Shivpuri waits for rains !

SHOALS OF churned mud in a ploughed field, artistic hay stacks, in a reverse V shape, few with black earthen pots placed in reverse positive over the stacks is a scene nowadays in farm fields adjacent to national highway number 25 when one drives from Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. Bullock cart being driven by a couple ploughing the field, some using tractors, but all getting ready for monsoon to arrive, which has been slightly delayed this time around.

A farmer was busy giving last touches to his hay stack, which is like an art of rural impression. Few had scarecrows though at this time there was no harvest but maybe it was to scare away birds and crows to not to take away seeds !

 A local from a village on the outskirts of Shivpuri was busy along with his wife laying dried tree trunks, and was preparing a temporary shed for cattle’s and buffaloes - as when rain strikes they need to be in shade.

Today, the sun was at its peak, but last evening it looked like it may rain as clouds had appeared in the sky, which was looking darker and fiery, but it did not rain, though it did there was some pitter patter with blow of winds, but nothing like monsoon rains.

The wait for monsoon is evident, as the view was full from right to left on farm field and in the eyes of people one met was - when will the rains arrive? Weather is humid, and this part of India has witnessed drought so there is concern, which is why good rainfall means a lot to them.

Indian Pond heron

Indian pond heron (breeding plummage) at dried shivpuri lake.

District Collectorate

It used to be Secretariat in olden times, when Shivpuri used to be summer capital now it is office of the District Collector.

Tatya Tope memorial, Shivpuri

Ramachandra Pandurang Tope, popularly known as Tatya Tope, freedom fighter of Indian National Movement. He was hanged publicly in Shivpuri on 18 April 1859 – place where now Tatya Tope memorial stands. A visit to Shivpuri cannot be complete without a visit to this place. Their is small garden around the memorial which is on the road adjacent to small market.

At Sahkya Sagar Sailing Club

Dancing peacock at shivpuri lake

Golden Oriole at Shivpuri Tourist Village

The Golden Oriole or (Eurasian) Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions. They feed on insects and fruit. They build neat nests in tree forks and lay 3-6 eggs. Their call is a screech like a jay, but the song is a beautiful fluting weela-wee-ooo or or-iii-ole, unmistakable once heard. They inhabit tall deciduous trees in woodland, orchards or parks and spend much of their time in tree canopies. Picture clicked at a tree within campus of Shivpuri Tourist Village (outside the lobby).

Community radio station goes on air

Shivpuri :  District Collector Shivpuri Raj Kumar Pathak pressed the button and the voice of Champa Adivasi was on air in Shivpuri on FM frequency 107.8 MHZ.  This is frequency of Radio Dharkan, Community radio station set up at Shivpuri went up on air.  Dr Tania Goldner, Chief UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh and Supriya Mukherjee, Programme Communication Specialist were present with him.

An event was organsied to mark this at the radio station. Speaking at the event District Collector Raj Kuma Pathak praised this effort and said that this will help in reaching out to communities and creating awareness among them on the Government Schemes.  Dr Tania Goldner, Chief of UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh said that purpose of the radio is to connect, entertain and educate, am happy that it is happening and now it is going full steam. It will be on air every day. It your radio for and by people. It will talk about your rights, demand services, empower your for your meaningful participation. It would be heart beat of the community.

Supriya Mukherjee, Programme Communication Specialist, UNICEF, India said that this Radio Dharkhan is your radio. She also shared that UNICEF has supported NGOs in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to set up the radio station and is supporting NGOs in Orissa, Assam, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar to start community radio there.

Dharkan radio station has been established by Sambhav, an NGO to serve the different communities within 15 km (Max) radius around Shivpuri HQ with support from UNICEF. The project of setting up of the Radio Station was initiated with a community needs assessment comprising both quantitative and qualitative components.  At an event organized today at Shivpuri hundreds of communities from in and around Shivpuri participated. Vandana who is radio jockey shared that how when they first started and were tense how will be happen, but they were trained and now she is excited that finally this is going on air. Harshita and Jayant, children presented the song at the event.  Objective of the radio station is to provide information and encouraging community for adopting education, health, sanitation and life saving behaviors. Spread information about various government schemes in community, so that they benefit out of them and promoting local folk culture.

 

'All mobile shop'

Shop on the way to Shivpuri at National Highway selling for all possible mobile companies !

