"To be dedicated is to give oneself to something completely" ❤️

The Day Today | Reflections

18th June 2025

#reflections

Firstly, today, we were so happy to welcome the two students who had arrived earlier this week, to spend their Semester Abroad in MCC.

Our Principal along with the Dean of International Programmes, the Associate Deans of International Programmes (Aided & SFS), Dr. Robert, Dr. Marilyn and Dr. Prince cordially welcomed them today.

Secondly, today, I was so happy to get two lovely books from my kindred spirit, on J. Krishnamurti. When he came all the way to our Office to hand them over to me, he was so excited, saying, ‘Sir, I know you’ll love these two books. It’s by your favourite JK’. 😊

I was also touched by his noble gesture yesterday, in recommending Ms. Lekhaa’s books to their local lending library. He then shared with me the happy news that the library had got her books on their stacks.

This, I feel is the greatest encouragement we can give for such budding writers. I also shared the joy with her.

Ms. Lekhaa’s books can be purchased HERE on Amazon.

Added, so happy to note that, Ms. Lekhaa has been selected to do her Fall Semester Abroad with LeTourneau University, Texas.

Thirdly, at 3.30 pm today, I was delighted to be part of the Viva Voce Examination of Ms. S. Keerthana, IIT Madras, who has done a highly commendable thesis under the supervision of her vibrant guide Dr. Divya, Professor, IIT Madras.

As one of the External Examiners for her thesis, I was so happy to see the panoramic sweep in her thesis titled, “Changing Shores, Shifting Horizons: Mapping the Ontology of Female Subjectivity in Post-1960’s Tamil Women Narratives”.

The researcher has done a very insightful and extensive study by contextualising and conceptualising theoretical paradigms in the works of the selected authors, ably bringing out their activist tendencies, and how the writers define or rather re-define feminism as a polyvalent site marked by freedom, rebellion and subversion.

I had also suggested to the researcher to consider publishing her thesis as a book.

I particularly loved the quote by Simon Gikandi that the researcher used as a kind of touchstone to their writing –

‘To write is to claim a text of one’s own; textuality is an instrument of territorial possession … narrative is crucial to our discovery of selfhood’.

How true!

Just started reading J. Krishnamurti’s book on Teaching: The Greatest Profession.

Here, a questioner asks him –

One of our professors says that what you are telling us is quite impractical. He challenges you to bring up six boys and six girls on a salary of 120 rupees. What is your answer to this criticism?

J. K replies –

If I had only a salary of 120 rupees, I would not attempt to raise six boys and six girls; that is the first thing. Secondly, if I were a professor, it would be a dedication and not a job. Do you see the difference?

Teaching at any level is not a profession, it is not a mere job; it is an act of dedication. Do you understand the meaning of that word dedication?

To be dedicated is to give oneself to something completely, without asking anything in return, to be like a monk, like a hermit, like the greatest teachers and scientists – not like those who pass a few examinations and call themselves professors. I am talking of those who have dedicated themselves to teaching, not for money, but because it is their vocation, it is their love.

If there are such teachers, they will find that boys and girls can be taught most practically all the things I am talking about,

says J. Krishnamurti. 

Now, finally, for today’s Clicks from Nature’s Plenty for all of us!

The Grey Pelican or Spot-billed Pelican of Chennai's Wetlands

The Spotted Owlet in Campus

The Dawn Chorus of the Birds | City vs Forest Birds | A Study in Contrast 💚

The Song of the Woodlands | Where is Creativity?

#reflections | Part II

17th June 2025

Quite early into the morning today, at around five am, I was walking my way towards my bistro for my cuppa 😊 all the while listening to the lovely songs of the birds from the trees that lined up the streets on either sides.

Listening to the songs of these birds was indeed so pleasant to the ears – and makes us appreciate the inherent musicality in their songs! However, the noise and clamour of the city literally drowned the birds’ cute vocalizations.

Then I thought of contrasting it with the songs of the birds that I was listening to, deep in the forest, almost around the same time, quite early in the morning, just around a month ago!

The contrast in the dawn chorus was so striking!

Call it the “Lombard effect,” wherein urban birds tend to sing louder to overcome the background noise and clatter of the city.

Catchpole and Slater in their exciting book on the subject titled, Bird Song: Biological Themes and Variations, observe that –

Birds with territories in noisy parts of the city sang more loudly than those elsewhere. Under normal circumstances they might therefore not be singing at full volume. This raising of the amplitude of vocalisations in noisy conditions is known as the Lombard effect. (101)

In sharp contrast, the acoustic environment of the forest is so arresting! Rather mesmerizing and therapeutic to the soul!

