My travels is all about... My views, thoughts and experiences on/about/at/with random places of interest, persons, things, events, issues etc,. I am an eternal student with a restless mind and a tumultuous heart!

Saturday, March 31, 2018

The last among un-equals





At Ol Pejeta, the great lonely beast passed away,
The 'last man standing' was a sad epithet on any given day.
In the great lands of Africa, his kind roamed in thousands,
But that was long back, a glory that was set for a sad end.

'Those horns can cure cancer' - the quacks claimed,
Poachers echoed in unison, for the profits to be gained.
Few torchbearers fought on behalf of the stricken animals,
A brutal battle for a lost cause, and the radicals trumped the rationals.

Thus a great sub-species had become a mere foot-note of history,
A long shot promise for revival, now a scientific mystery.
In an unforgiving world, 'Sudan' was never the first among equals,
A passing item of news-sites, he was merely 'The last among un-equals'






@
#16-7-16 ('Bhramara' Ground Floor), Saladi Jamindar Street, Palakollu (West Godavari), Andhra Pradesh
31st of March, 2018

The Last among Unequals (Poem) on 'Sudan' - the last male Northern White Rhino
On 19th of March, 2018 at Ol Pejeta Conservatory in Kenya, 'Sudan', the world's last male Northern White Rhino passed away at 43. Only two females are left living. The sub-species is slated for extinction, unless ongoing research on In-Vitro Fertilization techniques are successful. Rhinos face threats like Poaching because of alleged and unscientific importance of Rhino Horns in many traditional medicine systems & Man-animal conflict due to loss of habitat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_(rhinoceros)
Picutre above -Michael Dalton-Smith or Digital Crossing Productions.




Sunday, March 11, 2018

The Course of a River (Godavari)


I arise unmindful of my humble origins, blessed by the canopy of the Western Ghats -
at Nashik Triambakeshwar of Maharashtra, I start to the East without being fast.
My course gently demarcates districts, and Kings fought over my waters in the Past -
the belligerents changed at the present, yet I move  duty minded till the last.

Cutting the dominant Deccan Plateau, I am the solace of the parched throats of the People, -
Manjira, Pranhita, Indravati & others enrich me every year as if in a scripted sequel.
Numerous dams adorn my course, trying to channel my flow -
and this brings a joy to the one who toils in the farm and wields his/her plough.

Piligrims to Basar and Bhadradri dip in my waters, as like at many other holy places,
and I turn fast and deep matching the Wild terrain of  Papi Hills, indulging in Hide & Seek embraces.
Widening at the old Chalukyan Capital, I salute Sir Cotton's engineering prowess,
Finally I branch out in honor of great sages, creating the 'Rice Bowl' Delta with little loudness.

Sometimes when the rains are too much, or I'm just too angry, I take away life and property,
But always and almost, I'm benign and life giving, if only I'm understood properly.
The Coal mines, the lush green paddy fields, Fish, the coconut trees - all hues of my happiness.
This is the story of my course and now, I must flow with all pride and prettiness!



The Course of a River (Godavari)
River Godavari is India's second longest River which flows for a total of 1,465 Kilometres draining the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry and empties into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the largest river basins in India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godavari_River
In the poem,
1st Stanza - Nashik Triambakeshwar is the place of origin of the River (Maharashtra)
2nd Stanza - Majira, Pranhita, Indravati are tributaries of the River
3rd Stanza - Basar, Bhadradri - famous piligrimage centres on the banks of the River and it's tributaries.
3rd Stanza - Old Chalukyan Capital refers to present day city of Rajamahendram in AP.
3rd Stanza - Sir Cotton refers to Sir Arthur Cotton http://viewofawanderer.blogspot.in/2016/05/cotton-tribute-poem-ships-from-west.html
Picture above - Sunset across the River at Dindi resorts.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

'So, that's the Headlines for the Day...



