How A Fledgling Bird Learnt To Fly

Learning to ride a bicycle is a basic life skill that everyone must know. Much like swimming. And once you learn it, you cannot forget it. I know of a distant cousin, who cannot stand erect from his waist up due to an accident. He walks with the torso of his body parallel to the ground. But he rides a bicycle every morning. It is an unbelievable sight. He is 70 years old.
I have willy nilly given up on trying to teach my daughter how to ride a bicycle. She is 14 years old now and has owned various cycles from even before she could walk (starting with tricycles of course). She just doesn't have it in her to learn how to balance herself. She needs prodding and at this stage I cannot run with her holding her under the saddle from behind (that I believe is the second best way to teach cycling, first being learning on your own through trial and error). Also I think anyone who needs prodding to take a bicycle out does not want to learn really and it is best not to push.
I will explain how I learnt and I think that's the way most of us in our generation learnt. May be not at that early an age and perhaps not all completely on their own. But generally speaking it's more or less the same story.
I was eight years old and probably three feet and a few inches tall when we went on a family trip to Shantiniketan where an uncle lived. I remember nothing of that trip except that my parents were sitting on the large balcony of my uncle's house and there was a bicycle in the house. A really tall one that I still find difficult to ride on (the cycle is still there even after a good 45 years of my learning on it when it was already an old cycle). I cannot remember if my father encouraged it or I pulled it out, but I was simply ecstatic when I was allowed to take it out to the field outside my uncle's house. They probably thought I could not have done anything with such a huge cycle. Indeed my chance was very slim.
I was so small that I could not hold the two ends of the handle bar together – an old-fashioned handlebar that I don't see anywhere except in India and also lots in Amsterdam. So, I held the left end of the bar with my left hand and with the right hand I grabbed the saddle. I was finding it difficult to keep the cycle standing erect, let alone take it anywhere. But that itself was a challenge. I kept it straight with all my little strength and then started walking with it, holding it as straight as possible. It was reclining towards me all the time and it was quite a struggle to keep it vertical. Soon enough it became easy and I was walking with the cycle quite comfortably.
The field in front had a gentle slope. I was going up pushing it and then coming down comfortably. On the return journey while coming down, the cycle was rolling much faster. This I kept on doing for an hour or two. Soon enough, while rolling down I started standing with my right foot on the left pedal and roll down a bit with the flow. After this I remember pushing myself intermittently with the left foot on the ground as the cycle was coming to a halt and trying to get some movement. Then at some point of time I started keeping both the feet on the pedal. My feet were so small I could quite comfortably stand with both of them on the pedal. I was basically hopping but with the wrong foot on the wrong pedal. In fact today if I try to do that I might find it difficult - hopping with the right foot on the left pedal.
My parents were busy chatting on the balcony with their friends and relatives. Perhaps they kept an eye on me. Perhaps not. But I was glad to be alone yet within their view of a few hundred meters. I soon started rolling down the slope, standing with both the feet on the pedal. I cannot remember clearly but once I got on the pedal I think I could reach with both the hands to hold the two ends of the bar.
What I do remember is my beaming father telling me, "I guess now you have the balance to ride a bicycle. You don't need anything else."
He then encouraged me to put the right foot on the right pedal while in motion and push/ride the pedals. We call it "half pedaling". Many children, trying to ride a bicycle too high for them, do this. Rather, used to do this. These days one does not see this sight on the streets of large cities anymore because youngsters get cycles suitable for their size.
After some time my father bought a used bicycle. It was a very good cycle but meant for adults. I was allowed to use it but I could manage to ride only half pedal. I was still too small for an adult bike. Then one fine Sunday afternoon my father told my cousin Mezda, who at that time used to live with us, to take me to the lake and help me learn how to ride sitting atop the saddle.
Mezda made me sit on on the saddle and ran for a few meters holding the bike under the saddle. I did not realise when he had stopped running. I could not do a full circle with the pedals. I was still a little short. Perhaps by an inch. So I would push the pedal hard while going down and then let the leg hang and then push down again when the pedal came up. Those who have done it will know what I am talking about.
This in long (as opposed to "short") is how I learnt to pedal a bicycle. As I look back with a matured brain I am trying to analyse what went right with me and wrong with my daughter?
Let me write them down.
1. I grew up with my father's adventure story of how he cycled from Hazaribagh to Ranchi crossing the massive Chutu Palu ghaat at the tender age of 14, even at the risk of being devoured by tigers. These stories probably sowed the seeds of adventure in me. So when I got a chance I pounced upon the cycle.
2. I never had any fancy cycle. There was a tricycle at home that I used to ride on our rooftop. I had no other toy, so to speak. I thoroughly enjoyed it. In our childhood one never got anything without asking for it for months. Children these days get things even before they ask for it. We parents are to be blamed for it. Probably we remember our childhood and try to ensure happier childhood for our children but we are probably destroying a lot of potential in them that a desperate want would have ignited.
3. I was exposed to the right environment for learning to ride. My daughter has never been to a field with a cycle. She has always been exposed to either concrete or asphalt roads where the fear of injury from a fall is high. The field I got had a very gentle slope which helped and hastened the process of learning for me. No such luck for my daughter.
4. My bicycle never had any training wheels which my daughter's cycle had. Training wheels are useless and do not teach you anything. You end up learning how to ride a bicycle with training wheels. In fact Mampu used to love riding her cycle with the training wheels. She stopped riding the day I took them off.
5. I was watching a training video from REI where they say a child must learn first to scoot, coast and then pedal. You learn to balance first and then pedal. This is exactly what I happened to do without looking at any website. Of course I first had to learn to hold the cycle upright first. That itself is a major first step. Ask anyone who does not know how to balance, to walk a bike. One cannot. If you can walk comfortably with a bike you are half way there.
6. I was way too young to use my brain and be afraid. Incidentally I never fell a single time trying to learn, despite my first cycle being too large for me even now. 

