A GENEROUS DOG

My elder son informed me about a dog who was acting as a foster father to this orphan kitten. He told me that one can often find the little kitten sleeping on this dog’s oversized furry tail and you try to take a peep, the dog generally gets angry fearing disturbance. I took it as one of those cooked up tale from my son as kids of his age group generally come up with such imaginative stories and funniest tales.
But when I witnessed it myself, I didn’t find it amusing. I rather found it amazing and it was true. This kitten was merrily sleeping over rather unusually overgrown and fury tail of this old and fragile looking dog. I thought of clicking a picture but due to my own busy schedule and also dullness, this opportunity was missed. This dog was a kind heated soul and the kids around occasionally fed it with bread and leftovers. I kept hearing occasionally about it from my son. He even forced me to buy tick powder fearing that the dog was suffering. That’s a different story that the tick powder is still lying in the cupboard unused.

Months passed since then and one of these days, which also happened to be occasion of Diwali, I was going for my routine morning walk along with my spouse, when we encountered our building’s sweeper. I wished him happy Diwali and expected the same in return. He however informed me that one dog is lying injured in our building’s parking lot for last 1-2 days and will probably die and stink thereafter. He wanted me to inform the concerned authorities to arrange lifting of the dog so that his headache is over. We heard him and after we completed the walk, we decided to have a look at the dog. We were terrified to see that it was same old and kind dog and his one of the leg which was probably bitten by another dog had developed gangrene with flies and maggots all over it. I immediately brought Betadine solution that I keep with me for emergencies and some broad spectrum antibiotic mixed in the milk. It was probably too late as the dog was in extreme pain and could not even lift it’s head to drink milk though he had been lying there without food for last 2-3 days. Betadine solution certainly helped the wound atleast in a way that the flies kept away due to it’s smell. I then called volunteers from a NGO called PALS which generally take care of stray animals in our area. They wre prompt and within 30 minutes, two young volunteers were at building’s doorstep. It was probably a late call and they assessed that the dog was in final stages with low heart rate and extreme pain. The maggots had entered all over his body including eyes. The gangrene also probably had affected other parts. The dog was put to a peaceful sleep by the volunteer by giving an injection to save it from further agony. We sprinkled Gangajal over it praying to the god for it’s soul to rest in heaven away from the agony of this mortal life as it was such a generous and kind soul.
I still remember a dog with a small kitten sleeping merrily on it’s furry tail and regret not clicking a picture that day.

LESSONS OF LIFE : KIDS NEED EASY ROUTINE

Life teaches you many important lessons. Being patient is one of them and nobody can teach you this art better than your own kids. We were groping with the issue of our younger son who was three years of age and was going to Lower KG, throwing tantrums everyday while going to school. He is a normal child, playful, loving, intelligent, generally cheerful and adopts well to most of the situations. But off late, he looked trouble with the very thought of going to school and every morning became a big struggle to both of us convincing him into benefits of going to school. Nothing in this world including the best of incentives could convince him into submission.
Finally we decided to meet his principle who is also an acclaimed child psychologist. She enquired little bit of details and past health history of the child and rightly brought out that the child had fallen sick in the preceding month and probably, the residual weakness after the viral fever must have manifested itself in such erratic and cranky behavior of the child. She also informed that this usually happens with the children who are out of routine for a long time either due to illness or a vacation. We came back relieved and waited patiently for his early recovery from weakness and things to improve.
His behaviour however remained unchanged. I gave it a careful thought and studied his routine. I realised that he comes back from school at 1215 Hrs followed by his lunch which at most of the time is force feeding. He enjoys with indoor games for some time and when I go for my mandatory afternoon one hour nap, he also follows the me with a difference that he continues his afternoon siesta till 1830 hrs. He gets up cranky in the evening and after his playing around and TV watching he manages to go to bed only by 11 PM.
And there I cracked the real problem. Obviously, a child who goes to bed late in the night due to a dull afternoon and evening routine will not get a full goodnight sleep and will get up cranky and be a reluctant candidate for school the next day. Now, we don’t allow him tom sleep in the afternoon and ensure that he goes outdoor for play, has his dinner by 8 PM and be off to bed by 0830 PM.
Every morning is now a pleasant morning and my son is a happy volunteer for his school.

