Shilonda Trail (Sanjay Gandhi National Park): Update

Here is an update to my previous post on Shilonda Trail in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Mumbai).

Last Sunday I traversed the Shilonda Trail again with few of my friends. Here is a bit of dope for those wanting to go on this trail. This trail is closed for the general public and requires special permission from the forest department to go. Good news is that the Nature Interpretation Centre inside SGNP provides this permission for a nominal fee of Rs. 50 per head, albeit for a group size of 10 people. In case you are fewer than 10, then a lumpsum amount of Rs. 500/- needs to be paid. The department issues a receipt so everything is above board. 

This time around our focus was on birds and we managed to sight around 30 species of birds (fewer than we expected - but that's luck). Our prize catch was a pair of Indian Grey Hornbill. However, we didn't get any good bird photographs... but got some decent nature and street photography images.


Check out the images here.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Shilonda trail - A walk in the woods!

Mumbai, aptly called Maximum City by Suketu Mehta in his book by the same name, is a city of contrasts. One such element is the presence of a National Park in the midst of what is India's busiest metropolis. Which other metropolis in the world can boast of such a privilege? To most Mumbaikars (especially of the types born and brought up in the city like me), the 104 sq. Km Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) brings back memories of an unspoilt childhood when our parents would take us to the park on a lazy Sunday for a jungle safari or an excursion to the famed Kanheri Caves (they are 2400 years old!) and of course those lovely school picnics. Alas, as we have grown up, and through the boom years, places such as these have only remained confined to memories for most people.

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Say cheese! It's the World Photography Day!

Today, across national boundaries, most photography lovers like me are celebrating the World Photography Day. Photography is a hobby which gives me immense joy and helps me discover this world in ways different from a casual observer. The thrill of having visualised something (a story or a moment) and being able to capture it "forever" is something indescribable. Photography has now been around for over 150 years and yet, as a medium of communication, it still remains the most powerful. This is owing to its ability to convey reality as well as the mood in a manner that directly appeals to the sensibility of the viewer.

On this day, I am sharing with you one of my favourite clicks - a picture that I took recently on a rainy Sunday morning while out on a nature walk inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai. While I was strolling inside the park and enjoying the greenery, I came across a house where a boy, seated outside on the rocks, was quietly observing a heated conversation between two people. As I observed closely, I saw that his face was melancholic (probably saddened by the commotion), he was poorly dressed and was looking in a direction away from the bicycle leaning against the house. That's when I took this picture...

Whither Childhood! - one of my favourite clicks!

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Bird Watching in Mulund 1

One gets to spot a number of colourful birds in Mulund (suburb in the North-East of Mumbai), which borders the Sanjay Gandhi National Park on the west and mangrove lined creek on the east. I spotted this one (excuse me for my poor avian knowledge) while peering out of my bedroom window whilst I was still brushing my teeth early this morning. Will keep posting more pictures as I spot them...photogrpahing them is a challenge since they are usually perched on some far away cable and appear at rather odd hours and circumstances like this one...while I scramble to get my camera out, they are gone! Poor illumination is owing to overcast skies.

Peace

A person meditates on the Murud beach early in the morning. Check out the sand around him. Most of the people going to Murud go for revelry to the Kashid beach, which was covered in one of earlier posts.

Sleeping Beauty

Early in the morning, when there are few tourists at the Alibaug beach, a horse decides to make the most of his idle time. Horse carts are popular on the beach and they even drive you upto the Kolaba fort (located in the sea) when the tide is low.

The morning train

Early morning (6 AM) shot of the Vikram Garh Alot station in Madhya Pradesh.