Sandwiched between two power-hungry nations, Bhutan is like the delectable stuffing in the middle. Mysterious and overwhelmingly beautiful, it comes with all right ingredients that are currently making this landlocked country, with China to the north and India to its south, an incredible destination.
There is a rustic charm about the Dragon Kingdom that makes you fall in love instantly. Even the most intrepid travelers who have seen it all will agree.
Bhutan definitely deserves to celebrate its many triumphs. After assuming low profile for many centuries, this introverted country is rapidly moving from a medieval to a post-modern nation.
Another thing that has made the world sit up and take notice is Bhutan’s core concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Powered by the unique Buddhist philosophy, the country seems to be marching ahead. GNH reiterates that the happiness of the people matters more than the Gross Domestic Product.
Equitable and equal socioeconomic development, Preservation and promotion of cultural and spiritual heritage, Conservation of environment, Good governance which are interwoven, complimentary and consistent to make happiness valued above everything.
Standard of living , Health of the population, Education, Ecosystem, Vitality and Diversity, Culture-Vitality and Diversity, Time use and balance, Good governance, Community vitality, Emotional well being are constantly being monitored so as to find areas of improvement and decided the future action plans which has seen improvement in many key development indicators, like life expectancy, health coverage, school enrollment & Literacy rates.
Any economic evolution that happens in the country must be in harmony with tradition and culture, ecological policies, the fundamental being, economic development should be balanced with spiritual well being.
Everyone in Bhutan, age no bar, is smiling all the time, the genuine kind which reflects their happiness within.
Manish had travelled with school children to Bhutan
Written and Captured By Manish Patel
[#mittiblogslider] [/mittiblogslider] ]]>Think Rajasthan!! Think summer. Think May. Think Afternoon and Think Ranthambhore National Park, once a princely game conserve located on the junction of sharp conical hills of Aravali and gently steep slopes of the Vindhyas sprawls over a varying and undulating landscape. A tenth century fort for the backdrop. Pure sands of Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) interspersed with grasslands at the plateaus, meadows in valleys and luxuriant foliage around the canals make the jungle. Lakes abounds with aquatic vegetation including duckweed, lilies and lotus.– studded across the forest.
The 46 degree with hot air blowing in a speeding vehicle would feel like 50 degree. The vehicle was passing junction of Vindhaya plateau and Aravali range – steep rocky hills, a 10th century Ranthambhore fort. Welcome to rugged park terrain with dry deciduous forest, open grassy meadow, dotted with several lakes and slithering river. The jungle was burning and visibility was excellent. This being the best time to spot the striped beauty. Finally law of attraction worked. It was siesta time for her- our beloved lady of lake. Black Stripes made the perfect contrast resulting in clear visibility even among the thick vegetation. It was siesta time for the agile cat. 50 people in a dozen odd vehicles watching. Actually she is used to 500000 visitors during a Ganesha festival in her vicinity. The cat seemed used to these types of intrusions. But never let the things to chances, the tiger would open her eyes, look up at times, and stretch her neck every few seconds to ensure that there is no threat to her from we homosepian. The cycle would repeat every few minutes.
Dominant among the three siblings from the time she was born and started hunting at the age of two and is on her kingdom since then.
Yes we were watching one of the most photographed tigress of the world and admired by heads of the states, president of fortune 500 companies and common men in the same breath. Distinction of featuring in almost all the popular documentaries on Ranthambhore of real life channel. Yes She is “Machali”
The evening trip saw the same tigress in the same place – majestically snoring – little disappointing such a majestic animal is so laid back. Quickly a thought passed age is catching up. She was in last years of her life, with canine tooth lost while crocodile hunting, pushed out by her own daughter.
Once upon a time, yes once upon a time she was the pride occupant of the most scenic Ranthambhore at three lakes It is wonderful to watch the beast sleep, she would turn to her back and and take turn. She would turn
Next day she had killed a spotted deer an very easy prey for her as she has had enjoyed hunting on several occasions, among which were crocodiles ( she has successfully passed on this skill to one of her son )and in the process lost her strongest weapon two of her four canine – upper and lower of left cheek. She was guarding it, self sufficient even in last days of her life , she lived with dignity and continue to live.
Had the pleasure of mating with four different males gone through the labor pain four times and have delivered nine cubs in total and one of the earlier cub was ran over by passenger train in August 2003 in Darra sanctuary about 150 kms from Ranthambhore.
Written and Captured by Manish Patel
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]]>It was close to 4 in the evening. The summer sun was on us and after having streamed along the dusty veins of the jungle for about 2 hours, straining our senses to discern the bronzed hide or the sounds of snapping twigs or the feral scent of the King, a somnolence had crept over us and we were lumbering along just watching the forest running away from us when with practiced casualness our guide patted the driver's shoulder signaling him to stop.
