Television may even cost life:

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How funny? There are television enthusiasts who have a fancy to copy every thing they see on a TV or some movie in a picture hall. There is a story published by the media that there were two boys who saw a hanging scene as a part of some picture on TV. The horror sort of the scene left a deep impression on their mind and they decided to go for a rehearsal of the same themselves. One of them offered to play the role of the man to be hanged and the other one opted to act as the Jallad (hangman). They faulted in playing their roles with the result that the boy who was doing rehearsal of the man to be hanged got really hanged in the process as the mock executioner had too tightly tied the noose around the neck of the other boy and it failed to open at the last moment. More than the boys, necessary precaution in fact might have been exercised by their guardians in the household as the growing adolescents are not supposed to be cautious enough against their activities of adventurism.

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If cry for moon materialises to reality?

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An alternative to the planet Earth is in the offing and may be the next inhabitat for the humans is the planet Moon, something that has all along been an utopia and a material till now confined to only imaginations. The very adventure like this is likely to materialise during the year 2015 if the gigantic plans so undertaken by NASA go well and unhindered. These efforts are likely to make human inhabitation possible on Moon with their compacted colonies. To what extent the venture is likely to be compatible with whatever are the basic needs of the humans on Moon with their colonies there only the time will tell. May be this acts as an alternative to accommodate the awefully increasing population growth on Earth.

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King of forest in a deep slumber:

A friend of mine on Facebook Ved Gupta made this snap of his available to me as a courtesy and I just couldn’t resist the temptation of using it as a post on my blog as this looked to me as some thing not only fantastically fascinating but an object of a rare picturization. The one who could capture a dreaded wild animal in such a calm posture deserves all praise.

Technorati Tags: lion in sleep,slumber,wild animal,posture.  http://gallery-neelkanth.blogspot.com/2007/04/face-to-face-with-tiger.html

Panic on 10th September

The news that the world is coming to an end  on 10/9/08 let loose a day before by the media shook the globe causing a sort of havoc everywhere. Almost all the religions of the world talk of something like a Dooms day in some form or the other suggesting that some day sooner or later the whole world has to collapse bringing the live existence on earth to a nullity. There is no reason to dispute this belief as even scientifically it is believed that different forces on earth and also the stars continue clashing amongst themselves which process has to culminate into a doom. Law of Nature prevails and no amount of disputing it can alter the element of Destiny. Like everything is commercialised these days, so is the case with this phenomenon. Media took it as a hay day for attracting more of traffic to their sites on TV and internet. They highlighted the potential event in a manner as if they owe a solemn responsibility to convince all that the world was really to end on the 10th September this year and none is to survive thereafter. It was too much of an exaggeration. Potential events must be given due coverage but why they be given a shape beyond proportions is not understood. Causing too much of frightenings only demoralises the current human generation and this must not be taken as an area to commercialise it from marketing angle.

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Innocently fearless

Hunters visiting forest with full paraphernelia boasting of their shooting capabilities is a common scene, most of them being poachers. They are abundantly equipped with arms and other accessories for the purpose. This exercise is normally for commercial purpose but there are people resorting to hunting as a move of chivalary on their part. In earlier days there was nothing like poaching and hunting took place normally to do away with a menace on account of wild animals including tigers or even wild dogs making intrusions in the nearby villages killing goats and other cattle and also injuring and killing humans mainly children. My father being on a personal visit to Nishangara range of forest on Nepal border, he was approached by the locals there complaining against such untoward incidents occurring very often with mention of one particular tiger requesting him to remedy the menace by killing it. My father was a sharp shooter and he took the job to himself. Accompanied by a few others he entered the forest in a bullock cart. The villagers had already given him necessary clues as to where the tiger could be hiding himself. Near the spot he targetted the tiger and fired from his rifle. It missed as the tiger was hiding himself deep in the den behind thickly bushes and trees. There was a big roar cleaving the atmosphere making every body terror stricken. A local shepherd who accompanied my father asked for a permission to enter deep inside the bushes and recover the bullet that was fired ingnorant as he was that once bullet goes out of the barrel it was a consumed item no more of any worth. My father lambasted him telling that the tiger is just a few yards away and how come he was throwing himself into the jaws of death. His reply was '..don't worry sir, I have this axe with me' to face the beast. My father was amazed but admired so brave and courageous a gesture on the part of the shepherd. This was by all means an innocent act of a great bravery which feature is not uncommon for the villagers residing close to a forest.

