Hey pap, outta my face! Our kite mamma is now extra sharp in her outlook Indian black kite, Milvus migrans govinda Kodihalli, #Bangalore Apr'23 #birdsofindia #nature #photography #birdseyeview #wildlife #getoutside #natgeoindia #bbcearth #indiaves #karnataka #nammabengaluru

Milk run around Halong Bay It took 200 M yrs about 500 M yrs ago for sediments & marine animals to be calcify into these 1,969 limestone islands with the typical shapes …& more for water to carve caves & passages thru them #vietnam #halongbay #hanoi #traveldiaries #geology

. The caves of Halong Bay . Dark and Bright Cave, Lan Ha/Cat Ba . . . #vietnam #halongbay #hanoi #traveldiaries #geology #geologyrocks #caves

A touch of #India in far #Vietnam Living temple by Cham king Satyavarman dedicated 780AD to mother deity of the Champas, Po Nagar, imbued with attributes of Indian Bhagavati (note her Mahishasurmardini aspect on central temple’s sukhanasi (pediment) #heritage #history #travel

Gen name #Tirumala given 1880 by EIC entomologist Moore cd've found specimens at the Hills But paid by qty (sp described) they named quite randomly! Sp name Greek nymph Limnaee, Ganges’ daughter! Blue tiger, Tirumala limniace Egmore Museum Jul'23 #butterfliesofindia #lifer

She's 2,000 yo & timeless #art Folds of skin, sway & tuck of dhoti. Bejeweled. Hairstyle. Full figure. Sculptor's womanly ideal or society's fertility idol? A national treasure: Didarganj Yakshi replica Govt Museum, Egmore Jul'23 #artofindia #worldheritage #fashion #history

In water, the white stripe helps to ID it fm a distance: pic 1 I’d a peek at its green sash visible when wings are open/in flight: pic 2 Can you pronounce its sp name? Ind.spot-billed duck, Anas poecilorhyncha Bharatpur Jan'23 #birdsofindia #throwback #indiaves #rajasthan

As an Indian watching #ISRO's telemetry, I imagined each of the 19 mins while #Chandrayaan3 braked @ 30 km up to touch down upright w/o damage amid rock & crater Reminded of Apollo 11's #MoonLanding & its plaque: We came in peace for all mankind Still feel like a kid today

This Indian bird traveled far w mariners as caged pets for their song & fighting birds in markets Now many jurisdictions exterminate it as a Most Invasive Species Love its sharp, perky gaze Red-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer Bharatpur Jan'23 #birdsofindia #indiaves #nature

Fast swimmers & divers chasing fish/insects But clumsy walkers, like penguins legs placed far back under the body  What’s the yellow patch at base of bills? A gape! Little grebe/dabchick, Tachybaptus ruficollis Jakkur Kere Jul'22 #birdsofindia #throwback #nature #indiaves

A “brahminy” w distinct white head on reddish-brown body Name continues w caste connotations still? Also shankha (conch shell) cheel in Bengali/Odiya. For the cheel's white head? How we name things! Brahminy kite, Haliastur indus Jakkur Kere Jul'22 #birdsofindia #indiaves

And then there were 2 Or 1 Or less: Only part of a wing No wonder it'd come indoors, away from the violent world It’s a gossamer-wing Lycaenid too Red pierrot, Talicada nyseus Kodihalli Sep'23 #butterfliesofindia #nature #citylife #indiaves #TitliTuesdays

It's common/Hindi name nilgai: neel = blue + gai = cow, but it's an antelope As big as cattle fully grown, the largest antelopes in Asia  Nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus 1. male, Gir; 2. female, Gir; 3. female, Bharatpur w/ a graylag Jun'22, Jan'23 #animalsofindia #indiaves

Linnaeus named its family Papilionidae (papilio = Lat. butterfly) Commonly swallowtails for the prong on hindwing They’re large in size & hold the world’s largest butterflies Tailed jay, Graphium agamemnon Jakkur Kere Jul'22 #throwback #lifer #butterfliesofindia #nature

Those blissed-out eyes That indescribable smile The sharp features on a lush face Isn't he beautiful? A #Chola classic Poetry in granite Anandatandava Nataraja ~1020-30AD Gangaikondacholeesvaram #temple, garbagrha S wall W corner GKCpuram #art #dance #history #jewelry #travel