"I think its a Lioness" he said, his voice down to whisper, with a slight frown on his face and his nostrils flaring trying to breathe in more of that bestial odor.
One thing that can instantly sharpen your numbed senses is the news of a wild beast prowling about in your vicinity.
"Where?! Where is it?!!" I asked, almost managing not to cry out aloud while gesticulating frantically with a bobbing thumbs-up.
He looked in the approximate direction, his eyes narrowed in concentration trying to isolate a feline figure from the thicket.
"There! But It’s a… it’s a Leopard!!" He cried out in a hushed tone, his finger pointing in the direction. I followed his finger with my eyes. I saw nothing.
"Where is... "My enquiry was cut short by a slight fluid movement.
10 meters away from where we were, flashing its lurid spotted coat shimmering in the light, relaxed yet watchful, stood the Leopard.
It is simply magical how such a brilliant body could merge itself with the green to near invisibility. I just stood there looking at the spotted beauty. The fine head which dipped with such delightful grace from a thick neck, a conduit stuffed with steel bands, attached to an elegantly undulating torso supported on limbs carved out of iron, rippling under the brilliant sheath, made an undeniable statement of power. What struck me as the most remarkable aspect of this fine animal is how it carries so great a power with such grace and moves with such fluidity that it could as well be a part of a Bach's Legato.
"Strange! I thought I smelled a Lioness" said the guide broodingly.
"She’s beautiful..." I said, sounding like somebody in love.
He flashed a smile at me and said, "You should see the Lioness. It is the kind of beauty which demands respect and inspires fear but not.. not love."
"Why is that?" I probed even though he was looking away from me. It seemed to me as if he was looking at nothing in particular. "You will know when you see her" he said without stopping to look at me.
Meanwhile, the Leopard kept more or less still and was just shuffling her feet from time to time as if she was speculating something of great gravity. We got busy capturing the moment, goading the leopard silently to pose for the camera.
After a while, we decided to leave the girl in her private moment and move on. Just when our driver stepped on the throttle and the jeep strained forward, we heard a deafening roar. A thunderous cry almost splitting our ears. For a moment I was lost envisaging the pharynx in operation that could produce such an insufferable din. It seemed as if the jungle resonated in unison with the vocal chords, producing an amplified effect calculated to annihilate any and all eardrums in the vicinity. The jeep was halted and all heads turned in the direction of the roar. I saw nothing. I looked at the spot where the Leopard was standing a minute back. I saw nothing.
I turned to see the Guide. His face strained with concentration and expectation of action.
"Look!" cried the guide pointing a little further off the Leopard spot.
I spotted the Leopard just as she was lunging for the tree trunk. Her thick neck bulging with strain and her powerful paws gripping the tree trying to haul herself up. The muscles of her fore and hind legs rippling under her skin at every lunge and kick. Even though there was so much power involved in every step of her ascent, the whole act was executed with an unrestrained fluency. With just three calculated leaps, all performed within a fraction of a second with practiced efficiency, the Leopard was on the topmost bough. I don’t know whether my aural adaptation had kicked in or it was the effect Leopard's sublime grace had on me but I hadn’t spotted the Lioness until she threw herself upon the tree, not too far behind the Leopard, making sure she was being heard by all of the jungle. She scraped the bark of the tree with her iron claws and bared her teeth and chewed on the trunk. She kept at it as if she was determined to bite the tree off its stump. She took breaks to look up at the Leopard and snarl at her and the Leopard too bared her teeth in a low rumble which didn’t do much to hide her fear even though she knew that the tree was too high for the lioness to scale.
This fantastic falling-out between two giants of the cat family was so engrossing that only after some peace had been restored in relative terms that the intrigue in it gnawed at me. Why would a Lioness chase a Leopard? What did the Leopard do to upset the Lioness? I was baffled and I communicated my curiosity to my guide.
"Lions and Leopards have been sworn enemies since the very beginning" he said, with an air of an old tribal chief about to relate a legend about his favourite god. "Lions have their territories whose borders they guard with great ferocity. But still the only intruder that Lions can never tolerate is a Leopard because it is the only animal which has the audacity and foolhardiness to hunt down a Lion cub." He continued, with his eyes still fixed on the cats "This Leopard has made a great mistake by entering the Lioness' territory especially when she is with her cubs. It will be lucky to get away alive today."
Meanwhile, the Lioness had stopped mauling the tree and started circling it looking up at the Leopard, roaring and waving her paws in the air and digging up the ground beneath her feet. That is when it dawned upon me what the guide had meant when he said "Respect, Fear.. not Love". The sheer size of the animal was intimidating and add to that the ear-splitting roar and the muscular construct sending tremors through the ground with each contact.