A Lust for Life

I do not remember when I first heard about Van Gogh. Probably in school and from my brother in law who was an artist himself and idolised him. I also do not remember who told me first about the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. But I remember that ever since I learnt about its existence I wanted to go to that city, even if it was for a day. 

When we learnt that Mampu would be visiting Amsterdam for a day trip from Geltsenkirchen, Germany, my only request to her was to try and get a Van Gogh postcard and post it from Amsterdam. Just like that. As a memento. Mampu unfortunately didn't get a chance to even see the museum building. I think they just went to the Museum Square Area and were shown the Van Gogh Museum from a distance. Sad for her. 

But soon enough I learnt that I myself would be going to Amsterdam for slightly more than a day. I would be in the city, with 200 office colleagues and some 1500 dealers, for two full days (the entire trip would be for three days with one day reserved for Den Haag - The Hague). 

My first reaction to office colleagues was: "my long cherished dream of seeing Van Gogh Museum would come true at last". To this a particular colleague said, "Who is that? The Monalisa fellow?"  I realised not only does he not know who Van Gogh is, he has no clue who the Monalisa fellow is either. But that's a different story. 

As the time for the trip drew nearer I realised that probably we would have to give the visit to Van Gogh Museum a miss. Because the two days in Amsterdam were planned in such a way that you had to go out on group tours of the city and its surrounding areas throughout the day. I wasn't too sure if I would be able to opt out of these trips. So I didn't book any museum trip in advance. I told myself that we will go to Europe on a family tour later and that is when we shall see the museum. 

Our plan in the Netherlands was like this. Day one is in Amsterdam. Day two in The Hague (Den Haag) and day three again in Amsterdam. By day one afternoon we realised that a. going out on these group tours is a torture b. we could easily opt out of them. The only cost was we would need to organise lunch or dinner on our own. By 'we' I mean Surajit Majumdar and me. 

Surajit suggested that we book the ticket for the Van Gogh Museum for 9th August, the second day of our stay in the city. After some initial hesitation I agreed. It was to cost us € 16 each. The hesitation wasn't about the money but just like once I make up my mind to do something I do it regardless of the obstacles, once I make up my mind not to do something I find it difficult to do it. But for Van Gogh Museum, I chose to be a little more flexible. 

Surajit booked the ticket online and we got a 4 pm to 7 pm slot. So we were all set to go. On that day we chose to opt out right from the morning. After a particularly heavy buffet breakfast at the hotel (which came gratis), I went out on my own to explore the city. Surajit and I decided to meet in front of the shop Hema in Central Station, where we went on day one to buy breads and butter etc for the dinner. We decided that we would meet at around 3 pm and from there go to the museum. 

The park behind the museum. We spent a pleasant time here

I came to the rendezvous point a little ahead of Surajit because I was close by at Haarlemarstrat buying my hiking boots from Kathmandu. The boot was a little too large for my 26 lit Deuter which I was using. Inside I had a warm woolen and my Precip rainwear. I think I kept the Precip on top of the shoe box, under the top flap of the sack. It was hitting me on my neck from behind. The sack just did not have any more space even for a fly. 

Anyway, after meeting up at the Central Station, Surajit and I took a tram and went to the Museum. We took tram number 2. I think 5 would also have gone. Earlier in the morning I had taken the same tram to go to Lightsupply (Leidseplein in Dutch) stop for a visit to the Bever store and Van Gogh Museum was a couple of stops after this. So going back the same route was not a problem at all, except that we had to spend €3 more on tram ticket. We could have easily walked this distance but Surajit didn't want to take a chance with the time and our arrival etc. 

We reached a little ahead of time. First I checked out the little shop outside the museum which was selling Van Gogh themed post cards and posters. I looked for a self portrait fridge magnet which they did not have. I decided not to buy anything from this shop before checking out the official museum store. 

There was quite a large crowd that had gathered outside to get the entry ticket. I felt great that we had already booked the ticket. We asked an official kind of lady about how to get in using our e-ticket and whether we needed to do anything else. Like in India if you book an e-ticket for a cinema you still have to collect the physical ticket from the counter. She said you need not do anything. Just show them the ticket at the gate from your mobile after 4 and enter. No line or anything. 

We spent the time taking some photographs of the building. In case you do not know, the Van Gogh Museum is housed in a rather modern building. Because this is not one of those old traditional museums, which the Rijksmuseum, for example, is. I think it was built in the 60s (google says it was built in 1973). There are two buildings. One houses the main collection. The other was running an exhibition of sorts for some Van Gogh paintings, putting him in the context of other contemporary European artists. 

The museum from behind

We spent some time sitting on the large lawn behind the museum. At the other end of the lawn one could see the imposing Rijksmuseum. But that's quite a distance. 

At around 4 pm we took our chance to enter the museum. It was the moment for me. I had seen a few Van Goghs in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on an extremely crowded Sunday afternoon in December 2002. But entering the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam for the first time is a special moment in one's life.  