Awe inspiring

The very mention of 'awe inspiring' is denotive of some thing very ferocious causing a sense of fear, a sense of terror. It actually prompts me to make a reference to one of my posts based on real life story with the link http://gallery-neelkanth.blogspot.com/2007/04/snake-my-room-mate.html . This is just by the way and may be is of interest to the author of 'aweinspiring.us'. Getting back to the very instant topic, it may sound frightening but no worry, there is a device to overcome the fear by exchanging these limited two words to a link in the similar name as pasted at the end of this paragraph. Not much of fear as such but the web site is undoubtedly full of features and informations of much worth to the people which, when accessed, opens a flood gate of materials/ inventories of interest.http://www.aweinspiring.us/

Visiting abode of a ghost

Just a few kilometer away from Nainital, there is an abandoned sort of a place called 'Bhoot Bangla'. During my visits to Nainital on numerous occasions I ventured to take a trip to this place with a dilapidated building standing as a witness to several mishaps that occured there. The stories that many a visitors had to face the wrath of the ghost in many ways, thrashing, beating and even killing, are a common narrative offered by the limited few locals there. This building was originally meant for being used as an observatory by the British during their rule in the country. An engraved script denoting different geographical locations of important places nearby is still visible in a dormant form on a raised platform. I wanted to stay there for the night but was not allowed by the security. What could be managed as a special case for me was the permission to remain there till late hours in the evening as against the normal practice of vacating the site latest before sun set. Waiting till late hours was of no result and I was to return when all of a sudden the lights were gone, there was a big thunder and it looked like the volcanic storm with a mountain of dust blocks was to engulf us and swallow. I asked my men not to abandon courage and patience and face whatever was to come our way. Turbulence continuing for a few minutes, every thing subsided. The locals told me that but for the reason that it was a crowd of men with me the situation was bound to prove fatal otherwise.

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Down deep to the bottom of the river

Down deep to the bottom of the river it was a death chamber where some casualty or the other used to occur every now and then when some enthusiasts had a swim to a particular spot from where they never returned or returned dead. It was river Saryu flowing by the side of my school 3 KM away from my house. I was in my early teens. There was strict monitoring to see that no boys are allowed to go to the side of the river which used to get turbulentlly violent with its waves turning more and more aggressive at times. There were two minaret sort of pillars from where the expert swimmers and divers used to take a plunge into the river to adventurously enjoy its ferocious mood. To satisfy my anxiety as to what could it be there at the bottom of the river that caused some casualty every now and then, I couldn't resist my temptation to reach the spot to know the mystery. I had to swim the distance, take a dive on the spot and reach the point. I got breathless and had to abandon the search reaching the surface back. I tried again and this time I was able to locate a big log lying across the river. This log had a big gap in between which gave way to stormy currents of waves passing through it doubling in strength and pressure on account of the passage being too narrow to accommodate them and it was the very point where divers lost their control and were swallowed by the powerful gush of waves. Realising the situation, I clung to the log with whatever resistance I could afford not allowing the pressure of the currents to overtake me dragging me to a drowning point. Almost half dead in the process, I could somehow manage to reach back the surface. When I shared the mystsery with others, they were shocked in amazement but were equally so joyous on the great suspense being over. The news broke like a wild fire, huge crowd was there and the event was celebrated as if it was a big victory.

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Attacked by a snake

Torrential rains overflooding the total area in a semi urban locality where I used to stay for some time, there was hardly any road, street or a pedestrians row track visible any where. No way out and I had to make it to reach my college some how or the other. Removing my shoes, stretching my trousers upward, I started for the college locating the partition tracks forcefully pressing my toes on the ground. Now it was the end of the track where a nallah with heavy waves was flowing. Picking up some courage I continued moving on stretching my legs right and left to secure a passage. By the time I could make it to reach the other side of the nallah I was exhausted to the point of gasping for breath and felt like I was to collapse. Picked up some courage again to start further but this time it was a snake raising its hood towards my toe looking like it was more an attempt to engulf the toe than directlly attacking me. I knew that there are certain types of snakes in flooded waters who are not that poisonous but their bite can cause problemitic infections coupled with after effects of whatever little poison element they have. Its gaze being ferocious, I felt frozen as if crippled but could make it to decide as a last moment device to move on further without retracting. These are the common stories in the rural areas that if you try to run away backward the snakes get more prone to attack. The trick worked and the snake swiftly turned back taking a plunge into the waters.

