Flowers from our garden!

I feel amazed how these flowers survive in a temperature of 34 degree celsius and still share its colour, freshness and fragrance!

It is resilience in its best form!

Sighting these unusual features of fragile flowers, I turned inward to ponder on my ability to cope with adverse situations!

I have had instances in the recent times when, giving up was easier or more comfortable than staying on!

To be able to outlive pressures and hostile situations is indeed a position that one arrives at, over a long period of time by finding strength from facing up to smaller challenges or adverse situations!

I want to be on that journey!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A Bulbul's balancing act!

 

Watching a Bulbul scratching itself while balancing its body on a slender branch, was a delightful sight !

The acrobatics the birds perform easily and elegantly tell us about their natural instincts and abilities !

The avian with their wings and flight movements make their environment conquerable! 

What a privilege! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A flower Pecker with a Berry!

A flower pecker has an ultrashort stay in a flower. I noticed the above bird during its fleeting visits to the Hibiscus flowers. 

It appeared one more time with a mouthful of a berry, which it was trying to crush to swallow. 

A bird about 9 cm long, is a bird looking out for, in the gardens. Its movements among leaves and flowers alert us of its presence.  They are small and is not easily noticeable. 

I wish I had a better camera and lens to trace its movements between the flowers. It fluttered above the flowers and seemed to like swinging along the movements of the flower petals. It was like watching a show  of entertainment and display of artistic skills in movements!

A small bird, but with some distinctive features of its own!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

At day break!

I have watched a pair of Bulbuls fairly regularly at the summit of the Bell fruit tree in our garden, at day break!

Their silent presence to each other highlights the communication through silence!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

From dawn to dusk !

 

When I gathered the different photos taken on one day, while visiting a  garden, I noticed from the few chosen above, that there is an abundance of charm and beauty all around us !

Each of us would be seeing sights like these every day! If only we can take time to recall them, we would become more regardful of our environment. 

It creates within us a sense of stewardship to make our environment richer and better for us and the life around us!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

When clouds cover the Sunrise!

The Sun was playing hide and seek in the clouds at day break, when the fishermen were returning with their catch, after having been at the sea at night. They were in the backwaters on their way back home. 

I got an opportunity to talk to one fisherman later that day. He has been a fisher man since childhood and after forty years, he felt awful that he did not have training in any other profession, as non-motorised fishing is no more income generating. He goes out into the sea at night three times in a week, and would return with a scanty catch, highly inadequate to sustain his family. It is occasional two or three times in a month, that he comes back with a boatful of fish. This trend has been the pattern in the recent five years. Earlier on, the catch was so good that he needed to go out only once or twice in a week. 

He spoke about three of his children, whom he wants to educate. He does not see them in this profession, unlike the five generational practice of children in his ancestral families, inheriting the profession of parents. 

I heard a former finance minister of India making a point about the living conditions of people in Inida, where about 16 percent of population still lives below the poverty line. But the macroeconomists quote the GDP and project that India is moving upwards economically.  His observation was that the GDP is going up because of the increase in population. What is decisive about measuring the wellness of people economically, is the per capita income, which has gone upward only marginally. 

The creation of the new middle class in the last 20 years was by moving those from the low socio economic strata to the middle class. Proportionally the trickle down effect of better prospects economically did not reach the poorest in the society. Their upward mobility is not the concern of the current capitalist oriented economists and the political party governing the country now. 

Both boats in this photo did not have boatful of fish. May be a few kilos of fish hidden int the nets!

A cloudy morning with not so much good news for the returning fishermen! They faced sadness one more time at the end of toil of a night!

 The good times they long for evade them!

The fisherman I talked to, told me about the co-operative society that he belongs to, which has the practice of giving interest free loan if the fisherman would pay back the borrowed money in two weeks time. It is a provision, that they do not go hungry, if they did not catch enough on a few occasions in two weeks. 

Life is a cloud of disappointment for some while many live in the lap of luxury in an indulgent manner!

This question is before me! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Something good each day!

The sights that drew my attention at day break today were the following scenes. 

The sky had a dusky look; one tree across the field had many tender leaves; the morning sun rays brightening the tender leaves in the cashew tree in the garden and the Mussaenda flowers and buds decorating the edge of the garden!

At day break, these sights created a mood of anticipation within me of the different events, each contributing to create the fabric of the day. 

Yesterday, a friend telephoned to say that his four months old baby needs hospitalisation due to a chest infection. He spoke in a subdued voice. 

A family visited with thier daughter who had a deformity of one leg for which, she is under medical observation about the next step of treatment.

Our neighbour spoke about the water scarcity in villages around us due to the failed monsoon. During the month of August, we are used to daily rain fall normally. It did not happen this year. 

On my walk I met a senior citizen, who has not recovered from the weakness of one side of the body following a stroke three months back.  

A neighbour who lost his wife following a brief illness is staying alone in his large house. 

As I recall these experiences of just one day, I realise that one needs to create an inner ambience of hope and peace.  

I heard one of our grandchildren say, that there will be something good every day! 

That is an insightful thought to live with!

The flowers and buds in the Mussaenda represent that optic!

When I saw and heard this wood pecker giving away its loud bird call from the summit of a dead coconut palm, I too felt that there is something good in every situation!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Scars and marks of living!

One of the recent disturbing news from which, most of us have not recovered, is the violence, loss of lives and ongoing tension between communities in Manipur! The news that is tricking in even while the internet access is still under surveillance is that many who lost their homes, who live in refugee shelters and others who have migrated to other places have many painful memories to live with. 

