It was Durga's first visit to our new home. We hoped she enjoyed her vacation here. In one week at Dharwad she had come out on 4 bicycle rides, saw a fabrication unit, saw Khadi Kendra at Garag, visited a village, began crochet lessons, and started reading Ramayana. Deepak joined us on July 2nd. We had planned a ride for the morrow. We have three bikes with us and we needed four for the ride. I borrowed a friend's bike for a day. My heartfelt thanks to Raju for his timely help.
July 3, 2021 We were up by 3-15 am and ready to start the ride by 5-15. We took one of our usual routes ...Toll Naka BRTS Stop - U-Turn just after Ozone - Jubilee Circle - Mini Vidhana Soudha - KCD Circle - Haliyal Naka - Dasankoppa junction - German Hospital - Police HQ Ground ...we took a short break at the ground. Then we proceeded towards Hire Malagiwad where we stopped at Sri Mallikarjuna Gudi. Pushpa went in for a darshan. Deepak's bike, a well used Montra Blue, had a minor issue, the mudguard was lose. The issue was fixed in a minute with a keychain Swiss Army knife.
Riding back towards Dharwad...
...Deepak was riding after two years but he was doing well. The bike Deepak was riding, a Montra Blue was 15 years old yet its gear system worked like new. Our next stop was a kilometer away.
Whenever we are on this route, we usually stop at this temple- Panduranga & Guddada Veeranjaneya Devastana -for some time. The white colored canine recognized us and Durga was quick to give him a treat of Parle-G. The canine finished off one full pack, very demanding guy he is.
The two temples axis are perpendicular to each other. The point where the two axes meet is where this Peepul tree stands. It must be a 7 to 8 YO tree. Morning walkers love to sit under this tree before starting their return leg.
This was one spot we could get a group photo. We tried taking a selfie including the bikes, simply did not work. To our luck, the temple priest's daughter Kavita came, still sleepy eyed. Pushpa and I had met her earlier. That's Pushpa teaching Kavita how to frame the picture and shoot. The canine is curious.. hey, include me too!
This is Kavita's capture. Thank you little one.
The next part of the route is my favorite. Its a dirt track with flanked by greenery. This road runs parallel to Dharwad-Hubli bypass road and hits Dharwad-Goa at Kelageri village. On Goa road we saw a few solo riders and a group of ten or so teenagers out on their bicycles. Somewhere on the way we had decided to touch 30 km mark. To stretch the route I decided to head towards Karnataka University campus. Instead of taking vehicle's route, we rode along Kelageri shoreline which ends at a locality.
The ride through the locality was uphill, a series of left & rights until we reached Dharwad-Haliyal road. The road into the university campus too is an uphill one. Deepak was lagging behind at places but he was consistent and determined. Into the campus the first thing we did was to stop at Nandini outlet for a tiny cup of Badam flavored milk. Deepak and Durga hadn't seen Krishnae Ficus. We rode down along the fence and found a gap, in we went with the bikes straight to the tree. With one month of heavy rains, the garden had become a jungle. It was beautiful!
Our next destination was an uncle's place. On the way out of the campus, the railway crossing was closed. The wait wasn't a long one, less than five minutes.
As we resumed our journey, Deepak suggested we have breakfast. Yes, it was a good idea. I quickly shortlisted a few decent eateries and selected the one near Lakshmeshwar Gardens. There was some confusion while ordering and ended up eating more than I intended to. Anyway, the next leg was a short ride to Mama's place where we spent around 30 minutes. The four bikes- two Montras and two Firefoxes. Good bikes!
The final leg is going to be a bit of torture because of full tummies, long break and city traffic. Nothing could be done about the first two, there was a way to deal with the third one.. take a slight round about with few uphill stretches. Never mind the uphill roads, safety was more important. We reached home around 9-00. Here's a screenshot from Pushpa's phone.
Never realized we touched speeds of 30 kmph. I guess that was on Dharwad-Malagiwad road.