The Rjiksmuseum from the lawns behind VGM

From the entry gate one has to go downstairs that houses the official museum store. Here we left our backpacks for safe keeping and then decided to explore the shops. They have everything. The post cards, posters, replica paintings, T-shirts, bags, fridge magnets, pencils, pens, paints, key rings, pads, even Van Gogh branded hair oil and moisturisers. The way they have merchandised the artist is really remarkable. I didn't know whether to like it or hate it. I think I had a mixed feeling. I made a mental note of what to buy on our way out and went for the museum tour. 

We did not buy any audio guide but decided to explore it on our own. To be honest, the main paintings are so well explained through written notes next to them that one perhaps does not need an audio guide, which I thought might be a distraction rather than help. 

The first thing you notice in the museum is the tremendously low light. The halls are almost dark you could say. I have been to only the Metropolitan Museum in New York, among the globally famous ones. There the light was normal. Here things are different. It's an extremely subdued light that they have. 

Later I learnt that the real reason for the low light is a recent discovery that some of the pigments in Van Gogh's paintings are changing colour due to the effect of light. In fact his Irises, which are blue and the world has always known them to be blue, were originally purple! This is a recent discovery. Apparently the floor in the painting Bedroom, which is also housed in this museum, had a lot of purple in it as well. The museum authorities have thus decided to reduce light. 

I remember Aisling once telling me about an English painter who donated his life's work to the Irish National Museum with an order for them to display the paintings only in winter months when natural light in Ireland is proverbially low. Otherwise they were to be kept in vaults throughout the year. He was in mortal fear of his paintings losing their original colours. He was apparently a water colour painter and used extremely subtle and faint colours. 

It is sad to think that a day will come when Van Gogh's paintings will not look like the way they do now. We have no idea how the original Irises looked in purple. 

In the first hall we saw all the self portrait in the museum's collection. It's a massive collection. We did not count but thought there must be some 20 of them there. I just checked the most elaborate website on Van Gogh . According to their list the museum has 17 of them. I am proud that I saw them all. 

In this hall we also saw a sculpture by Rodin. In fact although called the Van Gogh Museum, there are several other paintings in their collection which are displayed side by side with the Van Goghs. These are mostly his contemporaries or artists who had an impact on him. There are some paintings by other artists which are in the nature of their tribute to him. I saw Monet, Rembrandt, Gaugin and various other artists whose names I do not know.

There were two more floors of Van Gogh paintings. We saw them all. It is impossible to recount all that we saw. But obviously this museum houses paintings from all the important phases of his life. Among the notable paintings that I will always remember are the Sunflowers (there is just one them here), the Potato Eaters, the Irises, the Wheat Field with Crows the Almond Tree in Blossom, Seascape near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. In fact, we had missed the Potato Eaters initially. We asked the guards and went back again to see it. You have to stand mesmerised before the actual painting when you see it. 

We saw a few remarkable paintings that we had no clue were done by Van Gogh. The most remarkable of these was the Japanese style painting of  Courtesan after Eisen and the skull with a burning cigarette. I had no clue about these.

And of course we saw a lot of his drawings with charcoal and other media. I have always loved bold drawings with charcoal. The study of Old Man in Grief has fascinated me for a long time now. I saw it as well. 

The two most notable paintings of his life that are NOT here in this museum are the Starry Night and the Street Side Cafe in Arles at Night. That painting is officially called Cafe Terrace and I believe it is now in the Otterlo's Kröller-Müller Museum (incidentally a new dream is beginning to take shape - can I ever visit this museum? It has the world's second largest Van Gogh collection. Otterlo is a small village in The Netherlands whose only claim to fame is this fantastic museum. Presumably this museum does not stay as crowded as the VGM.

Apart from the low light in the museum, the other problem there is the continuous flow of visitors. Well, we were also part of the same crowd so I cannot complain about that. But it does make seeing the paintings in detail a tough task. You are always blocking or disturbing someone else. It is not possible to block someone else for a long time. But I must say, the crowd here is not nearly one tenth of what I had to endure in New York. Of course, that was a bad day to go, being the last Sunday of the year. Here, we were visiting in the middle of the week. Still the number of visitors in front of each painting is quite sizeable. They do try to evenly distribute the crowd by giving slots. Even then it is quite large.

It took us about two hours to see the main collection. I think we spent a little more than that, doing a recap of a few paintings once again. After that we went to the other building where we saw a few more, including what was claimed to be "possibly the last painting of Van Gogh, painted a few days before his death".

Next we went to the official Museum shop. Oh my God. One should come here to see what merchandising is all about. They even have moisturisers and hair oil in Van Gogh's name, not to speak of post cards, posters, reproductions, life size prints, bags, wallets, T-shirts - in short everything. There were some paint tubes also. I knew what I wanted in my limited budget. I picked up a self portrait fridge magnet for the living room and a diary with the Seascape painting on the cover for Mampu. She loved it, incidentally. If I ever go again I will possibly pick up a Potato Eater poster. It is a bit of a gloomy painting. So I might just get the Almond in Bloom poster as well. (Apart from these mementos, from the Netherlands I bought a small blue and white porcelain windmill, a  tiny silver windmill pendant for Monisha and a blue and white small biscuit tin with some cookies in it.)

Van Gogh shower gel anyone ? Body lotion ?

I also picked up a small memento for free from one of the halls. It was a real ticket left on a table. I asked the guard if I could take it and he said it was fine.

