Monday, October 22, 2012

Lesser Goldenback aka Black-rumped Flameback



It’s always fun to watch a Woodpecker, and it does really make my day. I must have written about quite a few Woodpeckers in last many years. From White-rumped to Rufous to White bellied ...so on. This one here was spotted in the outskirts of Siliguri (North Bengal) sometime back, indeed one of the commonest Woodpeckers in India they avoid forest and are found near human habitat that has open space with garden and old avenue trees. 

Of Birds and Birdsongs” is a collection of essays written by M. Krishnan (forward by Zafar Futehally, edited by Shanthi and Ashish Chandola). I must admit that my knowledge of such a great man was rather sketchy, this book therefore was a revelation. What an amazing man.  In one essay he writes about our education system that still is devastatingly true (though the other day i was reading that schools with support of Agriculture department have taken up vegetable gardens so on rather seriously):

One of the chief defects of our education is that it fails to stir or inform the natural curiosity of every child in the life around. This failure is so sustained, so gradually asserted and insidious, that no one notices it –and then one is through with school, through with college, and wholly preoccupied with a life that is blind to the rest of creation. Few people realise how complete this lack is, for it is a lack not only in our education but in our culture too.

Krishnan as is evident was not only a great Naturalist but also an influential writer, his knowledge and experience found precise expressions in words that knit seamlessly into brilliance. This is one book you must have.

The cover picture (a painting) of this book quite coincidently has a Flameback (indeed a Black-rumped). These few interesting lines on Flameback Woodpecker in inimitable Krishnan style ...

I find these woodpeckers fascinating. They looks ornate and outlandish, like birds out of a fairytale; and they run easily up the shear surface, or slip down it, with no change in the rigidity held pose but for quick, sideway transposition, they do not look like birds at all. Their movements have that quality of change of place, without obvious, free use of limbs, that suggests clockwork. ....Actually, these woodpeckers represent no exotic, romantic survivals, but only extreme adaptation to a way of life. Their chisel-tipped beaks sound bark and crevices for grubs and wood boring insects most efficiently, and their stiff tail feathers serve as props in their precarious stance. At first it may seem strange that things as flimsy as feathers should bear body weight, but the weight of these woodpeckers is surprisingly little, and the tail feathers only help, in an adventitious manner, as a third leg. Woodpeckers are so used to vertical surfaces that movement along them is normal and easy for them –have even been observed asleep, stuck on to a tree trunk”.

The reclusive Muthuvan tribes of Western Ghats

Irittala kudi is about an hour’s trek from Marayoor (Idukki district, Kerala),Vijayan mashe was the local contact person who arranged the trip, of course permission was taken from the forest department. The trek has scattered elephant presence so one has to be careful. Overnight wind had brought down the crops that preceded the forest land. I was told that the sugarcane grown here are much sweeter, Marayoor jaggery is acclaimed for its unique taste. We did visit one shack where they were making the famous jaggery. On the way Vijayan mashe pointed to a crevice along the hill and said this was where a man was trampled by an elephant few months back. The man was drunk and ambled to his home late one afternoon. The elephant didn’t like it a bit and rest as they say is tragedy.  

One of the most reclusive tribes in India Muthuvans are found in the Adimali and Devikulam forest regions of Idukki district of Kerala, the largest concentration is around the Anamudi hills, the highest peak of the Western Ghats. The Muthuvan settlement is referred to as ‘Kudi’ and their houses are made of bamboo reeds thatched with leaves. They are mostly dependent on the forest products and cultivate essentials like ragi, banana so on. In some areas cash crops like ginger, pepper, lemongrass etc are also grown.  Though they nurture cattle they don’t drink the milk; meat even chicken is eaten only on special occasions.
The word Muthuvans is derived from the word "muthuku" which means ‘back’ in the Tamil and Malayalam languages. According to tribal legend when dynasty of Madurai was deposed, they crossed the mountains into Travancore and on their way the Muthuvans were the ones who carried the idols of deity belonging to the royal family on their backs. Another legend speaks of them carrying all their belongings and children on their back, even now unlike other people in the region the women carry their children on the back, therefore Muthuvans.
Muthuvans are one of the few tribes that actively try to avoid outsiders. Indeed they even evade eye contact and turn away their face from strangers. Muthuvans have a tradition of maintaining separate dormitories for unmarried males (the picture herein), and females. After they attain puberty they stay separate from families, and women, in particular, avoid outside males.
 
"Muduvans follow the matriarchal system and have an innate fear of outsiders and strangers. They used to be shifting cultivators of ragi and rice. They are also adept at hunting and trapping game. Over the years, they developed a symbiotic relationship with the environment. Their keen sense of sight, sound and hearing coupled with an innate fondness for animals made them skilful trackers…Muduvans are proud race and were unwilling to work in the restricting environment of the expanding plantations. However, from the inception of these plantations, they have served as guides, trackers and game watchers" (The Story Of Munnar by Sulochana Nalapat)
The law and order in the community is handled by a council of elders under the leadership of the Kani, the headman. Another headman ‘Thalaivar’ takes care of social issues. The language spoken is proto Dravidian closely linked to Tamil (visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mv18CDWqaI&feature=plcp for video on Muthuvan songs) .  

from my scribble pad... 


Dissection of a Rat

Dissection of rat was a subject of study in school
disemboweled internals were identified and tagged
systems –Digestive, Respiratory, Excretory so on.
It doesn’t differ from us.
When the rat is cut, it dies
and stays that way
without any attempt to be alive.
Just like us.
We live and die
never making an attempt to be alive.
Where we differ from the rat
is never taught in the school.