This sweet selfie painting has been done recently at the renovated Dharwad railway station. I don't think many people have seen this yet. Surely this would be a hit with youngsters.
It was around five weeks since we had moved into our new home. One afternoon, after lunch I was reading when I heard a buzzing sound from the sit-out. I saw a swarm of bees in the balcony, some of them had clung on to the safety grill. The numbers were increasing by the minute. We just stood dumbstruck watching the bees. They settled and everything was still. This was the first time being so close to bees and it was a worrisome situation. How do we clean the sit-out, how to water the plants? Around 4-30 pm, the buzzing started again, then they swarmed out suddenly, thousands of them cleared out in a minute.
24-02-2021 at 3-05 pm
We were relived that the bees left. I'd shared this experience with my brother. He told this was a scouting trip, they might return if they liked the spot. Apparently there were bees at his place too. And, they did return after three and half days. Looks like the bees tried out few more spots and voted for our sit-out. The bees settled and there was lot of movement, probably they were moving material for constructing the comb.
28-02-2021 @ 1-05 pm
After two and half days, the colony was compact and a taking a regular form. I mustered the courage to take a closeup.. there's a hole of some sort. Gradually the hole closed and the colony had a smooth surface.
02-03-2021 morning
After four or five days later another swarm occupied a corner of our sit-out. The corner opposite to the sit-out door. This swarm was smaller. Just as we were getting used to one group another group came in. Yet, we managed to clean the sit-out floor and water the plants.
08-03-2021 at 5-50 pm
At present we had four hanging planters and we had plans to add fourteen more. But with the bees it would be tricky to hang the planters. The smaller colony suddenly vacated one afternoon.
20-03-2021 at 5-30 pm
That's the honey comb of the smaller group. The comb is barely two inches in height. I guess these bees found a better spot and decided to shift.
20-03-2021 at 5-30 pm
We got used to the bees but we were careful always. Things went on... we got more planters and plants. Hanging the planters was tricky because the shocks going through the steel members of the grill agitated the bees. When they are agitated, they together ruffle their wings creating a hissing noise. It a warning to stay clear. As I was placing double hanging planters close the colony, a planter jerked. In a flash eight or ten bees took off. I just ran inside and closed the sit-out door but one had managed to get into my hair and one into my tee shirt. I got stung by one. The pain usually lasts couple of hours and diminishes. With a minor incident I managed to hang 6 double hanging planters i.e. 12 of them. We had to keep the remaining six planters on the floor for some time.
23-03-2021
My mind wouldn't rest because of the pending work. After days of thinking, I planned a sting operation. The plan was to hoist the planters with rope and hook them to the grills. Operation Dawn. Apr-9 4-30 am I went to the roof, lowered a rope with a loop into our balcony, Pushpa put the loops over the planters' hooks. Then I hoisted the pots and positioned them on the grill. We communicated through mobile phones, earphones plugged into our ears, we tried to be as silent as possible. Totally three columns (3 double hanging planters) were hoisted. Mission accomplished. Thanks to Pushpa's bravery because she was closer to the colony. Next was watering the planters next to the colony. We used to lower a 1" PVC pipe from the roof, one end into the planter. The pipe delivered water right into the planter.
28-03-2021
Bees are hardworking and disciplined. Everyday hundreds of bees would fly around hive for few minutes and then settle down. It was a sort of process where they repositioned themselves in straight rows. Max space utilization. It was Pushpa's observation that when the bees leave their positions, crawl over each other randomly, its time they would be flying out and then resettle.
When friends & relatives heard of our bees there was a variety of reactions. Bees bring good luck. Some said not good. Few had noticed our bees were the dangerous type called "Thogarjen." Some suggested us to drive them away by spraying chemicals or by creating a smoke cloud. I made it clear to myself that driving them away was out of question. They'll leave when they want to. They chose our place because they felt secure. They minded their business. So why disturb them. We started liking the bees. Always busy. They even collected nectar from our plants. Pushpa would go to the sit-out window and talk to them: tuppa kodri tuppa :) meaning give me honey.