When we came out at around 7.30 we realised we were a little hungry. I had with me three cookies bought by Surajit on day 1. The three of us (Mr Ganguly had joined us during the visit) shared the three large cookies. They were very filling. After raising my sack back on my back I realised the Precip was not hitting me against the back of my neck. I quickly took the sack down and realised the Precip wasn't where I thought I had left it - on top of the sack.

I was in panic. I went back to the guards at the gate and told them about my issue. They let me in to talk to the lost and found section. The lady there was extremely helpful and looked around with me through all the shelves where bags are kept. We could not find it. She even showed me a jacket that was lying with them since the previous day. It was obviously not mine. I thought may be it had fallen off even before I had deposited it to their counter and gave up hopes of finding it ever. She noted down my email ID in case they found it.

I came out, feeling very sad. I just wished if it is really lost someone poor should get it. I even went to the part of the lawn where we had sat. The bench. No trace. Finally I thought let me check the inside of the sack. Did I really keep it on top or did I somehow shove it in? And guess what? It was there. I felt so happy and really embarrassed because the lost and found lady asked me several times, "Are you sure it's not in your bag?" I went to the guards and told them the story. They laughed and said they would inform the lady about it.

We came back. Happy to have lived through a big dream.

That's me in front of the museum. A long cherished dream come true.

The Snow Leopard - Peter Matthiessen

Arrangement, lights and photography - Geetanjali Roy

Just finished reading Peter Matthiessen's Snow Leopard. I think Sumit-da had originally suggested the book to me and that's when I first heard about it. I had purchased the book way back in 2014. But picked it up to read only after I came back from Roopkund and started planning for the Annapurna Base Camp trek.

I feel a kind of void that I always feel after reading a great book. Here is a review I wrote for India Hikes (I proposed to them that they carry a section on book reviews on their website and they readily accepted my suggestion. They asked me to help out with a few reviews to start off with). Actually I wrote it before completing the book. I still had about a hundred pages left when I wrote it.

Now that I have finished reading, I don't think I would have written anything extra if I wrote it now. So here goes.

In the September of 1973 Peter Matthiessen, a New Yorker, novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer and a student of Buddhism, teamed up with field biologist George Schaller to trek more than 400 kilometers over five weeks to go to a particularly remote and little known area in the North West of Nepal – the Crystal Mountain in the Inner Dolpo region, beyond Shey Gompa (not to be confused with the Shey monastery of Ladakh).

Their main objective behind embarking on this difficult trek was to undertake a scientific study of the bharal or Himalayan blue sheep. A mountain goat that abounds in these parts of the Himalayas. The mysterious animal was relatively less known in those days to the Western scientific community because its natural distribution and habitat is restricted only to difficult geographies that were closed to the Western world for a very long time.

Schaller, himself a renowned field botanist, wanted to prove that the Himalayan blue sheep was “less sheep than goat and perhaps quite close to the archetypal ancestor of both”. To establish this, he needed to observe them in rut (mating season) and study their behavior during this crucial period. They also hoped that where bharals were abundant it would be entirely possible to get at least a glimpse of their main predator – the elusive snow leopard.

The snow leopard in the early 70s was almost a mythical animal. Hardly anyone in the Western world had ever seen it. Schaller had, making him the second western scientist to ever see it in 25 years.

In the process the duo, then 46 and 40, ended up walking through some of the most scenic but difficult and lesser known parts of Nepal with its unique people and culture. Starting from Pokhara they walked through Dhorpatan to cross Jang La and past the beautiful Phoksundo Lake (also known as Emerald Lake) over Kang La to Shey monastery. There was an urgency of sorts in the inward journey to Dolpo. They had to reach before winter to see the blue sheep in rut, which happens in November.

The book that he writes about this now epic journey, some five years later, is written in the form of diary entries. But it never degenerates into a dry account of just a trek. It is a lot more than that and in the world of Himalayan literature this book is now seen as a classic that has withstood the test of time over almost forty years.

While there are detailed accounts of the everyday highs and lows of a difficult trek done with basic equipment in delayed monsoon, he intersperses it with lyrical description of nature and the indigenous people of the area, his reflections on life in general, Buddhist philosophies, the memories of the recent death of his wife. He manages to move almost seamlessly in and out of subjects as varied as the effects of psychedelic drugs on the mind and the flight of a bearded vulture.

More often than not, Matthiessen adopts the stream of consciousness style of writing where he puts words to his train of thoughts only and does not follow a linear narrative. 

Matthiessen’s thorough knowledge about the natural world including astronomy and natural history comes out in every page without boring you, even if you know nothing about the subject. But his philosophical analysis of Buddhism or Zen and Tao theories can be quite dense at times. He also talks at length about the history of entry and evolution of Buddhism in Tibet (the Dolpo region is culturally and geographically more Tibet than Nepal) from India.

It is difficult to distinguish where mythology ends and history begins. For that is the way Tibetan Buddhism is all about. He also talks at length about Bon religion and its present form. The Bon religion used to be the religion of Tibet before Buddhism came. There are still some Bon monasteries in this region (there are some in India also) but the religion has undergone significant changes after its contact with Buddhism.

Only serious scholars of Buddhism can comment on the authenticity of all that Matthiessen says about the various forms of Buddhism. He gives copious notes on most of what he says with citations at the end of the book that mentions the sources of what he says.

