The Body Language of Himalayan Langurs

January 29, 2014November 6, 2017 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ 2 Comments

Himalayan Langurs look almost human. You only have to observe them to see the similarities. It’s another matter Langurs behave a lot better than some people I know! They possess the intelligence to leave you alone if you let them be: and don’t normally steal your food or snarl as you pass by like the Rhesus do.

In fact, they seem to know to coexist with the different species that inhabit high altitude terrain unlike most of us; and as I discovered, will even pose for a photograph now and then. I find them fascinating but am no longer surprised by their good behaviour.

I found this "Meditating" Langur looking comfortable in a yoga pose He was perched on the deodar for the longest time looking like he hadn't a care in the world while his whole troupe was foraging in the trees below. — I found this “Meditating” Langur looking comfortable in a yoga pose He was perched on the deodar for the longest time looking like he hadn’t a care in the world while his whole troupe was foraging in the trees below.

Mama. Just another day in her Langur world! — ‘Mama’ Himalayan Langur. Just another day in her Langur world!

On a Rhododendron diet. The funny part was howhe/she was eating the flower petal by petal like it was a Michelin star dish to be savouring slowly. — On a Rhododendron diet. The funny part was how he/she was eating the flower a single petal at a time like it was a Michelin star dish to be savour slowly.

This little Langur was keeping watch perched on the ramparts of an old Portuguese fort called 'Cabo de Rama',in Goa last week. There were a bunch of them - like their Himalayan cousins...keeping to themselves. — This little Langur was keeping watch perched on the ramparts of an old Portuguese fort called ‘Cabo de Rama’, in Goa last week. There were a bunch of them – like their Himalayan cousins…keeping to themselves while keeping watch.

Langurs of the Plains — Langurs of the Coastal Plains

Marlon Brando of Dogs

July 25, 2013March 1, 2024 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ 1 Comment

I know.

Another dog blog!

Can’t help myself when it comes to these three mutts. The loves of my life – Chingoo, Kajal and Chokli.

[Unacceptable monkey-behaviour, according to Chingoo]

There are moments when Chingoo’s killer instinct surfaces and then he surprises us with his gentleness. Once a troop of 3 monkeys decided to party on our tin roof, antagonizing the dogs to no end. I let the dogs loose; Chingoo went berserk. Next thing I knew, he was pursuing the simians round and round the house with an infant monkey in his mouth; with me yelling “Drop it” in hot pursuit while wondering if the last Rabies shot I took was still valid. Things quickly turned around. It was the turn of the monkeys to act tormented. They screeched the place down and finally, Chingoo let go, of ‘baby-in-the-mouth’, without so much as a scratch. Reunited with their kidnapped ilk, the hysterical primates promptly did the disappearing act in a blur of grey.

[Chingoo and Kajal] Except for delivery guys, Chingoo takes kindly to humans. He used to take it upon himself to escort dog-friendly folk to their homes or on their walks. He returned home one day, brutalised, the bone on his leg showing through the wound and two of his teeth missing. He was pretty shook up by the experience and wouldn’t leave my side for days. It took him a while to get over his fear of people. Perhaps, ‘absolute’ freedom is not such a great scheme in the long run.

**[Kajal=Khol]**
Chingoo inherited his mother, Kajal’s eyes- outlined black. Kajal is a gentle and elegant middle-aged lady who loves her creature comforts besides being the best rat catcher I’ve known to date. She catches and then releases the rodent, sparing it a torturous death and us from dealing with a gruesome carcass. Kajal’s winter coat is as soft as goose down. I often think how cool it would be to knit it into gloves. Collectively, our dogs shed enough to lace the air, our food, and every surface of our home. They would indeed make great gloves. If I only could harness it, instead of ingesting it.

**[Chokli as a pup]**
I found Chokli abandoned in a ditch on the hillside. Mistaking her yelp for a bird call, I whistled. I knew I had found a survivor when she crept out of a bush and yelped back a reply. I was instantly drawn to her brindle stripes, the glint in her bright beady eyes and the white ‘socks’ on her paws. She was one smart little stray. My husband called her a pocket edition. She may have been petite but she charged like a speeding bullet every time she saw a monkey, dog or cow. Fear was not part of her canine vocabulary. She baby-sat Chingoo when he was a pup and let him swing by her tail till he got heavier and bigger than her.

**[Chokli]**
Chokli was also way more alert than both Kajal and Chingoo. While they dreamt through the night; fluttering eyes, stirring paws et al, Chokli’s pointed ears would cock-up at the mere hint of a sound. She died prematurely because of a careless vet who overdosed her with antibiotics for a fungal paw infection. She is missed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_Sheepdog

http://mastiffdogssite.com/Himalayan-Sheepdog.php

Himalayan Wild Flower Rhapsody

July 18, 2013November 6, 2017 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ Leave a comment

Wild flowers from the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Some grow at 7000 ft while a few of these are alpine flowers that I came across on treks at around 12,000-14,000 ft.