Call it the Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis, wherein the acoustic signals (like calls, songs, or other vocalizations) produced by animals are tuned to maximize their transmission efficiency!

It is said that, urban birds might alter the structure of their songs, by having shorter songs or fewer pauses, for better audibility and reception!

On the contrary, forest birds often exhibit more complex and varied song structures, as they are not under any sort of pressure to alter the structure of their songs!

In this regard, I would like to quote from one of my favourite poems.

Indeed, one of the best poems that has laid a claim to my heart, is Tagore’s “The Tame Bird was in a Cage”.

An awesome poem with such mystical undertones.

There is a tame bird who lives in a cage. It represents a state of being that is so accustomed to comfort and security, possibly at the expense of true freedom.

Tagore juxtaposes this bird with the free, wild bird, flying freely in the sky, singing of the “forest,” “the open sky”, and the boundless expanse of the sky! It embodies absolute freedom, independence, and a connection to the vastness of nature.

Now, the wild bird flies near the cage and calls out to the tame bird. It asks the tame bird to come out into the open sky, inviting it to share its freedom.

However, the tame bird, that seems quite ‘contended with its comfort’, in turn, invites the wild bird into its cage, offering it the “grains of food” given by its master - symbols of comfort and security.

Despite their apparent affection or desire for connection, there seems to be an unbridgeable divide between them. The “love” between them, as the poem states, “is a sigh in the void.”

Although both try to talk it out, their words and worlds are highly incompatible!

The free bird cries, “O my love, let us fly to the woods.”

The cage bird whispers, “Come hither, let us both live in the cage.”

Says the free bird, “Among bars, where is there room to spread one’s wings?”

“Alas,” cries the caged bird, “I should not know where to sit perched in the sky.”

The free bird cries, “My darling, sing the songs of the woodlands.”

The cage bird sings, “Sit by my side, I'll teach you the speech of the learned.”

The forest bird cries, “No, ah no! songs can never be taught.”

The cage bird says, “Alas for me, I know not the songs of the woodlands.”

In essence, Tagore beautifully foregrounds the stark contrast between the free bird - representing true freedom, and attaining one’s true aspirations and ideals in life, and the tame bird in the cage - representing material attachments, worldly comforts, and being constrained by the conformities of life.

In this regard, it would be apt to quote from Freud’s Civilisation and its Discontents, to see the compelling connection between the two texts.

To Freud, like with Tagore, civilization, while necessary for human survival and cooperation is achieved by repressing and sublimating one’s primal instincts, which leads to a constant and sustained feeling of “discontent” or “unease” in the individual.

Although Tagore’s approach is more mystical and philosophical, and Freud’s take is psychoanalytic, both writers seek to foreground a ubiquitous human dilemma: the great conflict within an individual – the realities of being constrained by conformities, and the ideal of living a life of unfettered freedom!

And this state of unfettered freedom is the state of creativity, which can be achieved only when one is in harmony with nature, says Osho.

Now, over to the video - 

"A creative person is one who has insight, who can see things nobody else has ever seen before" ❤️

Creativity | Sautoy, Osho & Cleese

#reflections

16th June 2025

This morning, I had reached college a bit early, just to spend some quiet time reading Osho’s lovely book titled, Creativity: Unleashing the Forces Within.

It is a real unputdownable read, you see! And yes, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who strives to steer down the highway of creativity.

I finished the first part titled, “Preparing the Canvas”, up until page 38, and placing the book on my office table, I had to quickly leave for a series of meetings in College.

But before that, had coffee in the Staff Tiffin Room with my lovely colleagues, Prof. David and Prof. Arun!

At 9.30 am, all the new office bearers for this academic year were introduced by our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson, in the Anderson Hall, and they were given their Letters of Appointment as well.

Then, at 10.30 am, we had the inauguration of the refurbished Council Room.

This was followed by the HoDs Meeting that started at 10.45 am and went on until 1.30 pm.

So happy and proud to share the good news that, our placements are at an all-time high - 98.2%

Moreover, a proposal was put forth for organizing ‘Green Events’ from this academic year.

Congratulations Ms. Benitta and Dr. Amirthavalli. We are so proud of you.

Our Principal also emphasized on the importance of Value Creation as Innovation!

Which gels well with what I was reading today on the topic of Creativity!

Hence this post! 😊

By 12 noon, I was so overjoyed to meet my classmate T. Karthikeyan from my school days – of more than 30 years ago, visiting me today in Campus.

TeeKay as we fondly call him.

I opened our Office, and made him comfortably seated there, gave him a cup of hot filter coffee, and then, handing him my copy of Osho’s Creativity, I promised that I will be back as soon as possible.

