DPC Photobus to Garh Mukteshwar ( the First day trip)

The first in series is the Garhmuketshwar , An old historic town and place for River Ganga .

About  Garhmukteshwar

Garhmukteshwar is situated on the National Highways 24 joining New Delhi   with Lucknow. The town is the closest point from the capital where the river  Ganga flows. Garhmukteshwar is also famous for its bathing fair that takes place on the Full Moon Day in the month of Kartik. This city hosts two important fairs in a year. One is the bathing fair on the full moon day of Kartika and another fair is held on the occasion of Dussehra, both of which attracts tourists from all over the country.

The Gadho-ka -Mela which is a part of the big Garh Ganga fair is a huge trading center for asses, donkeys and horses.

Garhmukteshwar has also been mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata. It is said that Garhmukteshwar was a part of the ancient city of Hastinapur. The place boasted off a very ancient fort that is said to be built by later Pandavas, brothers of Kauravas. The name of the place is derived from the great temple of Mukteshwar Mahadeva that is dedicated to the goddess Ganga who is worshipped here in four temples. The place is also known for its eighty Sati Pillars.

Tiger and GST ? Oh Really (God Save the Tigers). by Sh Vinod Goel

Tiger and hottest topic in the air  G S T—Any connection between the two ?

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For the last 3 years when Sh Narendra Modi came to power we heard that to solve all the problems of the country the biggest economic reform would be introduced by the Government  and hence  all efforts were made to bring Goods and Services Tax (G S T )at the earliest.

At present there is just talk of this tax reform as it has been introduced from 1st of July in spite of the fact that  many of the stake holders from the trade and industry are  at a loss to understand its fundamentals. Even most of the staff at the grass root level from the department Customs and Central Excise  is not able to comprehend its basic concepts and their implementation  . I am sure in the time to come those difficulties would get sorted out and country would be on a much safer ground.

It may be recalled that to save the tigers in the country Indira Gandhi the then PM brought Project Tiger ( in 1973) as the population of tiger which used to be about a lakh in the beginning of the 20th Century got reduced  to about a thousand. In order to save them from extinction  India came out to save them. The situation improved some what. But again the crisis at Sariska Tiger reserve in Rajasthan  in 2004 and later in Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh in 2009 opened the eyes of the government and they were forced to take some hard steps such as translocation of tigers within the state from one tiger reserve to another ( Ranthambore to Sariska  and  Bandhavgarh , Pench and Kanha to Panna ) and monitoting of tigers by having radio collars on them.

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Though the strategy of counting the tigers have completely changed so that the numbers can not be manipulated as the census of tigers is done by the Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun  through camera trappings but  there is hardly any control over poaching of tigers  as they command a premium in the world market. The only solution with the general public is to prey GOD to SAVE the TIGER (GST ).

 

Sometimes while shooting tiger in the wild  I could freeze some moments when it appeared as if he too is praying God to save him from the atrocities committed over them.

 

Let us all prey God to save the most magnificient specie on the planet so that the future generations can see them roaming on this earth.

 

GOD SAVE TIGER (G S T )”

Peacock Fight ——– After the breeding season by Sh Vinod Goel

Peacock Fight ——– After the breeding season

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Why do they fight is the natural question?. Can they not live in peace and harmony ?

I think they fight for the same reasons as the human fight.

They are also living creatures with emotions ,fear, hopes and dreams.

They fight to defend their territory, mating rights ,their mates and the food resources and of course their dwelling places however temporary they might be.

I have observed a number of birds such as mynas ,doves ,pigeons ,peacocks ,peahens ,house sparrows etc fighting during breeding and non breeding seasons.

Last year the breeding season was over by the month of September and most of the peacocks had moulted all the tail feathers .

I happen to observe a fight between two peacocks on 15th October 2016.The way they fought in the air and on the ground and the poses they gave were remarkable. I am sharing one of them . I am sure you will love it.

Like two wrestlers they fought . One of them slipped while defending the probable attack from the opponent which is still in the air ready to pounce on the rival. Yet another one in the vicinity is observing the fight as if trying to understand the tricks of the trade.

Enjoy the fight as I enjoyed the real fight from the eyes of my camera.”

About the Author

A retired civil servant by profession but a True wildlifer at Heart . Sh Vinod Goel started his journey from the tender age of 11 years, he left his home and parents for schooling in a hostel. Later on as a Civil Servant his job took him to various parts of the country of India. His very first visit to Kanha National Park in Central India in April 2004 ignited the passion for wildlife and has not digressed from that.

During the last 13 years he had been to more than 50 to 60 National parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Initially he visited the wildlife sanctuaries in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. He had been to all the National Parks of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Out of 50 tiger reserves in the country he has been to more than 20 tiger reserves and photographed tigers in 12 of them. Apart from tigers he has captured unbelievable moments in the wild.

Sh Vinod Goel is widely known in the wildlife community   and his work has been acclaimed globally. In his free time he can be seen capturing the unusual moments of denizens of the wild in various parks and sanctuaries of India. His daughter Nitya Goel Aggarwal and son Bharat Goel are with him in his mission.

You can also visit his page on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographyindia/

DPC Heritage Photowalk Beyond Chandni Chowk Black and white

Largest butterfly of India ….Southern Birdwing by Sh Vinod Goel

Largest butterfly of India ….Southern Birdwing
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Butterflies has always dazzled me from my childhood. I remember during our school days ,having the entire school complex at the edge of sea shore at Sainik School Balachadi ,Jamanagar, we had a garden compound in each of our house . On holidays students from one dormitory use to catch hold of butterflies from the garden and release them under a mosquito net for some hours and then release them finally into free atmosphere after a hour or so.
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Nature lovers have always been fascinated by their colours , wings and their flight. These are the most beautiful jewels of the natural world. In the present times they are often used as flagship species for the conservation purposes.
In August 2011 while staying at a resort in Cochin I happen to observe a large butterfly in the garden. Later on I came to know that it is known as Southern birdwing and it is the largest butterfly of our country. A big and a pleasant surprise for me.
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This is endemic to Peninsular region and found in abundant during and post monsoon season. Since our visit was during the monsoons it was a treat to watch even other butterflies.
The State of Karnatka has adopted it as their State Butterfly.
We all delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
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Can we learn from these jewels of nature and make this planet worth living not for ourselves but for the future generations.
Enjoy the beauty !

About the Author

A retired civil servant by profession but a True wildlifer at Heart . Sh Vinod Goel started his journey from the tender age of 11 years, he left his home and parents for schooling in a hostel. Later on as a Civil Servant his job took him to various parts of the country of India. His very first visit to Kanha National Park in Central India in April 2004 ignited the passion for wildlife and has not digressed from that.

During the last 13 years he had been to more than 50 to 60 National parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Initially he visited the wildlife sanctuaries in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. He had been to all the National Parks of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Out of 50 tiger reserves in the country he has been to more than 20 tiger reserves and photographed tigers in 12 of them. Apart from tigers he has captured unbelievable moments in the wild.

Sh Vinod Goel is widely known in the wildlife community   and his work has been acclaimed globally. In his free time he can be seen capturing the unusual moments of denizens of the wild in various parks and sanctuaries of India. His daughter Nitya Goel Aggarwal and son Bharat Goel are with him in his mission.

You can also visit his page on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographyindia/