Sir Dietrich Brandis

Sir Dietrich Brandis

Well, this German is known as the 'Father of Tropical (Indian as well) Forestry". He and his ilk taught us to plant trees like "cabbages", "carrots" etc. A trained botanist, he was deputed by the Crown (which one,well the English one, buddy) to set up the Indian Forest department in 1864. As a man with a thorough attitude and skill, he did a fine job.

This man loved plants. I was at Dehradoon, India last December. Dehradoon is known as the "mecca" of Indian forestry. I don't know why it is still called like that!!!!! Forest science has gone a long, long way forward, fellas. another Colonial hangover, may be......

I walked through the tree collection by Brandis. Wow....it has to be seen....After all, as a true Dendrologist (tree botanist), Brandis had much passion for trees. He wrote a big fat book called Indian Trees as well.

The walking trail of the great German forester

Really proud to be in the midst of this Green Umbrella by him

ONAM: a Green Festival

ONAM (Oh num) is the state festival of Kerala, India. It is a harvest festival, celebrates the glory and prosperity of a rich, bountiful harvest of plant products from the farms. 

This festival falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam (now in August). This month follows the lean months of rainfall. With Chingam, the sun re-appears after 2-3 months of hide-and-seek with rain clouds. So chingam is springtime...the green umbrellas after a long battering of heavy downpour  stands up and produces flowers of all hues and shades. At least in the countrysides, one can hope to see the Dashapushpams (ten flowers). I don't see all ten of them around, except in the newspapers.

Yes, Onam is celebration of prosperity. People spend money to buy new clothes and also to travel to their ancestral home (digging out own roots!) and have a good onasadya (Onam feast on the 2nd day of ONAM) on a tender plantain leaf. Really mouth watering........

Yup..wihout the green plants there is no ONAM. Onam is a celebration of plants and only when plants are conserved, be it paddy or Dashapushpams, can we celebrate ONAM. 

No doubt, Onam is a Green Festival. 

Thiruonasadya: It is all green here

Floral carpet called Pookalam

A close up of Pookalam-flowers, flowers....

Puli (tigers and leopards) raiding me!

Kallavumilla chathivumilla......Pranamum Thampurane

Chengaloor GLPS

This forenoon we were in Chengaloor GPS in Puthukad. We held the farmers' seminar and the "mini exhibition" there. As I wrote before, COF focused on Puthukad to educate our graduates about villages, villagers and their lifes (Do Kerala got real villages???). While dreaming about how to do the module, my sub-conscious mind recalled Bapuji's dream of "every village youth going to town to master the skills should come back and serve". How beautiful & True. I thought to give Jithinnath and his friends a memorable lesson.

But these days the youths rarely come back. Instead they "uproot" & "transplant" their full family to the town. If every village in India becomes self sufficient, India will become the superpower that it is projected to become. Only possible if our youths are willing to spare their mind, muscle and time for their rustic brethren.Even if they chose to be in the town.

Lemme come back to GLPS. I have seen innumerable schools, especially GLPS. My journeys to conduct the election took me to several schools. Every school greets you with a large open space-the play ground. Not Chengaloor GLPS.

Not that this school is not having a play ground.  It is there..the difference..strategically located Green Umbrellas...The kids can run (they must run..how else can they develop the muscles and balance?) just freely around, but they are protected from the tropical SUN by the green canopy above. 

The beautiful small school

the Fig with its arms spread

Bauhinia grove...Oh ho.....congrats teachers and kids

 

 

 

de Vaa-zha yum 

Look and learn

Karaskrithathin kuru paalil...........

I salute the human beings who hoisted the "GREEN UMBRELLAS" here very long ago. Tomorrow, in our independence day, our future generation will hoist our tri-color under the safe canopy of these gigantic trees.

Chennai..Singara Chennai

Chennai or Madras is always a lovely place. For me, it's a city where history sleeps..It has a valuable past and paints a bright future as well.....The public transport is a mascot of an administration concerned about social welfare, &, at the same time, ecological footprint. I derived mental pleasure in riding in the city bus. I frequently brushed aside Sreepathy's criticism..he called me a "miser" for not opting to use his Bullet or an auto rickshaw.