When I returned, I was so happy to see him engrossed in the book. He said the book is marvellous and highly inspiring.

Added reason for discussing the book here on our blogpost today.

Well, to Osho,

If you want to create, you have to get rid of all conditionings. You can create only if you are an individual, you cannot create as part of the mob psychology. The mob psychology is uncreative; it lives a dragging life, it knows no dance, no song, no joy; it is mechanical.

The creator cannot follow the well-trodden path. He has to search out his own way, he has to inquire in the jungles of life. He has to go alone; he has to be a dropout from the mob mind, from the collective psychology.

In the past, creators of all kinds – the painters, the dancers, the musicians, the poets, the sculptors, had to live a kind of bohemian life, the life of a vagabond; that was the only possibility for them to be creative,

says Osho.

Now, I would like to compare Osho’s take on creativity, with yet another 2019 book on Artificial Intelligence titled, The Creativity Code, by Marcus du Sautoy.

Marcus Sautoy defines creativity as follows - 

“Creativity is to come up with something that is new & surprising and that has value”.

Yet another book on Creativity, titled, Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese, has more interesting insights on the term.

To Cleese, Creativity is -

A new way of thinking about things. Most people think of creativity as being entirely about the arts—music, painting, theatre, movies, dancing, sculpture, etc., etc. But this simply isn’t so.

Creativity can be seen in every area of life—in science, or in business, or in sport. Wherever you can find a way of doing things that is better than what has been done before, you are being creative!

Cleese adds to say that,

The greatest killer of creativity is interruption. It pulls your mind away from what you want to be thinking about.

Research has shown that, after an interruption, it can take eight minutes for you to return to your previous state of consciousness, and up to twenty minutes to get back into a state of deep focus.

Once you start chasing away any distracting thoughts, you’ll discover, just like in meditation, that the longer you sit there, the more your mind slows and calms down and settles,

says Cleese.

Among the three we had discussed, I found Osho’s take quite relatable and appealing as well. So I add more from Osho -

A creative person is one who has insight, who can see things nobody else has ever seen before, who hears things that nobody has heard before – then there is creativity.

Once pathology disappears, everybody becomes a creator. Let it be understood as deeply as possible: only ill people are destructive.

The people who are healthy are creative.

Creativity is a fragrance of real health.

When a person is really healthy and whole, creativity comes naturally to him, the urge to create arises.

Consciousness is being, compassion is feeling, creativity is action. My vision of the new human being has to be all the three simultaneously. 

I am giving you the greatest challenge ever given, the hardest task to be fulfilled.

You have to be as meditative as a Buddha, as loving as a Krishna, as creative as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci.

You have to be all together, simultaneously. Only then your totality will be fulfilled; otherwise something will remain missing in you.

You can attain a very high peak if you are one-dimensional, but you will be only a peak.

I would like you to become the whole range of the Himalayas, not just a peak but peaks upon peaks,

says Osho.

Awesome, ain’t it!

To be continued…

PS: You may want to read more on Sautoy’s take on Creativity on our past blogpost HERE

Ecological Dynamism & Seasonal Rhythm of the Pallikaranai Wetland 💚

Raptor Time | Unusually High!

Ecological Dynamism & Seasonal Rhythm of the Pallikaranai Wetland

Today’s Visit | A Report

15th June 2025

#intothewildwithrufus

Today, buoyed by an article in the Chennai Edition of The Times of India on the arrival of raptors in large numbers, I headed straight to the Pallikaranai marshland, to witness the raptor army this afternoon, after the ceremonial faculty fellowship in College. 

I first alighted at the Pallikaranai Eco Park, hoping to sight the raptor army. However, the bevy of lovers’ armies inside the Ecopark far outsmarted and outwitted the raptor army by the dozens! 😊

Having brought along a camera with me, and having paid Rs. 200/- as Camera Charges, I felt unduly embarrassed to even take out my camera, considering the bevy of lovers seated on all corners of the Eco Park.

Still, I had some space to shoot a few lovely shots in the process.  Giving them here for us in this post.

But first, what is Ecological dynamism?

Ecological dynamism refers to the ever-changing and interconnected nature of ecosystems. It emphasizes that ecosystems are not static entities but rather complex, adaptive systems that are constantly in flux due to a variety of factors.

The National Academy of Sciences, US, in their book titled, The Geological Record of Ecological Dynamics state that –

Organisms respond to environmental change at many scales—from the individual to the entire biosphere, and from near instants in time to the entire record of life on Earth.

