Alluring Antarctica- Mr. Lovekesh Dev -January 2024 Antarctica (with the name coming from Anti Arctic or Anti North), on an average is the coldest (lowest measured temperature on earth of -89.2 degree Celsius), driest and windiest of continents. Most of the Antarctica is covered with an ice sheet with an average thickness of 1.9 km (yes...
Antarctica Travel - Forbidding and Inviting Did you know that Antarctica was the last place on this planet to be discovered? That too, by chance, when a Russian expedition saw the Fimbul ice shelf in 1820. The first confirmed landing on the continent was by a Norwegian team in 1895. That was the beginning of Antarctica...
Adaptation in Antarctica How do animals survive here? The simple answer is adaptation in Antarctica. Humans put on warm clothes and torches to survive. Animals do better – they adapt. The ocean-dwellers are protected from the extreme weather by the water… The waters are full-up with food and hence it’s a comfortable home… Some migrate to the...
The Penguins of Antarctica When one speaks of wildlife in Antarctica, penguins come to mind immediately. In fact, of the eighteen penguin species in the world, eight live in Antarctica. Some call them awkward, ungainly beings, others call them cute. That’s subjective. What is indisputable is that they are fab swimmers. They use their flippers like...
The Seals of Antarctica Antarctica & its seals have much in common - both are full of mystery and as alluring as forbidding. The seals of Antarctica are as much a draw for the curious traveler as the penguins. Let’s look at some of them… Weddell seals They reach a length of about 12 feet and a weight...
"Congo" – the movie, is a chilling story about the discovery of a lost city guarded by blood thirsty gorillas. Unfortunately, this movie also furthered the myth of ‘dangerous’ gorillas. However, the movie rekindled the mystical fascination I had for the jungles of Central Africa. It all started with Phantom (comics) and the mythical state...
A friend once spoke to me about his fascination with the tribes of Kenya – he talked only about the Maasai. I realised that he was under the impression that the Maasai is all there is to Kenya / Tanzania. Having been to Kenya and having understood the diversity of the culture and tribes of...
Dussehra - victory of Good over Evil ! Dussehra celebration is about victory of good over evil ! While this is the essence the festival takes different forms in different parts of the country. Isn’t it amazing that there are more than 12 different types of Dussehra celebrations in India? What remains the same is of...
Palakkad, Kerala, my Home-town Palakkad (or Palghat as it was called earlier) is a small town in Kerala state of Southern India. It is a non-descript town with no pretensions to grandeur or historical significance. Naturally beautiful and simple, it boasts of a quiet, simple, laid-back life. It is my home town. And I love it. My...
Pondicherry or Puducherry is popular for its beaches and pretty french colonies. Not far away from Puducherry is the experimental community of Auroville. People from all over the world live here in harmony. This township thus is a perfect example of human unity. Mira Alfassa - the spiritual companion of Sri Aurobindo founded Auroville in...
