A Surprise Visit

In a major tribal district of Madhya Pradesh, a young woman in a simple cotton saree, unaccompanied, walked into a police station one hot summer afternoon. The thana was forlorn and unusually quiet. She entered the Thanedar’s room to find the Inspector fast asleep, feet on the office table, rifle stacked carelessly in a corner.

“Thanedar Sa’ab,” she called. He was enjoying his siesta, perhaps after imbibing mahua, and roused himself most reluctantly after several calls. Still groggy, he asked, “Bai, bol, kya kaam hai? Sidhe kamre mein kyun ghus aayi? Koi katal ho gaya kya?”

“I’m the DM, here to inspect this thana. Where is everybody? Why are you sleeping in the office, and why is your rifle lying in that corner? Someone could easily steal it,” she said.

The startled Thanedar sprang to his feet, managed a hasty salute, and rushed out to summon his subordinates for the lady DM’s surprise inspection.

Afterward, she returned to headquarters and issued suspension orders. A few days later, the Chief Secretary circulated the incident to all District Collectors as an example of how field officials should be kept on their toes.

Sarita, a popular Hindi monthly, carried the story with the eye-catching caption: Lady DM visits Thana in guise of a tribal woman.

That was long ago. Recently, I asked the senior colleague, “Did you really go in disguise as a tribal woman?”

“No,” she smiled. “I was new in the district, and had left my jeep and staff a little away from the thana. How could the sleeping Thanedar have guessed the DM would walk in alone? There was no need for disguise.”

***

#TrueStory #CivilService #Governance #Leadership #MadhyaPradesh 

NAPOLEON DINED HERE!

 

NAPOLEON DINED HERE!

In 2000 on our way to Washington, I and my colleague broke journey for a day for a rapid tour of Paris, a city which neither of us had visited.

After checking into the hotel, we took a quick shower and headed for the city, where we boarded an open-to-sky bus for a group tour of four hours of the major sights of the city. When the tour finished at a city square, it was time for lunch.

We had eaten a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel and weren’t particularly hungry, but noted that the restaurants were filled with diners having a leisurely lunch over wine or beer.

‘How about lunch? Since we’d hang about the town till evening, why don’t we take a bite and then resume our sight-seeing?’ I said. My colleague agreed. We looked for a restaurant which was not too crowded and could serve us promptly. We didn’t plan to spend hours at lunch.

Let’s go in there, I said. 
‘Why? What’s special about that one?’
‘Read the signage.’
The bill-board announced in big, bold letters, ‘NAPOLEON DINED HERE!’

We went in. The interior was painted in bright red, possibly to proclaim its heritage, but was forlorn, with only a few tables occupied. Even the few guests who were dining didn’t seem thrilled about their meal. The high and mighty of France, and even regular tourists, no longer seemed to favour the joint.

The server led us to a table towards the back of the restaurant. Can we take this one, please, I asked, pointing at a table near the entrance and with a view of the busy road and the promenade? Sure, he said, though with some reluctance and visible annoyance.

Menu, please?
There, on your table, was his curt reply.
He had guessed that the two gentlemen unaccompanied by ladies were unlikely to spend much at lunch.

We picked up the flyer, as thin as the paper napkins on the table and looking rather cheap, and scanned the menu. Each item was prohibitively expensive, and even a modest meal comprising an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, excluding drinks, would cost at least €30 per head, which was way beyond our budget. Let’s have a beer and a sandwich each, I suggested. That would cost €28 for both of us, still rather expensive, yet cheaper than a larger meal.

We placed the order, which took quite some time to arrive. Waiting to be served, I read the little write up on the back of the flyer which told that Le Procope, Brasserie is the ‘Oldest Café and Restaurant in Paris, fonde en (Founded in) 1686, and Napoleon had dined at this restaurant. No history book might have recorded if Napoleon had indeed dined at this restaurant, but which tourist had time or inclination to do a fact check? Back at home, they’d have the bragging rights to tell family and friends of having dined in an ancient heritage restaurant at Paris!