FIRST FLIGHT OF LIFE

It was a beautiful morning of September 2006 and early morning showers had added to the chill and windy effect. While taking a walk along the seaside promenade of our club, I was busy admiring nature and kind of thanking my luck for being there, when I saw some eagles taking dive at something. A careful look revealed that one of the baby seagull was probably left behind by their group and had attracted attention of these predators which were so far preying on sea poolside fish. I got curious as well as worried since with every attempt, it seemed that one of the eagle would be able to get the poor bird. It was low tide and the place from where I was watching the helpless bird was almost 50 meters away and 10 feet low. I was weighing all the possible options of reaching there to save the fledgling from those killer claws and there I see this bird spreading it’s wings and taking possibly the first flight of life deep into the sea where none of those predators would be able to follow it. I took a sigh of relief and continued with my work. I don’t know what happened to that bird later but the joy of seeing that bird flying away from the clutches of death will always remain with me.

CAN HEART DISEASE BE REVERSED

Yes, On the basis of a personal experience, I can say that the heart disease as we commonly know as coronary heart disease can be reversed to certain extent. After suffering third heart attack at the age of seventy, my father  decided total lifestyle revamp as recommended in "Reversing Heart Disease" By Dr Dean Ornish (www.amazon.com/Ornishs-Program-Reversing-Heart-Disease/dp/0804110387 - 287k - ) . This was against the popular advise given by consulting cardiologists who attended him and other renowned specialist who warned him that he may not live long if he does no go for open heart surgery. He however followed following simple steps :-
- Simple fat free and oil free food.
- Regular use of Arjun Bark for first six months after the attack.
- Regular walks of five kilometers twice a day.
- Regular intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Regular yoga and pranayam.
He lived  a healthy and meaningful life for another 06 years without any problems and  carried  on with his disciplined lifestyle. His condition improvement was also evident in two thelium tests that were performed at intervals of six months which showed an improvement in ejection fraction by approx 14%. 

Parrots and Parakeets : Factfile

Parrots or Parakeets are wonderful creatures of nature. Though small in size, I consider them very close to humans in understanding, display of emotion and intelligence. When I say this, I am not going by any scientific study or size of their grey matter but what I have learnt through my own personal experience watching, observing and interacting with these birds. Parrots are very sensitive birds and they just don’t like to be caged. In fact, their overall development retards while in captivity. It is extremely interesting to see their wonderful texture, combination of colours and there behavior while they are free and part of nature. I would like to share some information that I have about parrots:-
· Parrots are very sensitive and emotional birds.
· They like to fly free and also like the highest branch of any tree.
· In food, they like fruits, nuts, seeds and sometimes even grains. They may eat even processed food and similar to humans, they use their tongue to first taste any new food item before deciding to eat it.
· While in captivity, parrots feel very sad if enough affection and attention is not showered on them. It is very well manifested in their behaviour. If not enough attention is paid, they start chewing their feathers, and may go hungry. Pet Parrots are known to throw tantrums for more attention and affection.
· If a parrot has been kept as a pet for some time, it may forget it’s natural behavior and may all prey to predators if not enough safety precautions are ensured.
· Keeping a parrot or parakeet caged is an offence in India under Wildlife act 1972.
· The natural habitat of birds is nature and not cages or human homes. Let them live in freedom and never ever buy a bird to cage it if you care for them. Set them free if they are healthy or take care of them till they become capable of flying.

