Guests at home - Part III (conclusion)

Well, I am back with the updates of bird family. Last weekend when I returned home I saw that the eggs had hatched and the chicks were out. The mummy bird was not around most of the time as it was busy searching for food to feed it's little ones. It used to visit it's chicks once in a while to feed them. I peeped among bushes and managed to take a snap when the mummy was not around.

The chicks were hairy and the feathers have yet grown. They were in their little cozy home all the time waiting for their mummy. Monday morning, I left to Bangalore to resume work and on Tuesday morning my dad found that the the chicks were not in their nest. He started hunting for them and found both of them on ground, exploring the surroundings. He put them in a cozy basket filled with dried grass.

The chicks appear to have grown slightly. He kept the basket on the top of our car near the nest so that the mummy bird finds it. After some time the mummy came and on seeing the empty nest started hunting for it's chicks. It soon found them in the basket. By this time the ever inquisitive chicks were out of the basket and had started exploring the car's top. Seen below, the mummy and the chicks. The mummy must have let out a sign of relief after seeing it's young ones, phew!!

After some time my dad transferred them onto ground near the shrub as he wanted to take the car out. That was the last he saw of the chicks. After some time when he returned, he did not see the them where. Not sure what happened to them. They could not fly as their feathers had not grown completely. It seems the mummy bird came couple of times later hunting for chicks. We all felt it's grief. I wish those chicks are out there somewhere, safe and I hope the mummy finds them. Thus, the Guests at home series concludes here.

That is all for now. God bless the chicks and everyone!!!

Visit to Gundbala

I had been to my native village Hudgod during first week of June . During this vacation I paid a visit to Gundbala. People who hail from Uttara Kannada district are familiar with the pilgrim importance of the place. A small village located in midst of the Western Ghats Gundbala is synonymous with Yakshagana, a famous folk art of Karnataka. Lord Lakshmi Venkatesh and Aanjaneya(Hanuman) are the presiding deities of temple and every night there is a performance of Yakshagana for the Lord. The Yakshagana performance is carried out during non-rainy months, the performance starts during the month of December and ends by May last week before the monsoon begins. The interesting fact is that all the performances are for the Lord. The performances are part of harake(sacred vow) that is pledged by a devotee for a return of favour. Here are some snaps:

The temple gate which faces the Yakshagana ground. The temple is located among the coconut and arecanut plantations.

The entrance of the temple.

The deity of Gundbala.

The Yakshagana ground with the stage, during the day. The stage faces the deity.

The Yakshagana ground during night. The play starts at night after the arati to the deity and continues till early morning(snap taken by my brother).

A Yakshagana artist performing in a play(snap taken by my brother).

Another picture of the artist(snap taken by my brother).

We visit Gundbala every year. This year I could not attend the Yakshagana plays at night but paid a visit to the temple during the day. My family had reached the place 2 days earlier to attend a thread ceremony and they attended the night pooja and the play.