The server brought the beer and the sandwich together; the beer being tepid and the sandwich rather soggy and slim, provoking my friend to observe that the sandwich might even be from Napoleon’s era. We munched it willy-nilly and guzzled our beer fast to end the frugal lunch and resume our sight-seeing.

When we finished, I beckoned the server for the cheque, with which he was ready. We were economy diners, and he wanted us out as fast as possible. I settled the bill (joint expense, joint accounting), leaving behind a ten percent tip with much disinclination owing to the below par food and the lousy ambience.

Before leaving, I asked the server, ‘May I keep a copy of your menu card, please?’ He pretended to be a bit startled, thought for a few seconds, and then bent down to whisper in my ear, ‘It is our policy not to give this to our customers, but for you I’ll make an exception,’ and he winked mischievously at me. I got he was much amused, and the Indian tourists who ate little and paid less than the fifteen percent tip he was expecting wanted a souvenir from the hallowed restaurant.

Since you plan to keep it as a souvenir, may I make a little correction, said my colleague, took out his pen and crossed from the banner headline one letter from a word, and putting a comma, scribbled a few words. 

The promo now read ‘NAPOLEON DIED HERE, after eating a sandwich!

***

 

 

 

A Tale of a Troubled Lamppost

Since when have lampposts begun telling tales, you might ask? Indian literary tradition permits animals and trees to tell moral tales—as in Jataka Tales, Panchatantra, and Kathāsaritsāgara—but never has such honour been bestowed upon an inanimate object.

If lampposts start telling tales, imagine the chorus and the cacophony—choked drains, cratered roads, pathetic municipal parks, dead traffic signals, and such.

Anyway, what’s your problem? Tell us, but be quick and brief. We don’t have all day for your groans and grievances.

Well, I’m an insignificant lamppost in a forlorn lane of a remote colony in the beautiful city of Bhopal. I do not expect you to be aware of my existence or be concerned about my fate. Why would you? You don’t live here.

But I’m troubled, and I’ve heard that sharing sorrow soothes the suffering soul.

What troubles me? The light has gone out of my life. For the last two months or more, I’m suffering in silence like a condemned convict in a solitary, dark cell.

To be candid, I’m a little jealous, too. I see my neighbours glowing bright, pampered and polished, while I languish in obscurity.

Aren’t all lampposts created equal and entitled to equal and fair treatment? Does the municipal authority favour only those in VIP colonies? Would you fault me if I feel like an orphan?

Darkness is depressing, but I also suffer from existential anxiety. Why have I not been en-light-ened? No, I’m not so presumptuous as to seek enlightenment like the Buddha; only a new LED bulb to deliver me from darkness. I don’t seek nirvana, only a bulb. Is that too much illumination to ask?

I worry about Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s financial status. Perhaps I’ve been sacrificed on the altar of austerity—darkness as budget discipline.

Am I temporarily in a dark phase of my life, or have I been marked as unserviceable and permanently decommissioned?

I’m concerned for the safety of unsuspecting pedestrians, many of them new residents of the colony, who are unaware of the regular movement of reptiles on this road, especially in the rainy season after dark. I’ve seen with my own single eye (no, I’m no cyclops) a young python rescued from here, a pair of adult cobras and their brood, kraits, checkered keelback, dhaman, and water snakes.

I’ve seen much else; the teen who fell to his death while attempting a selfie from the edge of the dam, folks who enjoy their booze despite the stench from the cesspool of untreated sewage and melt into the bushes upon hearing the police siren, and a few love-birds who can’t afford a hotel room.

Since your time is precious, and your patience might be running thin, I finish my tale here.

But before that, permit me to submit a humble suggestion for the kind consideration of the municipal authority.

Maybe AI can help. I may simply say, ‘HELP.’ I believe AI can understand spoken language, register my grievance, alert the concerned and track its redressal.

