Today , 20th March Is World Sparrow Day ..Where Have The Sparrows Gone?

House Sparrow, The State Bird Of Delhi, Has Been Driven Away By Pigeons ?

Has anyone seen a sparrow of late? I have not! And I am not surprised !! 

Our homes and the surrounding environment are infested with rock pigeons! Pigeon feeding is the latest fad which apparently wards off all evils and failures from our lives! How incredulous can we be! Where have our common sense and education gone? Are we now supposed to feed pigeons to make or break our careers and education? No marks are given to efforts or hard work – all credits go to the rock pigeons! Should I laugh or cry or get angry? I am going through all the three emotions now thinking, is this how progressive society functions!

Anyway, coming back to the sparrow- the whole infestation of pigeons has driven the demure, chirpy and cute sparrow away from the neighbourhood and our houses. We had studied in our childhood that sparrows live in the houses- on the balconies, roofs, cornices, hence are called house sparrows. However, I suppose the term has changed or has become extinct since it is no longer used. So, are we a witness to another species going extinct? If so, then it is very sad.

I fondly remember the sparrow coming and sitting on the window sill of my bedroom when I used to study with the window open. The high-pitched chirping would take my attention away from my books and I would look up to see how exactly the sparrow would chirp. I would slowly inch closer to it, in a vain attempt to catch it – but as always it would be faster than me and would immediately fly away as soon as I would reach the window. I would try and look into the trees to find out the sparrow's nest, but alas, could never see it! My wish to make it my pet, always remained a wish!

Summer holidays would mean waking up to the incessant chirping of the sparrows sitting on the big lemon tree in the garden overlooking my bedroom. I would get angry at the birds then – why did they wake me up so soon! I could have slept some more! Waking up would mean going back to morning study, which I would hate – that too in summer holidays! How insensitive can teachers be! I would have preferred chasing the sparrows in my garden, befriending them and bringing them into my room secretly, without my mother knowing what I brought in!

But now, my ears crave to listen to the pleasant chirpings which do not seem audible any more! My son has never seen a sparrow. I tell him stories about our childhood and show him pictures of what a sparrow looked like. He looks at the photos and tells me that these birds look very cute..and listens to my stories with amazement. His generation has never chased birds in the garden - it doesnt know the simple pleasures of seeing a bird stting on the window sill and observing its mannerisms, the swift as lightening movements and quick pecking of food from the grounds.

But I still hope against hope that the sparrow will not die such an early death and will be around for some more time. I still hope I will be able to sight it sometime…and hear the chirp once…before it leaves the face of the earth.

I sincerely hope that, the Delhi Government would take some measures to save its ‘State Bird’ from extinction!!

By Jaya Ray (rayjaya72@gmail.com) 9871718921

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Exam time- the time to put to test – knowledge, resilience, patience and perseverance

So..that time of the year is here…frenzied preparations, frayed nerves and fervent prayers! Exam time- the time to put to test – knowledge, resilience, patience and perseverance. Parents and students are up upon themselves to gear up for the most critical time of the year. This year marks the revival of 10^th Board exams after 10 years of semester based study and exams.  To ensure a stress free exam time, let us encourage all parents and students to do the following:

1.      Meditate for 5 minutes any time of the day. Locate a soothing sound and focus on that sound for 5 minutes with eyes closed. This simple exercise will help improve concentration power and focusing abilities.

2.      Think positively and do positive discussions with the students. Avoid negative and degrading comments.

3.      Have home cooked and light food to enable good digestion. Avoid outside and oily food. A healthy body will help activate the healthy hormones and required to activate the brain cells.

4.      Exercise a little bit everyday to ensure sufficient oxygen good blood circulation to have enough energy for the study times.

5.      Indulge in your hobbies and interests for a while everyday to feel refreshed and rejuvenated to continue with your studies with renewed concentration.

6.     Talk positive and maintain a healthy discussion and environment in the house- avoid negativity, pessimism and discouragement like the plague!!

Happy Examinations!!

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Wishing Delhi a Bright, Cosy, Healthy and Pollution -free Winter

Winter is playing hide-n-seek with Delhi. 

In this peek-a boo game, the mornings have become pleasantly nippy with the air whipped with fresh dewy moistness, fighting to win from the smoggy foggy heaviness hanging a few feet above the head. Evenings are resplendent with the sharp, heady and intoxicating frangrance of “Lady of the Night” flowers, that wafts across the entire colony , spreading a natural air freshener throughout this time, before the onset of winter. The wispy evenings punctuate the warm  and sometimes stuffy late afternoon air redolent with the pollutants, and soothe the nerves with numerous night blooms, so naturally grown within the precincts of the colony paths.

The ardent gardening enthusiasts utilise this time to replenish their much- loved gardens with fresh manure, changing the soils, and planting winter blooming saplings that will blossom very soon with all the love and care! Fresh flowers, kitchen gardens and rich green “Garden Crotons” or “Pata Bahar” in Bangla dot the balcony and roof gardens across the colony!

The time of the year when handicrafts fairs, music festivals, school annual functions and college fests fill the calendars and fight to entice the culture- rich Delhi population to their attractions. Picnics, pot luck lunches, lazy and sunny brunches, and bright and twinkling roof top parties are eagerly looked forward to by the party animals in the Delhiite!

In all these festivities, however, the gloom descends, when the X and XII students have to earnestly prepare for the pre-board examinations in December and January and subsequently the Board exams in February. Parents sincerely stay up to support and comfort their children during these trying times. Children are pampered by good food, comfortable environment at home and some sparkles of entertainment by their thoughtful care-givers! Wishing all the students great success in their examinations!

