are approximately 350 sloth bears in Mt Abu. These solitary shaggy, dusty and dishevelled creatures normally wander alone, usually at night, in search of insects and wild fruit. I have encountered them many a time especially on the Delwara circuit and in front of the air force station. I have snapped them in the Kumharwada area in front of the St. Anna Church. I have photographs of them at my previous residence at Kumarwada. 

Sloth bears feed predominantly on termites and ants and employ a well-evolved method to dig them out. Their long, curved claws are used to penetrate nest mounds, which can be unyielding. Once they’ve opened a hole, they blow away excess dirt and then noisily suck out the insects through a gap in their front teeth. To do so, they close their nostrils and use their lips like a vacuum nozzle. The sound they emit gives them away. I have seen them scale the trees in the vicinity of the BSNL office to get the beehives. Once they find the hive, they are least concerned about who’s coming and who’s going. 

Today regrettably the sloth bear like most of our other creatures has been reduced to a second-class creature that has to depend on handouts offered by humans who have robbed them of their natural environment. Sloth bears are reviewed as vulnerable animals. Poachers think they're an easy target; their body parts fetch good prices. Claws, paws, teeth and gall bladder fetch a nice price on the poacher's market.

A female bear was trapped last week in Abu by some known offenders that have been poaching for years not only basic wildlife like the jungle wildfowl, spurfowl, hares, wild boar and of course the honey bear. The samba and porcupine have been hunted to such an extent that their population has dwindled to an alarming level of RED. 

But who gives a dam? People rave and rant and always want to protect the environment! Well! Let me elaborate. It's useless NO one gives a damn!

(Caution some pictures are gruesome)

The Female bear victim of Poachers

Body parts removed and  left to rot

B

 Today a bear attacked a BrahmaKumari by Gyan Sarovar, in the early parts of the morning outside the complex on his morning walk. He was admitted to Global Hospital for treatment. He received surgery for about 5 hours because of his mauled condition. There has been a hue and cry by the public at large but what a contradiction in terms, a fortnight ago a female bear was trapped and killed by local poachers for her body parts, her paws, her claws, her teeth, her hair and other body parts were removed for aphrodisiacs and for charms to be sold to the traffic who indulge in the illegal trade of animal parts. There was just an investigation and two local poachers have been apprehended.

  Ghanshyam of Gyan Sarovar Art Gallery 

The operation performed at Global Hospital

Today I have confirmed that illegal trapping is still a very big factor in this Abode of ours look at the traps that have been retrieved for Tiger Path on Christmas day, which is the tip of the iceberg.  These traps were laid for. it’s obvious the few animals that roam here are the leopard, the bear or any other unfortunate animal that happens to be passing this route. Poaching is rampant in quite a few spots in Abu. Professional poachers poach rabbits and the porcupine exercises the area below Gurushiker and right up to Vastanji. The sunrise valley, the area around Upper Khodra and the Aarna area should be scanned for traps as in these areas the jungle fowl and spurfowl are the primary targets.

Two of these traps have been retrieved.

-->

Brilliant Performance Board Results Class X and Class XII St. Mary’s High School.

Brilliant Performance Board Results Class X and Class XII St. Mary’s High School.

Well done!

Boys, you nailed it! You chap have lived up to the expectations of our Alma Mater. Class XII, the first-ever batch of girls and studs have shown a brilliant performance. You have made the school proud of your results. Congratulations on your excellent results.

And a big hooray! “For the class X “ Well done, boys! I’m confident the students will appreciate the holiday that will be declared on behalf of your wiz- performance.

Congratulations go out to the Staff Teachers, and brothers who have made it possible with their dedication and determination to see that St. Mary’s High School remains at the top.

Hey guys, do you recall our triumphant call!

Soda lemon, soda lemon ginger berry pop St. Mary’s High School is always on the Top! Three Cheers Boys!