01-05-2021
Few friends would enquire about our bees like we enquire family members :) A school friend would share links about bees, we would chat about their organization, behavior, etc. Truly bees and ants are intriguing creatures.
One day the colony seemed overcrowded. Bees were hanging in chains and dropping to the sit-out floor. The one which fell wriggled few minutes and went still. Dead. Hundreds of them died in matter of three days. We had to clear heaps dead bees.. sad to see but they have a short life span. I guess the colony was undergoing a change... older bees were making way for the new new bees.
07-05-2021
Around the middle of May, bee count had reduced. We could see gaps, honeycomb was visible. The numbers kept reducing to an extent that one face of the comb was just half full i.e. only 75% of the honey comb was covered. On Jun-14th we had stepped out for some work and returned home just after noon. The honeycomb was blank, not a single bee in sight.
14-06-2021 at 1-10 pm
Around 5-30 pm when we watering the plants, one bee hung around for a moment and vanished. The following morning when I was removing weeds from the planters, one bee touched the back of my head, then flew close to my face before vanishing. I felt they wanted a back up unto they were settled at the new spot... wherever their new home is.
Here's a series of three close-up shots of the honeycomb.
Amazing isn't it?
Bees are truly amazing creatures. They are born engineers & artists combined.
We miss our little friends. Wishing they come again.
PS: I was wondering why they had to migrate when the place was comfortable and safe. Their average lifespan is 15 to 38 days in summers and 140 days in winters. In three months, 3 to 4 new batches have come and gone. If they continue staying in one nest, the younger generations will not get an opportunity to build a honeycomb from the very first step, even though the bees are programmed to build honeycombs. So a migration gives the newer bees to put their embedded skills to practice. Just sharing my thoughts.
This ride was one of our longest. We left home around 5-30. This was our route: Home - Navalur overpass - Court Circle - Dasankoppa junction - German Hospital - Police HQ - Chikkamaligwad - Kelageri - Bendre Bhavan - Kusum Nagar - Court Circle - Home. Distance covered 26.7 km.
I was supposed be home resting after taking Covid vaccination. But here I was riding the very next day. I was tired by the time we reached Police HQ where we took a short break. I had water and biscuits hoping it would boost my energy level. The energy level was up for a few kilometers, it as down when we reached Sri Mallikarjuna Gudi near Chikkamaligiwad village. I had to push myself mentally to keep riding. We stopped next to this mile stone for a short break.
Taking advantage of the situation, Pushpa rode ahead of me a few times. It was a golden opportunity to brag about riding faster than me. As her favorite saying goes "harr kutte ka din ata hai," today was her day.
Usually when we come riding on this side of the city we stop by at my uncle's place. The rest and tea-biscuits helped me ride back home. Though I suffered energy crisis throughout the ride, I felt every bit of trouble was worthwhile.
This is a story of a puppy which was abandoned by his mother when he was just couple of weeks into this world. Somehow the pup came under the care of a watchman of a construction site next to my uncle's place. The watchman, though a nice guy, hardly cared for the pup. One afternoon we happened to notice this little creature yelping around, probably it was looking for food and warmth. The next day I went to the site to have a closer look at the pup. It was crawling around next to cement filled sacks, a layer of cement scattered around them. Poor little thing was sniffing cement. I picked it up.. it was barely a hundred grams, it fit into my palm easily. The helpless little creature didn't resist.. probably it was so hungry it really didn't care about anything. Or may be its intuition told he would be fed.
At home, my aunt fetched a little bowl of milk for it. The little pup was suddenly alert.. the smell must've reached the tiny nose. We put the bowl on the floor, the pup almost dove into the milk. I had to hold him back so that only its snout touched the milk. He sucked up the liquid noisily, splashing it around. He emptied the bowl but he wouldn't stop licking it. He wanted more. Some more milk was poured into the bowl, the little fellow finished it all. Apparently his tummy was full. My aunt decided to adopt the pup. This picture here was shot a week later, on October 26th 2020, he was about three weeks old.