Technorati Tags: snake, floods, torrentialrains, attack

Disregarding a chance

Call it luck or give it some other name when an opportunity comes your way and you either don't take notice of it or just ignore and disregard it. Such a behaviour only compels a person to feel that possibly luck is the factor that works in different situations. Returning from a long outing by train, I had to take a bus from the railway station to join my new assignment in a remote rural area where I could reach in odd hours around 3am. It was shivering cold of a chilly winter. When I got down from the bus I noticed a beggar covering himself with a rotten blanket haggardly stretching his palms for some alms hardly getting any response from the passengers. I felt moved and offered him a one rupee coin which in those days was enough for a cup of tea with some eatables. He got angry and, fiercely gazing at me, started hurling his choicest abuses on me throwing away the coin I gave him into the bushes nearby. Unable to make out as to what could be the reason that caused him so much of provocation to behave this way I opted to keep quiet. Shivering and crying he was non stop continuing his abuses on me. He got further furious when I tried to ask him politely the reason of his anger. He roared at me telling 'you guys take pleasure in insulting the beggars. Why can't you fellows give me atleast a five rupee note?. I was shocked on this kind of a reaction on his part. I was told by some locals that he behaved like this with every body and whatever money he is asking for is not to be used for a cup of tea or some breads, instead it was to purchase some wine. I was also told that for days together he doesn't take any food but can't live without wine. The whole day and even thereafter I felt engrossed in thinking whom to blame for this. Possibly none excepting himself as it was he to direct a system to his life and no body else. Others could only assist him but if the assistance so offered was not accepted in a proper direction, what else others could be expected to do. Branding such a state of living as a matter of luck can't be justified as the terms if very often used as an excuse only. Luck is one phenomenon and no intentional lethargy or inaction on the part of an individual can be taken at par with it.

Face to face with a tiger !

Stories from jungle are always a natural interest and this one is a real life adventure supporting the saying that even the beasts don’t turn violent or behave otherwise unless harmed or provoked. I was in my pre teens unable to apply a full leg pedal while bicycling on trenchantly deep tracks meant for bullock carts. I was at my maternal uncle’s village on India-Nepal border. He was highly respected a man commanding so much of respect and had a business enterprise dealing with big grain merchants from Nepal. This business centre was around 4 KM away from the village and most of it was just a dense forest. Boys were not allowed to move alone, more so on a bicycle –if some one was allowed as an exception, ofcourse with necessary security precautions, it was taken tobe a big priviledge for him. One such favour was at a stage bestowed on me and my joy knew no bounds –my bicycle moving through the forest I was more happy than terrified with a zooming silence at times pierced by chirping birds, howling monkeys and roaring big cats. I was feeling so chivalrous within myself but it was so shortlived. I noticed an animal figure with some spots here and there on the body reclining on a patch of grass behind the trees by the side of the road. I had no chance of seeing it earlier but my instincts alarmed me and I was terribly frightened on the sight. Shaking and shivering with the fear of Unknown, I felt like my breathing stopped and I had to exert for gasping it. The animal was obviously the one not to tolerate any intruder nearby –man or animal. The animal gotup, moved with a royal gait aiming his piercing gaze at me making me feel that I am nearly devoured. It was hardly a distance of not more than a yard and half between him and me and I felt I was collapsing. He halted for a moment slightly lowering his head and with a small pause moved forward to the other side of the road disappearing in the bushes across a cluster of treas unhindered, undisturbed. On reaching the shop, my elder brother (maternal Uncle’s son) was terribly amazed seeing me in my haggard looks raising a volley of questions and when I could waveringly narrate to him the entire episode he cried saying it was nothing but a Tiger and it’s only a miracle that you are safe. He distributed sweet to celebrate my safe landing. The elders talked that but for the reason that the tiger must have been in a relaxing posture after prey followed by sumptuous meals, the boy returning unhurt would have been just out of question. They also talked that unlike human beings, tigers normally don’t attack persons causing no harm.