Strolling thru the galis (thanks to Shiny, I walked alongside her like a kid) I saw dirt, slum people and their lives....maybe I will be able to do something, some time.....when? i don't know! India has to go a long way, no doubt.

Coming from a quiet, relatively  dust free, smoke free area, I naturally choked. Yes, I was in Chennai for 2 days. I was disturbed by the noise pollution. A "disciplinarian" (discipline is a perversion?) like me naturally did not like how Chennaites drove their vehicles of all types from the now-getting-rare bullock carts, bicycles and the M Benz. I was not at all angry, though. On the other hand, I was surprised to feel the urgency and positive spirit of the Chennai folks.

Naturally, I wondered about the "Green Umbrellas" of Chennai. It is everywhere........copper pods, Lannea coromandelica (I learned that this is a good avenue tree, Thanks Chennai) & much more.........

Polyalthia longifolia-the green umbrellas in front of Southern Railways

Another view

trees are elastic and plastic...Pruned & shaped up

Plants give you anti-oxidants!

beat the heat and cholesterol as well

The Green Umbrellas shielding GOD-live and let live

Shiny going green for lunch in Anna Salai

The Green Umbrellas of Madras High court

Tree breaks to cut noise and dust pollution

The street might be busy...the pavement is however "green"

  

congrats & Thanks........Chennaites for opting the Green Umbrellas.

maatu-mala of Puthukkad

Once a grass topped hillock..now a "lake"

Afrikan payal

Stone is money?????????.

A grand canyon indeed..but be careful 

The Maattu-mala is a strategic hillock in Puthu-kkaad in Thrissur district. One can catch a full view from its top. Well nestled between large green umbrellas of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis)  trees, this hillock, seemed to me like a grass topped large boulder. This area was largely avoided by the locals and was traditionally a haven for maadu (cattle)..hence the name.

Yes, a big boulder is a commodity, and it has, naturally to be traded. Like how we do with soil & sand. And trade, they did, ripping open and converting most part of it into a large monstrous "lake"(??)! Locals told me that a corpse which was finally fished out from the depths was "frozen". Now they are planning a boating facility with rope-way facility on it. Yup..cashing on the opportunity..thatz a gud economic brain...... 

I was there on Aug 31 with my green army for unfolding green umbrellas over the left over earth with Emblica officinalis (Amla) - giving our bit to convert maatu-mala into a nelli mala . The local MLA & the Panchayath authorities all planted amla seedlings. 

Prof. C. Raveendranath, MLA planting a nelli seedling

 Yes, we were on a "Green Puthukad" mission.

environmentally friendly consumer behavior

.....now..this a eco-friendly consumer beahviour! 

I keep a tray of one-sided paper for printing.....and I also only print very occasionally

The top-scoring consumers of 2010 are in the developing economies of India, Brazil, China, in descending order (Greendex 2010).

Achatina fulica..is that another dracula?

Snails out to destroy vegetation!!!!!!

After the mealy bug, here comes another Dracula...the Giant African snail..Kudos to the young ones whose observation threw light on a potential invader of our green umbrellas.

Achatina fulica (Bowditch)

The newspaper hints at an impending menace, which prompted me to do a hasty compilation. Here it goes....

East African land snail, or giant African land snail,  is a species  of large, air-breathing land snail.

Known as one of the worst invasive species in the world.

Shell colouration is highly variable.

It is a herbivore, eats a wide range of plant material, fruit and vegetables including sand and concrete (as calcium sources for its shell).

The snail is a nocturnal feeder, but may remain active during the day. In dry weather, it burrows into the ground or crawls under shelter where it can remain for several weeks or months.

The Giant African Snail can be baited with metaldehyde.

The chemical is poisonous to the snail if it eats the bait; and also if it comes into contact with the snail’s foot, causing the snail to dehydrate.

The pellets should be spread evenly on the ground around crops in doses of 2.0-20 grams per square metre, depending on the metaldehyde concentration of the product.

Scattering on non-crop areas is not very effective.

Baits should be checked every few days and renewed as necessary.

Kakas and Messis..where are they actually headed?

These fellas did not "trouble" SA much, but they might well do that here.....

Yes, I am talking about football only...The entire attention was in S. Africa, agreed. India also was nowhere in the scheme of things. But in this football crazy Kerala of India, a toddler will easily lecture you on Kaka or Messi, and now Diego Forlan as well. Such was and is the frenzy for Joubulani (no matter the brand, anything round that can be kicked around).


