Me Sahyadri 102014

Me Sahyadri - October 2014

/ Sahyadri Geographic by Vivek Kale

Me Sahyadri

मी सह्याद्री

October 2014

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Please do not use the images for any commercial use without permission. Text in Marathi and English is not exact translation. Special thanks to all those who helped me during the compilation and field work for the help and guidance.

देशाची आर्थिक प्रगती व्हावी असे सर्व नागरिकांना वाटणे सहाजिक आहे. अर्थकारणामुळे मिळणारा रोजगार, समृद्धी यासाठी सर्वांनाच आर्थिक प्रगती हवी हवीशी वाटते. आर्थिक प्रगती होताना, त्याचा दिर्घकाळात समाजावर, निसर्गावर, वातावरणावर दुष्परिणाम होणार नाही याची काळजी घेणे महत्वाचे आहे. मनुष्याच्या भावी पिढ्यांना पाणी, शुद्ध हवा, योग्य वातावरण मिळत रहावे अशी भावना मनात रुजणे महत्वाचे आहे. वाढत्या आर्थिक प्रगतीमुळे नैसर्गिक संपदेवर ताण येतो. प्रगतीसाठी प्रदुषण होते. जंगले, माळराने, व इतर अधिवास नष्ट होतात. वसुंधरेवर रहाणाऱ्या इतर जीवांचा मात्र मनुष्य फारसा विचार करत नाही. आर्थिक प्रगती करताना, मनुष्य निसर्गाची हानी करत आहे. मुळताच माणसाला निसर्गाचे महत्व समजणे हे सध्याच्या आपल्या प्रगत जीवनशैली मुळे अवघड झाले आहे. आर्थिक प्रगती, समाजाची प्रगती व निसर्ग संपदेची निगा, यांचा समतोल राखणे काळाची गरज आहे.
सह्याद्री (पश्चिम घाट) हा एक नैसर्गिक संपदेचा, वैविध्यतेचा, भौगोलिक व ऐतिहासिक ठेवा आहे. वाढत्या मानवी अतिक्रमणाचा, सह्याद्रीच्या विविध घटकांवर होणारा दुष्परिणाम भविष्यात आपल्यालाच धोका निर्माण करेल, यात शंका नाही. शुद्ध पाणी, हवा व उर्जा, भावी पिढीला मिळण्यासाठी, नंद्यांचे उगम असलेला सह्याद्री व त्याभागातील जंगले टिकवणे महत्वाचे आहे. सह्याद्रीच्या महत्वाच्या घटकांचे महत्व छायाचित्रांद्वारे प्रकट करण्याचा मी येथे प्रयत्न केला आहे. येथील पक्षी, प्राणी, वनस्पती, अधिवास, किल्ले व लेणी अशा विविध विषयांबद्दल आपण समजुन घेऊ.

As the economic development has taken the center stage, the balance between the environmental sustenance and socio economic development will be under the scanner. As most experts with balanced views have proclaimed, Indian wildlife and ecological system sustenance will be under threat, unless precautions are taken with the help of appropriate research and long term national interests. As we encounter the economic development, many habitats which indirectly or directly help sustainable development will be damaged. The awareness to gauge the success by sustainable development and not by year to year growth is a distant dream any environmentalist will assume in current scenario.
Western ghats, or Sahyadri as we all call it as, is a treasure trove of spectacular landscapes, biodiversity, flora, fauna, some amazing geological wonders and man made monuments. With the increasing pressure from human encroachment, all these elements are under stress and in turn are under depletion. Western ghats should be left untouched by human beings, to protect their future generations from getting short of resources, such as water, energy and clean air. The important elements of western ghats, which need protection are highlighted in the new version of Photo journal, Me Sahyadri Magazine.

Me Sahyadri, October 2014

An Island with a small tree.

The landscapes suddenly come to life in post-monsoon season. As the veils of mist on the ghat tops slowly vanish. The monsoon transformation come to the light. Life is rich and visible in these postmonsoon days. It is not only the plants but also the insects are plenty? Some plants flower in the season. The landscapes turn enchanting. Some plants are beautiful even without flowering. The insects take refuge of the plants. They have their own social behavior with respect to each other.

