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An unusually tall stately tree, shorn of all leaves dominate the fore ground of my home sumptuously blessed by nature. On a moonless night, it inspires awe, even fear, its sprawling branched in all directions appear like a giant with countless arms. But hold!, look at it yet again, and linger your gaze. And youContinue reading “A White Giant”

‘After a time, civil servants tend to become no longer servants, and no longer civil’; thus spake the irrepressible and witty Winston Churchill. Our own Prime Minister seems to have better opinion of them. Just a week ago, addressing the Civil Services’ Day function, the PM invoked the phrase ‘steel frame’ for the IAS. ThisContinue reading “Appraising the IAS on Civil Services Day”

Mahua may be commonly associated with an indigenous liquor, uniquely fragrant and pleasantly intoxicating but its uses are far too many, and its place in many tribal societies of India irreplaceable. Among its many roles, the one where it becomes their saviour in times of extreme scarcity and hunger is perhaps the most extra-ordinary. ItContinue reading “Magical Mahua – Part II”

“Mahua, oh Mahua, thou art my love divine.  Thou dost fill my heart with joy,  and my soul with wine.” (a popular folk song celebrating Mahua tree and its products) Few trees in the Indian sub-continent offer such generous gifts to the people as does the famed Mahua tree. Its a tree whose economic benefitsContinue reading “Magical Mahua-Elixir of Life”

As I stand near a Mahua tree one early morning, the sweet but heady fragrance of its flowers assail my olfactory senses. It is intoxicating. A carpet of soft white pebbles spread before me and as an April sun slowly rises on the eastern horizon, it leaves a sun-dappled tapestry on the ground, a sightContinue reading “Mahua O Mahua!”

The long and majestic driveway to the colonial bungalow of my son, which is my temporary abode these days, fascinates and charms me no end. Lodged for long hours in the front open verandah of this opulent house, it never tires me to behold this Asoka lined wooded passage.  On a late April afternoon, asContinue reading “Falling Leaves From Asoka”

Part II NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR Mission) One shining example of this collaboration is NISAR – NASA-ISRO SAR Mission. This joint Synthetic Aperture Radar mission between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aims at launching a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite for Earth observation.  Satellite Aperture Radar(SAR) SyntheticContinue reading “NISAR – Synergising  Technological Excellence and Diplomatic Heft”

Part I On March 26, 2023 ISRO, India’s Space Research Organisation, launched a clutch of 32 satellites through one Satellite Launch vehicle(SLV), firmly establishing once again, her capabilities and credentials in the sphere of space technology. Most of these satellites were of other countries. That brings into sharper focus the rationale and reward for usingContinue reading “NISAR – Synergising  Technological Excellence and Diplomatic Heft”

“The blood-red gleam of nonpareil Amidst thy glare is hid so well That none can know ‘tis bowered there With scarlet flash of tanager;— Nor,—faraway, in heat of day—— A crimson stain against the green—“ Arguably one of the most beautiful and attractive arboreal inflorescences in the world; and decidedly so in tropical countries, fewContinue reading “Gulmohar – The Resplendence And Glory of Fire”

Introduction A swathe of sylvan magnificence, the heavily wooded official residence of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Chhindwara, is lent unique majesty by the sheer number and variety of trees that embellish the property. A simple walk in its groves is an indulgence in the lap of nature, making one oblivious to the dust andContinue reading “The Fragrance of Divinity”