AI may also alert the Municipal Commissioner about all the ailing lampposts of Bagmugalia Extension, the entire Ward 55, and all of Bhopal; and help her track HELP requests pending for more than 72 hours (Call Centre guarantee for resolution of citizens’ complaints), one week, one month, or more.

Until AI comes to my rescue, I remain a forgotten post—waiting for light, waiting for help, waiting like citizens always do.

Yours sincerely,

Khambha No-xxx

(Illegible, the paint has peeled off and the number can no longer be read.)

Location – In front of H 82

Landmark – Near Laharpur Dam

Address – Bagmugalia Extension, Ward No-55

***

Postscript: 11/10/2026

Let There Be Light

When summoned to appear before God on Saturday night, Angel No. 55 in charge of street lighting in peripheral Bhopal was a little perplexed. Have I been found wanting, or is the Lord pleased with my performance and has decided to move me to Char lmli, 74 Bungalows, or Shyamla Hills? He wondered.

"Yes, Lord. A-55 is here at Your service.’

‘Why is that lamppost blind?’ God placed His index finger at a dark, gloomy spot on the zoomed virtual map.

‘Oh, that one! It needs a cornea implant, My Lord.’

‘Why haven't you performed the procedure?’

‘I've placed the indent with the Central Stores. Awaiting supply, Lord.’

‘Since when?’

‘Two months, maybe a little more,’ A-55 stammered a little.

God frowned and ordered, without raising His voice,

‘Go, get it done. NOW.’

‘O Lord, It's a Saturday, already dark. May I do it the first thing tomorrow, even though Sunday is a holiday?’

"Now,’ said God, and vanished.

A-55 located the storekeeper with some difficulty, was issued a cornea as an exceptional case, rode the special company viman with a hydraulic ladder, and arrived at the location a little before midnight.

‘Are you H 82?’

‘No, that's the house behind me.’

‘Are you the sad, sulking, stupid streetlight who filed a complaint directly with God without going through the proper channel?’  

‘No, Sir, I didn't. You are our maibaap for all I know.’

The lamppost got it. God had found time to read his story, and had correctly deduced that it was not a satire, but a prayer. A cry for help.

Angel 55 quickly and efficiently performed the procedure. God had ordered, ‘Let There Be Light.’

His obedient engineer who had executed the command with diligence and speed clicked a pic of the lamppost shining and happy and forwarded it to God with a caption: Lamppost’s vision has been restored, in compliance of Your command.

All night long, the lamppost sang the glory of God, thanking Him for His swift justice and infinite mercy, and for sending emergency aid to an ordinary devotee in distress.

Troubled no more, he was as happy as a government employee reinstated after a long period under suspension.

***

#Bhopal #CitizenServices #CivicIssues #AIforGovernance #PublicAccountability #UrbanGovernance #BhopalMunicipalCorporation #Satire

Jungle Book 2026

 

Jungle Book 2026

This is a somewhat fanciful sequel to my previous post under Bhopal Ecology Journal series, “When a Leopard Comes Visiting…”

(Link: https://www.pkdash.in/2026/09/when-leopard-comes-visiting.html )

Recently, somewhere in the dense jungles of Samardha, not far from Bhopal, an urgent meeting was held by T-1 (Tiger No. 1), the King.

He was an able ruler, thought more and spoke less, and generally opened his mouth to kill, eat, or roar at potential challengers. So, he came straight to the point.

“These two princes have come of age and need their own territory. My jungle is not enough for them. Which adjacent territory should we capture and occupy?”

The elder prince raised a whisker and was permitted to speak by the King.

“O King, why don’t you send us to win our own territory? I could go east, and Chotu to the west—or the other way round, if he so prefers. That’s the hoary Tiger Tradition, I recall you telling us when we were kids.”

“Well, the times have changed, dear son. Earlier, we fought with rivals from our own kind. Now, we are threatened by those pathetic, weak, bipedal creatures who have grabbed much of our territory. But what can we do? They have lethal weapons which they launch from a safe distance.”

“No risk, no gain,” said the younger prince. He had heard the wise saying from the hyena, his tutor.

