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!

Birds of Mount Abu Phase IV

Birds of Mount Abu 

Indian Paradise-Flycatcher - Terpsiphone paradise fledgling

Indian Paradise-Flycatcher - Terpsiphone paradise

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Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus immature

Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus immature

Oriental Honey-buzzard - Pernis ptilorhynchus

White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis

Indian Golden Oriole - Oriolus kundoo

Indian Golden Oriole - Oriolus kundoo

Indian Golden Oriole - Oriolus kundoo

Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea

Indian Pond-Heron - Ardeola grayii

Pied Cuckoo - Clamator jacobinus

Pied Cuckoo - Clamator jacobinus

I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but the past month and a half have been overwhelming. Between my kid’s Mid-Term exams and setting up my new premises, I’ve felt dreary as this year’s monsoon. To top it off, I attended a medical camp organized by the LIONS Club Mount Abu at the Global Research Hospital, where a team of experts from Delhi conducted routine tests. The doctors advised me to go to Delhi for further evaluation because of my deteriorating heart condition.

 After showing the results to my family doctor, he didn’t hold back. “Ains, you need to see a heart specialist immediately. Your life is hanging by a thread,” he said, leaving me with a heavy heart. I promised to make the trip within a day or two, but the thought of facing another angiography—or worse, a bypass—left me in turmoil.

 As I approach the threshold of becoming an older adult, the idea of starting this new chapter of life with a stint or bypass is far from appealing. I had no choice but to visit my heart specialist, Dr Samir Dani, in Ahmedabad.

 On August 1st, I found myself in front of his panel of experts, undergoing blood tests, an ECG, and an echo. After reviewing my reports, Dr. Dani gave his verdict: “Ains, it’s your liver that needs more attention than your heart. You need to change your lifestyle.” During our conversation, he remembered he had to speak to my family doctor. After updating him on my condition, my family doctor insisted on an immediate angiography. With a sense of deep satisfaction, I assured Dr. Dani that his initial diagnosis was enough for me and that I would willingly undergo the angiography if it became necessary. He agreed and asked me to visit his hospital again on the 21st of this month.

 I spent the next three days in Ahmedabad, indulging in some shopping for my better half and relaxing, reflecting on the lifestyle changes I need to make.

THUNDER IN MOUNT ABU

This year the monsoon season took its own sweet time to make its presence felt, it arrive late but it was a welcome respite. It’s been raining continuously off and on for the last week. Last night will be a night to be remembered for eons, the thunder that Abu experienced was out of this world. In all my years of experiencing lightning storms and thunder I have never ever heard the clash of thunder as of last night. It was as if the gods were in a mean mood and they were hurdling blots of excessive lightning that caused the windows in our homes to rattle with the huge booms of thunder. Some folks thought it was the end of the word as they associated it with the total eclipse of the sun that had taken place earlier.
The thunder was so dramatic that it felt like some A-Bombs had been let loose; the rumbles that followed seemed to last forever, it was like living on another planet. It will be a day to remember, as for the eclipse it had no effect on us folks here at Abu as the whole of Abu was covered with heavy mist and cloud cover. We folks are keeping not only our fingers crossed but our toes as well that this monsoon season goes off well. If the monsoons are poor we are going to be in for a rough year next year.

Mount Abu “A ghost town July, 3, 2009”

The Day Abu Stood Still: A Community’s Quest to Appease the Rain Gods

Mount Abu town deserted on July 3, 2009

On July 3, 2009, its residents deserted the tiny, one-horse town of Abu. This wasn’t because of a curfew, a ban of any sort, government intervention, or a natural disaster like an erupting volcano. Instead, it was a combined effort by the Banya community and other citizens to appease the rain gods, hoping for abundant rainfall in the upcoming monsoon season. They dedicated the entire day to performing “Havans” (sacred fire rituals) and praying to the rain gods, combining their spiritual endeavours with a community picnic.

Interestingly, before the Havans began, the sky turned overcast, and by afternoon, it rained, hinting at the monsoon. But then something went amiss. Was it the weather presenter’s forecast that failed, or did the smoke from the pure ghee offerings during the Havan not appease the rain gods? Or perhaps it was human greed that disrupted the natural order.

 We often blame global warming for our woes, but maybe it’s our own actions that have led us here. If we could curb our greed and heed the warnings nature gives us, we might create a better, cleaner world.

 If these thoughts resonate with you, do yourself a favour and listen to the voices of today’s youth. Click the link below or copy and paste it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WzgVMp7-Lo

Black Bird Mount Abu

Black Bird in flight

Black Bird

Black Bird

I think it’s appropriate that I start my 101st blog with a graceful harbinger. The Black bird is an omen of the impending monsoons to the Abode of the Gods. The more the black birds the better the monsoons. I recall my ole man mentioning to me in my youth that the year when scorpions and lizards come out in large numbers, that year the monsoons will be extraordinary. So far I have hardly seen any lizards as for scorpions they have become a rarity. Hope the rain gods smile down on us this year as we are in a very precarious situation, our water recourses are already strained.