U have to see to believe it. Posters & huge cut outs of mainly Brazil & Argentina. Fans swearing and celebrating every fall and rise of their team and dream stars.....


Post July 12, no one seems to care. Most of these posters, they call it "FLEX"..I think it is made out of some plastic based synthetic material. What is going to happen to these billboards of all size and shapes that is there almost in all small junctions in Kerala?


Some possibilities....

1. They will be safely secured away by the fans.
2. They will be forgotten and slowly it will release itself and fly off in the wind. And finally it will itself settle down in a safe place in the local drain or pond!

Scenario no. 2 is most likely to happen.  

My dear local Kaka and Messi, how eco-friendly is your football frenzy?

love the native

This news by our leading daily is really disturbing (Flowers are not for ever?), but, yes, not at all surprising.

Given the kind of fascination for Western style landscapes, tropical people are also busy chopping off plants. In our attempt to create very appealing greenscapes, we kill so many native flowering plants. After all, in a neatly laid lawn, for which we might have spent a lot of bucks, we don't wish to have "weeds". Right?

But, it is not just the plants, our native ones, are killed...As I wrote before about the trees, every plant harbours or shelters a wide variety of living organisms. Go out and take a close look. Yup...the plant is a vital link of the food web..By snapping it, we start a chain reaction of extinction processes.

We may need lawns and neat gardens..but let us also give some space to our local fellas (read plants).  

Hartal and how green is it?

Hartal (har- thaal)- I dont know from where this word came. But I know that in my small Kerala it means total shutdown..when a call (Yup..the politicians give it..there also seems to be a website dedicated to it) is given for harthal, people strike work, dont move out their vehicles and stay put at home.

Post harthaal, we dont forget to conduct talks and endless debates about "economic loss" on account of lost man hours.

My bright masters student, however thinks otherwise. He sees a "green" opportunity here. Since the vehicles stays home (I remember reading about the vehicle density in this small Kerala state-it seems to have overtaken USA!), the emissions on hartal day is very low. So, hartal days are actually carbon nuetral..argues Anish.

Well Anish, Keralites might be saving on carbon emissions, but look what an average Malayalee does when left to do nothing? Like in hartaal days...Watch TV endlessly, gobble up oil-fried snacks (that include chicken tikka and the like). All these are highly energy-intensive. You spend electricity to run the TV, fan, AC (if it is there) and fuel to cook. By over-watching we are creating more demand for electricity. Same is the case with food stuffs. And this is no "green" either.

So, isnt' the carbon nuetral gained (???) out of harthal getting offset by our "not-so-green" actions at home?

What is the trade-off, Anish?

the plant strikes back at the dracula

The plant has finally struck back!. The pappaya (Carica papaya) in my backyard did escape the plant 'dracula".

.....a few posts earlier I had written about the devastating mealy bug menace in pappaya species here. Hundreds of pappaya fruits first looked as if they had changed their green coat to white..these white cottony stuff of the mealy bugs covered it fully..Slowly the fruits shrivelled and the leaves were attacked, pre-maturily killing it too.  The whole plant was left looking like a leaf-free pole!

I thought to axe down my pappaya at a convenient time. But look.......

Once-I-thought-"dead"-pappaya, vigorously branching

branches

More branches

.....and the branches are so green

To hell with mealy bugs!

The bugs attacked the pappaya in summer, when the plant underwent severe water stress. Now, when the rains came down crashing, the plant chose to strike back. Nature is an equal opportunity employer.....the survival of the fittest.

What next? Who will have the last laugh? Let us wait and see. I am sure of a local enemy for the mealy bug, today or tomorrow.

Clitor.., vulva and nature

The plant world is truly captivating! Nature is a breathtaking engineer who has created a myriad of life forms. For long, men had noticed and explained the likeness of some of these natural designs with another one.


The flower of one medicinally important climber of the pea family, Clitoria ternatea is a stand-out example.

Flower of C. ternatea

The flower per se is conspicuously similar to vulva, which has inspired it's generic name "Clitoria".

