Sights and Sounds of Nature

Image via Wikipedia (Map of India showing Uttarakhand - in red colour)

I usually stay with my in-laws whenever I visit Dehradun. They live in the cantonment which is thankfully green and peaceful (and a couple of degrees cooler) as compared to the madhouse that Dehradun has become ever since it was declared the capital of Uttarakhand. Going to the city on an errand has now become such a pain that one tends to postpone the chore unless it is an emergency. Negotiating the 4-5 odd kms now takes an eternity thanks to the phenomenon of traffic jams, ineffective policing and indisciplined and rash drivers who deserve a sound thrashing for all the choas they create on the road. (What a pleasure that would be if I were so empowered - the thrashing I mean !!)
Living in the cantonment, however, has its rewards - especially the area adjoining RIMC - which is green and abode to a wide variety of wildlife. One does not need an alarm clock to wake up early in the morning. The cacophony of the birds does that job very effectively. Living in concrete jungles most of the time I had forgotten the melodious sounds which emanate from the jungles in Uttarakhand. I have tried to record these sounds in the following video clip. Turn up the volume and try to decipher the songs of the mynahs, bulbuls, koels, parakeets, wild fowl, sparrows and ravens. This orchestra starts everyday at around 0500 hrs and I am lucky to have a ringside seat. Living with nature could never be better !