Solitude with Nature

              

Solitude  is the state of being alone or a state of isolation, this is the meaning you could see in a dictionary.. But if you ask me, I would say solitude is somewhat connected with Nature..Its not about loneliness, its about spending some time alone with your inner self through God and with what God has gifted us(i.e.nature)..When solitude is merged with Nature, you could find your way in defining and discovering more about your inner soul.. You could discover your prime purpose in this world.. As said by Thomas Browne, 'All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God'.. You can never ask for more, when God has already gifted us with his own beautiful creations which serves us in many ways.
     
 -*    "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.." - John Muir

 -*    "Solitude is essentially the discovery and acceptance of our uniqueness" - Lawrence Freeman
  
  -*     "I love people. I love my family, my children… but inside myself is a place where I live all and alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up " - Pearl S.Buck

  -*     "Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.. " -John Lubbock

Image Source : Internet

In solitude one can quest for true intentions.. It helps to face our fears, to pray for our family, our loved ones whom we miss and it also helps in restoring our energy to make our-self ready for our next assignments..It heals all our misunderstandings, broken hearts and more than that makes us to realize what we are and what we are ought to do.. God has set a best way to understand our-self through solitude..If you closely observe our environment, you could witness many lessons that God has in store for us.. It starts from the busy working ant,honey bee to the magnificent mountains, each and every creatures in our environment stay as an example for us..It is proved by some researchers that if you closely observe the nature's greeny environment you can conquer your stress.. Its absolutely a stress-buster. Whenever you feel stale, just have a gaze or walk with Nature, its consequence would definitely be euphoric..

Here's a video that I have created for solitude with Nature :

Have some time in solitude to discover , to renovate and to restore your energies back..  Enjoy the Nature..

Thanks for reading..

Significance of planting Native trees

Native Trees - 

                      Native trees or native plant is a term used to mention the indigenous species that belongs to a particular geographical region. That is, it is said to be a well adapted species in its habitat. Native trees are special since it is well adapted to local soil and climatic conditions. Native trees can withstand the local diseases as they are adapted to defense on their own. They hardly need a human assistance. 

Merits of Native trees over non-native trees :

                     Native trees are well known about the defense methods they need to carry on against its diseases. Whereas non- native trees are unaware of the insects that affect,climatic change and soil type. Native trees as planted once require less maintenance as they are aware of the habitat, whereas non-native trees require more maintenance to adapt their conditions in a different habitat. Native species are aware of the available resources in their habitat and they grow on the account of its measure, whereas non-native trees which have no knowledge of the resources demands more when they are in need. For an instance, non-native trees may be in need of more water supply in an habitat where only limited water supply are available.
Native trees helps in maintaining the balance in the ecosystem. Native trees evolve themselves as they provide food and shelter for the insects, birds and animals of that specific habitat.

All these facts doesn't mean that only native trees should be planted, also non-native trees has some new hybrid varieties that adapt to all conditions, but the fact is Native trees are more active and beneficial than non-native trees. Hence Native trees must be planted more for conserving the biodiversity as they do not cause any harm to the environment.

Here's a link of an article from 'The-Hindu' newspaper which portrays that Native trees are less prone to  the natural calamities than non-native trees :

>* http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper

It would be unfair if i fail to mention native trees of India. In India trees are often meant to associate with wisdom and immortality.  The national tree of India is Banyan tree aka Bodhi tree. As i have heard the Banyan tree that is located at the Adayar Theosophical society, Chennai is one of the world's oldest banyan tree and it is said 450 years old. Lets have a deep note on it in the posts to come in future. Now coming back to the native trees of India, they are known for their majesty and opulence.


Here's the picture of Banyan Tree that I took at Auroville, Pondicherry aka Puducherry

Banyan Tree

Here's the list of some of the Native tree species of India :

                                                           * Banyan tree(National tree of India)    
   

                                  * Mango tree,                * Arjuna tree,        * Ashwagandha,          

                                  * Peepal tree,                 * Aloe vera,          * Eucalyptus,
                                  * Neem tree,                  * Tulsi plant,          * Tumeric plant,
                                  * Asparagus,                  * Amla plant,         * Tamarind tree.

Some of native trees of Tamil-Nadu are :
                          Palm trees, coconut trees, rosewood trees, Indian coral tree, Tamarind etc.,.


Plant more Native trees to enrich and conserve our Mother earth.. Do share about this with your people around..

Thanks for reading..

