परवा गौरव आणि सम्पन्नशी बोलतांना एका जुन्या रचनेची आठवण झाली. IISc , CEDTत असतांना बरेच nightouts व्हायचे. तशाच एका nightout नंतर मजा म्हणून काही ओळी लिहिल्या होत्या. आज घरी शोधल्यावर एका वहीत ती रचना लिहिलेली सापडली. एक timepass आठवण म्हणून इथे post करतो. :D
एक विश्व!
Lab च्या एका खुर्चीवर, दमून थकून बसतांना
समोरच्या लाकडी कुशीवर, डोकं माझं तेकावतांना
सकाळचे, किमान ४-५ तरी, वाजले असतात जेव्हा
निर्जीव सारे जिवंत, lab मध्ये होतात तेव्हा.
का नावडतो तुला तो transistor ?
तीन पायांवर एक छोटासा घर!
त्या घरात राहतात लोक अनेक
current लागल्यावर पळतात सगले, न दोन न एक!
धमाल उड़ते सगल्यांची तेव्हा, चांगलीच!
कामी येतो transistor, असो amplifier किंवा switch
पण त्यात पण त्यांचे प्रकार किती! बाप रे बाप!
लक्षात ठेवतांना वाटतं, 'डोक्याला नुसता ताप!'
"काय करायचे रे दादा?", विचारतात ते मलाच
circuit चालायला लागल्यावर, प्रत्येक transistor वाटतो अगदी आपलाच!
त्या transistorच्या आत सुद्धा आहेत बरेच fundae ,
काम न धंदे, कुठून येतात असले बन्दे!
आधी वाटायचं ...
काही railway stations अच् फ़क्त, junctions असतात
हे ऐकून transistorच्या आतले, रहिवाशी हसतात
ते म्हणतात,
"आमच्यात पण junctions p-n म्हणून असतात,
ज्या दारांमुले, घरातल्या खोलीत लोक अडकतात.
मग voltage दादा आल्यावर हे दार उघडतात
हसत, खेळत, एका खोलीतनं दूसर्या खोलीत,
लोक नव्या जोमाने फिरतात..."
मला तर वाटतं,
junctionच्या दोन बाजुला शेत आहेत दोन
जणू एका boundaryच्या प्रत्येक बाजूला, एक वेगलाच zone
एका शेतात सूर्यफुले उगवली आहेत,
तर काल्पनिक चंद्रफुले आहेत दूसर्या बागेत
दोन्ही कढची फुलं, इकडे तिकडे बघत असतात
आतुरतेने सूर्याची व चंद्राची वाट पाहत असतात
जेव्हा सूर्य नी चन्द्र, पलिकडच्या शेतावर उगवतात
सगळी फुलं त्या त्या दिशेला फिरून,
वेड्यासारखी पलायला लागतात!
डोळ्यांसमोर हे दृश्य जेव्हा मी बघत बसतो,
मनातल्या मनात मी, मजेत मस्त हसतो!
ह्या एक-एका घराने बनतात,
अनेक societies, colonies आणि शहर
ICs मध्ये तर ह्यांच्या संख्येचा होतो नुसता कहर
मग development boards सारे civilizations सारखे दिसतात
पार आकाशातून काढलेल्या, satellite images सारखे भासतात
मग त्या शहरात सुद्धा असतीलच की, आपल्या सारखे institutes !
तेथे पण मुलांना मिळत असतील, असंख्य assignments आणि tuts !
memories मध्ये तयार होऊन मुलं बसत असतील
आपली संधि कधी येते, ह्याची वाट पाहत असतील
processor मग बोलावणार प्रत्येकाला अधून मधून
"मला job लागला रे लागला!", सांगत असतील ते नाचून!
Buses असतील शहरात, इकडून तिकडे जायला
त्यांत पण solid गर्दी, होत असेल, चमायला!
आणि जातांना कोणाचा धक्का लागलाच जर चुकून,
की म्हणत असतील, "मेल्या! का येतोस मरायला!"
processor आणि memory सवाल fastest !
आणि रस्ते सुद्धा रुंद, सरळ आणि BEST !
Controllers असतील अनेक तिथल्या सरकारच्या under
एकही बंद पडला, की समझा झालाच blunder
आत बाहेर करायला, असतील ports चारीकडे
मग जहाजातन जातील लोक peripheralsकडे
ह्या शरात सुद्धा असतील mafias and thugs !
ज्यांना लोक म्हणत असतील viruses and bugs
Debugger ने त्यांना काढल्यावर मग
आपली पूजा करत असेल, तिथला सारा जग!
आपलं पण जग, देवाला असच दिसत असेल
जेव्हा आपल्यासारखा nightout तो पण मारत असेल...