FIFA World CUP 2010 & Pulle

Come on..I thought these fellas were playing on grass! Curiosity drove me to find out the grass (yes, Poda Pullae stuff) type that is there as that "green blanket" upon which these "golden boot dreamers" meticulously maneuver the Jabulani (I hope the Made in India latex bladder of this ball is natural).

Net teaches me that it is not entirely natural in South Africa! The playing surface, it seems is of natural grass enhanced by artificial fibres. The pundits claim that grass roots will intertwine with the fibres to create a solid, more even structure.

Technology, technology...................

the Damoceles sword of Green Umbrella

I was, the other day, discussing with a KSEB friend of mine about tree planting here in Kerala.

Come South West monsoon (ida-va-paathi), the electricity dept people of Kerala run helter shelter attending to power snaps. Atleast some of the times, the culprits are the trees...some windthrown as such, some had broken branches...all falling upon supply lines and interrupting power. Poor elec dept people...now this rainy season they have another enemy in the form of FIFA World Cup. Power has to be restored at any cost! Rain and football has combined to give elec dept people sleepless nights!

Though I had strongly (in one of my earlier post) criticised elec dept's callous way of pruning of trees, they have a point. Tree planting activities, including those taken up by forest dept and others show little attention for the overhead power lines. So in a matter of months, it is the turn of elec dept people to come and weild the axe and chop off indiscriminately (My friend confessed that they do kill the sapling/tree so that they can sleep peacefully!).

So, before you plant, please look up towards the heavens and make sure that no power lines are dangling overhead.

green salute to Prof. Maathai and Prince Albert II

and others as well....for going out and championing the cause of trees.

Let more and more tree seedlings be planted on Mother Earth.

billion trees campaign

Wow! Keep planting.......

Should'nt horns of vehicles be more greener?

This opens up another question. Do plants respond to sound? Yes, if some of the experiments can be beleived. Published material is definitely available claiming that plants do respond positively in response to sound variations. The range of tolerance is still of course a raging controversy.

Ok, if that is the case, plants like us, must be enjoying some sound (maybe good music notes) and at the same time, "frowning" at some high, atrocious noise.

Like may be that sound, when the driver of a vehicle will blow and blow his horn to get clearance to pass.

So, cant our vehicle manufacturers fix horns that is more soft on plants also?

how to b happy?

me@punjab agricultural university botanical garden, Ludhiana

The best time to plant a tree?

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today..so said a wise guy. So virtually every "good" day is ideal for planting. No Matter, whether it is World Environment Day or not.

But show good care in chosing the "right" species. What is your real motive to plant ? If it is to provide shade, choose a species which will have an evergreen canopy. So like wise, the choice of species varies depending on your end objective.

the tree seedling you are planting today is small..but in years to come, it will become a huge one. So plan well in advance. Make sure that it is planted in the right place and is given sufficient space to grow out-both the shoot and roots!.

After planting make sure that it is protected and nurtured. Most people dont do this caring. Care well for the seedlings that you plant. Make sure that it grows well and unleash a "Green Umbrella" overhead.

ടു ഗെറ്റ് സാല്‍വേഷന്‍ സിന്‍ ഫസ്റ്റ്

ഒരു "തരത്തില്‍" ഗ്രിഗറി രാസ്പുടിന്റെ തത്വങ്ങളെ ശരിവയ്ക്കുന്ന ഒരു പ്രക്രിയയില്‍ ഇന്ന് കേരള ജനത മുഴുകി.   

ലോക പരിസ്ഥിതി ദിനമായ ഇന്ന് (ജൂണ്‍ 5) ഒരു ബഹുജന മുന്നേറ്റം  തന്നെയുണ്ടായി വൃക്ഷതൈ നടാന്‍. കേരളത്തെ വീണ്ടും ഹരിതാഭമാക്കാന്‍. പിഴുതെറിഞ്ഞന്നത് തെറ്റായിപോയിയെന്ന്  മലയാളി മനസ്സിലാക്കി എന്നത് വളരെ സന്തോഷം നല്‍കുന്ന കാര്യം.  ഗുഡ്.  ഇതുപോലെ ഒരു കൂട്ടായ്മ ലോകത്തിനു തന്നെ മാതൃകയാണ്. ലെറ്റ്‌ അസ്‌ ഗിവ് ദി ഓര്‍ഗനായ്സര്‍സ് എ സ്റാന്റിംഗ് ഓവേഷന്‍. ഈ കൂട്ടായ്മ ഇനി മറ്റു മേഖലകളിലും കാണിക്കാം എങ്കില്‍ കേരളം ഒരു സിങ്ങപ്പൂര്‍ ആവും. ആക്കാം. (മിക്കവാറും ആക്കും)