I have a suspicion that many will carry the  hurts, wounds, scars and other marks of this traumatic experience of a life time. 

This tree wearing the scars and marks of its own past is still spring back to life with new shoots after it was pruned recently. 

How are to befriend people, who live with similar experiences of memory of pain, grief, loss and despair. 

I came across a person who told me that his special interest is to keep in touch with people who are hurting. 

Recently, following a confluence of adverse events in his neighbours's life, with his wife falling ill, his daughter not qualifying at the NEET for medical admission after two attempts, and he himself transferred a long distance away from home which makes him stay away from home during week days, this person was at a loss how to move on! This person decided to seek if the transfer can be kept in abeyance on compassionate grounds. As there red provisions in the government rules to make special request to that effect, he got a request ready for an appeal. His friend received a favourable response from the authorities and could stay on his current place for three more years. 

Following this respite, there were further improvement in the situation. His wife had improvement of her renal functions and that was big relief. His daughter decided to do psychology instead trying one more time. Surprisingly the person got a promotion, which meant upscaling his salary. 

Not that the scars and weariness of the recent months have disappeared altogether, but the new shoots of hope were in the horizon. 

This person who by being a compassionate person, having developed skills of discerning the unspoken needs of people in distress, is a person, who helps people to go beyond the scars and marks of burdened living. Not that our past fades away, but past can be subsumed or integrated with the rest of life's experiences where hope and optimism reigned amidst difficulties. 

This tree which reveals its scars and marks is also abundant with new shoots. Its call and will to live is overwhelming. Its quest is to triumph over the past. 

The emotional wounds we carry can fester or receive our attention to allow them to heal as we deal with ourselves tenderly and hopefully in a forgiving spirit. 

The interesting thing is that the hollow on the trunk of the tree can become one day a nest for a bird. Its gaping scars of the injury of the east can become a hollow, for a pair of birds to make it as their home for having the chicks.  

Our wounds can become a resource for the benefits of others. In the book, 'The wounded healer', Father Henry Nouwen brought this theme in a touching and compelling way. It is when we can feel our pain we become familiar withe pain of others. It is from being in a wounded position, we can become better companions to those who suffer from  hurting wounds. 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Stillness is normal!

I waited for ten minutes at this spot, looking for any change in the body posture of this dragon fly. None at all. It flew away and returned to continue to be still at the same site. 

To be bodily still is normal for the dragon fly!

To have in between times of stillness in body and mind is a longing that is growing!

Stillness and wellness are associated!

M.C.Matehw (text and photo)

A quest that stays on!

 

Most enthused photographers entertain some aspirations. 

One of those aspirations for me has been to be able to take sharp still photographs of Sunbirds. They are shakers and hoppers. They hardly stay still to be able to take still pictures. Although I have a collection of different types of sunbirds, I still have not been able to get sharp pictures with good exposure, to show these beautiful birds in their original splendour. 

A second challenge has been their limited stay in one flight station. They seem to be in a hurry to move. 

Thirdly, they are normally seen early in the morning when the day break is still partial. Later in the day, they are seen while dusk is setting in. So the light conditions are not at their best for photography. I have poor skills in using the different camera modes to overcome that limitation. 

Fourthly, they are small birds, often less than 12 cms in length, as a result of which manual focusing is often difficult, while they are constantly moving. 

I  have only blurred pictures like the ones above, taken today, of different sunbirds. The purple sunbirds are better to capture as the light contrast is picked up by the lens reasonably well. 

I like looking at the photos of the sunbirds as there is a charm to watch, in their complexion of colours. 

Some birds are exquisitely beautiful. They surprise us by the grooming  efforts, they undertake to stay that way!

It is good to be aspirational; it is also necessary to be realistic. To have exceptional skills is what might be needed. But that too happens exceptionally. To stay content and still be aspirational can be a good balance!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

Beginning the day!

 

I found this Magpie Robin fairly regularly at the same site in our garden, at day break, for a few days now! It takes in a bird's view of the surroundings during this time. Its observant eyes and vigilant posture captured my attention almost every day during this week. 

I have not noticed it engaging in bird calls on any of these occasions while at this spot.

This is its routine before it flies away across the stream to the tall trees. 

Today, it had a prolonged stay in this site, as it seemed to be listening to the tuneful singing of a common Tailorbird, perched in the adjacent tree.

But the sudden appearance of a Barbet, in the tree where the Tailor bird was singing from, disturbed the Magpie Robin and it found its next flight station at a palm tree.  

It was from that safe position, it engaged in its bird calls lustily and tunefully! It stayed on for a while with interrupted bird calls. 

I am drawn by the intentional look of the Magpie Robin to get a feel of the environment. It sizes and gauges the environment. 

I was in a Mall yesterday evening. There is a children's toy ride station, with a motorised caravan. The driver was without any rider for about forty-five minutes. He drove the caravan around the route to make it visible to children and families. After two rounds of that exhibition trip, he had a few children coming forward to have a ride. Till I left, he was occupied with riders. 

The driver knew what to do, when he did not have joy riders. His business sense guided him to make his presence known to the potential riders.  

I found the Magpie Robin practicing its routine with a plan. I found the driver of the caravan acting prudently when he could not attract riders. 

A behaviour design and plan is what I need for each day during this transition time of retirement. I do not have consistent practice of quiet times to look inward and outward. Those occasions get subsumed by other events.  

To know the thoughts within and the environment around would be a good way of bringing an order to each day!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)