Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat [5 September 2009]

Thol Lake – A Sanctuary for Birds, and for the Soul

The Thol Lake

Lake almost full

Safe and sound

Water skiing at Thol Lake

Weaver birds

Blue-tailed Green Beater

Listen to my song

I’m all Ears

Cattle egret

Sigh, where are my mates 

Great egret

Searching

Soft landing

I am not a sparrow, what am I?

Little Cormorant

Cooling off

Long-tailed shrike

River tern

Ready for the plunge

Where are you guys?

When a friend first suggested a visit to Thol Bird Sanctuary in December, just 30–35 km from Ahmedabad, I declined. I was unfamiliar with the location at the time and missed the prime season, when the migratory birds arrive, transforming the lake.

Life, however, had its own timing. In early September, I was in Ahmedabad on my doctor’s advice, undergoing medical tests at Samved Hospital, including a CT angiography. Those days felt heavy, shadowed by doubt. The relief I felt when the doctor told me, “You’re good for another five years—just don’t slip back into a reckless lifestyle,” is hard to put into words. It felt like a reprieve, a chance to reset.

So, on August 5th, I set out for Thol Lake determined not to miss this opportunity. After paying the modest entry fee, we stepped into a landscape both serene and alive—broad waters ringed with high embankments, wetlands stitched with green, and scrub forests on the edges. Birds were everywhere: herons poised in the shallows, ducks drifting in formation, egrets lifting in sudden flurries, and storks circling overhead.

What struck me most was the silence. The area was all ours, except for some youths near the water. The quiet, broken only by bird sounds, named the sanctuary—a haven for birds and anyone wanting peace. Standing at the water’s edge, I felt the weight of the past weeks lift. The birds mirrored life’s march onward and ignored human worries.

This year, I look forward to returning when the great migrations arrive, when Thol becomes one of Gujarat’s hidden wonders for birdwatchers.

sign boards

Bird posters

Focus on the Gujarati bird name

Thol Lake

And to end on a lighter note—if you know Gujarati, the bird names in the official brochure will make you laugh out loud. My companions read them on the drive back to Ahmedabad, turning a meaningful day into a joyful memory.

12 Days to Diwali Mount Abu

12 Days to Diwali

Last night, the full moon played a captivating game of hide-and-seek over the Abode of the Gods. As heavy, brooding clouds drifted across Mount Abu’s skyline, hope flickered in the hearts of the Abuites. We braced ourselves for a torrent, expecting the rain gods to shower us with blessings. But alas, they withheld their grace. Today, hope lingers in the air. The sky remains pregnant with possibility, and perhaps by nightfall, the heavens will open up and quench the land.

Meanwhile, Mount Abu’s roads are in absolute disarray. Meanwhile, the streets of Mount Abu resemble craters as contractors rush to lay fresh water and sewage lines, possibly influenced by the full moon. Each year, thousands of tourists flock to Abu for Diwali, and with hotel rooms already booked, this year promises to be no exception. However, if they drive on these mangled roads, they may wonder if they’ve landed on the moon instead of the picturesque hill station they imagined.

The contractors have taken on more work than they can handle this time. Getting the roads into any semblance of order before Diwali feels like a task that only a miracle could accomplish. So, dear tourists, if you brave the journey up the Hill, bear with us! Spare a thought for the locals, who are grappling with more than just broken roads. Poor sanitation, inconsistent garbage collection, and a neglected infrastructure have become part and parcel of life here. It’s the Indian way—‘live and let live,’ as they say. We’ve learned to adapt, surviving power cuts that last for hours and receiving water every second or third day. Life rolls on, regardless.

But despite it all, there’s an undeniable charm in the air. So, let’s gear up for the season and make the best of it, as we always have. To our esteemed guests who will soon ascend the Hill: “A Very Happy Diwali and a Stress-Free New Year!” Let’s celebrate, rain or shine—because in Abu, that’s how we do it. 

HAPPY Diwali!

