Is killing animals on the grounds of overpopulation really justified ?

Killing Nilgai as a vermin is like applying bandaid to a person who is badly injured all over the body. You are only trying to address the symptoms and not looking at the disease or the causes of injury.

Unlike the killing of animals for either food or for self defence, vermin killing is neither. Rather it is about a territorial fight between humans and animals. When humans kill vermin on reasons of overpopulation, they forget to look within. It is actually the human population which is growing unchecked.

More importantly, it is not just about quantitative numbers. What really aggravates the situation is that human needs and desires are growing in more than exponential manner. To fulfill these needs and desires, humans are going all over the place, cutting trees and forests, occupying grasslands, going into the ocean with huge fishing trawlers, killing whales and sharks and destroying coral reefs which existed for millions of years, polluting the air, aggravating global warming and so on.

The underlying causes are man made, and need to be addressed at that level rather than by killing hapless animals.

Climate Change

A picture says a thousand words !

It is only early April yet, and our rivers have gone dry, or going dry. We are cutting our trees and forests and the cover from the burning sun is no longer available. And yet we choose to bury our heads in sand. Instead of talking about the ground reality of climate change, we debate about the need for saying Bharat mata Ki Jai .

Picture clicked while travelling in central India

REMEMBRANCE OF DEATH

Death takes one away from this world, but in many instances like in the case of martyrs, it continues to be remembered for its cause.

Heavenly landscape

The first rays of the sun are often considered quite sacred, especially in oriental culture. This man takes an early morning holy dip in Poovar Lake in Kerala and bows to offer prayers to natural elements and heavenly bodies.

CITY OF JOY, PEACE & STILLNESS

Here is a photo story which captures a few hues from the spirit of Kolkata. 

    The hotel and the cigarette shop. So many people share limited spaces and coexist.

Early winter morning in Kolkata and the street cart puller is already on the streets looking out for work.

Picture taken on the banks of the river Hooghly captures the stillness of the city. Things go on at a relatively easy pace and people seem to be content and focussed on more important spiritual and intellectual matters.

The pile of banana skins on the ground suggests that this fruit seller has done brisk business since morning. He looks a bit relaxed while taking this break and may soon get back to handing over the next fruit bowl to a hungry passer-by, hopefully after washing his hands !  

While all others in this scene are busy trying to catch some action which is going on towards the periphery, the young boy in the middle seems to be uninterested and preferring a quick body stretch.

Each person in the frame is having some or the other expression, be it quizzical or smiling, and that is what makes this photo interesting.

Typical double decker shop on the streets of Kolkata. The panwalla (betel leaf seller) is occupying the top deck while the chaiwala (tea seller) occupies the basement.

So much happens in so little space on the streets of Kolkata. A small rundown hotel  next to the shop selling plastic items. The darkness from within the cramped hotel contrasts with the multiple coloured hues of the plastic pieces.

The fruits in the city of joy are all so sweet, even if they are sold on the roadside. The man with the sling bag on his shoulder is having a good fruit break and the fruit seller is busy stacking up the cut fruits in the golden glow of the afternoon sun.

This tobacco leaf seller is so much at peace with his life. It is afternoon time and he is enjoying the lull period, reading the newspaper.

Wonder why we keep on running all the time ! Relax, man !

Joy, faith, stillness, humanity, use whichever adjective you want, but one must say that Kolkata has multiple and, in many senses unique, hues. The ethos of this city is indeed intriguing.

SLITHERING BEAUTY

In the context of wildlife sightings, often chance plays a big role. I was spending an early morning walking around a lake, clicking the birds perched on trees and on some of the rocks jutting about in the lake, when all of a sudden I saw a different type of movement in the water.

There were some ripples causing a wonderful pattern on the water surface and yet there was hardly any sound. Eyes had to be focussed more closely and ditto was the case with the camera lens.

Suddenly a sharp and clear picture emerged ……a snake silently slithering through just below the water surface ! Took several pictures, but the one which stood out for me was this one, with the head just above the water, the eye seen clearly and the colourful skin combining with the contrasting water ripples and the weeds with a mild glow of early morning light, all together giving me a beautiful composition.

For me, it was my first click of a snake and that too in water, and just as in case of so many joys which you get for the first time, a euphoric feeling, to remain in memory for long !

THE LORD GOD MADE THEM ALL

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all !

Sometimes simple creatures bring out so many wonderful perspectives.

Came across this dragon fly, while doing one of my early morning rounds. It continued hovering all over the place, jumping from one bush to another, and making me follow it and not allowing me the opportunity to aim the camera.

After sometime it probably realised that it had a fan following in me and offered me a few moments to take some snaps.

Zoomed the lens a bit, played around with the focus, looked for a suitable setting for the composition, click, click, click and waited for the picture to emerge……

…..the light blue coloured head perched atop a helicopter modelled body, finely detailed black patterns creating wonderful designs on the wings and, all this, contrasting with the green leafy background…..

…….I get more and more hooked to the wonders of photography with each passing day !