Longan – The mimic of Lychee & Mango flavor

It was a peak summer weekend in the Punjab region when sun-boiled air molecules were difficult to inhale. After a whole day sitting in the AC, I came out for an evening stroll with family. That gap was for rest-time to the AC before the next night's batch. On the way, there was a sole tap water outlet with an underground pipe surrounded by the tree canopy of the avenue -Pterocarpus and Alstonia spp. It was a lucky thing, gaining blessings from commuters as well as players playing in the hot evening along the groundside.

Just 10 steps ahead, near the badminton court, a medium-height tree related to the lychee family was seen with hanging fruits in clusters.

Longan-dragon eye

This Longan fruit tree, botanically known as Dimocarpus longan is a subtropical evergreen tree of the Sapindaceae family native of South/South-East Asia. This tree is cultivated for its timber and, especially, for its edible fruit, which has a fragrance amalgamation of lychee and mango, and the sugar content of the fruit is quite high. Longan fruits are non-climacteric in type and therefore have to be harvested when properly ripe. These will not ripen during storage as lychee fruit does. 

Dimocarpus longan

Its wood is considered as tough as for making shuttle pipes, bearings, textile-weaving stands and rifle butts, and sometimes for furniture and construction purposes. The seeds contain the chemical saponin that can be used as a soap substitute.

A complete review on ‘Extraction and pharmacological properties of bioactive compounds from longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) fruit' published by collaborative scientists around the globe – Yang, B., Jiang, Y., Shi, J., Chen, F., & Ashraf, M. in year 2011.

 

Raining And Reminder

I am sharing this morning thought!

Fifteen years ago in our village, Himachal Pradesh, we had slate-mud houses where families lived together cheerfully. Every year, during the rainy season, we were involved in rainwater harvesting (realising its importance now). I still remember when rain precipitation was about to come down; how my father put on his long gumboots (who alone waits for the monsoon) and started preparing for water storage. Whatever, the empty cans inside the house had been gathered from the storeroom and placed sequentially under the roof slate in the yard where rainwater drips.

The big tin-tub always been positioned under the corner slates, catching the volume of water run down in good quantity from two sides of the slanting roof – like a fountain. Small clay pitchers having circular mouths with round bodies were arranged at the front of the slate roof. These were resting down with the support made from flexible woody climbers/stems; we Himachli called it as binna. The steady drips of falling rainwater create a rhythmic sound that matches the pace of the rain.

And we listened to it, sitting on the veranda with grandparents and waiting for the command of our parents to get out for a rainy bath in the muddy yard. That rainy shower with siblings was fun.

The huge tub filled with rainwater was like a mini multi-purpose reservoir for two-three days' usage for cleaning, washing purposes, and other household chores. At that time, there was hydrological integrity with nature. We have surely forgotten the traditional rain-catching habits and, in reverse, adopted the habit of using more water, its waste as well as contamination alongside.

For instance, the same amount of water is contaminated in a single round of washing or cleaning purpose. I must mention the technology of the washing machines, where we wash the extra clothes in a single run. Another huge amount of water we use to wash, rinse, and then for spin to remove the chemical detergent. Thoughtfully, we are contaminating the regular water every day knowingly, and the earth's percolation is filtering the gravitational water selflessly.

Another thought: why haven't technicians thought of circular water movement in washing machine where spun water could be utilized in the washing water column rather than pass through the drainage pipe, with an internal pipe setup to avoid adding water for the next washing batch?

This thought made me to embrace the rain more.

Save Water, Save Earth.

What are your thoughts? 

Or what reminds you when rain clouds overcast your area?

You can share your memories or comments in the box below.

Kindle Voyage of Numbers & Figures

Now my little one is growing, counting the language in numbers and figures, tracing tiny fingers for representation. His learning of 0-9 numbers along with companion figures, marches up to 50 with practising the pencils in hand. 