-Vindy
(व्याकरण चुकल्यास आणि typos बद्दल क्षमस्व :) )
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Pied Kingfisher
I heard a splash, a loud one; as if some big stone had been thrown into the calm river. I turned my head in that direction, expecting not the least what I saw next. Cutting through the rippling river arose a flapping bird, much to my amazement. 'Just a bird and such a loud splash!', I wondered. It flew up and sat down on a transmission line running overhead across the breadth of the river from one bank to the other. Evidently surprised, I saw it settle down on the wire and the next instant my mind exclaimed 'Kingy!' The beak and the body structure were unmistakable! I couldn't be wrong. It had to be a kingfisher! However, I had never before seen a kingfisher of this colour. Black and bright white! As vivid as it could get in just these two! It was a pied kingfisher.
Pied kingfishers are amazing hunters, unique in their ways. They hunt mainly for fish. They hover over waters, biding their time, before drawing their wings back and making an almost verticle, spectacular dash towards their underwater prey, packing all their might into it. They cut the layer, beak first, diving down into the water to pick the prey with lightning speed. The heavy plunge was what had created the splashing sound. This one, however, had missed its target. For the next 15-20 minutes the female pied kingfisher kept looking at the waters under with a steadfast gaze. It was so focussed that nothing around seemed to matter to the bird. I, in turn, kept looking at it. I was waiting with bated breath for the kingfisher to make another dive. All my hopes to witness the spectacle whimpered away when the kingfisher flew away without making another attempt. Perhaps, it thought it wise to find another more suitable place to strike its deadly dive. I wasn't very disappointed though. Atleast I had seen the bird. Hopefully, I would also see the dive some other time.
Here's a modest cropped image of the bird, that I would like to share.
- Vindy
Here's a modest cropped image of the bird, that I would like to share.
 |
| Pied Kingfisher (Location: Indrayani river, near Talegaon) |
Monday, September 6, 2010
Bayas
Not far from my home is an open field...
where grass grows without any care, where a pond shivers under misty layers, where lotuses meditate on slender stalks, where damsels and dragons hover as if lost, where shrikes perch on the trees veined, where robins and kingies feel just like a friend, where lapwings walk in the waving meadow, where bayas weave for the want of love...
to linger, to wonder, in every little glace, where I lose myself to this rhythm and trance...
When your senses yeild to the nature, its every form may spawn poetry. Every stroke of the landscape and its elements and their various stimuli seem to convey art, an unspoken art that just sinks in and wets the inner being. I realize that I am breathing and with every breath I feel a wrap of contentment drawing upon me. I have had and keep having many such moments here, in Talegaon, when I have felt like inhaling, in a single sweep, all the good air that descends from over the mountains and carries a maddening scent of purity. I wonder if my words do any passable justice to the effect, but I shall settle for this shortcoming. After all, there's a language beyond words and logic, that can only be felt!
Of the multitude of things that have endeared me at Talegaon, one has been the varied clan of the winged beings here. Over time, due to a constant barrage of an urban scenario, my mind had reached a concious conclusion, nay submission, that all birds could be broadly classified into two simple categories – the 'Crows' and the 'Non-Crows'. I was tempted, often, to make space for another one for the 'Sparrows'. But the innocent, almost apolegetic, expressions that they seem to carry, kept me from leaving them alone in a family of their own and instead made me club them with the others to make up the non-crows. The crows, of course, stood by themselves in lofty numbers to earn an exclusive family for themself. Such is the abundance of the black bird in the cities and the towns that after some time my faculties had become indolent to any other bird form. Not that I was very interested, and perhaps that's the real reason, but I had stopped noticing the other birds altogether. Then, in IISc, due to the campus there and some of my friends I realized that there is more to the bird family than I ever thought. And when I landed in Talegaon, I had all the time and a new grown interest to watch the birds. And so, I do. I see many, try to photograph a few and read about some of them.
In the open field that I mention in the opening lines, there used to be a noticeable flock of Baya Weavers. Last monsoon, when I first went there, I was fascinated by the place and especially the flock of the Bayas. Bayas are the expert weaving birds, weavers like no other! Inverted retort shaped nests made out of grass strings and straw hung down from the branches overlooking the calm pond beneath. I and Appaji marvelled at the expertise of weaving the nest and also at how wisely the location was selected. It was such that no predator could reach it easily. Over the next few days I gathered some interesting information about the habits of this bird. As it turns out, the male Bayas weave nests and the whole purpose, seemingly, is to earn a mate. A male Baya tries to build his nest so as to woo females, who are prospective mates. Half completed nests are completed only when a female selects them, turning them into chambers of love and safe havens for the offsprings. It was really interesting to read on the research that has gone into undertstanding the nest-building tradition and the sexual selection process in these birds. One belief is that the woven nests help the female to compare and select genetically superior males, improving the chances of superior inheritance for their progeny. Seems reasonable, but I couldn't fathom the connotations of this to a satisfactory level. An alternate proposal, that I came across in a doctoral dissertation by S. Quader, suggests that the location of nest and its subsequent safety play a prime role in selection matters. A nest that is stable and protected from strong winds and predators seems to be preferred by the female Baya, since it lends that much convenience to the raising of the offsprings. This felt pretty convincing to me. Besides, some of the tendencies of the Male nest-builder seem to indicate an effort in this direction. The nestling chambers have been observed to be plastered by mud in many cases. Perhaps this lends some strength and balance to the nest. Every male Baya starts building multiple nests to ensure a good chance of finding a mate. It completes only those that are accepted so that no unnecessary efforts are wasted. The male Baya, thus, may land around 2-5 mates at a time. The raising of the young ones is majorly done by the female. Once, the responsibilities are over, the female may opt for another progeny with a new selection of a nest and the associated male. The importance of the expertly woven nests is more than evident from this critical cycle of reproduction. What might, however, be equally interesting is the role played by a Baya outside its mating cycle. I guess, from the way the flocks evolve and move and locate themselves strategically, there has to be some structure or tradition in the flock that directs such efforts. While thinking about all this, that I had gathered, I could not help feeling that the interactions in a flock seem to suggest a more involved societal structure and habits in the Bayas. Or perhaps, they just know!