Ains

Full Moon cloaked with dark clouds

Moon playing peek-a-boo

CATS BEHAVIOUR EXTRAORDINARY MT.ABU

Big Kali Offspring of Mao

Makeshift kittens grave
From the day my bitter half brought Mao into this house cats have become a part and parcel of my life. Today Mao is a Great, Great- grandmother to over a dozen and a half kittens. Big Kali one of Mao’s off spring the other day astounded all of us by going out of her way to bury one of her kittens that had died during the night. Unfortunately I wasn’t there to witness this extraordinary behaviour of this cat. The folks at home who witnessed this strange behaviour of Kali were just too stunned.
I’ve known of cats eating their young ones at the time of birth. Cats seem to sense which of their young ones want make in this eat dog eat world of ours, hence they do away with these weak or unfit offspring as a matter of natural selection for the survival of the others..
The kitten died during the night probably because it was too feeble and could not compete with the other two for the mother’s milk. In the morning when Kali did not turn up for her meal the servant went to her box to find out why she had not turned up, it was then she discovered the dead kitten. She then went in to report the mishap to Liz.
When the servant went to get rid of the dead kitten she was surprised to see Kali carrying off the dead kitten and heading for the bushes in the compound. She followed the cat at a distance and was surprised to see the cat digging away at the soft earth near our lime tree. She ran back to tell everyone in the house. The folks watched as Kali made a sizeable hole and to their surprise and astonishment she placed the dead kitten in it and then proceeded to cover it up with the mud she had dug out, she then placed some broken pieces of wood over the makeshift grave probably to camouflage it from other predators.
Never have I heard or witnessed this kind of behaviour from any one regarding cats burying their dead. Have You?

INDEPENDENCE DAY Gate way of Mount Abu Bursting

Mount Abu straining with the influx of thousands of tourists.

JANMASHTAMI, as predicted, saw thousands of tourists thronging the streets of Mount Abu. The steady stream of traffic from early morning till late into the night posed a herculean task for the medical team and the staff at the Toll barrier. A very large percentage of those who made their way into our home town had never heard of the expression Swine flu.
I shot the Video above on the 15th of August 2009. I was on my way to the Leopard’s Lair Resort Bera, to meet my old friend and companion Thakur Devi Singh. I really wonder how long each tourist had to wait before he saw the pearly gates of this paradise of ours.

On my return today, from hearsay I gathered that hundreds of tourists had to return for lack of accommodation. I believe that Abu Road at the base of the hill landed with this unexpected windfall of tourists.
Today there was a mass exodus of these gracious guests of ours some with happy memories others well, not so happy ones of this unique hill station Mount Abu the hill covered in GREEN, its monsoon cloak.

Traffic on Independent Day

Plummy on a misty hillside

 cloaked in green

Mount Abu - STAY ALERT! PREVENT AGAINST INFLUENZA A- H1N1 SWINE FLUE

This is the second time in Abu’s recent history that Abu has geared up to greet all tourists with a team of medical doctors and fully fledged staff at the Abu gateway. The first time it was when the rat plague was declared at Surat. Tourist to escape the impending epidemic there made a beeline for the Abode of the gods a safe heaven. Today and the next two days Abu is expected to house thousands of tourists as two very important holidays coupled with a Sunday have fallen together. JANMASHTHAMI a big Hindu festival where the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated has fallen on the 14th followed by India’s Independent Day.
This is one of Abu’s biggest gateway holiday for our Guajarati brethren, Abu during this time of the year becomes so overcrowded that it sometimes fails to accommodate the volume of tourists that head this way. Today I made it a point to take a drive down to Monkey temple in the hope of snapping some reed warblers along the way and to observe the inflow of the impending traffic that should be heading for this paradise of ours.
I did not witness the volume of expected traffic as predicted probably because of the fear of the dreaded Influenza A (H1N1) Swine flu, that is spreading apparently at an alarming rate in some parts of our country. Yesterday a meeting was held at the Global hospital by prominent members of the Abu officers, the medical fraternity and denizens of this hill station. It was decided that total precautions be taken to dispel fear and trounce rumors, that might arise with the influx of tourists.
Tourists should be requested to comply and co-operate in our endeavor to make this heaven of ours a safe place by going through routine screening at our entry point, if a tourist is ill he should immediately take help offered by our medical help line.
Locals have been advised to avoid crowds, and if suffering from flue like symptoms to remain at home. Tomorrow if I don’t hear the steady drone of vehicles down my road I will conclude that the tourists have taken the necessary precaution of staying at home and adhering to the old adage of our forefathers.
“Prevention is better than cure”. But the festival of JANMASHTHAMI is far bigger than any epidemic, so I know tomorrow Abu will be bursting at its seams before I retire let me conclude with

WISHING ALL A JOYOUS
JANMASHTHAMI!