Birds of Greenwoods City

We'd been birding a few years before moving to Greenwoods City in Gurgaon but our yard birding got the much needed impetus on moving to this residential complex. There are 5 landscaped parks in the complex and each proudly sports tree groves or at least a row of trees on its periphery. One in front … Continue reading Birds of Greenwoods City →

Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon

Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity Park in Sector 52 Gurgaon is one of the few public parks in the city that gets some noticeable--albeit inadequate—attention from the city administration on its upkeep. A walk around this 2 acre park gives a clear impression of someone’s best intentions on its design and purpose but its poor upkeep … Continue reading Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon →

Birding as more than a passing interest

I started looking at birds closely about 14 years ago. I can estimate this time somewhat accurately as I still remember my first focused birding walk of that long ago. It was in Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary on a wintery morning when my son, Kabir was just over a year old and we were ill prepared … Continue reading Birding as more than a passing interest →

Roasted imli seeds

I’m a big fan of suparis. My absolute favourite are big pieces of chikni supari, dried paan and some mixes that aren’t overly fragrant or coloured. But I try consciously to not let them become an obsession. After all, how good would be betel nut, and all the additives used on it, for one’s stomach … Continue reading Roasted imli seeds →

Long time no blogging…

...but there have indeed been lots of enjoyable and some productive things happening. For now, two pieces of writing that I want to archive through the blog are these: Women’s Web gave me space to share tips on Online Networking for the Self-employed. I like the way Aparna Singh used her gentle but persuasive follow-up … Continue reading Long time no blogging… →

Positive vibrations

Today's post from Seth Godin is just one among many notes I've come across today on the need to maintain a positive outlook. The interesting revelation that Godin's post makes out of all those, however, is that we think negative because it feels good and is a lot more fun! He helpfully adds that negative … Continue reading Positive vibrations →

Happy Birthday, Kabir!

Today is Kabir's 13th birthday. He believes it to be an important milestone as now he starts his tryst with teenage years. I'm more concerned than ever because already for 2 years he's been exerting his right to keep long hair, walk with a swagger, speak with a heavier voice and more. All that tells … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Kabir! →

Learning Urdu in a Novel Way

Over the years, I've found that I like the sound of some Urdu words and even without working too hard, I understand many because they are used in Sindhi—my mother tongue. Some common ones that quickly come to mind are lafz, khabar, vaqt, tang, haalaat etc. However, there are many words used in gazals that … Continue reading Learning Urdu in a Novel Way →

To me Diwali means…

… rediscovering the power of Vim and Colin! Each year about a month before Diwali, I’m sort of convinced that the festival will be a peaceful affair for me because of my diligent house-cleaning the whole year long. As the day gets closer though, seemingly insignificant corners of the house start appearing important for … Continue reading To me Diwali means… →

Yamuna Bio-diversity Park

May 31, 2008 After mulling over it for several months, finally I zeroed in on a day when Kishore was in town and enthusiastic about driving as well as birding; when birding-friend AMS agreed to explore the Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) with us and Kabir was safely ensconced in Bangalore with his grandparents so didn’t … Continue reading Yamuna Bio-diversity Park →