The panther, T-1’s Chief of Army, coughed gently. The King nodded that he might speak.

(Leopard at Panna Tiger Reserve, Mar 2026; Source: Wikimedia Commons)

“O Mighty King, with your valour and supreme strength, you have kept this jungle safe for all of us during your golden reign. Glory be to You. However, may I be bold enough to recall that the humans snatched a large part of our jungle during the reign of your great-grandfather? Why don’t we snatch it back?”

T-1 got a little red in the face, but his Army Chief had stated a fact well-known  to all the jungle animals, and he had the wisdom and sagacity to handle it with equanimity.

“But how shall we accomplish it? Do you have a strategy? What are the risks?”

“I’ve given much thought to the issue, O King. Reclaiming the glory of our kingdom is your cherished dream. What use is my life if I cannot realise my King’s desire? I’m fully aware of the many risks. It would be unwise to expose our young princes to such huge risks. So, I’ll myself lead a small guerrilla force, surprise the enemy, and snatch back the lost territory.”

“Isn’t there the formidable bypass, with huge mechanical beasts roaring and speeding round the clock? How would you manage to cross that dangerous pass?”

“Not to worry, My Lord. I still have very strong leg muscles and can sprint faster than those behemoths. I’ve also learnt to look both ways before darting across. The mechanical beasts are dangerous, but predictable.”

The meeting ended.

The Chief led the stealth operation. He was accompanied by his two sons, who could sprint even faster than Dad.

They entered the lost territory at night and positioned themselves at three strategic points in the jungle. The villagers and forest guards spotted them the next morning and were very scared. Search parties scanned the forest, drones whirred overhead, and trap cameras were set at many locations.

But the Chief and his sons, masters of stealth, eluded them.

The Chief sent a message to his King through the trusted Blue Rock Pigeon:

Mission Accomplished. Territory reclaimed.

Eco Park was closed to visitors on September 28, 2026, and remains closed.

The King has reclaimed his lost territory.

***

The current status (as on 7 Oct 2026) of Ecological Park, Laharpur, Bhopal:

Forest Department teams, supported by search patrols, drones, and 10–15 camera traps installed across a 20–25 km radius around Katara Hills and Laharpur, have been scanning the region. While locals reported sightings, forest officials have noted that some reported sightings turned out to be other wildlife, such as jackals/jackal pairs. However, pugmarks and potential big cat movement remain under active monitoring, and no animal has been caged or tranquilized yet.

A cow has been killed, but only a small portion was eaten. Maybe the forest officials spotted the kill before the leopard got a chance to drag the carcass away for hiding.

The Forest Department has prohibited public access, specifically banning morning and evening walks, as a safety precaution until the area is cleared and certified safe by wildlife authorities.

Leopard

(Source: Panthera pardus (leopard) | INFORMATION | Animal Diversity Web)

Habitat

Leopards inhabit a variety of terrain. They are most populous in mesic woodlands, grassland savannas, and forests. They also occupy mountainous, scrub, and desert habitats. They favour trees throughout their entire geographic distribution…

Each individual has a unique coat, which can be used for identification. 

Behaviour

Leopards are solitary, nocturnal carnivores. Although they sometimes hunt during overcast days, they are less diurnal in areas close to humans in comparison to uninhabited areas. They mark their territory with urine, faeces, and claw marks and communicate with conspecifics by growling, roaring, and spitting when aggravated and purring when content. They also make a rasping cough to advertise their presence to conspecifics. Leopards are most comfortable in the lower forest canopy, where they often feed, and descend from the canopy head-first. They are comfortable in water and are adequate swimmers. When hunting, leopards move with a slow, crouching walk. They can run at bursts of up to 60 km/hour, jump more than 6 m horizontally and 3 m vertically. Leopards are facultative drinkers and obtain much of their water requirements from ingested prey. Leopards have advanced vision and hearing, which makes them especially adept at hunting in dense forests.

***

 

When A Leopard Comes Visiting…

After breakfast, upon checking my WhatsApp messages, I found an advisory from Pramod, my neighbour:

“Please don’t go to Eco Park for a few days.”