Bamboo - Best friend to the Environment

Bamboo - A perennial flowering plant which is said to be one of the fastest growing plant on earth.. It is discovered that bamboo's growth rate of 100 cm in 24 hours is faster than the growth rate of any other trees.. They are widely used for building materials, houses, weaving baskets, medicines etc.. Apart from these facts, bamboo plays a vital part in conserving the environment.. The significant part to be noticed is that bamboo provides a perfect balance between oxygen and  carbon dioxide.. It is proven by the researchers that Bamboo produces 35% more of oxygen than any other trees and it removes carbon dioxide which helps to fight against Global warming..

     Bamboo also has some interesting added features such that it prevents soil erosion and it is the plant that can survive at any extreme climatic conditions..As i read in the web, bamboo was actually the first plant to re-green the environment after the atomic blast in Hiroshima. In china, bamboo has been used for medicinal purposes to cure kidney diseases and cancer.. Bamboo has many beneficial uses in the sectors of construction, making accessories, textiles, musical instruments and sometimes to feed animals.. There are also some beliefs of luck having a small bamboo plant in houses as shown below in the picture..Bamboo plant satisfies all the basic needs (Food,shelter and clothing) of humanity..Bamboo vinegar has been used in foods and medicines..  Despite all these uses, the most favorable one is being the best Eco-friendly plant.. Bamboo also avoids deforestation if it is harvested instead of shedding down the timber and wood.. Bamboo can be planted more, used more and thus it is recyclable..

As per researchers, growing forests can absorb carbon dioxide . As we previously learnt that bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide it is proved that one hectare of bamboo isolates 62 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year whereas a small forest isolates only 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide.. Hence it is clear that use or plantation of bamboo provides far better results to the humanity and most significantly to the environment..

Here's a deep note on bamboo and its process against global warming in the following links :


>* http://www.merinews.com/article/bamboo
>* https://sites.google.com/site/gboindia1/home/bamboos

Images Courtesy : Internet


Plant or support bamboo for Green Earth and to avoid global warming..

Thanks for reading..

Aesthetic Beauty of Paddy fields

          Paddy field is where Rice, one of the primary and traditional crop of India is grown.. It is widely found in many  parts of the world, especially in southeast Asia.. India is said to be the fourth largest exporter of rice in the world..Paddy fields are the most common site you could see around India.. Rice is cultivated at two main seasons in a year..Those seasons are called as Rabi(winter crop) and kharafi(summer crop) in Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu.. As Agriculture is the backbone of India, Paddy cultivation plays a major role in it..Most of the farmers are dependent on Paddy cultivation..

         In Tamil Nadu, Paddy cultivation is processed for three seasons namely Kuruvai (April - July), Samba (August - November) and Kodai(December - March).. Despite these seasons there are many rice varieties that are cultivated on the basis of soil types and climatic conditions.. Harvest of Paddy is popularly celebrated as a festival termed 'Thai Pongal' in Tamil Nadu that falls on mid January every year.. It is also called as Sankranti and Makar Sankranti in other states of India.. The Kaveri delta region of Thanjavur aka Tanjore is traditionally called as the Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu..

        Apart from cultivation and harvests, the Paddy fields gives you relishing moments while you cross over them.. Wherever you travel  in and around Tamil Nadu or around India, you cannot cross a rural or even some urban areas these days without witnessing the scenic beauty of Paddy fields.. A travel along the roads that are bordered with these green covers of Paddy field would be the best ever blissful and aesthetic experience you can get..

Here are some random pictures of Paddy fields at Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Kallidaikuruchi, Kanyakumari and Nagercoil as taken from the web..

Thanjavur

Cuddalore

Kallidaikurichi

Kanyakumari

 

Nagercoil

Images Courtesy : Internet

Here's one of the video I found on the Internet while surfing..Check this out..



Video Source : YouTube

Happy Thai Pongal and Makar Sankranti to all  :)

Thanks for reading...

An Adventurous trekking experience to Milam Glacier

Trekking -

           Trekking is a long adventurous journey made on foot through mountains, rural and rugged areas.
Trekking explores you about the incredible beauty of nature..You can witness the nature at its best while trekking.