Rhododendron. Locals make juice and jam with the petals

Fungi not flower but so pretty...wild mushrooms — Fungi not flower but so pretty…wild mushrooms on a rotting tree trunk.

Meconopsis; Blue Himalayan Poppy in the UBC Botanical Garden (jmeyersforeman.wordpress.com)

Wild Jackals In My Backyard

July 7, 2013November 6, 2017 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ 2 Comments

'Mama' Himalayan Jackal<br />Canis aureus indicus — ‘Mama’ Himalayan Jackal
Canis aureus indicus

When my son walked the dogs a few days ago, he spotted a pack of Jackals with pups. It has been raining incessantly. I wasn’t quite ready to battle the leeches and the cold Himalayan rain to check them out just then. When the weather cleared, I grabbed my camera and was lucky to see the ‘Mama’ with 4-5 pups frolicking in the shrubs like dogs do. The pups looked like they were a month or two old. They seemed oblivious to my presence and I watched them as long as I could…shooting movies and stills on my digital camera. Himalayan jackals here seem rather gentle. They never made a sound; perhaps this is survival tactic! Last year, we had three of them come right up to the path near our house and sit around looking perfectly at ease. My dogs (large Gaddi mixes) nearly broke our front door trying to get at them.

But then two nights ago, I heard pup-like, heart-wrenching cries that lasted a few seconds. All went quiet after that. Had the leopard got one of them? I hope not. I never spotted them again; I hope ‘Mama’ has moved them to a safer place.

Related articles
Am I boring you mum? Wild leopard cub gives his tired mother a hug (dailymail.co.uk)
Day 220: Who’s the Bad Guy? Who’s to Blame? – Part 1 (ylaww.blogspot.com)
Stuart’s Daily Word Spot: Jackal (stuartaken.blogspot.com)

Monsoon is here. Birds Love It.

June 24, 2013November 6, 2017 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ Leave a comment

The mist is rolling in, the trees are beginning to sprout ferns, the bugs are out as are the birds as usual.

Tickell’s Leaf Warbler/Grey-hooded Warbler

Monsoon (astraunic.com)

My ‘Himalayan’ Struggle With Pottery

May 29, 2013April 12, 2015 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ 1 Comment

Don’t get me wrong. I’m addicted to pottery but it seems like I can barely get down to clay work.

I take a course. Then life happens. it takes me fifteen years to get back to it. Then we move as a family from a city and set up home at 6500 ft, in a wild place without clay. I end up digging up the hillsides feeling as desperate as one of those clay-licking parrots looking for the right fix of trace minerals. Of course I have no finances for a kiln so I wait for a friend who does own one to turn up. Except, she is an annual visitor to the hillside. Thanks to her, I recharge my batteries with every firing, however rare. I do this for a couple of years and then we move again. This time we gain an additional altitude of 500 ft . So I’m here, in a place where it pours for 4 months straight and is too cold to touch clay for another four. This move isn’t permanent (nothing is !). Even so, I’m a little older and as determined .The views are fabulous and inspiring as usual. I get a brain wave and foolishly decide it can’t be that hard to make a ‘dismantle-able’ gas kiln of my own. One I can ship back home when I leave…if I ever do.

I read up.I consult a professional potter-friend, check out the web and we draw up a simple plan which I modify. Easy. I get a welder to fabricate the sides, order the fibre (which make me itch like crazy) and the kiln furniture, wait for the rare sunny day in November ‘012 & get down on my knees. The photo essay tells you the rest. Follow my journey down this murky path if it sounds familiar. Help me stay on the trail.

Building up with soft bricks (because I had some) and mesh grills on side

Adding solid metal side outside the grill and lining with fibre.

The first firing. Nov 013. It was a disaster. I didn’t use a chimney..the kiln didn’t get hotter than 400C . It was cold outside. There was no roar when I fired! And the inside of the kiln got all blackened with soot. I’ve had a chimney fabricated since. Yet to try it out. I plan to layer the inside bottom of the kiln with fibre, pack the kiln and cross my fingers. Wish me luck!

Firing Pottery and Reclaiming Clay (barleyhollow.com)
Kilns and Pots (porcupinedesigns.wordpress.com)

The ‘Himalayan’ Deodar Outside

May 26, 2013May 20, 2015 ~ Lalitha Krishnan ~ 3 Comments

Before I pour myself a coffee in the morning, I sometimes find myself grabbing my camera as I just can’t ignore the latest arrival atop the Deodar tree outside my porch. Over the past couple of years, I have seen and heard multiple species of birds creating a ruckus with langurs sometimes foraging in the surrounding oaks or yellow throated pine martens scrambling up pines in search of bird eggs and fledglings. Hope you enjoy the photographs. They’re not the best quality because I’m way slower than my flighty subjects. While the majority of shots are taken from my porch I have also included photographs of birds from surrounding areas. Do let me know if I got the names wrong. I’m no expert!