He had forwarded the following photograph:

(A leopard reportedly sighted recently at Ecological Park, Bhopal)

We have been going to the City Forest for our daily morning walk for the last three months or so. While Sanjukta walks on the gravelled path preferred by ladies and senior citizens, I prefer the forlorn, uneven track running past the little pond, where I stop for a while to quietly click a few photographs of the water birds—Egrets, Stilts, Waterhens, Kingfishers and an occasional Little Cormorant.

We reach the Park around 6.00 AM, a little before sunrise, and spend about an hour there.

A month ago, we had spotted a Golden Jackal, rather close to the unmetalled road leading to Amrawat Khurd and Khajuri villages.

Link for my previous blog on the Golden Jackal:

https://www.pkdash.in/2026/08/a-fable-and-journal-home-schooling-by.html

This morning, it was my lucky day again. I spotted another Jackal, not far from the entry gate, sprinting away into the undergrowth. Maybe it had gone scavenging for food in the garbage dumps of Katara Hills colony.

Before sharing the photograph of the leopard with Sanjukta—why scare her, and give her another excuse to cancel the morning walk?—I thought it prudent to check the authenticity of the message.

“Has a leopard been sighted recently at Eco Park?” I messaged Lokpriya Bharati, DFO.

“Staff has been alerted,” was his brief, cryptic reply.

I sought guidance from Suhas Kumar, former PCCF & Chief Wildlife Warden, MP:

“Good morning. My neighbour has shared this photo and has advised me not to go to Eco Park, Laharpur for a few days. Do you think the advisory should be taken seriously?”

He replied by forwarding a message he had posted in his colony group:

“उम्मीद है इस बेचारे को अन्यथा परेशान नहीं किया जायेगा। लहारपुर ईकोपार्क का जंगल रायसेन के जंगल से जुड़ा है। कई वर्षों से तेंदुए वहाँ से ईकोपार्क आते जाते रहते हैं। किसी का कोई नुकसान नहीं करते। यदि इन्हें तंग किया जाता है तभी ये अग्रेसिव होते हैं। इन्हें शांति से जीने दिया जाये। इनके पुश्तैनी घरों पर इंसानों ने कब्जा जमा लिया है और आगे भी इनके घर उजाड़े जाते रहेंगे।

Darne ki koi jaroorat nahi hai. Ye yahan aate jaate rahte hain. Inki upsthiti ke bare me main 2017 se janta hoon. Panic failane kaam log na karen, yahi prarthna hai. Yadi log ise tang karenge, pathhar aadi fenkenge ya pas jaane ki koshish karenge to yah self-defence me attack kar sakta hai.

Agar ise yahan se van vibhag ne hata bhi diya to dusre tenduey aate rahenge.

I have written to APCCF, Wildlife to ensure that the leopard is not harassed or captured.”

I found myself in complete agreement with him, and thanked him for writing to the APCCF.

I remembered the python which Late Mr. S. D. Pateria had rescued in front of our home in 2015. It had taken less than fifteen minutes for a flash mob to gather and indulge in a bizarre selfie festival, some of them poking the reptile until it hissed and opened its jaws, protesting the harassment.

(The rescued python from Laharpur recuperating at Van Vihar, Bhopal)

Link for my previous blog on the python:

https://www.pkdash.in/2022/11/a-puzzled-python.html

More recently, following a complaint by residents of Nishatpura, the Forest Department had trapped five Golden Jackals. The next day’s newspaper carried a brief report congratulating the prompt action for capturing the wild animals that were reportedly terrorising the residents.

The report made me wonder: how had a few jackals terrorised the residents? Had there been any attack? Had poultry or pet dogs been lifted? Or was their mere presence enough to turn them into “terrorising wild animals”?

Isn’t Nishatpura in outer Bhopal and very close to a dense forest?

Who is terrorising and persecuting whom—the humans or the wild animals?