When we reached the island, it was early morning. There was a chill in the wind. The grass was wet and was covered with the dew. The wetness of the grass in no time was climbing us, but we did not care. We were on the island of grass. The island was having grass everywhere, except a small tree in the middle. There was no escape. The small tree had hardly forty fifty leaves and was barely three feet tall. We took the shelter beneath the tree. The swallows were flying over the grass looking for the insects. They were few but were doing it again and again. The island was so

The depth of the fall

small that the swallows had to turn around sharply quite often at the edges of the island. Viewing the acrobatics of the swallows was the grand pleasure. By now the morning mist and fog had turned it to the cumulous clouds. The shadows of the clouds were running over the meadow of the island, only to fall suddenly over the edges of its cliffs deep below in to the ordinary world. With the wind and the rains the island was

cracking at the edges. There were no loose rocks there. A small water puddle was at the eastern edge. It had hardly any water left. The sun was over head and the heat had taken away the dew from the grass. The island was dry and pale green. The thin stream was jumping in to the land below. The valley was booming with the sound of water. From the falling water some water drops were flying into thin air, never to return below in the main stream.

The morning glory

It was early morning. The sun was glowing and making its path through the scattered clouds on the eastern horizon. The distant hills in the rain shadow desert could be seen on the horizon. The light beams were searching something in the hills and the plains between. As the sun rose, with its light bloomed many Smithia flowers. While these bloom, the other

flowers like Tutari were closing down, exchanging the smiles in the twilight. As the sun came up, the golden light was spread slowly over the land, the golden yellow flowers of Smithia were lit bright. The honeybees were waiting for the dew to disappear. The honeybees then landed on the tiny flowers. The small branches of the herb were bent with the weight of the honeybees, again to spring back after the bees left.

The elements of nature

The floating carpet

The sky at east was lit red. The laterite mountain top was glowing in the morning glory. The sky was empty except few clouds at the distant horizon.

The folds of the hills were prominent in the morning light. The dew from the dawn was still lingering on the grass. It was warm in the sunlight and cold in the shadow.

The tortoise plants

The monsoon transformed the land. The small hills were now covered with the green grass. It was as green as it could have been. It was early morning, and the sun was yet to rise. The streamlets were carrying the water downhill. The little barking dear was grazing in the grass close to the

forest. The grass was all wet, and the dew drops were all sparkling. The dew was everywhere. The small spider webs were all ornamented with the dew. I wondered, had someone ever seen the dew drops forming. The web was perfect, the dew drops were lit in the twilight. Around the corner, we could see the beautiful

The perfection of Tortoise

semispherical plants. The group of plants looked as if the tortoises are walking downhill towards the lake. The plants had kept the distance from each other. The leaves were places along the spherical surface. It was surprising to note that these plants were more disciplined in their growth,

unlike most of the plants and trees which we see show randomness in their growth. Otherwise the symmetry in nature is not surprising. We see it in flowers, leaves and animals These spherical plants are called as Pleocaulus ritchei. The plant flowers once in 7 years. It is endemic to western ghats. One plant had flowered. All

The man versus nature

kind of insects were on the plants. Small honeybees were hovering on the plant with purple flowers. There were occasional pink flowers stemmed out of the semi sphere of Pleocaulus ritchei. These pink flowers were of Impatiens lawii. We observed the honeybees, the little insects around

the flowers for a while. As the sun rose, above the horizon, the soft golden light spread over the grass. The green grass now looked like golden grass. The impatiens petals dazzled in the golden light. The grass behind was dotted with small green orchids. The grass was full of life. I felt like walking below the grass like ants.

The water

We are pressing the land and nature , so much so that the life is suppressed on it. We call it as a path made by human being to find our way to live with

the development. What are we developing. No one knows. But then if Darwin was correct, are we not supposed to develop for survival of our own or are we ?

The orchid in the grass

Human and its perspectives

The life at the edge

Seems like life on the edge has some benefits. Often the organisms and plants get more at one edge or at one end. There seems to be a benefit in

living on the edge. Being in a first row, in front. But the edges often erode, crack down. There is a risk with advantage or may be advantage with risk.

Risk at the edge

Light and no light

No clarity

Nothing was clear. The mist had filled the entire valley. We waited patiently. Soon the mist vanished. The light beams again started search operation. The golden light highlighted the hill slopes, the water below in

the lake shined. The distant hills were seen. The small village below the hill slopes came to the light.

The patience

The dynamic

The pleasure from virtues

The large puddle

The frog from the lateritic plateau.

The wire in the cave

The hills

The bottles

Nothing from the cave

We reached the caves. There was nothing there. The grass was swaying with the wind. The water was flowing in the small streams. The eagles were flying high in the sky. The small flowers were dancing with

the wind. The butterflies were fluttering over the herbs. The small fish were swimming in the small water pots in the stream. There was a peace and silence everywhere. Still there was nothing anywhere.

The usual hills with orange clouds

Happy Diwali

Thank you.

Contact me at kale_v@rediffmail.com for any queries and asuggestions.