Will post the overall results as and when they become available till then Adios. 
 As stated, I'm posting the results in kind favour of Principal Ms Mary Joseph.

Just an overview of the results-2016:

1st place: Gajendra Singh Rathore: 96.4% (boarder)

2nd place: Bhargav Sorathia: 94.2% (boarder)

3rd place Austin Mathew: 92.2%

ICSE: 75%+  -- 40

60% - 75%    -- 43

59% - 1

57% - 1

Total 85.

ISC: 

1st place: 92.75% - Mayur Vachhani (boarder)

2nd place: 90% Kanika Christina Fulwari

3rd place: 89% Anusha Singhal

75% +  -- 14

60% - 75%   -- 11

Total 25

Ms. Mary Joseph

Principal

St. Mary's High School

Mount Abu

Rajasthan-307501

Mob: +91 9462287025

Worst storm since 1994 leaves a trail of destruction across Mount Abu.

The worst storm since 1994 leaves a trail of destruction across Mount Abu.

Yesterday the telephone department finally restored my phone after a lapse of 15 days. Mount Abu experienced the worst storm since 1994 when it came under the spell of the low pressure that had developed over this region. The storm accompanied by torrential rainfall on the 27th and 28th of July left a trail of destruction in its wake, hundreds of trees were blown down causing a complete breakdown of its power supply, and property and some vehicles were destroyed because of falling trees, tin-sheeting’s over a lot of properties were blown off, even the tin sheeting over the schools bathing section was blown off. 

Continuous tons of rain that fell caused minor landslides, which breached the main road between Abu and Abu Road. Traffic came stranded to a standstill. Thousand of tourists are in this hill station on the 28.

I’m told that it rained around 40 inches in 48 hours. I think this would be a record of the highest rainfall ever recorded in such a brief space of time in this place. After the first heavy downpour, our Nakki Lake overflowed and the Lower Kodhar Dam, which needed to fill 9 feet, overflowed the next day. Paddy's bridge remained submerged for quite a long time.

The students of the school were like stranded prisoners in the corridors of the school. There was no class for at least 4 days. 

For Liz, Jennifer, and me, it was a really harrowing experience. The continuous rising and falling of the water in the stream in front had us in constant fear of the water entering and destroying all our furniture. We were without lights for an entire week. They restored our light on the 3 of August in the afternoon. 

Life is finally limping back to normal. The road is being repaired. Only light vehicles may ply. 




Here are Abulites who took a few snaps during this period.




The stream flooded in front of my house

The rising water in front of the house

It rose to 1 inch in front of our main door 

The road going down to Abu Road

Work in progress restoring the road

Paddy's bridge

Water flowing under the Big Bridge Abu Road

Dr.A.K.Sharma a man for all seasons Mount Abu

Dr. A.K.Sharma a man for all seasons Mount Abu

He’s my family doctor, par excellence, a man for all seasons, a physician, an artist, a novelist, a playwright, and a poet.

To glean more about this wonderful Doctor click on the links I have provided

Arun Sharma

“Visually challenged can do what the sighted can and also what the 
sighted cannot”,

Art for other's sake

Dr AK Sharma Is Showcasing the Beauty of Mount Abu in His First-Ever Art Exhibition in the City

The 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP fever has it's following here in this abode of the gods. Quite a few of us here are crazy over the game, and the one of whom I've penned a few lines is also a lover of football. He gave me a short poem in my mail the day before and I'm sure footer fans will appreciate his poem.

AFTER THE FALL OF THE TITAN

No one can take a hero’s place

No one can lift a hero’s mace

No one can match a hero’s pace

Then how could one ever imagine

Not to feel the dudgeon

After being bludgeon

After the fall of the titan

Squeezed like a python

Throttled and tightened

And it was not David

That made them feel livid

To be accused to be timid

Like a lion they had roared

All along the victory road

Till some one mowed

Losing all that they did hone

After breaking of their back bone

The world could hear only their moan!