Are We Being Human?

How would you feel if you had to live all your life locked up in a cage? Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of the animals who live their entire life in captivity? Never a day of privacy...never a day of choice...never a day of freedom...never a day off. Is it fair to tame the wild just for the sake of entertainment?

I visited the Bombay Byculla Zoo recently only to find empty enclosures barring a few with some exotic birds and a few animals here and there. As i looked at the cage of exotic birds in awe and tried capturing every move of theirs on my camera, I realised something was bothering me and my camera...it was the cage. Not only did it take away the beauty of these pictures but it also took away the charm of seeing something in all it's glory. After all, all good things are wild and free! The rest of the zoo was mostly abandoned, and looking at the state of the zoo it was probably a good thing that no animals were kept there. Being locked up is bad enough and the thought of seeing animals in enclosures as tiny and filthy as these just make you shudder. It seems not just people but animals also have to deal with space crunch in Mumbai. A hippo in the Delhi Zoo probably has triple the space the poor hippo in Mumbai Zoo can afford, that too on sharing!

While the little kid in me who loves wild animal spotting and encounters was disappointed with the empty enclosures, the adult in me was relieved that the enclosures were empty and hoped for a day when the freedom of animals would not be sacrificed for the sake of our entertainment.

The Abandoned Zoo

His motto: "Stay calm and chill maaan"

Hitching a ride

Everything in this world was born wild and free and it's best to keep it that way!

Travelography: Kasauli

Having been to most of the hill stations in the north and east, I was not the least bit excited about yet another trip to the hills! You don't take a beach person to the hills every year! It's just not fair. After the first 3 hill stations they all just look the same. But to my surprise there was something very unique about this hill station...Kasauli. A small cantonment town almost always covered in fog, and the only noise you might hear here is your own voice echoing. Had we not come there to escape the work/city madness, the peace and quiet would've soon got extremely boring. But after months of slogging at work, when you come to a place where modern civilization is at a safe distance (read no network...no internet) and the cool breeze frees your mind of the stress and baggage you carried on the holiday, it's rather refreshing and you can't help but want to stay back a little while longer. 

A walk in the woods alone would make you realise why hill stations have so much fodder for all those spooky eerie stories they are known for. The place we stayed in, Ross Common (HPTDC) too had the raw material for a perfect horror story- an isolated lodge in the woods with just an old chowkidar and a cook hosting a group of friends from a nearby city, topped with the blinding fog, eerie silence, dense forest, wild nocturnal animals and not another soul around for miles; despite all this the place suprisingly gave a very peaceful non-scary vibe. 

If you are looking for a short weekend trip from Delhi to the hills to rejuvenate yourself- Kasauli is the place for you.

Evil eye beware

Hide and seek

Sunset

Dew

It's Autumn already for this one!

 

Taurian Trunk

Kasauli

Ross Common

Daisies

Mushrooms

Bird House For Sale

Cable Car

Downhill

Travelography: Surajkund Mela

The beauty of things lie in the finer details and colours make them come alive. If you have been following my blog, you’ll know that I love to play with colours in my images. The brighter the colour the better it is! So you can imagine my delight when I went for the Surajkund Mela. It was a riot of colours…an absolute treat to the eyes and lens! 

Surajkund Mela celebrates the unique and diverse culture of India by bringing together artisans and handicrafts from across the length and breadth of the country. 

Limca break

Blinded by colours are we?