Tag: Photography

“Crowmmunications” – I want to understand

Since childhood days I have watched with wonder how my mom and other lady members in our family call out crows and offer food to them before we commence our lunch. This is a routine affair.

I also learnt as a child that we should be like crows when it comes to sharing food. Crows call out fairly loudly all their family and friends to come and share the food what they got. I have also seen and heard their SOS when one of their clan is injured (sometimes fatally wounded/shot).

How do they communicate with each other in their meetings during their “business as usual” days? I am neither an Ornithologist nor an avid bird watcher to understand this. According to Ornithologists at Cornell Lab, communications by crows may be more complex than other birds.

Strange enough, I now regularly watch with awe their meetings . I decided to record the proceedings. In the month of January 2025, I witnessed 5 such meetings. These meetings happened fairly regularly at the end of the day between 17.45 to 18.30 hrs (just around the sun set time). Their meetings lasted for not more than 5 minutes

I have no clue whatsoever on their communications. But I did notice a striking similarity with how we communicate in a group. The voice modulations, gesticulations (vigorous shaking of their tails), display of restlessness, manoeuvring to get strategic seat for effective communication etc were all there for me to see.

Here is a video clip.

What were they trying to communicate?

Were they trying to share their experiences on a daily basis?

Were they discussing strategies for handling the forthcoming summer?

Were they concerned about the menace from the ever growing population of pigeons?

Were they talking about the radiations fron the Cell Phone towers?

I have absolutely no clue. I can’t hear, I can’t see, I can’t think, yet my intellect surely tells me that they had SOMETHING in them that sets an agenda for them to discuss daily, even though THAT which sets the agenda and which EXISTS is beyond my sensory perceptions.

After all, Vedas tell me that, THAT SOMETHING which is beyond my sensory perceptions EXIST inside me and in-fact is ME (tat tvam asi). Vedas do tell me that the same EXISTS inside them too.

That something that EXISTS in me and as me and in those crows too, is what I want to understand and nothing else.

For me understanding THAT SOMETHING is enough. Rest are all perishables and really doesn’t matter.

“Kauwa snan” – “Crow bath” – “காக்கா குளியல்”

Yesterday when Prime Minister Modi had a sacred dip in the Ganga, opposition was quick to describe that as “kauwa snan’ ‘Crow-bath காக்கா குளியல்”.

Immediately, the scene I see practically everyday came to my mind.

I used to keep water for the birds in our apartment roof top and invariably everyday there will be a kauwa snan’ ‘Crow-bath காக்கா குளியல்.

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure

தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்து

அனைவருக்கும் இனிய குரோதி வருட புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

Battle Royal- Krishna Leela ?

An interesting imagination fully backed up by Aditya & Varuna and most definitely by my iPhone. 
Monday, 03 April evening. Time for yet another routine in my retired life - the evening walk for one hour (scheduled at 1730 Hrs). Mother Earth was perhaps yearning for some water after a long, bright and sunny day. Varuna sensing this started to respond. He gathered his allies….and then started this amazing battle royal with Aditya.
At 1749 Hrs, Varuna very nearly succeeded in vanquishing Aditya, with the later fighting to  free his arms (Rays) and managed to do some stretching. (See the photo below) 
The battle intensified for the next ten minutes with Aditya battling his way out
Aditya managed to extricate Himself from the clutches of Varuna and his allies briefly, before He was again well covered and surrounded.
 There was hardly any winner here. Mother Earth sensing that both her close friends are battling out for Her sake, decided to call it off and rotated herself and ensured that Aditya moves away from the scene by setting Himself to resume his work at another location of Mother Earth, ten minutes after the battle started.
Strangely the entire battle was enacted behind an Apartment named “Krishna Leela”.

Aditya Hrudayam – செங்கதிரோன் இதயம்

Here is a “iPhone photographic” salute.

வையம் தகளியாய்
வார்கடலே நெய்யாக
வெய்யக் கதிரோன் விளக்காக
செய்ய சுடர் ஆழியான் அடிக்கே
சூட்டினேன் சொல் மாலை
இடர் ஆழி நீங்குகவே என்று

பொய்கை ஆழ்வார்
காசினி இருளை நீக்கும் கதிரொளியாய் எங்கும் 
பூசலை உலகோர் போற்ற  புசிப்போடு சுகத்தை நல்கும் 
வாசி ஏழுடைய தேர் மேல் மகாகிரி வலமாய் வந்த 
தேசிகா எனை ரட்சிப்பாய் செங்கதிரோனே போற்றி.🙏

Navyata 2022 – A fashion parade in our neighborhood

The nine day Navratri Festival just ended for us in India and for Indians abroad. The grace and colors of Garba in Gujarat, the beauty of dolls display (Golu) in Tamil Nadu and the divinity of the Durga Puja celebrations in Bengal are the hallmark of the festivities.

Out here in Pennsylvania in the USA, while we organized and celebrated Navratri with a Golu (display of Dolls), we didn’t miss the grace, colors, beauty and divinity at all. Nature was present in its full glory.

In fact, there is a fashion parade going on right now to celebrate Navratri and welcome Diwali soon in our neighborhood. Surprised! Yes!

Navyata 2022 is happening in our neighbourhood.

Welcome to Navyata 2022 – the fashion parade of Nature.

Navyata 2022
 Note: Keyboard support was provided by my little grandson Dhruv. 

Navyata - A Sanskrit Word for Fashion