MONSOON MAGIC : MAHARASHTRA

During our stay in Maharashtra, we explored the best of Maharashtra mostly unplanned and unscheduled. During such a visit during last monsoon, when we had planned to visit Igatpuri and Nasik, we chanced upon an unscheduled spot when we decided to go to Bhandhardhara instead of staying back at Igatpuri. Enroute to Bhandhardhara, we spotted this small beautiful town Bari which appeared as if it has descended directly from heavens. We decided to visit Bhandhardhara and be back for a night halt at Bari. But before proceeding, I sighted a small signboard indicating presence of a small isolated Govt guesthouse in the vicinity. The keeper was generous enough and agreed to allow us a night stay there. Bhandhardara was simply majestic. With all the clouds coming down to water level, it was simply a wonderful sight. After a heartful of fun at Bhandhardhara, we came to the nearby market and picked up ration for our night halt at Bari. I had predicted well as later after reaching Bari, we realized that Bari didn’t have any nearby facility for dining or buying stuff. We headed back to Bari and the wonderful time that we had there in the mid of greenery and clouds is evident from these photographs. The place had all that one could imagine for a memorable stay. A beautiful, quaint Maharashtrian village setup nearby. Lovely and adorable people. A nearby waterfall flowing quietly, lush fields receiving heavenly drizzle, thick forest adding to the mystery, serenity, peace and tranquility providing for a quite and desired weekend. The ration that we procured was handed over to the caretaker who didn’t speak or understand Hindi and I couldn’t understand what he spoke but we communicated nicely through sign language. The guesthouse was not frequented by visitors so it did not have any beds but mattresses were arranged by the caretaker. We were fortunate that we had carried our four men portable tent that we generally carry with us on unscheduled visits as it saved us from unwanted insects and mosquitoes that were around in plenty.
Our caretaker was an excellent host. He not only cooked a delicious vegetarian meal from the ration that we provided but also arranged dry firewood for a memorable campfire. The Jungle around was glowing with insects who had fire under their belly and the quietness was to some extent broken by squeaky insects. With mist and fog around, the night was full of mystery and the kids wanted to listen to ghost stories to get Goosebumps. The water was drawn from a nearby well and after an exciting and fun filled evening with nobody around, we had a wonderful sleep in the tent that was pitched within the guesthouse premises. The morning was even more beautiful and a cup of tea prepared with the goat’s milk along with Poha made in typical local style was good enough to refresh us for a drive back to Mumbai.

LADAKH : GREAT GREEN DESTINATION : TRAVEL TIPS

GREEN DESTINATIONS
SAVE HIMALAYAS-SAVE EARTH
TRAVEL TO LADAKH: MAKE YOUR TRIP MEMORABLE
We had been planning a trip to Ladakh for almost last 5-6 years but the phobia of Acute Mountain Sickness deterred me as I wanted my younger son to cross at least 05 years of age. This was due to the fact that while age is no criteria for sickness, a child probably won’t be able to explain the symptoms which can get aggravated and can become life threatening, if not attended with proper medical care in time. A good amount of information on Acute Mountain Sickness is available on the net which is also known as High altitude sickness. So we finally landed in Leh in Jun 2008 and had a wonderful experience thanks to wonderful tips that we had collected through net and some good friends who had earlier visited Leh-Ladakh . All the ten days that we were in Ladakh, we were absolutely fine and healthy all thanks a well planned trip and proper acclimatisation at Leh.
Useful Travel Tips: Trip to Leh-Ladakh

· Best Time to Travel Ladakh is Between Mid May to End September when the passes are open and most areas can be accessed.

· Plan a trip of at least 7-10 days if you really want to enjoy the place without missing out too much. Around 8-10 days are good enough for a SUV based safari if your destinations include Leh, Kargil, Nubra, Pangong-Tso lake and all the enroute places of interest which include colourful Gompas, springs, rivers, rustic mountains and beautiful Ladakhi villages. Add 2-3 days if you wish to visit Lake Tso-Morari and another 1-2 days from Kargil for a visit to Suru Valley and upto the base of Panzi- La glacier. If you plan a trek to some of the great destinations in Ladakh, , you will need to plan separately.