For him, each maths notebook cell is for one figure. I saw him writing 10, one in the first cell and zero gently in another, but he is not aware of the sequence. Sometimes, he writes zero in the first cell and put 5 in next, there he calls it as 50 ‘fifty’ proudly.

He is curious to see the change, the sequence break after 9, 19, 29 etc. He has to change for the next level after the ninth figure. And with practice, accepting the change at 10th cell- ready to forward for the next line. Learning that things halt temporarily and then shift with change, though they move toward the future or proceed. They stop temporarily, and the rhythm restarts after a moment.

The same change: he is learning to ask me ‘mama g kitne baj gye?’ Mother, what time is it? Curiosity about the change in time is from his last year's routine. He is listening his father saying, ‘Good morning 'little uth jao aath baj gye! school jana hai!' From there, he is curious to see the clock with needle on ‘8’ number through his squinty eyes. And he is asking in routine- kitne baj gye?' at noon, in the evening, at night before sleep, and in the morning when he wakes up. and replying every time, 'Atth baj gye?'

 Then, I showed him the clock and the second needle; moving with a tik-tik sound after a second and a sign of the time we humans measure. He saw the same numbers engraved in a circle as in the notebook, but in a single line. These are 1 to 12. He showed no reaction. 

I asked myself, why has he not asked for the next number? Where is one-three ‘13’?

Maybe he is not aware of the sequence or is not judgemental at this age. 

But his mother is waiting for this question to be answered.

Throwback migration of Spiti birds

October is tagged as a beautiful among all months various in aged poetry. October mornings in Spiti Valley are reminiscent of beautiful mindfulness. I realized the importance of natural phenomena in the chaotic human world, which is how we humans are living under pressure in one corner of the world. On the contrary, birds roam with open hearts in the sky, over the forest cover, playing hide and seek in gardens/orchards, the point is they live fully each day in spite of having a trivial life span compared to human.

There in the same place with the same situation, I observe a dozen vibrant birds with my newly bought binocular -Cason, in the surroundings of Tabo village. Here, the local used term ‘Cha’ which means ‘Bird’ in Bhoti dialect.

Nature empowered me and shifted my vision more to observe it more and again. These positive vibrations are limitless and soothing for the soul. In bad times, I accepted I was struggling, and here I have recognised myself and my soul differently under the spell of nature and peace at the Spiti Valley.

In this blog, I am going to discuss the vibrant Himalayan Spiti birds that migrate  from the lower Himalayan region to Spiti Valley during April and to escape the harsh winter, fly back during October and November.

Spiti birds captured through cason:

 1. Chirippa, चिरिप्पा, The red-fronted serin- Serinus pusillus

 This fire-fronted serin bird is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae and found in flocks up to August month and migrate from Spiti valley to escape the harsh winters.

CuC

     2. Kungalapche - कुंगलापचे Turtle neck Dove

2.    SN-Streptopelia turtur. This beautiful dove, a threatened Himalayan species, belongs to the family Columbidae. The bird acts as an alert-frontier against any danger for the flying buddies.     

CuC

3.    3.  Rip-chakoto, रिप-चकोटो – Long-Billed Thrush

       The dull brown bird is Alpine accentor; SN is Prunella collaris, very timid and mostly found on far electric wires.

GI

CuC

  

4.       4. Chhilmo/Chilba,छिल्मो/चिल्बा -Long Tailed Thrush                         

 The female known as Chhilmo and the term  Chilba yagso, where yagso means male bird.

CuC

GI

5.  Chiru/Chiltu – चिरु/चिल्टु- House-sparrows

In the local name, Chi- चिल means bird, ल्टु/tu- small. House sparrows in flocks can be seen up to the month of November. Their return to lower altitude coincides with the return of autumn of the year. Captured image shows that sparrow trails are waiting on electric wire to feed on sunflower seeds.