Sparrow

Sparrow at a house in a village in Shivpuri district

Woodpecker in Hotel Tourist Village, Shivpuri

The Black-rumped Flameback staring at glass window of the Hotel Tourist Village at Shivpuri. It is normally seen here on tree in lawn of the hotel, and sometimes tries to pick up window, which she can't.

As per wikipedia, Black rumped flameback or Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense) is a woodpecker found widely distributed in South Asia. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas, it has a characteristic rattling-whinnying call and an undulating flight. It is the only golden-backed woodpecker with a black throat.

In National Park Shivpuri

Butterflies at Shivpuri tourist village.

Butterflies namely plain tiger and lemon pansy at Shivpuri tourist village. Though the village nests a lot of butterflies, but this time I could site only three - these two and common yellow.

Salman Khan on a wall clock

Dharda Ganesh is a village in the Shivpuri district of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is more than an hour’s drive from main district headquarter or Shivpuri urban and one has to navigate many bumpy roads and stretches which hardly have roads. The village looks like a typical village in the state of Madhya Pradesh having cluster of mud huts, roofed with thatch or earthen tiles, narrow paths laded with mud and water (if it rains) which leads to the outside world. Probably times had a little effect on these villages.

I happen to be on some work and was at the same village. But it was interesting visit for me as I had an opportunity to visit shop of Kirori Mal. Kirori Mal is a barber. His shop is just at the entrance of the village, outside the Panchayat Bhawan. It was a make shift of shop with few inches above the ground, one had to climb to enter the same.

Probably he seems to be a huge fan of Bollywood. The walls of his shop were lacquered with the photographs of all the major known actresses. May be it was an added attraction to his shop for the clients who come for a haircut or for shave and sometimes had to wait for their turn. He was self confessed fan of Salman Khan. But I was bit puzzled as I could not see Salman Khan on the walls so got bit inquisitive. I dared ask him where is Salman Khan ?. He looked in my eyes and then guided his finger towards his wall clock, which was hanging on the wall of shop. There was the Khan!! Captured in the wall clock! Actually he had made a cut out of the Salman Khan and had replaced it with second’s needle of the wall clock. Instead of ‘seconds’ needle on the clock it was Salman Khan’s photograph cut in shape of it. Quite an interesting way to use photographs which is supposedly his idol. So it was Salman Khan on the move that too every second!! Not only Bollywood actress but moving Salman Khan attracted his young clients of the village to visit his shop every now and then.

- anil

Fort like structure at Badarwas

A fort like structure at Badadongar Panchayat, Badarwas, Shivpuri

Temple bells

Bells at Tapkeshwar temple in Shivpuri district

Severe acute malnourished child recovers back

Kartar Adivasi son of Banwari & Binia of Kiranpura (Barkhadi) was admitted on 17.11.2009 with a weight of 6.342 kgs. The child was one year old at that time. He was acutely malnourished at that time. He was admitted to Nutritional Rehabilitation centre at Narwar. He was kept at NRC for 14 days and then was followed up at his house in the village. By the time he was 15 months old his weight had increased to 9.300 kg (5.3.2010). He not only recovered back but also is encouragement to service providers and hope to many other parents whose children are severely malnourished.

Crimson Rose butterfly outside Shivpuri Chattri's

Crimson Rose, a swallotail butterfly clicked outside of the sidewall of Chattri complex at Shivpuri. These two restless and fluttering butterfly have striking looking tail and white bands on the wings !

Shivpuri Chattri's

Shivpuri is famous for graceful,intricately embellishedMarble chhatries (cenotaphs) erected by Scindia Princes. Set in an elaborate Mughal Garden, are the cenotaphs, the royal Chhatries dedicated to Scindias. Facing each other across a water tank are the Chhatries of Madhav Rao Scindia and dowager queen Maharani Sakhya Raje Scindia, in a delighful fusion of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles, with their shikhara – type spires and Rajput and Mughal pavilions.

Silent demonstration in Gwalior & Shivpuri against female foeticide

Gwalior/Shivpuri : Hundreds of people gathered on the streets of Gwalior on Feb 2, 2010 to take part in a silent demonstration against female infanticide and foeticide. Holding banners with the slogans 'Save Daughters' and their mouths masked by a cloth to signify the silenced voice of the girl child, both men and women activists held hands to form a long human chain and stood in solidarity as a part of this rally. It was facilitated by Centre for Integrated Development, an non governmental organisation. Similar demonstration was held at Shivpuri district outside the collectorate. The same was facilitated by Sahyog - Support for Development. Representatives from civil society and media  participated in the same (Picture is from Shivpuri, though year in the date mentioned is 2009 due to camera settings).