Biosphere dynamics encompasses diverse processes, including growth rates of individuals and populations, shifts in geographic range, alterations in the rates and kinds of biogeochemical cycling, changes in the composition of communities over varied timescales, speciation, and local, regional, and global extinction.

With this vast array of phenomena that could be subsumed under the term biosphere dynamics, the committee chose to concentrate its efforts on the geologic record of “ecological dynamics”—the changes and interactions in the earth-life system expressed as alterations in features such as species distributions, species abundance, environment, and climate,

says the book.

Flocks of black kites, black-shouldered kites, and shikras have taken over the skies following the departure of breeding birds like cattle egrets. Among them, black kites dominate in number.

Nature Trust founder K V R K Thirunaranan, who has been monitoring bird activity here for 15 years, said these raptors arrive from Kerala with the onset of the southwest monsoon and return once the northeast monsoon begins in Tamil Nadu.

This seasonal rhythm signals a dramatic shift in the marshland’s birdlife, revealing the ecological dynamism of the wetland.

Chennai district forest officer V A Saravanan said the raptors usually begin arriving in April in small numbers, peaking in August. 

“However, this year, their numbers were unusually high right from the beginning,” he noted.

Raptor researcher C Sasikumar from Kannur, Kerala, said the migration of raptors from north Kerala to Tamil Nadu has been documented since the 1940s.

“An early birdwatcher had recorded this movement, which continues even today,” he said.

Interestingly, while raptors from north Kerala migrate as soon as the southwest monsoon hits, their counterparts in south Kerala tend to stay put despite the rains. This year, the southwest monsoon hit Kerala in the third week of May, prompting immediate movement of the birds,

says the article in today’s Times of India.

I also spotted the Asian Open-Bill today in the Pallikaranai Wetlands, along with a host of other wetland birds. 

Well, it is called the Asian Open-Bill, because of their dull yellow-grey open bill with a specific gap formed between the lower and upper mandible of the beak in adult bird.

Today's Lovely Clicks in the Woods 💚

 

The Cute Spotted Deer

The Lovely Peahen Perched High on a Campus Tree

The Lovely 'Little Egret' (Observe its Black Legs and Contrastive Yellow Feet)

The Courageous Shikra

The Mischievous Rhesus Monkey - Trying his Luck! 

Meet the Upright-tailed Indian Robin  - Male

Meet the Indian Flying Fox - The Great Indian Fruit Bat

Meet the Pied Beauty - The Pied Kingfisher

Today's Lovely Campus Clicks 💚

The Lovely Lesser Flameback & Its Important Role in the Ecosystem

#intothewildwithrufus

I spotted this lovely bird – the Lesser Flameback, also known as the Black-rumped Flameback, this morning in Campus.

The “flameback” lives up to its name with striking golden-yellow wings.

Males have a bright red crown and crest, while females have a black forecrown spotted with white, with red only on the rear crest.

Unlike many woodpeckers that prefer dense forests, the Lesser Flameback is one of the few woodpecker species commonly seen in urban areas with ample tree cover, gardens, and cultivated lands. This adaptability allows it to thrive in human-modified habitats.

By feeding on insects and larvae, Lesser Flamebacks help control insect populations and contribute to the ecological balance of their habitats, thereby playing an important role in the ecosystem.

You may want to know more about their unique features HERE on our Vlog. 

The White-throated Kingfisher

Or White-breasted Kingfisher

Yet another beauty I spotted today in Campus!

This White-throated Kingfisher stands out among other kingfishers because of its high levels of adaptability to both land and water. Its’s often called the “Tree Kingfisher!”

While many kingfishers are strictly tied to water bodies for their fishing diet, the White-throated Kingfisher is less reliant on aquatic habitats.

Unlike the Common Kingfisher, a smaller bird with a bright blue upper body and orange flanks, known for its underwater diving to hunt for fish, the white-throated Kingfisher is larger, with a brown head, white throat, and red bill, and prefers to hunt on land for insects, reptiles, and even rodents.

Photos (c): This blogger 😊

How A Lovely Rhesus Monkey Family was Destabilised by a Discarded Plastic Bag! 💚

A Monkey Family Destabilised by a Discarded Plastic Bag Dumped in Forest Territory

A True Story

Based on a video bite in the beautiful Amrabad Forest Ghat Road

#intothewildwithrufus

It was a beautiful morning in the serene Amravad forest - the sylvan playground for a lovely family of rhesus monkeys, playing happily early in the morning, after the fresh spell of rains that had given a glow and shine to their animal kingdom.

Raju was the youngest of them all – very playful with such boundless energy on him.

His day was spent leaping happily through the trees and the shrubs - their sprawling and beautiful abode – their natural home.