Eco Park is a small, truncated part of a much larger forest landscape of Raisen district, fragmented when the eastern bypass from 11 Miles Point towards Indore Road was built a few years ago to carry heavy traffic. The resident animals of the forest have lost part of their traditional movement corridors and feeding range, and now have to negotiate an increasingly fragmented landscape.

How far may an Indian leopard travel in search of food? Average daily range could be ten to thirty kilometres. A young leopard, in particular, may travel longer distances in search of a new territory.

So perhaps the sight of a leopard at Eco Park should not really surprise us.

Tigers, too, have been spotted and photographed near Kolar and Kerwa dams—on metalled roads carrying considerable traffic.

Wild animals do not recognise our roads, administrative boundaries or city limits.

Perhaps, then, the more pertinent question is not why a leopard has entered Eco Park.

It is: who has entered whose territory?

***

Dainik Bhaskar - 29/09/26

Comments

Kalyan Chakravarty, Senior Colleague

Human being is the biggest predator on earth . The lesson is to enlarge and redensify the forest habitat , not just to offer warnings not to disturb, taken as a moral homily , from the soft hearted romantics.

Subhash Khuntia, 

Batchmate and Dear Friend

Read your beautifully written blogs on the leopard, jackals and the python. On the outskirts of Bangalore, there are regular. sightings of leopards. You and Suhas Kumar, whom I know well, are spot on that we are encroaching on their habitat. In the villages of Odisha during our childhood days, jackals and other wildlife like foxes, rabbits, snakes cohabited the area, and nobody thought of eliminating them. Sometimes the jackals and foxes would grab a chicken or a duck, but that was taken as a part of life. 

When I was DC, South Canara, one part of the sprawling bungalow had a basement which was left unused, and the house was in a 30 acre forested terrain overlooking the sea. Jackals used to stay in the basement and would howl synchronously in the evenings. Once we noticed that a piece of our one year old daughter’s clothes  left to dry in the yard was missing. We were surprised, but then we discovered one day that a kite flying above swooped down and picked up a piece of cloth in its beak, perhaps to use it to fortify a nest. 

We of course know  about the rhesus macaque monkeys that frequent the trees around North Block in Delhi and enter the building in the evenings to reclaim their lost habitat of Central Ridge forest. Thanks, Prasanna for making us relive those memories.

M.M. Upadhyay, Batchmate and Dear Friend

Dear Prasanna,

Thanks for sharing this information.

Since the last few years, Bhopal citizens are aware of the presence of several tigers, with about ten in the forests skirting the city. These tigers have occasionally strayed into the city, but have not harmed any human being in the past more than a decade.

I'm sure this solitary panther will not be harming any of the encroaching residents.

C.P. Singh, 

Batchmate and Dear Friend

Thanks for sharing.

You have highlighted an important aspect of very common"' animal - human conflict" that is seen all over - especially in recently extended human settlements - usually by encroaching upon " once upon natural forest areas" by us ' civilised societies'.My own personal experiences( of Erode with a sizable natural forest areas of Sathyamangalam- Chamarajanagar ( Karnataka )Anthiyoor- burgur forest ranges and Coimbatore with 3 very dense  forest ranges- sanctuaries and national parks all surrounded by human settlements/ tea/ coffee estates  telling me the need for greater sensitisation of the human populations living in and around. They( humans living  in adjacent village areas)also have their own problems -- in those areas wild animals do come in human settlement areas often destroying their crops particularly banana, sugarcane etc at times also damaging/ attacking domestic animals /humans.  In TN detailed drill/ training/ orientation courses have been prepared and are part of the regular drill for people of peripheral villages. I am sure in MP also with so many parks/ wildlife sanctuaries / forest areas, it must have been worked out.  

Thanx for sensitising us. 

H.S. Pati, Batchmate and Dear Friend

Lucky for you, you share a natural habitat with the wild animals very close to your home. I am sure both of you can continue to enjoy the Eco Park without getting in each other’s way. 