മലയാള മണ്ണില്‍ വീണ്ടും പച്ചകുടകള്‍ നിവരുമ്പോള്‍ മുമ്പ് നാം തന്നെ ഇവയൊക്കെ പിഴുതെറിഞ്ഞത് നമുടെ പരിജ്ഞാന കുറവ് കൊണ്ടാണോ? അതോ സാന്ഗേതിക മികവു കൊണ്ട് പ്രകൃതിയെ നമ്മുടെ വരുതിക്ക് നിറുത്താം എന്ന മൂഡ വ്യമോഹത്താലോ? ഓര്‍ക്കുക, നേച്ചര്‍ ഈസ്‌ ആന്‍ ഈകുല്‍ ഓപ്പോര്‍ച്ചുനിട്ടി  എമ്പ്ലോയെര്‍.

ഇന്ത്യ ഭൂപടം  നോക്കിയാല്‍ ഒരു "പഴംപൊരി" ആകൃതിയില്‍ കാണപെടുന്ന കേരളം മഴയാല്‍ അനുഗ്രഹീതം തന്നെ. സഹ്യനില്‍ തല ചായ്ച്ചു വച്ച് ഉറങ്ങുന്ന കേരളത്തില്‍ മഴ പെയ്യുന്ന സ്പീഡില്‍ തന്നെ വെള്ളം ഒലിച്ചു അറബി കടലില്‍ എത്തും. പെയ്യുന്ന മഴ ഭൂമിയില്‍ താഴ്ന്നു ഇറങ്ങണം. എന്നാലെ വല്ല പ്രയോജനവും ഉള്ളൂ. കുടിവെള്ളവും വൈദ്യുതിയം ഉള്‍പടെ എല്ലാം.

മഴയിലൂടെ വരുന്ന വെള്ളം മണ്ണിലേക്ക് ഊര്‍ന്നു ഇറങ്ങാന്‍ പ്രകൃതി തന്നെ കണ്ടുപിടിച്ച ഒരു മെകാനിസമാണ് സസ്യങ്ങള്‍. 

ഇവ ഭൂമിയുടെ പുതപ്പും കുടയുമാണ്. കാരണം, പണ്ട്‌ ഒരു മോഹന്‍ലാല്‍ പരസ്യത്തില്‍  പറഞ്ഞ പോലെ "ദാ വെയില്‍യെന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു കഴിയും മുന്‍പെ അയ്യോ മഴ" എന്ന പോലെയാണല്ലോ കേരള കാലാവസ്ഥ. മഴ വെള്ളം ഭൂമിയില്‍ ഇറങ്ങാനും ഭൂപ്രതലത്തെ  കടുത്ത സൂര്യരശ്മികളില്‍  നിന്നും സംരക്ഷിക്കുക എന്നതാണ് സസ്യങ്ങളുടെ പ്രധാന ജോലി. ഒരു കാലത്ത് നമ്മുടെ തറവാട് വളപ്പുകള്‍ "മഴകാടു" കളെ പോലെ ആയിരുന്നില്ലെ? സൂര്യനെ കാണാന്‍ വയലുകളില്‍ ചെല്ലണം. ഇന്നോ?

അതുകൊണ്ട് അനാവശ്യമായി ഈ പച്ച കുട-പുതപ്പു നശിപ്പിക്കുക വഴി നാം മലയാള മണ്ണിനെയും മലയാളിയേയും നാശത്തിലേക്ക് തള്ളി വിടുകയാണ് എന്നുള്ള കാര്യം മറന്നു വാഴരുതു. ധെയെര്‍ ഈസ്‌ നോ അനതെര്‍ ചാനസ് ഫോര്‍ സാല്‍വേഷന്‍!

ഈ സുദിനത്തില്‍ എല്ലാ മലയാളികളും നട്ട തൈകള്‍ എല്ലാം കുട നിവര്‍ത്തി ആഗോള താപനത്തെ തടയിടട്ടെ.