So what do you do when you’re a turtle? Meet Houdini
The modern time’s Houdini isn’t a magician, but an entertainer from the Coyote Hills State Park in Fremont, California. He is about six years old and had to be moved to Coyote Hills since he was always escaping from his previous home! Now he is in a 6 x 1 tank. Is that big enough? No - not for Houdini, but that doesn’t deter him from being his own self.
Meet Houdini
By the time I reached him, it was time for lunch. The care taker had just put in a colorful bunch of fishes that would last him about a couple of weeks. Houdini loves fishes, and from what we could see, he loves fish food too. For he gulped all the food that the care taker had given for the fishes to eat. And then, he would take his time to chase the fishes around, till he could snap one into his mouth.
Houdini hunting
So what his Houdini doing when not eating or chasing fishes? He is “exploring” - all that he could from the confines of his 6 x 1 home. He is very curious and its easy to believe that he would scramble out of his tank very frequently. And for people who are equally interested in Houdini, he would take time to pose!
Houdini posing for pictures
Join the Regional Parks and help save other Houdinis that are still struggling for survival. For more information, write to photoduniya.com
Photoduniya projects - visuals from San Francisco
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PHOTOduniya Projects - Preface From time to time, various facts of life inspire us to think more, to dig deep and find some meaning. Often the pictures give a message and sometimes they just becomes memories. Whatever be the situation, each provide an inspiration to explore. Many a times, my readers would prompt me to think! And then to take up my camera. It’s always interesting to have a new perspective on the same subject, or sometimes, if I am fortunate, have a new subject or composite altogether. The current projects that I am working on are detailed below. The usual duration of a project is about six to eight months and often involve many people behind the scenes. Should you want to participate in any of the current projects or share your thoughts, please write back to ranjaymitra@hotmail.com. Your feedback is always welcome. Should you find yourself in any of these pictures, please do let me know. I shall send you a copy of the picture my mail. |
Artists, some true from their hearts, and some plain simple cons, the streets fledge with a monsterous combination of artists. From painters, to jazz players, from jugglers to psychic readers, San Francisco streets boast a varied collection of vendors each striving to make a living. This series plans to put together a collection of street artists and their art.| Body Art - Tattooes, Piercings and Styles (0707-001) - Drawing Board |
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This project is still in the Drawing Board or otherwise known as the conception phase. I got interested in the intensity of emotions and sometimes the story that always go behind a body ornament - be it a piercing, or as permanent as a tattoo. This will also cover other decorative styles of body art. This is strictly an aggregation of body art work and I shall maintain indifference to any of the cult or religious implications of such an ornament or art work. Participation : Your participation would help with a better compilation. Please do write back to me at ranjaymitra@hotmail.com if you would like to participate. You are most welcome.
National Geographic published an article back in January 2006 on the grandeur of the Grand Canyons. The article, aptly named, The Unexpected Canyon (http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0601/feature3/), with photographs from Mike Nichols, reveals the immense possibility of challenges and discoveries that the canyons still hold for us. Apart from being a geological treasure chest that reveals of our past and evolution, the grand canyon has been a strong beckon to tourists, explorers, hikers, naturalists and climbers for ages. The fact that US government has preserved the land in its own shape and form and the land requires some amount of hardship to reach and explore, probably raised the charm amongst the visitors. But business and the lure of exploitation could not keep away from this treasure spot for long. The sky walk, built by Californian businessman David Jin, was envisioned in 1996 and finally open to the public in March - April 2007. Charging $25 per visitor, this is planned to be a strong attraction for tourists. David Jin would collect the money for 25 long years (averaging a low of 100 visitors a day, this could be as much as $ 60 million dollars). While on one hand lies the question of the Hualapai tribe using their priveledges to rent the land for income (they will own the skywalk while David Jin keeps half the money for himself), on the other side, lies the technical ability of the structure to hold on safely for so long. The 70 feet walk, hanging 4000 feet over the Colorado River on the Grand Canyon, is built by steel and glass drilled 40 feet into the porous canyon walls. Read the article on National Geographic here. The original article read “It’s the most iconic of American landscapes, yet the Grand Canyon still has the power to surprise.” As long as the bridge is the last of such surprises, its good news. And as long as another amusement park does not invest another few millions to create roller coasters, I guess, we are happy. For those of you who have not heard his name, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz is the Director of Science and Exploration for the Wildlife Conservation Society . It’s a Bronx Zoo based wildlife nurturing and ecological preservation agency that does world wide researches and undertakes preservation and conservation initiatives. I recently saw one of the documentaries by Dr Alan Rabinowitz made by the National Geographic Society - titled In Search of the Jaguars. It details the life and the heroic work of Dr Alan from his early days growing up in Brooklyn, NY to the rest of his life spent in an undying effort to save the Jaguars in Central America. Although the Jaguar project of Central America has taken up the most of Dr Alan’s better life, he is also known to discover the smallest deer species - the leaf deer and communicating with the Tarons - the Mongolian pygmies who faced near extinction. The documentaries are published in his book “Beyond the Last Village“. While you read and see his work, you get to realize what an immense source of strength this person had been throughout his life. Refusing to give up at daunting challenges, he has fought over twenty five years of his life for the safety and preservation of some of the most fragile species and cultures of our planet. Today, while his Jaguar project has gained some momentum and has interested similar minded conservationists, Dr Alan Rabinowitz is facing a harsh reality. He has been diagonized with Leukemia. But not deterred by his physical challenges, Dr Alan Rabinowitz continue to lead the conservation initiatives till today. You could read more about him on the web at Save the Jaguar. As a last note, the Wildlife Conservation Society runs completely from donations and some of their most critical projects are funded out of donations from people who want to save this planet. |