But this is not a research thesis. There is a lyrical quality about his prose, particularly when he describes the natural environment or life in the remote, high altitude villages through which he travels. He describes the mountain people and their difficult life with a certain empathy that is often missing in the accounts of Western travelers of that era.

Matthiessen has no illusions about being a mountaineer, which Schaller, six years his junior, is. He speaks candidly about his fears of tumbling down the icy slopes and makes no bones about the fact that he was often scared about losing his life.

Matthiessen’s compassion and empathy for the locals is often in stark contrast to his and particularly Schaller’s contempt for the porters of the team and their frequent betrayals. He paints them as lazy and slow without pointing out how much load they were actually carrying or the quality of their protection, like shoes, warm clothes or eyewear. Many of them actually fall victim to snow blindness which hampers the team’s progress.

His love and respect for the two Sherpas of the trekking party is obvious but no such luck for the hapless porters.

While it is easy to understand why Schaller went for the trip, it is difficult to fathom why Matthiessen chose to undertake it. In fact, he himself raises the question without offering any plausible answer. Reading the book one gets the feeling that much as he was trying to discover himself and the inner truth of life through this journey, in the end it becomes a spiritual journey where nature and religion conjugate freely.

Here is a better review of the book, done in 1978 by The New York Times .

On Top of the World

There is a child in everyone. The one in me is about 13/14 years old, extremely active and has a number of unfulfilled desires. I have no illusions about anything otherwise and I don't want to pretend it to be anything else. 

Among various things, I have often thought about getting a wooden top for myself. Something that I had played with as a child. I think the desire struck me when, about ten years ago, I was shocked to know that one of my junior colleagues at work had never heard about lattus. I found it terribly odd because he used to keep pigeons !!! Calcuttans would know the connection. These are kind of similar hobbies and pursuits for boys of a certain age and socio-economic-cultural background. 

I did some casual enquiry but realised that it is well nigh impossible to find a wooden top in Calcutta any more. 

The other day in Benares as we were loitering in the Biswanath gali, I tried to kill time on my own when Monisha stopped at some souvenir type shop to buy a few Benarasi purses. I was looking at the other shops and was quietly observing who was selling what. There were these shops selling small tin boats that children run in little buckets filled with water. Childhood memories rushed back. 

Then I saw a shop selling various old fashioned wooden toys for children. Yet another set of childhood memories rushed back in. We used to buy these toys from a very similar shop in Deoghar. There was a toy called "Happy Family" which was our favourite. A wooden toy of a man standing erect. If you opened him down the middle his wife would come out from inside him. You fix him back and open the middle of his wife. Their daughter comes out. Fix the wife, open the daughter and her little brother comes out !! We could identify with this family and would have endless fun doing this assembly and disassembly. 

This Benares shop had various wooden toys including the Happy Family. Suddenly the wooden top I was looking for subconsciously for ten years or more came to mind. I asked him: "apka pas lattu hai?" (do you have tops?) and he said yes. I was quite thrilled. But when he pulled it out I was a little disappointed. 

We used to hate this particular design. These tops would be very unstable. Bounced a lot. And spun for less than a minute perhaps. But the shopkeeper said, this is the only one left in stock. And it is lying there for a very long time. No one looks for these any more. I said give it to me. I thought even if I could not spin it, at least I could show people what a top means. He charged me Rs 50, which I thought was a little on the higher side. 

It came with a rope to wind. But I realised it is a useless piece to have. Upon return to Calcutta I went to Jogubajar to get a proper "letti". Luckily I got it in a shop with the right thickness and material. These days everything has gone nylon. But this shop had cotton ropes of various thicknesses.

Back at home I soaked it in water (my father had taught me this trick) and wound up the top. In two or three attempts it spun and how !!!! I was simply overjoyed. Ecstatic. I can't explain this feeling really. That familiar sound of the nail hitting the floor and sight of it spinning at full speed after some 40 years almost. 

I must say this top is a bloody work of art. All my doubts about its quality was completely unfounded. It is perhaps the best spinning top I have ever owned. It spins rock steady. For a long time. Very long. And once it stops I does not roll out of sight under the table. It drops within an inch of where it was spinning. 

I cannot yet get it to spin straight on my palm (they call it boomerang). As of now I can pick it up from the floor with the letti and make it spin on my palm. But I am at it. I should be able to make it spin on the palm directly pretty soon.

I did some googling about the wooden toy making industry in Benares. Apparently there is a place called Bhelupur where there are clusters of this cottage industry. As is the common refrain, the industry is in deep trouble with diminishing customer interest in the old products, government policies and corrupt NGOs.

Next time I go to Benares Bhelupur will be in my list of "to go" place.

An Old Memory of a Book

A long time ago my brother in law (my sister's husband) had this wonderful hobby and habit of buying old issues of Life magazine from a street side book seller, ridiculously cheap. I would read them as and when I got a chance. I still remember a few images. Monsoon in India which had some wonderful images by Raghubir Singh. There was an issue on Bjorn Borg - my hero at that time. 

In one such issue, I read a book extract. It was an autobiography of some black American photographer (in those days the word "black" used to be used to mean African American). Fighting abject poverty he picked up a knife and decided to do a burglary. He held the knife on the neck of a bus conductor late at night. His plan was to snatch his day's earning. The conductor understood it was possibly his first crime. He advised him against choosing this path in life. He felt embarrassed and dropped the idea of going down the path of violence. Later he picked up a camera and started shooting arbitrary images to ultimately become the first black photographer of Life magazine and possibly its photo editor as well.