When her majesty was totally sure that the tree-dweller had gotten the message rather clearly that she was to leave immediately and not to return ever unless it was her death wish, she ambled away from the tree still watching the pensive Leopard from the corner of her eye. We were watching intently, to and fro, at both the cats, the furious Lioness and the sheepish Leopard. I looked at the Leopard looking down from the tree for a moment and I looked at the Lioness ambling away in her olympian gait and I looked back at the tree again. The Leopard was gone. Disappeared. She had made her exit from the tree with the same blinding speed at which she climbed it. All we could catch of her departure was the sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling under her feet. The Lioness looked back, held her gaze for a while and carried on with the satisfaction of a good lesson taught.
"It will never dare to come back again." said the Guide.
And then, it happened. The Lioness. She stopped for the briefest of moments and turned her head in my direction. I was looking straight into her eyes. Anger, aversion and admonition. All fused into one single look. My fear, it seemed to me, had caused the air around me to solidify and provided it with a firm resolve to smother and crush me to a point. Despite my struggle to retrieve myself from the giant fist closing on me, I couldn’t help admire the power she wielded. I couldn’t help envy the natural grace and beauty of what we call a beast.
It is only when we get out of our plastic world, totally devoid of nature and its beauty that you realize how vain, vile and vulnerable we really are.
Written by Pravin Yedla
Captured by Manish Patel
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]]>The four wheelers came to a screeching halt. This time driver had spotted a perfectly camouflaged beast. Even a hundred trips to jungle would not train our city eyes to spot such a wild wonder. The lioness looked skinny aptly disguising her power to knock down 100 odd kgs at one stroke. Solitaire tree had come to her rescue from the scorching tropical heat of 44 degree in dry deciduous 1412 square kilometres forest of GIR India – the only abode of Asiatic Lion in the world. Of course she noticed us. The fraternity has become quite tolerant to human as they intuitively know the support of forest guard in filling water holes during summit heat. The heat was compensated by privacy and we loved the trade off. Ours was the only vehicle.
She posed for us for the umpteen times in a manner which would put Carol Gracia to shame. We were shooting for more than 20 minutes in natural light, without assistance and tripod. She passionately was showing her weapons - teeth, paws and likes. Yes she stood, sat, twisted her body in various yogic postures to our delight and thrill.
And suddenly she took a stand akin to soldiers in the war movies and ignored us. Most of us failed to understand the unpredictable and sudden change. This was guide’s turn to show his skill set as he identified a prey- a lonely deer drinking water at a distance. Totally grounded and parallel to the earth, crawling mille meter by mille meter towards the anticipated meal, occasionally rising to keep eagle’s eye on the prey. The drama went on for good 5 minutes, but as they say the success rate is as low as between 10 to 20 %. The deer had sensed the danger and it made run of its life for its life. Once again the same lioness had failed, pointed out the forest guard.
Nevertheless our cups were full and were thrilled to core having seen the wild beast from a very close distance, various postures, attempting to hunt, and joy of capturing unbelievable close photographs for good 40 min. When sighting a wild beast it self is joy akin to scoring a goal in world cup football games. This was like scoring in final.
On the way back, mind would think nothing else, only the game. Wilderness, Alertness, Curves, Agility, Deer run, failure, life moves.
24 hrs later almost the same place:
The forest guard recognised us and volunteered to show the same lioness, this time little deeper in the jungle. She was on the hunt. To all of our surprise and shock, she failed again.
The climax unfolded; the nth attempt for the meal, hunger since only god knows when, the most powerful creature on the earth without a square meal even after several hours and attempts. Being most powerful on the earth does not ensure a simple necessity of life, happiness and joy. No text book can teach us this. No school would be interested in this. Several hrs spent in front of National Geographic/animal planet/discovery channel (with due respect to these channels) would not create life long lasting effect.
You have to be there to believe, contemplate early retirement, enjoy, love, learn and live.
Written and Captured by Manish Patel
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]]>"Greatness is a lot of small things done well - Everyday…"
A silent supporter, a caring crusader, a rebel shattering the stereotypes or the one assertively defining career types…a gentle mother, a re-assuring rock of a wife, a sweet girl grown-up too soon... The one who always smiles, the one who never shies…balanced, sorted, perspicuous – or maybe a continual learner, storming her way through mistakes and messes… There she is - a fighter hell-bent to break the shell or beat the relationship hell, a self-made entrepreneur, a fin-guru – or simply a busy working professional – with juggling skills better than any juggler…
None of them is extraordinary or out of this world….but the way they deal with life’s challenges makes everything and every day – remarkable and powerful. They are the Women of Ahmedabad – the spirit, the beauty, the strength behind our pulsating, throbbing, gorgeous city! Their greatness is not in their names or the so-called extraordinariness – but in their gentle touch, their formidable presence and their fiercely compassionate modesty. For us – they truly are special!
Pictures and Story – Manish Patel
Compilation - Ritu Batra
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