Chakki Mod - a kaleidoscope of birding colour

 

A pair of Himalayan Bulbuls greet the sun

The more often we see things around us – even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us.  That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds.  Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.

White-crested Laughingthrush

Chakki Mod is an branch off the main Chandigarh-Shimla road and my school friend (I nearly said 'old', was it really 52 years ago?) took me there in a friend's, Bonnie's, new car.  We went there at the crack of dawn, suitably clad against the severe winter cold, or so we thought as the chill wind got in from the slightest opening. 

Plumbeous Water Redstart looking up at the bridge we were on

Initially the road goes sharply down, into a ravine where we saw our first birds, the Plumbeous Water Redstart and White-capped Redstart. The sun's rays were brushing the tops of trees where birds sat to warm up for the days foray. 

A Pond Heron examines us sagely 

Far from water we were quite surprised by this Pond Heron sitting in a tree, unruffled by our presence, it allowed us close to see and photograph it. 

Rufous Sibia wondering at who we were

A tree stump attracted many birds, Rufous Sibia, Cinereous Tit, Grey Treepie and Russet Sparrows; they would flit in and out rapidly. It was somewhere here that Bonnie took out the tasty breakfast he had brought, we happily munched the sandwiches; but the hot coffee was truly welcome. 

Cinereous Tit

One of the birds that came to the log, as the sun came up, the light got better, and so did the pictures.  But the contrast between light and dark areas was considerable, way beyond the dynamic range of my camera. 

A Striated Prinia poses for a photo

As it got warmer, the birds got more active, sometimes too flighty to take pictures of. In fact towards the middle of the morn the the light was so vertical that the shadows cast made us 

only photograph birds in the shade. 

A female Fire-breasted Flowerpecker seeks the shade

By noon the sun was very sharp and it had become hot so we had to shed our warm clothing.  The birds too were seeking the shade where they could. We saw these and many more birds, a veritable kaliedoscope of colour.

After a lovely morning's birding, we landed up at the Hops n Grains Microbrewery to slake the thirst we had by now built up, - CHEERS

 

In the Land of My Forefathers - Behind the Tourist Iran

This is my second visit to the land of my forefathers, I was first posted there in 1990 as a Major of the Indian Army on deputation to the UN.  At that time Iran had just emerged from an eight year war with Iraq and the strict rigours of the revolution were in force. Twenty six years later I visited a very different Iran, beautiful, weary from years of sanctions yet keenly progressive.  This photoblog is not a chronicle of my trip nor is it a travelogue. It is not a compendium of tourist sites and their photos, there millions on the net.  Here I have tried to impart some flavour of what I saw and felt.

Leaving 'Bombay' With 'Madras' further south.  
The place names haven't changed in the map display.  Many years of sanctions and isolation
have left their mark on many aspects of Iran, 
the aircraft, hotels, cars, all require substantial modernisation.

Urban sprawl
Tehran is a large city, about 16 million people live in 700 sq km. The size of the
sprawl is indicated by this picture from a cable car going up the Alborz Mountains
that surround Tehran. This cable car, at 6.5 km,  is one of the longest in the world and
the views from the upper stations are breathtaking.

A Parsi Zoroastrian Jashan at Mount Damavand
High up in the Zagros Mountains near Tehran stands Mount Damavand.
This mountain, Iran's highest at about 19000 feet, is deeply linked to Zoroastrian lore
and every Parsi pilgrimage has a religious Jashan  ceremony here. Due to an unexpected
road diversion, our outward journey was increased to five hours instead of the usual two.
Unexpectedly this diversion enabled us a treat of some of the most spectacular scenery
I have seen by the road. 

Farohar above the door at Peer-e-Banu
An ubiquitous symbol, the Farohar adorns religious places, hotels, government establishments,
ancient and modern scripts. Considering that it has possibly been adapted from ancient
 Egyptian or Mesopotamian scripts and used by the ancient Achaemenids only, it has gained
remarkable popularity. Many Parsi Zoroastrians in India too sport a
Farohar sticker on the rear windscreen of their cars. 

Blue Art
Most religious places in Iran have exquisite paintings adorning the walls as this
particularly intricate example of the art in the Mosque in Esfahan shows. The
base colour is almost always in different shades of blue.