I really loved reading whatever I could in that short extract. But in those days of late 70s and early 80s we did not have the luxury of buying any and every book in the world. Such books were unheard of in the local market. For a book to be available here it had to be either a classic or a bestseller or the subject had to be something very popular. This book wouldn't fall in any of the categories. Gradually I forgot the name of the author/photographer and also the title of the book. I thought it was "I picked up my weapon" or "I chose my weapon". 

After a long time gap when internet happened, among other things I started looking for this book. I found the website of Life magazine and wrote them a mail asking them about this book. The mail bounced back and I realised that Life had actually shut down. But I kept my hunt on. I hunted for many other such long lost things and friends too. 

Finally I found the book. I do not remember when exactly. The man's name was Gordon Parks and the book was called "A Choice of Weapons". I read about him. I found he had written many other books. He had even made films. But the book was possibly not available then. Or even if it was, it was unrealistically high priced and certainly not available in India. Once again the book was lost within the oblivion of my mind. 

A couple of days ago, as I was telling my daughter about various renowned photographers whose photographs are worth seeing, I remembered the story. But once again I had forgotten the name Parks or even the name of the book. But this time finding it out was rather easy. And for a pleasant change I found the book had been printed again in 2010 and it is available in India now from Amazon. 

Needless to say, I placed an order for the book. I hope I finish reading it when it comes. I did not buy it to read but to give vent to that original craving I had for the book. Let me see what happens when it comes. They will take a few weeks to deliver it. But it will come for sure.

The Planted Tank

View of the tank on 2nd January, 2016

December 13, 2015

Today I planted some Cuba in the foreground of the 2-footer. Brought the pressurised CO2 system from Buro in Jadavpur. It's a manual type valve. I have to turn it on and off. Started the ADA Greengain drops. Buro said add four drops per day for about ten days now. When you trim the plants, follow the same procedure. Basically one drop for every 10 litres. I have a 54 litre tank.

One of the Aqua Zonic lights has started malfunctioning. Will take it to Shyamal tomorrow if he can fix. Need to get 6500K in any case because these are 12000K tubes. The housing looks very smart and sleek but the bulbs can be useless. I wonder how the ballasts are.

Monday December 14, 2015

Couldn't go to work due to a badly upset tummy. But managed to go to Teritty Bazar in the afternoon (I was really feeling sick in the Metro) to get two Osram 24W T5HO tube lights. I got them from Best Electricals for Rs 160 each. I had spoken to the shop in advance. They are very professional. They are also related to Poonam. I am not surprised because all the Belanis in Calcutta are related.

The light is pretty bright. I am very happy with the result. It's written that they are imported. But not mentioned the country of manufacture (at least I couldn't see it). The shopkeeper said they have four-footers that are made in Germany but these are not made in Germany.

One small cautionary note. They don't allow you to board the metro with even a small tube light. Apparently it is not allowed. I have no idea why.

I am planning to get two more of these as back up stock. However, Mr Vijay Belani, the owner, said it is in quite ready supply and I need not stock.

Tuesday December 15, 2015

I have been obsessing about the CO2 mixture. Because I am yet to see the plants pearling. In my previous attempt, the moment I turned the CO2 on (it used to be a DIY yeast based system) the cork-screw vals used to start emitting bubbles. I don't remember the other plants.

Here nothing much is happening as yet. Did some reading up. Apparently pearling is when the bubbles sit on the leaves and not come out in a stream, as it used to happen in my earlier tank. I also learnt that pearling will happen only if the water is completely saturated with oxygen, which is what happens in a heavily planted aquarium and certainly not in mine which has just a few Java ferns, an anubia nana (I hope it is a nana) and some two-day old Cubas.

But I observed some bubble like thing under the leaf of one particular Java. I wasn't too sure if they were bubbles. Lined up neatly. To whet my curiosity I touched them with my fingers and they were soon gone. The plant had actually pearled !!!

I changed the diffuser's position on the aquarium. First I had set it 90 degree to the wall on which the spray bar was kept. Buro told me to place it on the opposite wall. It was mixing pretty well in water there. Next I placed it right under the spray bar. I think the opposite wall was the best place. I will change the place tomorrow.

Wednesday December 16, 2015

Pic taken on December 16, 2015

My anubias has sprouted a new leaf this morning. It is just a green fat hair (fat by human hair standard) like growth as of now. The first day in fact. I don't know what it is technically called. Green tip? It will gradually grow into a new leaf in a few days. Earlier a new leaf had opened since it came to our house. But I had not noticed the sprout. This time I am going to observe it more closely and report on its progress. I wish I could do a time lapse of its progress. But keeping the camera and stand in one place for a few days is out of question, given that it is right in the middle of the living room. I could perhaps draw circles around the legs of the tripod. But will have to ensure that Bulbuli doesn't sweep that off.

I remember a sweet poem by Tagore on this subject

Kaal chhilo daal khali
Aaj fule jaay bhore
Bol dekhi tui mali
Hoy se kemon kore?

In case you do not know Bengali, it means "even yesterday the branch was empty. Today it's in full bloom. Tell me o gardener, how does this happen?"

Only those who have tried to grow a really slow growing plant will know the joy of seeing a new leaf sprouting out.

I just hope algae don't get greedy too.

An Update On 17th Morning

Last night I discovered some hair like algae on the front glass and a few other places. The roots of the val had quite a few. And they were much darker. I immediately uprooted the val. I think this particular algae has come with the val. I hope the small ones clinging here and there won't bloom. Will scrape them off later tonight. Last night added a bucket of new water into the tank.