CuC

CuC

6. Sercha, सेरचा -Himalayan oriole (Oriolus kundoo)

The Indian golden oriole, a vibrant, shy, and beautiful bird, is always found in pairs and usually seen swiftly flying from one tree crown to another in apple tree orchards during fruit setting.

           (GI-Male) Brighter              (GI-Female) Dull Green    

1.     7. Tirpingcha- तिरपिंगचा, hoopoe bird (Upupa epops)

       The morning bubbly bird with a beautiful crown and their calls can be heard during dusk and dawn in the Spiti Valley especially in summers when tourist noise is at its peak. The SN is Upupa epops, hardly found after September in Spiti valley. 'Tirping' in Spitian dialect means a bird having tap like beak and an elongated head.

GI

8. Blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius)

A solitary wanderer bird with a dark blue colour and a distinctive call-voice spotted far away on the Spiti riverside, rarely seen wandering in fruit orchards.  

Clicked with the patience and static position of the camera and cason, as this bird is very alert

5           9.  Yikki tik-tik यिक्की टिक-टिक-  Common redstart - Phoenicurus phoenicurus

CuC
 A common redstart sitting on big boulder near the Spiti River 

                                               

                                                        (GI -Female)                             (GI- Male)    

 10. Chungak/Changche, चुंगक, चांगचे- Alpine Chough 

The black crow-like bird with a yellow-orange beak is Pyrrhocorax of the Corvidae family. The bird can be spotted in extreme harsh winters. This bird is ket keystone avian species, as its digestive system helps to break the dormancy of hard seeds and is known to help in the germination of Juniperus spp., Rosa webbiana, Ribes orientale, and many more plant species whose fruit/seeds are eaten by Alpine chough.

CuC

11. Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata

This dull brown bird creates a camouflage effect like as desert soil, hence it is difficult to spot if it is sitting on the ground.  This flycatcher is in search of insects and worms as it sits on a pole-wire near to a freshly hoed basin.

CuC

                                                 GI

12. Horned Lark  Eremophila alpestris 

Songbird with hairy horn, usually found at an altitude above 4000 m in Kibber and Chicham areas during summer. This year, I observed its halt at Tabo village when I was in pairs, heading back to the lower area in November. 

GI

13. Shikra, शिकारा– the prey bird

SN is Tachyspiza badia is a bird of prey with eagle eyes in the family Accipitridae. 

CuC

CuC

14. Mukku, मुकु – The Himalayan Pigeon  

The scientific name (SN) for the pigeon, Columba livia, belongs to the family Columbidae. This bird is adapted to the Spiti winter and can be observed in flocks during the month of December.

15. Rock bunting- Emberiza cia

The passerine bird belong to family Emberizidae can be distinguished by having linear patches near the eyes and head. The flock has already migrated during August and minimal sightings were observed during September in the Tabo area. 

16. Chukar- Alectoris chukar

This partridge family group of 10-12, along with babies, lives under a bushy shrub near the bank of Spiti River. Extremely shy, so I could not capture a single shot throughout the year as they hardly migrate. As I approach their home, they all jump away across the other bank of river with all flying efforts. So, I step back to not disturb family or interfere with their comfort zone. The picture shot is not as important.

Indicators- 

        CuC- Captured Using Cason and iPhone Cam. (5 and 15)

        GI-Google Image- (for illustration)

At last, I thank Mr Thukten Gymzo for describing the local birds names by mimicking their calls.

“Unseen and Unwelcome: Sand Flies Turning Spiti Evenings Sour”

These days, evenings of Spiti summer have become more irksome and not as pleasant as earlier. The whitefly, a small insect, has started entering residents’ rooms frequently during the evening. Bites on the legs, ankles and feet, arms, and neck that occur from dusk to dawn—these flying creatures are so small and silent that they are almost impossible to spot or capture.