· Book your Air tickets well in advance as there is a heavy rush during this period. The Delhi-Leh flights are currently being operated by Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Deccan Air.

· Book your accommodation well in advance as you should have a place to relax and settle down after you reach Leh, specially, if you have ascended from sea level to that height.

· While all grades of hotels and accommodation is available in Leh, a simple and comfortable room with basic amenities may be good enough as you will be travelling for most of your stay and will be back only for sleeping late in the evening.

· Carry sunglasses, hat/cap, sunscreen lotion(I will recommend SPF-40) and fully covering cloths as sunrays are strong at that altitude and you may get exposed to high content of ultraviolet rays if not protected properly.

· We found that best way to reach Leh if accompanied by kids is by air and that to by an early morning flight. This will ensure that you reach Leh at a decent time and will have sufficient time for settling down. If you want to travel by road, Srinagar to Lehroute may be preferred as acclimatization will be better and gradual.

· The key to acclimatization is rest well and relax completely for at-least first 24-36 hours. This can be followed by very light activity for another 12 hours like a local visit to Leh Market and nearby places. This will ensure that your lungs and body will adapt well to low oxygen levels(appox 40% less) compared with Delhi if you have taken a Delhi-Leh flight.

· If you happen to take Manali-Leh route by road, the first night will invariably be spent at a place(probably Serchu or Pang) which will be at above approx 4000 meters above the sea level. This is much higher as compared to Leh which is situated at 3500 meters above the sea level and chances of getting altitude sickness symptoms may be higher and with no good hospital and expert medical aid available nearby, travel with kids could probably be avoided while ascending.

· In case of any symptoms of Acute mountain sickness, you may seek help at the nearby SNM hospital at Leh which is well equipped to deal with any situation. In severe cases, evacuation may be required and as I realized, Kargil at 2700 meters and approx 07 hrs distance from Leh is an ideal place to descend by road for such an evacuation.

· Leh and Kargil are well established towns and most of the amenities are generally available(at least Mid May-October). The shops are well stocked and all that you can think of including life saving medicines are available at reasonable prices.

· If you are a family or a group of 04-06 people, hiring of a SUV through Leh Taxi Union is a good option. You can contact them on 01982-252723, 01982-253039 for further enquiry. They have fixed published rates and considering the terrain and the fact that they have a limited tourist season, I found the rates to be reasonable.

· ATM Facility in Leh. Leh and Kargil have ATM facility and I could locate ATM counters of SBI as well as J&K bank in Leh town.

· Drinking bottled water is available even in the remote corners of Ladakh, but it is better to carry sufficient water for the trip.

· Leh can be made the base camp and while most of the destinations can be covered in a day from, you may need overnight stay if you are planning a visit to Kargil, Nubra(Hunder Village) and Tso-Morari lake. Though a morning to evening trip to Pangong-Tso lake is possible if you start as early as 0600 Hours, guest accommodation is available at Tangste which is 40 kms short enroute to the lake and near the lake itself(I think six rooms are available in a small guest house near the lake).

· The region is rich in distinct kind of flora and fauna and best way to enjoy is to appreciate it without disturbing it.

· The region is full of small water streams which emanate from some or the other glacier. With proper safety and care, you can enjoy a dip in these water bodies but caution is that water is very cold and body cramps due to cold water may sometimes be harmful.

· Leh climate is quite enjoyable during June-October and while you may manage with normal summer clothing during day time, jacket or head covering may be required during evenings. Woolens are definitely required when you are visiting passes.

Ladakh is a beautiful place and there is no other place like on earth like Ladakh. This is the only place where you will encounter sand dunes, icy rivers, barren mountains with ice caps and lush green valley, all in one place. So go and plan a trip to this wonderful land of Lamas which is still unadulterated and unpolluted.