Collecting wheat grains in Shivpuri

This is the season when mature wheat from the field is cut, bundled together and later on thrashed to collect the grains.

Who's their ?

 

Bird watches out for visitors on a tree at Lohagarh village in Bamera Panchayat, Pichore Block of Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh.

Sunset - clicked from highway

As we drove towards Shivpuri district headquarters from blocks after work, we saw this beautiful sunset on the highway.

Shivpuri tourist village

An MP Tourism hotel, though has now been updated, and at least rooms and outside looks great !. For natural looks it has lot of flowers and trees and off course Sakhya Sagar Lake behind it. The location is probaby the best in Shivpuri.

You never live alone in the room here, even if you are travelling alone. You will have company of spiders, lizards, fireflies in the room and off course the bioluminescence of fireflies will illuminate the room even if you close lights !! This may be okay if you have come to Shivpuri to see wildlife. They make sure that you get best of it always !.  (in picture view of the village from the lake and second one is outside view of room number 14)

Shivpuri has high infant mortality rates

In picture a child who recovered from severe malnutrition from Nutritional rehabilitation centre, sleeping on a cot in his own house in a village in Shivpuri

Admitting to the highest infant mortality rate in the country, Madhya Pradesh recently said that 130,233 children died in the state before attaining the age of five between 2005 and 2009. During the same period, the state received Rs 1601.80 crore in grants from the Centre under the National Rural Health Mission which includes the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme that seeks to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates besides attempting to reduce the total fertility rate. Under RCH, the state government made a budgetary provision of Rs 65.06 crore between 2005 and 2010 but spent only Rs 37.96 crore.

Public Health Minister Anoop Mishra presented these figures while responding to questions in the Assembly. Between 2005 and 2008, the infant death toll was 122,422 but the ratio improved thereafter with the state reporting 7,811 deaths between January 2008 and December 2009. In the four critical years, Satna district reported 7,257 deaths while Chhatarpur and Balaghat lost 6,542 and 5,666 children. Shivpuri, Guna, Rewa, Shahdol and Sidhi were among the districts with high mortality rates.

Mishra said 70 children lost their lives per 1,000 live births but this was an improvement over 2001-2002 when the ratio was 86 deaths: 1000 live births. He attributed malnourishment to early marriages and early pregnancies; underweight children; absence of complete immunisation; failure of mothers to only breast-feed infants up to six months and give them nutritional food later; infection; and, poverty.

False Packaging of iodised salt

The packaging of this salt as available in housshold of pichore block in Shivpuri says that this is iodised salt, but when it was tested with iodine salt testing kit, it was found to be non iodised. So even though they bought thinking that this is iodised salt but in reality it is not !

On the way to Jhansi

This is highway road from Shivpuri to Jhansi.

George Castle, Madhav National Park, Shivpuri

George castle at Madhav National Park, Shivpuri. It was built in 1911 by the Scindia ruler Jivaji Rao Scindia within the National Park at its highest point. It was built for an overnight halt for King George V of the United Kingdom so that he can shoot tiger. He was passing that way during his visit to India. It so happened that King could shoot a tiger on the way itself and did not stop at Madhav National Park.  But Castle remain and it gives you a view of park, Shivpuri and journey of water wherein it says that one can see three interlinked lakes in the forest terrain. This point is right next to the George Castle. The lakes are Jadhav Sagar, Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar. Though I could only see one lake as other were dry.

Stilt and sandpiper

Black winged stilt and sandpiper on one end of Sakhya Sagar Lake, Shivpuri

World tallest kadam tree in Shivpuri

Neolamarckia cadamba, commonly called Kadam is an evergreen, tropical tree. Though grown as an ornamental, and for low-grade timber and paper. There exist some traditional uses as a medicine. The caterpillars of the Commander (Limenitis procris), a brush-footed butterfly, utilize this species as a foodplant. The picture is from Shivpuri in the lawns of Scinida's Chattri. It is said it is the tallest one in the world.

Baronet butterfly at Shivpuri

Baronet Euthalia nais is a species of Nymphalid butterfly. The picture was taken in the Pichore block of Shivpuri near Topeshwar Temple complex.