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Tag: Rajasthan

Khichan, Rajasthan: Jains and cranes (1 of 2)

 

Cranes: in this case, Demoiselle cranes, the world’s smallest crane species,

Jains: adherents of Jainism, an Indian religion which is older than Christianity and Islam.

The practical application of Jainism’s central principle/vow has produced an astounding result.

For Demoiselle cranes (and for human admirers of one of the world’s more elegant birds) Khichan –  a modest village in the Thar Desert – is now the world’s most rewarding destination.

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Khichan rooftop (teaser)

 

Q: why did many expensive lenses cross oceans, and the lenses’ owners then get up so very early on a crisp Rajasthan winter morning?

A: they wanted to secure a “good” position on a rooftop in an unassuming Thar Desert village.

The more meaningful answer has to be seen to be believed…as you will see in Pelican Yoga’s next two, lavishly-illustrated posts.

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Fatal encounter: snake bird v catfish

 

Sequentially, the featured image is the fourth of this post’s photos, all taken within the contest’s brief timespan: a little less than four minutes.

Formally, the “snake bird” is an Oriental darter, Anhinga melenogaster – the same species who looked so very different when in repose, in #66 in Pelican Yoga’s “a shining moment” series.

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Quiet now: “snake bird” in repose (#66 in “a shining moment” series)

 

An attentive observer, watching a non-sleeping bird, will very rarely see a serene creature.

For most of their waking moments, most birds are obviously keenly aware of their vulnerability to predators, their opportunities as predators, and/or of how best to defend or advance their “place” within an ever-competitive hierarchy.

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Daylight’s opening hour: lowland (#53 in “a shining moment” series)

 

Today’s photo (copyright Doug Spencer) was taken at 7.41 am on 05 February 2020 in the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan.

Its musical companion is a sublime morning raga, performed by one of the Indian subcontinent’s most eloquent instrumentalists.

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Fresh produce (#52 in “a shining moment” series)

 

The featured image (copyright Doug Spencer) shows produce being sold on the footpath in the “old city” quarter of Jaipur, Rajasthan, on 07 February 2020.

This post has two very different songs.

Neither is new, but each is fresh.

Both vividly remember the calls of actual produce sellers, but the second song is really about something that money cannot buy.

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