When your senses yeild to the nature, its every form may spawn poetry. Every stroke of the landscape and its elements and their various stimuli seem to convey art, an unspoken art that just sinks in and wets the inner being. I realize that I am breathing and with every breath I feel a wrap of contentment drawing upon me. I have had and keep having many such moments here, in Talegaon, when I have felt like inhaling, in a single sweep, all the good air that descends from over the mountains and carries a maddening scent of purity. I wonder if my words do any passable justice to the effect, but I shall settle for this shortcoming. After all, there's a language beyond words and logic, that can only be felt!
Of the multitude of things that have endeared me at Talegaon, one has been the varied clan of the winged beings here. Over time, due to a constant barrage of an urban scenario, my mind had reached a concious conclusion, nay submission, that all birds could be broadly classified into two simple categories – the 'Crows' and the 'Non-Crows'. I was tempted, often, to make space for another one for the 'Sparrows'. But the innocent, almost apolegetic, expressions that they seem to carry, kept me from leaving them alone in a family of their own and instead made me club them with the others to make up the non-crows. The crows, of course, stood by themselves in lofty numbers to earn an exclusive family for themself. Such is the abundance of the black bird in the cities and the towns that after some time my faculties had become indolent to any other bird form. Not that I was very interested, and perhaps that's the real reason, but I had stopped noticing the other birds altogether. Then, in IISc, due to the campus there and some of my friends I realized that there is more to the bird family than I ever thought. And when I landed in Talegaon, I had all the time and a new grown interest to watch the birds. And so, I do. I see many, try to photograph a few and read about some of them.
In the open field that I mention in the opening lines, there used to be a noticeable flock of Baya Weavers. Last monsoon, when I first went there, I was fascinated by the place and especially the flock of the Bayas. Bayas are the expert weaving birds, weavers like no other! Inverted retort shaped nests made out of grass strings and straw hung down from the branches overlooking the calm pond beneath. I and Appaji marvelled at the expertise of weaving the nest and also at how wisely the location was selected. It was such that no predator could reach it easily. Over the next few days I gathered some interesting information about the habits of this bird. As it turns out, the male Bayas weave nests and the whole purpose, seemingly, is to earn a mate. A male Baya tries to build his nest so as to woo females, who are prospective mates. Half completed nests are completed only when a female selects them, turning them into chambers of love and safe havens for the offsprings. It was really interesting to read on the research that has gone into undertstanding the nest-building tradition and the sexual selection process in these birds. One belief is that the woven nests help the female to compare and select genetically superior males, improving the chances of superior inheritance for their progeny. Seems reasonable, but I couldn't fathom the connotations of this to a satisfactory level. An alternate proposal, that I came across in a doctoral dissertation by S. Quader, suggests that the location of nest and its subsequent safety play a prime role in selection matters. A nest that is stable and protected from strong winds and predators seems to be preferred by the female Baya, since it lends that much convenience to the raising of the offsprings. This felt pretty convincing to me. Besides, some of the tendencies of the Male nest-builder seem to indicate an effort in this direction. The nestling chambers have been observed to be plastered by mud in many cases. Perhaps this lends some strength and balance to the nest. Every male Baya starts building multiple nests to ensure a good chance of finding a mate. It completes only those that are accepted so that no unnecessary efforts are wasted. The male Baya, thus, may land around 2-5 mates at a time. The raising of the young ones is majorly done by the female. Once, the responsibilities are over, the female may opt for another progeny with a new selection of a nest and the associated male. The importance of the expertly woven nests is more than evident from this critical cycle of reproduction. What might, however, be equally interesting is the role played by a Baya outside its mating cycle. I guess, from the way the flocks evolve and move and locate themselves strategically, there has to be some structure or tradition in the flock that directs such efforts. While thinking about all this, that I had gathered, I could not help feeling that the interactions in a flock seem to suggest a more involved societal structure and habits in the Bayas. Or perhaps, they just know!
Some snaps:
 |
| The pond |
 |
The Weaver colony |
 |
| Baya Weaver (male) |
 |
| The weaver nest |
-Vindy
Thursday, August 5, 2010
उत्तरायणं
(The Sun completed his northward journey for this year on 16 July 2010. Here are some pictures from his journey. The snaps have been taken from my balcony)
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