These notorious creatures are ‘sand flies,’ usually attracted by screen lights at night and human blood. Females are bloodsuckers, attacking humans for the need of blood to produce a new generation. Both male and female though feed on green leaves-sap/fluid for nutrition. Being a carrier of vector diseases, they are dangerous when carrying diseases like sandfly fever, which causes fever, headache, itching, muscle pain, and other flu-like symptoms. 

Despite their small size (2-3 mm), sand flies pose significant public health and ecological concerns. The prominent dangerous vector is for Leishmaniasis disease, which in later stages is known as Kala-Azar- a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania parasites and transmitted by the bite of infected female sandflies. So, be careful and cautious about its presence. 

 

Captured the attacker on the slide

Sand flies are weak flyers and have short flying patterns. Under the categories of Arthropods and insects, these tiny sand flies belong to the family Psychodidae of class- Diptera of suborder Nematocera, which means having two wings prominent and the other two being small or rudimentary.

Prevention is better than treatment

Effective repellent lotions contain either dimethyl phthalate or diethyl toluamide as the active ingredient. If the problem is severe and persists for a long time, some remedies can be helpful like antihistamines (tablets/pills or in the form of lotion on the skin) to reduce bite itching/swelling/redness. The intensely afflicted areas can also be soothed by topical medications like hydrocortisone or calamine lotion, which are available at chemist shops.

Dhuni/fumes of aromatic local herbs like Burse (Artemesia spp.), Chipcha (Oxytropis spp), Shukpa (Juniperus spp.) and burnt fumes from citronella oil or herbal candles help in keeping the sandflies away. You should refrain from scratching the bites if you are bitten, as there is a greater chance of a secondary infection later when the wound is open to the environment.

This information is petite yet significant—‘General public awareness is important before it becomes endemic or becomes a regular guest of Spiti evenings.

 

Embrace the dark- འོད་སྣང་ལ་འཁྱུད་པ།

Embrace the dark

                         འོད་སྣང་ལ་འཁྱུད་པ།

The night is beautiful

Night has sparkling sky

You have seen ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ little stars

Shining like your beautiful eyes,

 

At night! Humans are less, so is noise

No one separates darkness from night

Nature’s miracles happen every night

As…  my little-one is crazy for cars

Embrace the dark with Seven-Stars,

 

Let's have a look outside the balcony

Fireflies beautifying Mango trees

Under the moon, nocturnal roam and glows

Relaxing moments after the meal with fading shadows,

 

A night duty caretaker in Lychee orchard

Hungry dogs wandering below for the leftovers

A big bat ‘Manyah,’ just swiped over us right

I told you nah! 

Embrace the dark; Miracles happen every night,

 

Don't be afraid; open tiny eyes

See your mother, listen to my rhymes  

You, beautiful human, in my arms

And sticking to my left shoulder

Enjoying swinging and singing

Getting yawning while patting,

 

Surely love night for beautiful dreams

And it's a sign for deep sleep

Rhythm of the night is just the other side of light

So, my seven-month-old son

 -Embrace the dark; following twilight.

     This summer poem was composed after lori-lores singing for my son, who sensed the fear of darkness while going to sleep in my arms.

                                                                                                                   Bandana Dhiman

خوشگوار ڈینڈیلینز – خواہش یا گھاس   

Cheerful Dendelions- Wish or Weed

   While bright sun plays in the green meadows 

Dandelions dance along when fresh air flows,

Petals remain yellow radiant, resembling rays of light

When sweet, deep whispers invite

We remain hush to take a breath slight,

Flower of golden hope, opens in the morning sunshine

The laughter of naughty children fills the air with chime,

Free as air, they blow their wishes over fluffy hairs

Wind that carries flying seeds far away as smooth layer,

Each new dandelions bloom as a season treasure

Praying for early first blooms, hopping good crop and season

As new dandelions bloom, good enough for lucky reason,

Plebians each wish disappears

farmers worship each bloom in silence

While children's wishes come true in valence.  

                                                                                    بندنا دھیمان