During our last trip to Connecticut in the USA, me and Nita went out in the morning for our usual walk. We were walking along a regular two lane road which of course had very little traffic and lots of trees all around. On one side of the road there was a ravine which emitted the sweet melody of running water. On the other side of the road the jungle deepened as the slope steepened towards the top of a hillock. The place was absolutely beautiful and we were left undisturbed. But then suddenly almost after nowhere, there emerged a huge black bear almost as big as a buffalo and it came climbing out of the slope of the ravine and walked right onto the middle of the road blocking our path. Distance between us was hardly 50 metres and it was in no mood to scurry away. It stood there and looked at us. We stood there with our feet rooted. We stared back at that huge monster. After about a minute, it quietly turned and headed towards the jungle. We waited almost for 5 minutes hoping a vehicle will pass by. But nothing came and we resumed our walk heading home.

It was a thrilling experience. But the out come of it all was that our walk along that beautiful road was stopped forthwith. We had to go to the man made park for our regular mundane exercise.

Expert opinion was that had the bear been accompanied by a cub, which is quite common, then the mother would have felt threatened and would have attacked.

Sunita Tripathi, IAS (Retd)

In 2024, a leopard was spotted in Swarn Jayanti Park and the adjacent residential area. Forest department put a cage for a week , but there was no capture; and the park was opened assuming that the leopard had left !

(My Note: SJ Park is in the middle of a residential area near Shahpura lake.)

 

A Strange Bird

Of late, I'm teaching myself to identify birds from their calls. Cornell Lab has Merlin, a useful app to identify birds from photographs and calls.

भोपाल की प्रमुख पक्षी प्रजातियाँ: फील्ड गाइड (Bhopal ki pramukh pakshi prajatiyan: Field Guide)—written by Dr. Sangeeta Rajgir and Mohd. Khalique of ‘Bhopal Birds’, and published by M.P. State Biodiversity Board, is also very informative and handy.

(On the Cover: Doodhraj (Indian Paradise Flycatcher), 

State Bird of Madhya Pradesh) aka Sultana Bulbul for Bhopalis.

I'm quite familiar with the song of Blue Rock Pigeons, who have chosen, from among the many houses in our colony, our modest house for their residence. As rent, they insist on serving streaming music, as though they were the Spotify of the Avians, offering us their Free Service. Sometimes, around midnight, I wake up to their coos, purrs, and grunts.

But why blame the innocent birds? The male, I imagine, is in the mood and exclaiming, 'What a wonderful night this is, with the salubrious breeze dripping with amour! Don't you agree?'

'Of course,' concurs the female, 'all is well with the world, and we are such a happy, blessed couple.'

Entering the Eco Park for my morning walk, I turn right and walk along the narrow jogging track marking the eastern boundary. I'm readily treated to a minor symphony: the excited warbling of Ashy Prinia, Jungle Prinia, and Red-vented Bulbuls, who perch in the bamboo grove, dart out to grab flying insects, and thereafter break into a brief celebratory song. From a discreet distance, hidden in a leafy tree, the Greater Coucal plays his booming bass.

A little ahead, I hear the shrill call of the Gray Francolin from the bushes. Sometimes, I spot a bunch of them feeding on the ground, but they take off in a short, swift flight to the nearby trees or to the bushes away from the walking strip.

The Laughing Doves hum gutar-goon between feeding sessions. They are unafraid of human presence. No one tries to trap or hurt them, and some human friends serve daily breakfast: millets, broken wheat or rice, roasted gram, peanuts, and even biscuits.

Black Drongos screech intermittently. They are agile fliers, find enough insects to feed themselves, and look down on the lesser birds, especially the Laughing Doves, for their dependence on humans for food even when nature is bountiful.

At the small pond dug by the park authorities, a lone White-throated Kingfisher perches on his favourite boulder on the little mound in the middle. He whistles when not waiting for prey, and when in the mood.

The deciduous forest in the hilly, rugged landscape offers a stage with backdrops that change with the seasons, and the birds are happy to perform their varied music from dawn to dusk. Sometimes, the same bird has such a range of calls that even an ornithologist might struggle to decipher them.