The first few days all he did was drink milk, pee and sleep. The red-black neck band was handknit by Pushpa.
He would drink until his tummy bulged out. Then he couldn't move around easily, he would start moaning. We figured that was his way of telling us to put him to sleep. We made him a bed with a thermocol box, a layer of newspaper topped by a sheet of cut towel. The rectangular pieces of cloth were made by Pushpa. In the beginning he needed to put to sleep by holding him in the hand, rubbing his head and back. Then he would push his snout into a corner of his bed and sleep. When asleep, quite often his legs made small movements as though he was trying to run. At times his snout would make funny motions as though he's sniffing. Many times he would roll around his bed, his head dangling on the side of the bed. His antics were endless.
This was one of this favorite postures. He would wake up and watch the surroundings before going out to pee. Soon after waking up, he would sniff around and come to the door asking for milk. His manner of drinking milk was wild and messy for several weeks. He had to hold him back with considerable force to stop him from stepping into his bowl. And he did know when to stop.. he would go. until his tummy weighed him down.
Casper emptying his bladder. When he was awake he would pee every fifteen minutes. Made us wonder where he stored so much liquid in that tiny body.
Uncle already had a puppy for month, we called him named Cocoa. On Casper's arrival didn't go well with Cocoa, he was jealous and dominant. Cocoa would bite tiny Casper as though he was a stuffed doll. For Casper's safety, he would be locked up in a room at night for a week. He would yelp at night due to hunger or loneliness but held on until morning when we freed him. During the day we let Cocoa and Casper play together. Cocoa's jealousy waned after a week, that's when we felt it was okay to leave them together at night. However, Cocoa was dominant, when it came to food or snacks, he had preference. Casper too got used to being at second preference. During the day when they played together, Cocoa would maul Casper all over. Casper would scream and free himself. Cocoa would catch Casper and give the same treatment again. Casper learned to get defensive and then fight back - he could actually get angry and growled. While Cocoa's movements were slow, Casper was swift, he would bite Cocoa four times in four seconds.
The name Cocoa was selected for his chocolate color. Cocoa's brother, a off-white colored pup was just across the road, named Cooper. The names of siblings both starting with C was coincidental. When the new pup arrived, the name Casper popped in my mind. The three names Cocoa-Cooper-Casper... had a nice flow. So the name stuck.
During his second or third week here, he became ill. His fur would be moist. His bed would be damp with his moisture. His bed needed to be changed two or three times a day. Pushpa used to take care of his laundry.. he he hee. We were odds at his illness. He was itchy all over, the little thing would scratch itself like mad. His fur weakened, shed hair exposing skin in patches, developed small blisters. His ears were bare. Apparently he had worms in his tummy. We took him to a clinic where the vet administered deworming gel and prescribed pills as well. While the medication worked inside, my uncle started external herbal therapy. He would extract liquid from crushed neem leaves. mix little turmeric to it. The herbal medicine would be smeared all over his fur making him greenish yellow. Then he would be left in sunlight to dry out. The next morning I would brush his fur with a toothbrush. Clumps of hair would come off as the roots were weak. This treatment continued for almost two weeks that's when he showed improvement. Despite the illness his appetite was strong. One afternoon Casper was exploring the garden. One of us tapped his steel bowl on a stone which sounded like a school bell. Casper recognized his bowl and came sprinting. He could really sprint fast even when he was sick.. he had some reserve stamina for certain things.
Once we realized that milk was the reason for his sickness, we switched over to jolada ganji (porridge). Cocoa rejected jolada ganji but Casper used to empty his bowl, lick it dry and then attack Casper's bowl. So Cocoa had to be fed chapati or rotti. After a week or so Casper realized the unfair treatment... why should I eat that gooey liquid when Cocoa ate delicious things. He refused to eat jolada ganji and go on hunger strike until it was time to feed Cocoa. Since he hadn't eaten anything my aunt would give chapati to Casper as well. Little Casper knew how to use emotions... shrewd fella!
