Jewels of the sahyadri plateau

Ah, this post is all about the jewels of nature. I wonder and I am certain that these little wonders of nature inspire us in many ways. That if we try giving a shape to objects around us and bring it in sync with the nature's theme, every design looks beautiful. Only when I carefully observe that I can find these little wonders more beautiful. Gorgeous in their design, symmetry and presentation. Nature has all its mathematical formulations to its perfection that we fail to understand the logic behind its formation. Those intricate details, symmetrical arrangements, their laws of attracting pollinators and protecting themselves by mimicking during attacks are some (among many more) of the interesting facts for me to wonder always. Some of those little jewels I sighted during my recent trip to Satara are presented below. 

Smithia hirsuta - the mickey mouse flower

Dipcadi montana

Eriocaulon and the pollinator 

Eriocaulon 

The trumpet flower - Ramphicarpa

Eriocaulon stellulatum

Cyanotis cristata

Impatiens oppositifolia 

Drosera indica - the carnivorous plant with a kill

Utricularia purpurascens

Rotala sp

Pogostemon deccanensis

Euphorbia 

Exacum lawii

Begonia crenata

fly on a Paracaryopsis flower

Ceropegia vincaefolia

Murdannia simplex

Habenaria longicorniculata 

Habenaria heyneana

Peristylus densus

Murdannia lanuginosa

Ceropegia media

Utricularia graminifolia

Aponogeton satarensis

(C) Srikanth Parthasarathy

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Wider Scapes' of Sahyadris

Presenting here some of the wider shots of Sahyadri landscapes. It is a real treat to visit the plateaus in the month of September and it turned out to be one awesome trip this time as well.

(Kindly click on the pictures to enlarge them)

The beautiful Kas lake in Satara

Sun shine on the gorgeous backwaters of Koyna in Satara

Breathtakingly beautiful backwaters of Koyna river in Satara 

Panorama of the Thosegar waterfall 

Yellow flowers and the backwaters 

Yellow carpets of Smithia hirsuta

Plateau overlooking the Kanher dam in Satara

Lonely tree along the yellow/green carpets of the beautiful sahyadri plateau

Gorgeous tree personified

Sahyadri slopes overlooking Urmodi dam

(C) 2012, Srikanth Parthasarathy

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the unconscious

Excerpt from the book Subliminal by Leonard Mlodinow

We all make personal, financial, and business decisions, confident that we have properly weighed all the important factors and acted accordingly - and that we know how we came to those decisions. But we are aware of only our conscious influences, and so have only partial information. As a result, our view of ourselves and our motivations, and of society, is like a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces missing. We fill in blanks and make guesses, but the truth about us is far more complex and subtle than that which can be understood as the straightforward calculation of conscious and rational minds. 

~~
Well, what I perceive, experience, the judgments I make and my actions are (to a certain extent) influenced by factors I'm not aware of. What I know is always limited.

and the unconscious is wonderful!

Srik

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the dilemma

Excerpt from the book The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen

When the best firms succeeded, they did so because they listened responsively to their customers and invested aggressively in the technology, products and manufacturing capabilities that satisfied their customers' next-generation needs. But, paradoxically, when the best firms subsequently failed, it was for the same reasons - they listened responsively to their customers, and invested aggressively in the technology, products and manufacturing capabilities that satisfied their customers' next-generation needs. 

--

Those are stunningly few simple and consistent factors determining the success and failures of the industry's best firms. The dilemma that sometimes doing the right thing is the wrong thing. 

Srik

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answer

that you are here - that life exists and identity, 
that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse 

~ Walt Whitman

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wonderful life

Excerpt from the book The One Straw Revolution by Masanabu Fukuoka

I do not particularly like the word "work." Human beings are the only animals who have to work, and I think this is the most ridiculous thing in the world. Other animals make their livings by living, but people work like crazy, thinking that they have to in order to stay alive. The bigger the job, the greater the challenge, the more wonderful they think it is. It would be good to give up that way of thinking and live an easy, comfortable life with plenty of free time. I think that the way animals live in the tropics, stepping outside in the morning and evening to see if there is something to eat, and taking a long nap in the afternoon, must be a wonderful life. 

For human beings, a life of such simplicity would be possible if one worked to produce directly his daily necessities. In such a life, work is not work as people generally think of it, but simply doing what needs to be done.

~~

Sigh. I have no comments.

Srik

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natural farming

Excerpt from the book One Straw Revolution by Masanabu Fukuoka

Pure natural farming, by contrast, is the no-stroke school. It goes nowhere and seeks no victory. Putting "doing nothing" into practice is the only thing farmer should strive to accomplish. Lao Tzu spoke of non-active nature, and I think if he were a farmer he would certainly practice natural farming. I believe that Gandhi's way, a method-less method, acting with a non-winning, non-opposing state of mind, is akin to natural farming. When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. 

~~

I am too curious to know and see (and do) the "doing nothing" in practice. While people do nothing these days, farming by "doing nothing" is really very interesting. Although literally it may mean not doing anything, it means that - one should not grow crops, but one should allow crops to grow naturally and enjoy seeing them while reaping baggage of benefits. Natural farming is a nature's way of growing food; it will involve very less human intervention. All one needs to do is to enable crops to grow naturally. 

Srik

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