           As from my childhood I'm not much aware about trekking.. But while I was studying in class twelve, I have gone through a lesson in English subject named "To the Land Of Snow"..  Its all about a trekking experience shared by its author Ahtushi Deshpande..As a nature lover, I was very much keen on that particular lesson.. Even now after so many years, whenever I get an opportunity to read that lesson, I would never miss that chance.. That particular lesson on a trekking experience makes us to feel as like we travel along with the author..If you are too a nature lover, then don't miss to read that entire trek experience..You can find out the entire story in internet..The scope of the author's journey was to trek the Milam Glacier...Despite meeting several hurdles on his way to the glacier, the author was motivated by his guide Khem nam, the veteran trekker.. After finishing his trek successfully, on the way back home, the author reminiscences  "Patience is the art well learnt when one is at the mercy of nature"..

Milam Glacier is located northwest of Munsiyari part of Uttarakhand,India..It is situated to the south of Himalayas range.. It is found to be one of the major glaciers of Kumaon Himalaya.. It is estimated that it would take 11 days to trek the Milam Glacier..

En-route to Milam Glacier

Milam Glacier

Image Courtesy : http://indoexpedition.com/milamglacier.html



Want to trek or experience the Milam Glacier......?  Have a look on the following video :

Video Courtesy : Directed by Munishwar Gulati, Produced by Silicon media Infocomm..

I would like to share some of the websites on trekking to Milam Glacier :

http://indoexpedition.com/milamglacier

http://www.indiatrekkings.com

http://www.trekking-in-himalayas.com

Thanks for reading..Keep visiting.. :)

                   

Decline of Sparrows - Much hyped and to be concerned issue

Sparrows - A small passerine(denoting birds of large order, it also includes all song birds in this group) bird which is also called as House sparrows, True sparrows..  Native of this birds are Asia, Europe & Africa.. But they were found almost everywhere in the world..But surprisingly their population has seen a sharp decline in the past few years..There are many reasons for this decline..After many researches the exact reason is yet to be found..

Causes for the vanishing sparrows :

Let us know about some featured reasons :

                         ~ Radiations from mobile & television towers.

                         ~ Inadequate food.

                         ~ No sufficient place to build their nest.

                         ~ Rapid urbanization and industrialization.

                         ~ Few green cover i.e. lack of trees.
                     
                         ~ Birds poaching - is one of the reasons that has to be taken on a deep note.

                         ~ A new research has found noise pollution as one of the cause for this decline.


             Of all these, inadequate food and insufficient place to build nest were commonly debated on. As of the new research, the modern houses and buildings without holes or rooftop shelves made hard for these small chirping birds to build their nests.. As noise pollution plays spoilsport for these birds, it has been said by the researchers that parent bird couldn't hear its younger one calling for food. They found that birds living in a quiet place are fed more than that reside over a noisy area.. Another cause is that the emission of carbon-mono-oxide from vehicles affect these birds badly..

Recovering steps to get these sweet chirping sparrows back :

               On a keen willingness to witness these birds again, with sufficient food grains and proper surroundings, it is possible to bring them back.. First step is that we must make sure to grow some plants and trees in our garden or in some social areas like schools, private or public concerns.. Then providing some wooden nest boxes near trees or in a terrace could ensure a place for the House sparrows to live in.. You can also spread some grains on the terrace and provide a bowl of water to invite these small visitors.. Keeping some water in your terrace for birds will be most valuable during summer seasons..

     

Images Courtesy : Internet
               You can also have some hanging pots filled with food grains in your veranda or balcony to feed birds.. The main advantage of having a hanging pot is that it makes sure that birds are safe from cats or dogs that would often hurt them when have their food in the ground.. Apart from this, as birds always love to swing and sit at higher places, hanging pots would invite them with joy..

           By bringing all these measures in effective action we can not only get these small sparrows back, but also we can get back the diminishing mynas and many other birds.. By maintaining the lakes, estuaries and wetlands in a city, we can get back the birds of their habitats..

 Madras Naturalist Society ( MNS ), a non-profit organisation based in Chennai.. It is maintained by a group of nature lovers who are involved in many activities on birds and several other activities related to nature.

I would like to share some of the MNS activities related to sparrows here.Have a look on the following articles which depicts the ways to get back the sparrows..

             >   http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/call-for-the-sparrows/

             >  http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3019553.ece

             >   http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/

World's Sparrow Day is celebrated across the globe on 20th of March every year to create a public awareness about the decline of sparrows. The main theme of the World Sparrow Day that has been said in their website worldsparrowday.org  is  

                 "CHIRP FOR THE SPARROW ! TWEET FOR THE SPARROW "

As many bird lovers are doing their part in such issues, people are less aware about that.. Let us take  it to limelight to save these small birds..

Thanks for reading.. Do share about this to your people around...