Strength in numbers
When we got Independence, I was a preschool boy but remember those heady days. Nehru was our super hero and could do no wrong.We couldn't follow why Gandhi was in mourning and was fasting. Now most of us know why. The woolly headed prime minster was the first disaster the country had to suffer.It is still fresh in my memory, when in the early fifties, the late J.R.D Tata told him to implement family planning, our PM'S response was,'our strength is in our numbers'.At that time immaterial of what caste, community or religion one belonged,he or she would obey the diktat of Nehru.Such was his influence and power on the Indian people. But he failed to implement family planning in earnest and our numbers grew and grew.To feed the growing population, more and more land was cleared, to house them more wood was cut more minerals were extracted and the net result, we are facing and ecological disaster.

Is there any worry among the politicians and the bureaucrats of this country? They seem to believe that Young India[more than 70% of the population is below 30] is the ageing world's salvation. One technocrat, who became a software billionaire and later even became the head of huge central project of giving an unique ID for all Indians, wrote in his book that Young India is the future of the world or words to that extent. He ended up getting defeated in the general elections is a different matter.
What doe our new and popular PM Mr Narendra Modi think? He too is harping on our young India to be the future of this world and makes repeated mention of this in his speeches to the resounding cheers of his mostly young audience.

Now let us see what is the reality. This 70% below 30 years population to be of any use, should be fed, clothed,housed,schooled and trained.Even then it is not possible to employ all of them in our country.In reality we cannot even provide basic required nutrition to most of this population. Malnutrition is so rampant that in many states the men and women appear like pygmies.Our primary health facilities are virtually non existent and money is spent in building swank tertiary care facilities. Large part of our rural debt burden is due to money spent on health care provided by private health care workers as people prefer a private quack to the PHC[Primary health center],if there is one with in easy access. Our basic education,let alone professional [any profession] education and training is in shambles. Government,instead of playing a key role in the fields of education and health seem to be withdrawing in favor of private players leading to this disastrous situation

So, we are stuck with a young population of illiterate or semilterate, ill or not trained,malnourished young population.What is going to happen to this population?  How long this ill and hungry population keep quiet?

Our present PM reminds me of Nehru.He too was well dressed and liked to to talk to his people. People fell over each other to touch him.I see the same phenomenon now.

Now you know why I didn't write for these two years. I only end up writing like this.

Plant Invaders
Ragweed.Lantana.Gorse

The picture on the top left is that of ragweed. The ragweed seeds got into Indian subcontinent, as the popular belief goes, along with the massive wheat imports that this country was forced to do to avoid famine, during the times of Nehru. This noxious plant is endemic to the US and Canada and has found a safe heaven in India. As there is no natural enemy it has grown unbridled all across the country.Where ever there is vacant land you will surely find this plant. This unsolicited American gift, is popularly called congress grass! Very aptly named considering the damage congress party has caused to this country over the past 60 years
Ragweed is very poisonous plant and during flowering season, slews millions of spores in to the air. These plant particles when inhaled produce severe allergy in the nose and lungs.When skin comes into contact it causes itchy dermatitis.
Many years ago, in my area, there was a lot of unbuilt area and there was profuse growth of this weed. So was the incidence of nasal and lung allergy. Over the years most of the land has been built up and the weed disappeared from the locality and the incidence of allergy came down drastically!
This is not the only harm this weed does. It has replaced fodder grass in many places and thus is a pest for cattle and even herbivore wild life.
Is there no use at all? There is. It can be cut and used as green manure and for bio gas generation!

The picture of the plant with beautiful flowers is Lantana. As records go this invader came to India some 200 years ago and has become endemic through out the country. Especially so in our nature and wildlife sanctuaries.Like ragweed this plant too has no natural enemies and has grown all over, where ever there is vacant land. Its growth is particularly worrying as it replaces grass and thus deprives fodder for herbivores.If the population of small animals is in danger, the others like leopard and tiger too will find survival difficult.Those of you who have driven in the Mudumalai and Ooty hill roads cannot but fail to see this plant's rampant growth on either side of the road.
Is the plant entirely useless? Attempts are being made to use this in furniture making with some success. Butt the harm this plant is doing to our ecosystem is far more than than the good!