Snake, My Room Mate !

During my graduation, I had a single room tenement in a sort of an abandoned house in a village at the outskirts of the city –the locality was called Dhusah.After my classes plus six hours in the library besides some tuitions and certain frugal outings, I used tobe in my room for rest of the time where a snake was my regular companion.
To overcome sleep, I used to concentrate on studies by going through the books in a standing posture reclining my back to the wall or the closed door when overtaken by fatigue. One day I noticed something crawling just near my toes.To my stupefied amazement, I came across the two small but glaringly bright eyes focussed on me –it was a snake, pitch black and half curled with tinies of hair on the tail.I felt like taking a leap forward out of panic but could restrain myself for the fear that this was to give the snake an easy contact if it was to attack me.Holding my breath, I could somehow manage to neutralize myself remaining totally static without giving any reaction at all.My instinct alerted me that unless you are aggressive to others,others don’t attack. It was past midnight and I felt fully drenched through skin with perspiration out of fear –the fear that anything could happen to me any moment. Apart from the fact that mine was a body crippled and incapacitated to afford a shriek with a monster’s gaze fixed on me, I also thought that any cries on my part could have virtually proved tobe the ones in wilderness in those odd hours of the night. Somehow I managed to leap a shift to my cot nearby. The snake swiftly crawled, had a few seconds stop over partly clinging to one of the legs of my cot and slowly moved to the threshold corner of the other door in the back –ajar with a yawning gap.There it settled for a while and disappeared.The very punctuated move on the part of the snake only indicated that to whatever destination it headed, it was certainly its permanent abode.
Relaxing or lying in the bed being out of question, I counted the time by fractions of each moment for morning to dawn.Next morning when several boys and the elders of the locality assembled, they decided in one voice to trace and kill the snake arguing that it was a grave potential danger for every body in the locality. It took no time for them to get armed with sticks and daggers. Some of the enthusiasts appeared with a bag full of chilly powder to spray and blind the snake in the event it goes aggressive and attacks. On my opposition to any such move,they started howling with a murmur that ‘this boy is here to kill everybody’. One of them told me in an aggressively raised voice ‘look, if you are killed, don’t call us’. The next one snarled ‘let him die, if he dies how come he will come to us. Let us go’. They dispersed.
Returning from the college the next day, my class fellow,who volunteered to join me in my room for the night,accompanied me. Both of us felt so uneasy with none else from the locality turning up to console us or to give us some courage.Discarded, we felt totally abandoned, disheartened.Any effort to sleep or be on studies was just out of question.Both of us had to buckup ourselves for any eventuality that could be in the offing.Our own whispers frightened us on a slightest possible thud nearby.Even a small brittling toss of tree leaves sounded like a hissing.Light in the room was not switched off with a view that whatever is to occur should be visible atleast. Tonight the Snake will not spare us was the thought dominantly hovering in our mind throughout.
Something like a soothing breeze abruptly overtaking the silence of the room, there were the same two bright eyes with a dazzling gaze.Quite slowly the snake was coming out of the cavity and within a few minutes it was visible in full shape –long enough and thick.We took a sigh of relief when it stopped moving forward beyond a certain point.Fear part reduced, we passed the night with some ease.
Next day onwards it became a scheduled phenomenon.The Snake used to retreat to its cavity only after I left for the college in the morning to appear to surface in the late hours in the night giving me a disciplined company as if it was protecting me.Such a protracted schedule continued for nearly a year and half after which my session was over and I had to packup to go back to Bahraich,my home town. Surprisingly it was unusually much more of proximity it showed almost touching my toe fingers a night before I had to vacate the room going back my home.But next morning when I actually left, it was no where there.I continued delaying my departure hour after hour with a fond anxiety to get a last minute glimpse of my companion keeping my eyes consistently glued to the cavity.It only looked deserted and abandoned.There was nothing, nothing but a swift breeze responding to my strained looks.I felt like crying.Left with a heavy heart desperately looking back to the roof top of my room with the suspense if still there could be something speaking of my companion.