Why do the humans who frequent the park play loud music on their phones in speaker mode, engage in acrimonious debates on local and national issues, and miss the amazing avian orchestra playing all the time in the background?

The other day, a little before the end of my morning walk, on a forlorn track, I spotted a young walker, maybe in his teens, who wasn't really walking but pacing agitatedly up and down a stretch of about ten feet.

I had no intention of snooping, but his loud declamation easily reached me:

मोहब्बत तो लाजवाब की थी हमने, मगर साथ चलने वाली धोखा दे गई।

Mohabbat toh lajawab ki thi humne, magar saath chalne wali dhokha de gayee.

He repeated it several times, each recitation fading a little as I walked on towards the exit.

Who was he? A jilted lover expressing his anguish in an idiom borrowed from a film or a cheap anthology on LOVE? Or was he a budding poet? Many, unlucky in love, embrace poetry. Was he recording a Reel with nature in the background to be sent to the unfaithful beloved, or practising for an upcoming audition?

Back at home, I sang the shayari to my spouse.

"Your composition?" she asked. Maybe she wished to say, 'So trite,' but refrained.

"By the way, who was the lucky girl?" she continued.

I smarted at the unkind jab, but took it in my stride.

"No, not mine. Overheard at the park."

"Oh, nowadays it's fashionable to be in love and hop from affair to affair. During our years at a co-ed college, rarely would a girl speak to a classmate except to borrow a book or a notebook."

"Wasn't that often a charade for furtively exchanging love-notes?" I ventured.

"I never borrowed a notebook!"

Even after breakfast, I kept thinking about the jilted lover, especially about the quality of his shayari, assuming it was his own composition. The mohabbat was lazawab, self-certified by the poet-lover; why, then, did the love fail? Did the girl cheat, or simply dump him?

Should the strange bird have borrowed, I wondered, from a very different bard, Mirza Ghalib:

हम को उन से वफ़ा की है उम्मीद
जो नहीं जानते वफ़ा क्या है

Hum ko un se wafa ki hai umeed / jo nahin jaante wafa kya hai

***

 

Ganesha Sculptures from Madhya Pradesh

Udayagiri, Vidisha

The oldest rock-cut sculpture of Ganesha, dated 401 CE, is at Cave No. 6 of the Udayagiri Caves near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. The carving shows a seated Ganesha—with a heavy-set body, an elephant head leaning to the left, simple naturalistic ears and trunk without complex ornaments—characteristic of early Gupta craftsmanship.

(Source: Gemini: Rare Book Society of India)

Bhumara, Satna

A red sandstone Ganesha sculpture from an ancient, ruined Shiva temple in Bhumara, Satna, M.P., dated late 5th century CE (Gupta Period) is in Indian Museum, Kolkata. The sculpture features early classical proportions, broad ears, a single tusk, and a snake sacred thread (yajnopavita) running across his torso.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Sunari, Vidisha

At Sunari village of Basoda Tahsil, Vidisha, there is a five-feet tall red sandstone sculpture of Ganesha of the Parmar (10^th -11^th century AD) period.

(Source: The Architectural Splendour of Udaypur by INTACH, Bhopal)

Celebrating Ganesha: The British Museum

 For an excellent online exhibit, here is a link:

Celebrating Ganesha is a Spotlight tour by the British Museum.

The exhibition toured across the UK from June 2015 for two years to several museums and galleries:

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/jwWxaGE_2ddqIg

Links for my previous blogs:

Ganesha in India and Beyond: https://www.pkdash.in/2023/09/ganesha-in-india-and-beyond.html

Om Ganeshaya Namah: https://www.pkdash.in/2023/09/om-ganeshaya-namah.html

 

May Vighnaharta remove all hurdles. May Ganesha bless us with Buddhi (intellect), Riddhi (prosperity), and Siddhi (fulfilment).

Hearty Greetings on Ganesha Chaturthi, 2026.