The plant at the bottom with spike full of thorns is Gorse. I have seen this plant only above 4000ft elevation in south India. But my hunch is that it is present all over the country above this height. This is gift by the English expat [could be Irish/Scot]. The man must have have missed this familiar plant native to his country that he brought it and planted as e hedge. The hedge didn't remain so, and can now be found all over. Full of thorns with dense small leaves, the gorse bush doesn't allow one to get across and many a golfer in the Ooty hill course thinks it better to abandon the ball rather than look for it in these bushes.
In its native country, they have found many uses for this including making wine!

Caesalpina Phulcherima

Couple of years ago, I came across a close up photograph of a Sun bird perched on the branch of this flowering shrub.The commonplace ornamental shrub is found in most gardens and one of them is next to my bedroom window.It attracts lots of insect life [bees in particular] and provides a good perch for birds. I have placed pails of water and many birds [including the violent crow] come for a drink and after quenching their thirst spend time on the branches of this tree/shrub. I have watched with pleasure, Sun birds, Warblers,Bulbuls not to speak of Pigeons and Crows. An occasional visitor is a Kite.

I asked around the name and even wrote to the author of the photograph but couldn't get its name. My interest waned and the matter rested there.

Some years later,my friend and fellow golfer,Roger Binny wanted to plant this shrub in his farm and wanted me to collect the seeds or grow some saplings and give him.He too wanted to know the name!

The one person whom I should have asked earlier, but didn't was my wife! She said,' I don't know the English name but in Kannada it is called Ratnagandhi. At last I had a name. Further search showed it to belonging to the family caecalpinacae and the botanical name of the tree is Caesalpina Phulcherima. A tree native to the tropics possibly imported from either south america or Barbados to India. It has the distinction of being the national flower of Barbados.

There is another native name for it. Meese Hoovu. Literal meaning: Moustache flower.Very apt discription, if one looks at it from close quarters.

The saplings that I gave Roger are now full grown flowering shrubs at his farm.

  

A jacaranda tree in full bloom

Blog Silence
There are several reasons why I have been tardy in my posts in the last two years. Is it boredom? not really as I am still pretty active. Is it the environment? Possible. Not the physical environment. Though the city has gone to dogs with increasing pollution,population, horrendous vehicular traffic and clogged roads etc,it still has very good climate considering other cities. The problem I faced and still facing is the political,professional and social environment around me.This has been steadily deteriorating and the recent events have made it worse.Each time I sit to write I end up with negative thoughts and give up.Who wants to read sob stories?

More of this in the next post

Lapses in memory
As I age, like others of my age,I too have some difficulty in recalling names.When that happens my mind remains disturbed till I mange to recall.This generally happens with in a few minutes or as it happened the other day,in few hours. As you are aware by my earlier postings, my interest in birds and plants. While at my golf course, I saw these trees with deep blue flowers.The flowers were  allover the tree as to make the whole tree look deep blue and the floor was littered and looked as though covered with a blue carpet. Now what is the name of this familiar tree? My recall centre in the brain doesn't respond. Finished the round of golf and for two hours part of my brain was occupied in trying to recall the name. Asked my fellow golfers whose knowledge of trees is any way poor and I don't blame them for not knowing. Then we sat over the usual after golf beer. Suddenly I got the name!Jacaranda! to my great relief and the beer tasted extra good! Jacaranda like many other ornamental flowering trees is a common sight in Bangalore and is again not an indigenous tree.
The question is, has beer any thing to do with my ability to recall? Should try next time when I get stuck.

Hope
Much dirty water has flown down the Indian rivers since I wrote last. Arvind Kejriwal on whom the likes of me had such high hopes of transforming this country's political scene, proved to be a rather damp squib. I still have some hopes of his resurrection. let us hope and wait.

The most remarkable event in the Indain political scene is the rise and rise of a man who goes by the name of Narendra Mody. No one believed a year ago that the party led by this man would win an overwhelming majority, virtually decimating the family led Congress party.

Year 1947 freed us from the British rule and Indians thought they were in for a period of peace and prosperity.Sixty years of  mostly Congress rule belied these hopes. In 2014 people of this country are hoping Narendra Mody and his party BJP will deliver them from the sufferings largely due to poor governance and rampant corruption.

My hopes too.Let us wait and see what happens.