Status of the Growing Anubias

Pic Taken on December 17, 2015

The new leaf on the anubias has opened up today. Not quite completely. But very sweetly. As is obvious from the image to the right. But what is perhaps more important than that is, today I learnt how to position the camera during photography of an aquarium. The camera lens and the object must be in one straight line that is perfectly horizontal to the ground so that the line hits the glass at a 90 degree angle. This dramatically changed the sharpness of my images. The large old leaf of the plant is such that it is reflecting a lot of light. I used the polariser. Yet the reflection is quite obvious. But I am happy to learn this new tip and it is really a good tip that I got off the internet.

This evening I also got a pot of tissue cultured alternanthera reineckii mini from Buro in Jadavpur. I intend to plant them just behind the anubias. In a space of about 8/10 inches. Let me see how it pans out. I will do the planting tomorrow. I have meanwhile ordered for a Seachem Flourish liquid and tablet - both.

Friday, 18th December 2015

Today I planted the alternantheras. Just behind the wood holding the anubias and infront of the wood holding the Java ferns. Taking the stems out of the growing media is quite a pain. It's a jelly like something and the roots really cling on to them. Anyway, it's looking really nice in the tank. Earlier during the day I had also got for myself a pair of tweezers. From one of Central Avenue's medical supply stores. The head wasn't flat. But not pin pointed either. I planted a few with the tweezers and a few with my fingers. Both worked fine. I would classify it as easy to plant. Now it remains to be seen how easy or difficult it is to grow.

Tropica describes the plant as "carpeting". I wonder how they grow. Vertically or sideways? Obviously not through runners. It will be interesting to watch how they behave.

Before planting the alternantheras, I took the driftwood holding the Java ferns to tie one of the Java ferns properly. Initially it wasn't properly tied on one side and it was like the leaning tower of Pisa. But now it's just fine.

Sunday, 20th December 2015

Last night (Saturday) the Seachem Flourish Excel arrived. From Amazon. I dosed the tank with just 5 ml. I will get for myself an injection syringe for precise measurement. One thing that has to be said is, unscrewing the cap is a matter of trial and error. You have to try a million times and be lucky at least once. I had to google the subject and discovered that there are millions like me.

I intend to use it once every other day. It is clearly mentioned in all caps: DO NOT OVERDOSE.

I have also ordered for Flourish substrate tablets. That's coming from eBay. I hope this is not overdosing.

The hairgrass algae on the front wall is becoming a nuisance. I am getting a few black mollies today (on advice from Buro). Sub-adults would be best. They are perpetually hungry. But for me keeping fish deliberately hungry is a tough thing to do. Another issue with keeping mollies is they propagate like crazy and the stainer in the tank has pretty large openings. Let me see what happens. Going to Galiff Street today.

In the afternoon I bought two pots of plants from Ripples. A pot of HM and a pot of cryptocorene wendtii. I have already planted the HM in the left rear corner of the tank. Will plant the crypts tomorrow.

One notable thing happened almost immediately after I planted the HMs. The free floating CO2 bubbles on the top of the tank water vanished. I think the plants are now using the entire supply of CO2. I will have to seek a proper scientific answer to this.

Tuesday, 22nd December 2015

I got my packet of Seachem Flourish substrate tablets. Ten of them. I think I put 3 or 4 of them before planting the crypts. They are well settled now. Let's keep the fingers crossed. I got a total of 9 cryptocorene wendtii. One I planted on the left hand side of the tank. The rest eight got planted on the other side. I am not too sure how they will look once they spread out.

The black mollies are pulling my Cubas out. They look sick and yellow, all right. I have replanted a few. If this experiment with the Cuba does not work, I will get another pot next Sunday and plant. Let me see what happens. If that fails too I will plant Monte Carlos.

Meanwhile, I have increased the bubble count. Right now dosing at 4 bps. On day 1 of HM planting, they pearled almost immediately. Yesterday they did not pearl much with bps at 2. Now that I have set it at 4 bps, they are pearling a little.

Today I took out two buckets of water and poured in 3. As of yesterday I have started blocking off the front glass with a piece of thermocol. I think the hairgrass algae was happening due to the sun light coming in from the opposite window.

Strangely enough, the mollies haven't touched the upper part of the front glass. I guess they aren't sufficiently hungry yet. The flowing strands of hair are gone but still some rather thick green remain on the glass.

Thursday, 24th December 2015

Today i found another shoot coming out of the anubias. Which means I am going to get another leaf. Probably two. I also saw a very tiny flower kind of thing behind on the rhyzome of the plant. I wonder what that is.

The HMs are settling well. The shape and structure of the leaves is changing. After the initial planting, I had found one clump uprooted. I got it to sink on the right hand side of the tank. It is now doing pretty well.

Today I got in touch with the Seachem India distributor. He gave me the phone number of a retailer in Calcutta. Spoke to him about Matrix. He has a shop in Brahmapur. He said his consignment is coming this week. Let me see.

The tips of some of the AR mini are bending backwards. This is happening only to the top two leaves. Many new leaves, incidentally, are coming out. I wonder if the backward bending is okay and I am over reacting. The plants look otherwise healthy. But then a week is too short a period to judge anything. Most aquatic plants go through a lot of transition during the first few weeks when they go from emmersed to immersed form. And these are tissue cultured plants with very healthy roots. So they will take time to show any signs of changing.

