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...
On the occasion of Earth Day, I am sharing with you, some of my images from Dandeli, in Karnataka.
Not too long ago, Dandeli was at the heart of the mining operation. The land was rich in iron ore, and the place was dotted with iron mines, and, as the forest was cleared, with paper mills. Soon, the forest started disappearing, and the the mighty Kali River became a trickle.
Thankfully, the people woke up, and efforts began, to reclaim the land and restore it to its former glory. That was just over a decade ago, and this lush greenery is proof enough, that it has indeed worked.
The forest is back, and is today a protected area, the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. While the big cats have indeed returned, it is the Malabar Pied Hornbill which is the pride of this forest. These birds need the forest to survive, and are thus the best indicators of the health of the forest. That we saw flocks and flocks of them wherever we went in Dandeli, can only speak volumes about the effects of conservation.
On this Earth Day, let us hope that we are able to preserve what is left of our beautiful planet... for ourselves, as well as our children.
I visited Dandeli in Jan 2014 on an invite from Dandeli.com a website which helps promote tourism in an environment friendly manner in the area.
Your blogs are always so intereseting such excellent photos! Thanks for sharing. Ruth K.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ruth!
DeleteI have been to Dandeli and it is indeed a beautiful place
ReplyDeletegood to hear that, Rathina Sankari! Its really a beautiful place.
DeleteYou get such great pictures of birds. I really enjoy seeing the native species that you photograph during your travels. Thanks for such an interesting blog! I always look forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, so much, Natalie!
DeleteWonderful captures from Dandeli.
ReplyDelete