It is hoped that Delhiites become more aware about the pollution that gets trapped in the winter air and take care of their vehicles, so that the we get cleaner, healthier and lighter air to breathe this winter! Lets take all the care to make our habitat more habitable!

Here’s wishing a bright, cosy, healthy and pollution -free winter to Delhi!

Best
Jaya Ray (Habitat.Times@gmail.com)

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Aasche Bochor Aabar Hobey

Chittaranjan Park Strives For An Environment Friendly Durga Puja...

As the pulsating beats of the dhaki mellows down, a melancholic air descends onto the colony which was throbbing with myriad sounds, teaming with people and the familiar frangrance of “Dhuno”, the smell that typifies Durga Puja, “Durga Pujor gondho” – Puja is over for this year, we await next year i.e. “Asche bochor abar hobe”. The Bangali goes into a depression for a day or two, after 4 days of non stop festivities- more like a 4 day long non stop party! Puja in the morning and evenings are focussed towards gorging on multi cuisine fare, pandal hopping and endless adda (gossiping). Slowly life limps back to normalcy and the Bangali’s numb mind slowly comes back to regular regime!Odd as it may sound, but this is the actual scenario that grips Bengalis at this time of the year! 😊

In a first of its kind in Delhi/NCR, devotees visiting Navapalli Puja or more popularly known as Pocket 40 Puja in CR Park, were greeted with a stunning 50 meter long street art (Alpona in Bengali). Created by a motley group of 25 amateur designers and artists including children over a span of 2 consecutive nights and about 10 gruelling hours of hard work , the work of art has gone viral globally across all social media platforms, reaching even New York, London, Australia and Canada to all overseas Bengali population.

The concern for the environment has gone a step further this year, where in several Durga idols across Delhi/NCR have been created with natural clay, colours and decorated with hand made materials such as jute, gamcha (the quintessential Bengali towel made of cotton threads), bio – degradable thermocol, paints and jewellery and sarees made of clay. The result was evident during the immersion ceremony. Ashok Nagar of Faridabad district, has created the entire pandal and idol decoration with Jute and the Gamcha!!

B Block Puja and Pocket 52 Puja committees immerse their idols in the ground itself as a pioneer in preserving river Yamuna and lessening even 1% of the load on the river. That’s another interesting story. Maa Durga is driven around by B Block volunteers before she is led to the Immersion pit in the ground.  Then she is given a ceremonial farewell with complete religious chanting of mantras and shouts of “Asche bochor abar hobe”. The whole process takes about 3 hours . The area is cordoned off as soon as the ceremony is over. However, in Pocket 52, Maa simply climbs down from her dias and is given a fond farewell in gigantic tubs made of iron. Surprisingly in both the places, the idols melt away within 24 hours, proving the fact about the material being used to make the idols.

Pocket 52 idol has bagged the 1st prize in the Best Idol catergory and K block has bagged 2 awards in Best Pandal and 3rd Best Idol categories.

Armed with many firsts, CR Park is soon becoming a pioneer in organising eco- friendly and innovative Pujas and next year plans to have even more visually creative, pathbreaking and unique concepts to enamour and entice the discerning and artistic Prabashi Bangali (outside Bengal Bangali!)

Asche Bochor Abar Hobe! See you next year folks with more news on Durga Puja. Bolo Bolo Durga Mai Ki Jai!!

By Jaya Ray (ray.jaya72@gmail.com)

Picture & Video Credits Anindita Roy (Anindita1110@gmail.com)

Song by Jaya Ray

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Why I Love September

  September is a month like no other, the heavy rainy days slowly recede to give way to the ‘Sharad Ritu’ which heralds the beginning of the festive season. There is a festive smell in the air and I wait with a nostalgic feelings for the coming comfort of cosy October and November. Now that the heat of the summer and humidity of the rainy season slowly say good-bye, the sky will slowly clear and be full of white fluffy clouds. The autumn blooms of many flowers will begin to bud as we all await the arrival of ‘Ma Durga’. 

The autumnal equinox, which marks the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere, occurs at the midpoint of Sharad Ritu. On this date, the day and night last exactly the same amount of time.

The two Hindu months of Ashwin and Kartik fall during this season. It is the festival time in India, with the most important Hindu festivals occurring, among them Navaratri, Vijayadashami and Sharad Purnima.

During school days, this was the time for our 2nd terminal exams, which finished just before ‘Durga Puja’ and the autumn break would commence. It was the most delightful time of the year with the lovely weather of the festive season. As my Birthday also falls mostly amidst the Durga Puja, it was a doubly euphoric time for me. The Mahalaya song, which is now freely available on CDs, YouTube etc. was once to be heard  on radio only. We would wait for the Mahalaya Day as it marks the beginning of Durga Puja. 

The Euphoria of September still continues and my heart leaps with joy thinking of the coming festive season. Although in Delhi we do not see the Kaash phool or Catkins (phragmite grass flowers) which are symbolic of Autumn season (SHOROT KAAL) in Bengal, the blooming of harsingar (shiuli in Bengali) and its sweet smell do make the festive season fragrant.

So come, the beautiful people of Habitat , let’s celebrate September. We hope to take you to a journey through our eyes, of events & places and introduce some charming people from the neighbourhood to you.

By Anindita Roy ( Habitat.Time@gmail.com)

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