 


In one of the 'Smart Cities' of India, an urgent meeting was being held at the office of a prominent 'Media House' (say, a News Channel 'Y' - Company). The overall head ‘Mr.H’ was in a foul mood, and sitting along with him are his executive deputies ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’. (Note - to promote gender parity, the company and Mr.H specifically have stopped addressing employees as a certain 'Mister' or 'Miss' - many people scratched their heads as to how it would help in gender parity.)

“Have you seen the TRPs? We are just falling every day. Any new ideas for tomorrow's 'Breaking' headlines apart from the regular news, people?” thundered Mr.H. 
 In response, 
A - Sir, yes. My team has a special report on the recent developments in medicines of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis and we could air it...(Everyone looked at A in plain disgust) 
Mr. H - That's all right, A, I'll listen to you later, any others?
B - Why yes, sir. I have an excellent piece. I have interviewed the second cousin of the now estranged husband of a hospital attendant's wife of Country ‘S’. (Everyone except A came to attention and showed great interest. Country ‘S’ was the place where a celebrity passed away recently and already Country ‘S's investigators ruled out any suspicion of the death. None of them bothered even asking whether the hospital attendant actually belonged to the related hospital.)
Mr. H - Ah, now we are talking. Hold that thought. Any ideas to match this?
A - Sir, but that is preposterous. What can we gain from such an interview? In that case, I have an interview from Mr.M, a famous agriculturalist who clearly explained a new suggestion to deal with the problem of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Red-Gram farmers of Telangana State...(Oh my god, does ‘A’ never stop? Everyone kept wondering with contempt.)
Mr.H - Farmers? The only day we care about farmers is when we remember Lal Bahadur Shastriji. Jai Khet.Or what did he say?
A - It was 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan', sir.
Mr. H - Yes, who cares what he said? Right. Now, let's give a chance for others...
C - Yup, Mr.H. Check out what I have - A comparative and detailed analysis of box office collections of all films of 2017 & 2018. We could invite fans of heroes and they could sweat and fight over these statistics. Struggle over Statistics - How's this for a title? (An applauding laugh by everyone except of course ‘A’ followed)
Mr. H - As long as they fight, it'll be good for us. (Chuckles)
A - But, why do we need Headlines on entertainment when we already show entertainment news separately? (A was spoiling all the fun)
Mr. H - That's because...ah...
D - Now, ‘A’. Don't be so pedantic. And speaking of new ideas, I have one myself. I observed that when President ‘Q’ (of a foreign country) smiles in a peculiar way on any given day, then on that day, ‘Mr.Z’ ( a cricketer of our country) is certain to do a century. We could dedicate an entire day to investigate this link... (Everyone except A was amazed)
A - Are you serious, D? Mr.H, if investigation is your only concern, then I did some work, collecting data across various start ups in Bengaluru, interviewing budding entrepreneurs - their views and proposals which could further enhance our Ease of Doing Business Rank or about the NPAs of banks which I did last week....(A was so boring)
Mr. H - Ah, yes thank you A. For now, we'll go with ‘D's thoughts. (A round of clapping and cheering for ‘D’)
A - Mr.H, I can't bear this nonsense. You are ignoring me for too long. For weeks I've been requesting you to at least listen to my proposals. They involve issues of national importance. Medicinal properties of new species of plants discovered or an informed debate of Federalism or even a dispassionate analysis of India-China problems without hyping up Doklam issue - you've never given me a chance. So I Quit. (Much to the relief of others)

The next day, news channel 'Y''s ratings shot through the sky. Every person was glued to the channel's exclusive headlines on a link between President ‘Q's smiling pattern and the century making abilities of ‘Mr.Z’. 

A rather dazed ‘A’ thought to him/herself - 'So, that's the Headlines for the Day...


Place and Date
#16-7-16, Bhramara (Ground Floor), Saladi Jamindar Street, Palakollu (West Godavari) - 534 260, AP on Saturday, 10th of March, 2018.

Title
'So, that's the Headlines for the Day...(Satire/Fiction)