Mount Abu Datda Sea World

Datda Sea World hyped up the largest aquarium in India

Opposite Lake Palace Nakki Lake

Datda Sea World

The aquarium 

Angle fish

Angle fish

Cluster fish

      

Exotic Fish

Redcap Lionshead,

Piranha

Sea Shells from around the world

A junior staff member

Incomparable Beauties

Water snails

Datda Sea World owned by Jalam Singh Rathore, accompanied me around the museum when I went to visit it last Saturday. It extremely disappointed me to see it set up as it’s still in its infancy. To make it publically viable, he should have first completed the said project and only then opened it to the tourists. I’m sure people’s expectations of this hyped-up largest aquarium in India did not meet the approval of many a visitor.

Mr Rathore was very enthusiastic about the project. He said a lot had to be done but because of public pressure; he had to open the place prematurely. Mr Rathore plans to have exotic varieties of all kinds of fish that would enthral the tourists. He boasts of the largest collection of seashells, around 10,000 from all parts of the world. The Seashell Museum is impressive, but a lot of effort still has to go into making it presentable. I’m sure Mr Rathore will have his work cut out, as running a successful aquarium as large as this one would require a team of experts and dedicated people. Already they have suffered a loss of around Rs 3 lakhs, with fish not being able to survive the change in environment.

They imported the bulk of their fish from Singapore. The fish are first sent to Calcutta and from there immediately to Udaipur, where they are housed and treated for a few days to recover from their jet lag. From Udaipur, it transported them to Abu. The aquarium will have both varieties of fish, freshwater and seawater fish on display. In the Datda Sea World, visitors will get to see different varieties of fish and other underwater creatures. If merely looking at them does not satisfy a visitor’s curiosity, they could try scuba diving in an 80-foot aquarium being specially built for this purpose. A small auditorium is being prepared next to the aquarium where visitors can view short documentary films on marine life, and discuss the various aspects of fish life in different parts of the world.å

I’m sure on its completion it will be a big thrill for tourists visiting this abode of the gods.

Even the Gods can’t get rid of these, “Congress grass and the Lantana tree”. Abu

Even the Gods can’t get rid of these

[“Congress grass and the Lantana tree”]

This year I missed the drive taken on by the local public and the school students to rid the Congress grass and Lantana overgrowing the sides of the road. I’m not sure whether the Lantana is an exotic plant or not but one thing I’m sure of is this plant has proved to be more of a menace that an asset to the ecosystem. I believe they introduced it for the benefit of the wildlife here in Abu. From what I have observed, they have upset the balance and usurped the space and nutrition that most useful plants need. The karvanda plant that is native to the hills of Abu, are now threatened with extinction. The Lantana is like the South American Piranha; it gobbles up whatever comes in its way. I truly believe this is the worst weed ever to be introduced to this land of the gods. In the summer months when this weed dries, it poses a huge threat to the spreading of forest fires.
Congress grass- how it found its way up the hill is any ones guess. Anyone knows how it got its name Congress grass? Surely the Congress did not import it to India, hence the name. This weed has been a pain in the neck for Abuites as it affects those suffering from asthma. I Believe it also has other allergic reactions on the human population and those on the animals which try to consume it.
These weeds are causing hazardous conditions for the native plants and are spreading like wildfire playing havoc with the terrain. Mount Abu is doomed to live with this menace, not a very sobering thought.
 

Lantanas over-running every available space

Congress grass spreading like wild fire.