The air was pleasantly humming with the symphony of the jungle – and here was playful little Raju, busy chasing his older brother, Jai, across the road, when, Little Raju stopped on his tracks! Something green and glistening arrested his attention.

It was a discarded green plastic bag thrown by a passing tourist into the forest.

Both Raju and Jai tried to explore this discarded plastic bag, and in an impulsive moment, Raju grabbed it, and along with Jai, started playing with it, running up and down the road that was crisscrossing its way through their abode – the forest!

Raju’s father and mother were quite puzzled by the plastic bag that had attracted their little one.

Raju for his part, was endlessly curious about this discarded plastic bag. It smelled quite odd, salty and sweet, unlike any fruit or leaf that he had ever tasted in all his life.

He kept poking it, then started experimenting with it, delighted by its light, glistening sheen. 

Soon, all of Raju’s playmates joined in the fun as well - all those lovely creatures of the natural world - quite curious about this alien invader. 

Suddenly, the youngest one started ingesting the plastic bag, mistaking it for nourishment. Slowly, his playmates also, for their part, started chewing off pieces from the plastic bag one after the other. 

Very soon, before they could realise the harmful effects of the discarded plastic bag on them, their movements became weak, their eyes became clouded, and their stomachs became bloated.

The lovely rhesus monkey family was shattered. They couldn’t bear to see their little ones being decimated right in front of their eyes.

The shimmering plastic bag thrown into the forest road, so carelessly by a human being, is a testament to the devastating impact of human indifference and carelessness.

It is a silent plea for their forest, their dwelling place, to be respected – not choked by the discarded waste and garbage of human indifference and apathy.

A heartbreaking reminder of our loyal forest guardians – the rhesus monkeys - losing their lives in large numbers and their happiness as well, to a sea of human waste.

Well, although the governments are taking the best possible efforts to collect garbage and plastic wastes from the forest roads, we too as responsible citizens of our country, have a great role to play!

“If you litter, the future will be bitter,” goes the adage.

Let’s together take a resolve to avoid plastics, especially when we are in the forests - the only remaining territory of the animal kingdom!

And the Video -

Meet Asia's Largest Antelope! 💚

When Blue Bull meets Blue Cow 😊

Curious facts about the Nilgai

Meet Asia’s Largest Antelope

#nilgai #intothewildwithrufus

I spotted this lovely Nilgai, Asia’s largest antelope, in Amrabad, Telengana. And yes, it’s rare to see the male of the nilgai - the blue bull in such an excited state, jumping all over the place. 

When we sniffed further around, we soon got the answer. His partner – the blue cow was quietly peering quite coyly from a distance! 😊

And for all ye Bovid enthusiasts, the book titled, Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives by Jose R Castello is a must-read of sorts for y’all.

Well, before that…! what, pray are bovids and cervids?

One of the main differences between Bovids (antelopes, cattle, sheep, goats) and Cervids (elk, moose, red deer, fallow deer, white-tailed deer) lies in the presence of horns versus antlers.

Bovids have horns that are permanent, non-deciduous structures, while cervids have antlers that are deciduous, meaning they are shed and regrown annually.

Coming back –

The nilgai is the largest Asian Antelope species native to India. It is often called the “blue bull”, because of their bluish-grey coat.

Unlike many other bovids, only male nilgai possess horns.

Moreover, although they are antelopes, the nilgai have a somewhat horse-like build.

Jose, in his exciting book titled, Bovids of the World, throws shining light on the nilgai.

Says he –

Nilgai: Large Bovid, equine in appearance. Short coat yellow brown in females, gradually turns blue gray in males as they mature.

Erectile mane on the nape and back and a hair pendant in the middle of the underside of the neck. Only males have short, black, sharp horns which are straight and tilted slightly forward.

OTHER NAMES: Blue Bull

Like the Blackbuck, there are currently more Nilgai living in a semi-wild state in Texas than in their native India.

Indian population could exceed 100,000. Locally common to abundant in agricultural areas in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. 

No figures are available for Nepal. Numbers are very low in Pakistan. About 37,000 feral Nilgai are established on Texas ranches.

Paul and James in their book titled, Wildlife Management and Conservation: Contemporary Principles and Practices, have a very interesting take on how the nilgai, a species of antelope native to India, was introduced into Texas, US.

Texas may have the most extensive free-ranging populations of exotic ungulates in the United States largely because of the long history of introductions.

Nilgai antelope are regarded as the first exotic species in Texas, introduced to south Texas during the 1920s to 1930s as a potential alternative livestock. Nilgai have expanded throughout the southern Gulf Coast of Texas and into Mexico,

they observe.