Hiranandani Gardens, Powai




Hiranandani Gardens, Powai












Kaladarshan 2010


Kaladarshan 2010

Lounge of Convocation Hall @ IIT Bombay








- Organised every year
- Exhibits include photos, paintings, sculptures etc.
- Contribution from faculty staff and students



Flowers and Insects - part I


Flowers and Insects - Part I






Bee on a poppy flower

Butterflies at RSP Nursery



Butterflies at RSP Nursery, Rourkela

Common Pierrot

Butterflies at RSP Nursery, Rourkela


Place: RSP Sector 4 Nursery
Date: 21st Feb 2015

Bush Hopper

Open wing Chocolate pansy

Under wing of Chocolate pansy
Common Sailor


Common Crow

Dark Grass Blue




Butterflies cited:


Chocolate Pansy
Peacock Pansy
Lemon Pansy

Lime
Common emigrant
Common Mormon
Blue Mormon
Tailed Jay
Blue Jay

Common Hedge Blue
Psyche
Common Pierrot
Pea Blue
Dark Grass Blue
Monkey Puzzle
Plain Tiger
Blue/Glassy Tiger
Common Crow
Great Egg fly
Common Palmfly
Commander
Common Sailer

Giant red Eye
White Snow Flat
Bush Hopper



Charming poppies



Charming poppies

Some charming and vibrant poppy flower macros captured in RSP Nursery along with the honeybees and other insects. 
The common poppy is a wild flower and has been a symbol of death and rebirth due its vibrant red color. It is worn in many countries on Remembrance Day in order to commemorate those who lost their lives during warfare (Trench warfare which took place in the poppy fields of Flanders)


Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colorful flowers. subfamily: Papaveroideae and family: Papaveraceae. The petals are showy, may be of almost any color and some have markings.

The flowers have 4 to 6 petals, many stamens forming a conspicuous whorl in the center of the flower.


One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum, produces edible seeds and is also the source of the crude drug opium which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as ananalgesic and a source of narcotic, medicinal and recreational drugs. It is grown in eastern and southern Asia, and South Eastern Europe.




The bees are mad after the poppy flower. Many bees simultaneously sucks the nectar from a single flower and flower uses bee to spread pollen.


Poppies can be over 4 feet tall with flowers up to six inches across. Poppies are in full bloom late spring to early summer.



Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy
http://www.flowersofindia.net/risearch/search.php?query=poppy&stpos=0&stype=AND



Role of chess - Quotes from Kasparov



Role of chess - Quotes from Kasparov


Garry Kasparov, the chess legend, was in the capital of India at the invitation of Entrepreneurs’ Organisation which organised the RIE 2016 event. In his interview with EO president Vibhas Prasad, talked about his life, politics, and Indian Chess and also answered the questions put up by the audience. Here are some inspiring quotes reproduced from his interview.




Chess and politics are different. In chess there are predictable moves and unpredictable results.


The first step towards decision-making is to know who you are and create an environment of good decision-making. In most cases, vital decisions will be made under time pressure.



At the end of the day it is about how you use your dominant qualities to create favorable conditions.



You need to be in good physical shape to guide your intuition. You need to trust your gut feeling.

Today the fear of making a mistake is great. That pulls you back. You have to take risks.



Chess is a reflection of the society and should be part of family culture to become a mass sport.






News Source: The Hindu article on 20th Feb
Image Source: Wiki


पैंजण


पैंजण


पैंजण घालत नको जाऊ !
मला त्रास होतो. 
जरा काही किणकिणलं की 
मग भास होतो. 

कधीकधी हवेसे वाटतात, 
कारण तू येणार आहेस,
Image Source: Flicker
मला हळूच गाठायचाय,
तू जेव्हा त्यांना बजावतेस !

अधेमधेच वाजतात, 
नको त्या वेळी गडबड करतात,
दोन क्षण कुठे शांततेत जातात, 
तर हे दोघं कुजबुजतात ! 

तरीपण तू पैंजण घालणार, 
माझा जीव कासावीस करणार, 
एखादा नवीन जोड मागणार, 
मला बघून गोड हसणार ! 

म्हणून म्हणतो.....
पैंजण घालताच नको जाऊ !!!



 

Colors of fall at Kharikamunda

Colors of fall at Kharikamunda


After turning from Badgaon towards Bamra, just after few kilometers there is a place called KharikaMunda. Known to very few, the geologically interesting place is also a picnic spot. Some strange and puzzling terrain stopped us to explore more. It was some awesome place not to miss in the fall.

The place has some unusually large boulders on a very big rock or should I say a small hill with a flat top. Geologist do come here to collect rock samples for some study. I observed some strange patterns on the rock due to the presence of a layer sandwiched.

Main attraction was the scenery at the spot. The Bamra-Gangpur forest trees were shedding the leaves. Vivid colors, hues of yellows and greens, and occasionally contrast-creating  red leaves all against the blue sky separated by the cliffs was spectacular.

The late-afternoon light was imparting the character to the cliff. The blue-yellow combination had some stunning role to enhance the beauty of the place.

Traveling — it gives you home in thousand strange places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land.”                                                                     — Ibn Battuta

How to reach:



Visit to Solar Power Plant, Bamra

Trend of power production using Solar photo-voltaic is increasing. India is at the 9th place while Germany  seats at the top in the list of  countries producing solar power. With the efforts of MNRE to implement JNNSM, soon India is expected to take a huge leap.


Visit to Solar Power Plant, Bamra


To reach Bamra from Rourkela, take highway SH10 till Badgaon. At Badgaon turn south to take the road joining SH24. This road travels through rural Odisha, bisecting the paddy fields, taking a standing ovation from the plants on roadside. A smooth road with gentle curves is awesome road to drive on with your favorite music on ! The road infrastructure is being improved, roads are widened and  new 4 or 6 lane roads being laid. 


Odisha is one of the developing state encouraging industrialization. However, still the state economy banks on mining and power production. In recent times, the focus is shifted to power production using renewable route. Plants like the one at Bamra, usually of 1 MW to 5 MW capacity are coming up in small villages. Currently about 10 such plants put Odisha on the Solar Energy Map of India.





Cleaning of Solar panel to wipe out the dust. Accumulation of dust may decrease the power output.



What to do on the way?

  • Get down the vehicle and roam around in the jungles near by. You may find some seasonal spot to get bewildered over the creation of nature.
  • Eat the local food at the small canteens or hotels. At Bamra I had a simple meal merely at 30 Rs.

Often interior roads of Odisha are lonely, small villages are encountered occasionally. Sometimes a small roadside temple, mostly to provide the traveler to take a break. I found a small one with a hand pump near by where a  herd of cattle was gathered.

On the way back, a hunch stopped us to see the colors of fall at Kharikamunda


How to reach:


  • Bamra is at 90 Km from Rourkela (15 Km from Badgaon)
  • To visit plant you need permission from the authority.