Signs of the Times - War
Iran fought a long war with Iraq in the 80's, arguably a million people died
 in this prolonged conflict.There are signs of the Hero everywhere, some are
 likenesses of local martyrs  and some are morale boosters as this one is. 
 In all cases the artwork is meticulously executed with 
remarkably accurate likenesses.

 Signs of Present Times - Peace
Gradually war Heros are giving way to modern industrial and vocational heros.
Iranians put much store by the art on building walls and billboards.  Most blank walls
of buildings are adorned by such paintings.

Total Concentration
Meticulous craftsmanship is a matter of great pride. Handicrafts, no matter how
small or cheap are almost always well made and presented. There is nothing crude
about the cheapest work.  In another show of pride, most work is invariably signed by
the artisan.

The Grand Bazar
A vast market that deals in a large variety of goods.  With a cavernous interior,
it has a myriad lanes, each area specialising in a particular type of wares. The Grand Bazar
here is typical of most such ancient bazars in the middle East and Turkey.

Dry Fruits
Iran is flush with dry fruits and the Grand Bazar is no exception. There is
an entire area of the bazar that has only dry fruit sellers. Apart from the usual nuts;
there are many very typical Iranian offerings, exotic berries and and aromatic spices.
The locals love their fresh fruit juices and there are many stalls selling
freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices.  I was refreshed by frothy and sweet
carrot juice.

Multi-Tasking at the Bazar
This venerable gentleman is selling T-shirts,  frocks, keychains (around his neck),
 batteries (in his hand), berries and spices.  I was told that Iranians are too proud to beg
and that everyone, no matter how poor, tries to earn a living.

Carpet at the Niavaran Palace
Notice the picture of Napoleon woven into the carpet, and that's possibly Victoria next to him.
The Pahlavis, the last royal dynasty of Iran, built the Palace and it is abrim with opulent presents from
other royal houses the world over. This vast and intricately woven carpet has royal likenesses from
 the ancient Persians, the Iranian rulers and most major European royal houses.

Roses
It was spring and everywhere there were lovely flowers. The local authorities
take great pains to ensure colourful blooms in all public spaces.
This delicately shaded rose was at the cable station.

Pansies
The riot of colour in the blooms were a delight to behold, like these pansies
in a public garden. Every public space, every vacant plot, every road median,
everywhere there are blooms and colour.

Two Zoroastrian Ladies
The two ladies are engrossed in the tale being narrated by the Indian Parsi priest
inside the Peer-e-Banu Shrine.  Iran has moved forward in leaps and bounds
since the revolution and war. The lady on the right is dressed traditionally and is
from the family of caretakers here; the lady on the left came from Yazd to help
and her modern dressing shows.

Faredoon
Such a typical Parsi name, the old man from the Iranian Zoroastrian family charged with looking after
the Peer-e-Banu Shrine. Every loved him as was evident by the fact that he was
so much richer with the tips we all left him.

Ornate Art
Intricate designs are very popular, particularly in Esfahan, a lovely example would be this lift
shaft in a hotel. This is the reverse view but so beautifully
decorated, it is set amidst an equally ornate foyer.

Warning to motorists!!
At a police post on the highway was this smashed car set on a pedestal as
a warning to motorists of the dangers of speeding.

Abandoned Village
At isolated desert locations we visited ancient fires in tiny rooms. I would like to
believe that these were predominantly Zoroastrian villages, each with their holy fire.
The fire had to be concealed at oppressive times in history hence they are hidden in
tiny rooms.  The villages are now mostly abandoned. A very remarkable aspect of the
villages is that no matter how small or poor, they are immaculately clean .

A Zoroastrian lady
This lady typifies why many of the Zoroastrian villages are probably abandoned.
The youngsters migrate and ladies like this one have property in India and Iran, she shuttles
between the two countries.  She has a daughter in living in Dadar, Mumbai.
I met her in a village and she spoke fluent Gujarati and Persian.

Yazd Atash Kadeh (Atash Behram)
This is the highest form of place of Zoroastrian worship. There are eight Atash Behram in India
and only one, this one, outside India.  It is immaculately maintained, as are all
Zoroastrian places of worship.  I believe there is a rich Iranian Zoroastrian diaspora which
remits funds for the upkeep of religious places.