ABANDONED BUT LOOKING FOR SYMPATHY Mt.Abu

Last night while returning home I had to pass the home of “Veerbabji” it’s a small shrine situated on the bend between the army ground and Rotary Integrated School, I spied a creature beloved of the human race, taking shelter from the thunder, lightening and rain, he seemed lost and forlorn.

I reached into my pocket to get my phone, the poor mongrel seemed abandoned,  he looked like a well-bred mutt, left by its owner to fend in the wilderness on the muddy roads of Abu. I raised my phone to click the mutt, he looked at me, I tell you not a word was spoken between us but a mutual understanding passed between us. I did not encourage him, as I knew he would follow me and that would have been the end of him as my pack of mongrels back at home would have ripped him apart, so I turned away after snapping him, unresolved as to what action should I take to solve the fate of this poor faithful dog.

The shelter given to him by the God should tide him over for another day, if he moved out of its light he would be hunted by the leopard making his way through the misty hills looking for prey.

I passed him tonight once again, and I have wondered in vain if this poor mutt has had a bite to pump his fast failing veins. Before I lose my emotional cool and go back to feed him and bring on the poignant pain, I rather you see this dog in person through this strain in pictures I clicked while in the rain.

Anyone in Abu in needs of a lovely dog? Head for  this spot.

Where's my Master? I'm  sheltered but for how long? 

An update on The Abode of the Gods Mt.Abu

The Abode of the Gods Mt.Abu.

Blame it on the “BLUE Moon”, Global warming, blah blah—Well the weather sure has taken a strange turn, drought-like conditions have suddenly turned into raging flood conditions in the least expected places in Rajasthan and part of Gujarat. Mount Abu was apprehensive for a short duration with the late arrival of the monsoons, but today, with its reservoir’s almost brimming or overflowing, the Abuites are comfortable that there is enough water to tide them over till the next year.

We still have more rain in the making! Looks like we do not have to resort to the “Indian rain dance to appease the rain gods anymore” as I mentioned earlier, there seems to be a radical change in the weather. The seasons seem to keep pace with the changing pace of human progress; the predictable rise and fall of the monsoons have sure changed over the years. Overnight lightning and thunderstorms followed by cloudbursts seem to be the norm.

I, for one, love and appreciate the steady rainfall that used to be Abu’s hallmark; today I’m apprehensive when I see this dramatic change in nature.

OH, By the way, I was to apprise you of the latest events in Abu, well some young men went bathing the day before late in the evening to one of our waterfalls on the way down and two of them did not make it back as they were swept away and their bodies only recovered the next day. Tonight I heard it through the grape wine that a lad from Delwara went for a dip in Mini Nakki Lake and drowned, will look out for the local paper tomorrow to confirm the news.

Some snaps I took a few days ago on the latest in Abu.

Blue Moon Taken in Abu 31 Aug 2012 

Not so Blue

Return of the sparrows 

Rammed into a date palm tree

Mount Abu’s New Tourist Attraction

Mount Abu’s New Tourist Attraction, floated by Mars Enterprise

Mount Abu’s New Tourist Attraction, floated by Mars Enterprise, At the beginning of this month Mount Abu inaugurated.“The Tethered Helium Balloon”. I really don’t know if it has had its maiden flight. As of the moment, it seems grounded. I believe the formalities towards the aviation department have yet to be met.

If it has anything to do with the differences between the Forest Department and that of the Municipality regarding permission of allowing this operation of going through then it could take a while as these two departments don’t see eye to eye. Like the Salgoan Dam project that was sanctioned aeons ago, but is still lying in limbo.

The place where the balloon is parked right now is the same spot that was made into a musical park years before for the entertainment of the tourists. It was a lovely spot, but somehow it seems to be jinxed and the musical park, with all its lovely lights and sounds, faded away like the mist that visits this lake regularly. I really wonder how long this present project will last, guess as long as it ropes in enough dinero and is workable.

 The tariff for an 8 minute spin to a height of about 350 feet is Rs300/- almost a buck per foot, pretty steep and for a child its goanna be Rs 200/-. Tourists know that you are to buy your ticket in advance and only mount the podium after 20 individuals have bought tickets. Your waiting period would amount to the ratio and volume of visitors on a particular day. Take your time to read the rules and regulations carefully.                          

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Monsoons & the Weatherman MT. ABU

Monsoons and the meteorologist MT. ABU

The monsoons this year have been unpredictable, with meteorologists’ forecasts missing the mark and leaving everyone in a state of uncertainty. Despite predictions of an above-average monsoon, the rains have been sparse and scattered.

It began raining on July 10, 2010, followed by a significant downpour on August 8, bringing 6.2 cm of rain. There was a brief pause until a modest 5 cm rainfall on August 11. On the night of August 12, the rain gained momentum, and by morning, Brother Gale had recorded another 3 cm. The rains continued throughout the day, with the gauge reaching 3.6 cm by around 3 PM. Afterwards, a thick mist descended, shrouding the Abode in a heavy, silent blanket.

Today, the lake overflowed, reminiscent of the Lower Khodra Dam’s overflow from August 13 to September 28 last year. This year, the dam’s level was at 36 feet on July 10 and has now risen to 40 feet after today’s rain. GOSH! We still need 20 more feet! Will the gods perform a miracle to reach this target? I hope not to face the ordeal of a flooded house this year. After every heavy and prolonged shower, friends and well-wishers call to check if everything is alright, reflecting the collective concern and cautious optimism we share during these unpredictable monsoons.

Taken with my mobile

AN ENCOUNTER WITH A PORCUPINE MT. ABU

Kali Small Face had an encounter with a porcupine

I had hit the sack at the stroke of midnight and had drifted off into a dreamless and sound sleep. At around 2.20 am my slumber was shattered by the wild anguish yelping of one of my dogs, Liz, who had also been awakened by the din sat up and added to the confusion by yelling at the scenario to try and curb what she assumed was an assault by the leopard. I knew it was not the leopard as the incessant cry of the dog indicated otherwise.

I scuttled out of bed grabbing my searchlight and my faithful “लाठी” (Bamboo Staff), and rushed outside to see what had happened. The visibility was low as there was heavy mist, and the mutt had clamoured to the back of the house, I did an about turn and rushed to the back door to find it was our ‘Kali small Face’, she was in shock and her torment was extreme. I could see she had been riddled with quite a few quills, a few more than an inch embedded into her chest and legs. She flew past me into the house and scurried under a bed. I tried coaxing her to come out when this did not work I got stern and tapped my staff on the floor, she whimpered and limped into our room and headed straight for Liz.

Liz stroked her gently all the while talking to her in a soothing voice; I shut the doors to our room and reached for our First-aid box, taking out a broad bandage to act as a muzzle. I knew I had to act fast and remove those quills before she tried gnawing and clawing at them to alleviate the extreme pain imparted by them.

I gagged her securely and proceeded to remove the quills. It took me a minute or so to remove the barbs, she was very fortunate she had none on her face or mouth.

Guess she has learnt a lesson, No more chasing after curious creatures that roam late at night.

Kali small Face on of our stray dogs

Kali's small face came squealing home with quills from a porcupine

Quills deeply embedded.

Retrieved quills from Kali