Casper's possessed amazing strength and stamina. We had to tie him with a length of twine to prevent him from straying on to the road. I used to tie the twine to a free stone weighing more than him. If he felt like going anywhere beyond the twine's limit, he would drag the stone along. So I found a heavier stone. With every passing day his strength increased. He would pull the bigger stone. Next it was a brick. The brick could hold him few days, then he was strong enough to drag the brick.
One day at lunch time he found his way out through the gates on his own. He was sniffing around on the road. A foot wide gutter runs along the edge of the road. The other side of the gutter is the house, the spot where the pups are fed. On hearing his bowl being tapped, he was alert, he had to reach his bowl quickly, he just decided to leap across the gutter. With his tiny legs, he propelled himself across the gap, hit the edge and landed in the gutter. Fortunately the gutter was dry and clean. I picked up the yelping Casper and put him down in front of his bowl. The moment he sees food, his senses go haywire. Yet we managed to teach him to sit when we said sit. Also he would run to his bed when I told him to sleep. That's Cocoa and Casper sitting obediently, patiently waiting for their turns to get cookies.
When Casper about a month old, we started taking them both for walks. Initially we had a leash for Cocoa and Casper was free because he followed us closely. Food and safety were his top concerns. Our usual walking route was two kilometers. Casper enjoyed walking no matter how long but Cocoa was a fusspot. Sometimes we changed the route, a longer one, no complaints from Casper. One evening our destination was Kelageri lake, a 5 km walk. Casper walked as though he walked in the house garden.. awe inspiring little fella he was.
Casper and Cocoa made friends during our walks. A bunch of kids near Shankarlingeshwara Devastana adored them. Casper would sniff at bags held by passers by, too curious a puppy. Once he sat in front of a lady walking with her hand in a bag. The lady understood and kindly said she didn't have anything to give. Poor Casper, what a disappointment. However, most times we carried a few cookies as a quick treat on the way.
One evening on the way back home, we took a different road instead of the regular one. Close to uncle's home is a doctor's home which has a big dog. He's a foot taller than an average dog but timid by nature, neither growls nor barks. He followed us curiously looking at Cocoa and Casper. Only Cocoa was on leash. He slowly stepped close to Casper, we felt it was okay. Suddenly he grabbed little Casper and bounded off towards his home. Three of us ran after him, Cocoa barking all the way. He went through the gate and dropped Casper near the door. Casper was yelping his head off. The commotion attracted a as small crowd. I went in and picked up Casper, relieved to see him intact but he was inconsolable. Pushpa carried him back home, he was crying all the way. The experience must've been traumatic. I was worried of long term effects. It was bit of tension when he skipped dinner that night. We were relieved when he ate his breakfast like before.
He's called the survivor because.. he remained strong despite being abandoned by his mom, then survived a week at the construction site without proper food or care, then a three week long fight against worms inside his belly, then he had to deal with the trauma of being kidnapped. He experienced all this even before he completed three months. He is strong, street-smart, obedient and sweet. This picture was shot towards the end of December. Cocoa and Casper refused jolada rotti, they want something else for dinner.
Normally animals smell things before eating. Casper in a hurry skips smelling, just take things into the mouth and decide whether to eat or not. One day Pushpa came out with a berry called chalakai (green colored spherical berry, has a thick skin and inside is a sticky liquid). She wanted to throw it out. Casper assumed she got it for him and without a thought took into the mouth. Few seconds later he spat it out. That's typical Casper. One day we accidentally discovered his secret treasure of pieces of bone, coconut shell, bits of chapati and shredded leaves buried in a pit next to a mango tree. If Cocoa came near his treasure Casper would bark as he was under attack. One of us would check and tell Cocoa to leave Casper alone. Casper had a knack of getting attention when needed.
Here's a video, a collection of short clips of Casper's antics :)
