The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
This is a bird I have seen often. It is quite a common bird, and yet, it is always fascinating to watch, especially when it plucks insects out of the air!
I must have watched it for about 15-20 minutes, but the best part was when it caught a butterfly...
For a moment, it appeared as if the butterfly's fluttering wings were part of its mouth... and then the whole butterfly disappeared inside!
And that is why I love watching birds... All you need is patience, and you never know what you might see!
The Little Green Bee Eater is a resident of grasslands, thin scrub land, and forests, and observed all over India. I noticed this one at Dandeli, and, having nothing better to do, simply sat and watched it... and clicked...
I must have watched it for about 15-20 minutes, but the best part was when it caught a butterfly...
For a moment, it appeared as if the butterfly's fluttering wings were part of its mouth... and then the whole butterfly disappeared inside!
And that is why I love watching birds... All you need is patience, and you never know what you might see!
Oh so that was a butterfly! I was wondering why that green bee eater had so much yellow around its beak!
ReplyDeleteYes, Mridula! not what we would expect in a bee eater, right? there is always something to see with birds, as I am sure you will agree :)
DeleteAmazing pictures. They make me want to write a poetry...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Aparna manni! And please do write a poem! and send me the link when you do.. will add it to this post :) collaborative family writing, i think we can call it!
Deletelovely! what is this bird's name???
ReplyDeleteSandhya, the title itself has the name of the bird, and I have also mentioned it in the post :)
DeleteNice pictures! Have you seen it handling a bee? Quite entertaining!
ReplyDelete