Tuesday, 29th December 2015

Did quite a few purchases in the last couple of days. Yesterday bought some driftwood and rock from Buro because they were available. Today bought a JBL heater for the betta from a guy called Rocky Jaiswal in Howrah and a nano tank from Buro where I have already moved the betta. I also bought a cup each of TC hydrocotyle tripartita mini and rotala rotundifolia hi-red.

I am going to plant them tomorrow. The hi-red will go to the right corner of the tank. The hydrocotyle will be for the foreground. I want them to grow up on the front driftwood.

Meanwhile, I have ordered for a bottle each of Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and Iron from Vinit Desai in Pune. I paid into his account here. He is supposed to send it to me by tomorrow or day after. Apparently the item has already been shipped.

Thursday, 31st December 2015

Last night I planted the rotala rotundafolia HRA in the rear right hand corner of the aquarium. I got a total of about ten clumps. Getting the plants out of the agar was relatively easy. Perhaps I am becoming an expert at it. Or the roots had not taken a firm root yet. But the plants looked strong enough.

Keeping the clumps rooted into the soil wasn't easy. A few clumps came floating out. But they were promptly pressed back in. They also readily started pearling from the top. Large pearls that looked beautiful. But the ones that came out did not pearl again. I am a little intrigued. Do freshly planted plants pearl more?

The tips of the plants look a little brownish. Otherwise these are green plants. However, I have bought them believing they would grow up to become red.

Saturday, 2nd January 2016

Day before yesterday, that is on Thursday I planted the Hydrocotyle Tripartita Mini. It is a challenge keeping them rooted to the substrate. But that is because I took Chhoton's advice and divided the clump into four and planted them. After a few failed attempts, they float up in no time, I made the clumps smaller. The smallest ones are best rooted, including one that is just a stand alone plant right in the front of the tank. Another clump is doing well in a nook of the bogwood.

I think I have more than what I need. These plants are the best pearlers. They start to pearl as soon as you plant them. No matter how many times they get uprooted the moment you press them back in they start pearling.

My arsenal of ferts

Yesterday the year stated on a good note as the Seachem bottles arrived from Vinit Desai. I have started dosing in the following formula.

Friday - N - 0.5 ml
Saturday - P - 1 ml
Sunday - K - 1.5 ml
Monday - Fe - 1 ml
Tuesday - N - 0.5 ml
Wednesday - P - 1 ml
Thursday - K - 0.5 ml & Fe 1 ml

Apart from this I am dosing 2.5 ml of Seachem Flourish every alternate day.

Today I also kicked back to life my good old metal halide light. I just plugged it into a socket and switched it on and it was back to life after some 8/9 years. I do not know what to do with it. I have a grand plan to make a planted tank museum at Metro Park in the days to come. There I can use it :-)

I have also cleaned up the Eheim 2215. I have already spoken to Buro about repairing it. He has promised to do it for me. The injury is nothing major but it certainly needs to be repaired before I can use it. I guess I will take it to him tomorrow.

This is what the tank looks like after planting the hydrocotyle tripartita. Pic taken on 1st January, 2016

Sunday, 3rd January 2016

My Java ferns have started producing plantlets !!! I thought they were uneaten algae. But the fact that the black mollies weren't touching them made me curious. I knew that the new plants often come out of the leaves. But didn't know it would happen this fast in my tank. They look like brown beard algae. I think one of them has already turned into a small plantlet. I will wait for a couple of days more because that one is in a tough corner where it is difficult to view. These plantlets grow on the back of the leaves.

I think I will soon have to set up a clippings tank. Because the alternantheras are growing pretty fast. The HMs will start growing soon. So will the tripartitas. I have to find some home for the clippings. I don't think there are too many takers for these.

I have that other 4-footer at Metro Park. I also have the metal halide and the extra Eheim. Let me see how things move.

In the evening went to Buro's shop with Sumit-da. Gave him the Eheim 2215 for repairs. Bought two otocinclus. Immediately after release into the tank the black mollies attacked them and started nipping them. They are not good defenders - these oto's. However, after about five minutes they stopped bothering the newcomers.

Otocincluses are sensitive fish. I hope they survive. They are generally being very restless in the tank. Let me see how successful I get with them. I have half a mind to remove the mollies and get a few shrimps. Let me see how things pan out.

Monday, 4th January 2016

My oto's are doing fine. I was eager to find them alive in the tank after I returned home from work today. And they were found voraciously eating algae. I strictly believe that if a wild creature is "eating and shitting" properly (pardon my language), then it is in fine health. I saw both of them eating rather eagerly. I saw only one poop. It is quite difficult to see an oto poop. So I should think they are doing fine in my tank.

I was a little skeptical given that I thought they were reputed to be super sensitive to water conditions.

I also ordered for a set of lily pipes for the Eheim 2217 from Madras. This is the cheapest I have come across so far. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a damp squib. Let me see how they turn out. Sumit-da gave me the contact.

I have spoken to the seller and also written a mail to him explaining that my set should be of two different sizes. Eheim 2217's inlet pipe is 16 mm and outlet is 12 mm. I hope they send the set accordingly.

Tuesday, 5th January 2016 - Quick Status Update

Java Ferns - I had planted them the first. Not quite planted but tied them on a piece of bogwood. They are doing absolutely fine with light and CO2. Many plantlets have started sprouting from the old leaves. Some new leaves are also growing from the rhyzome. No need to worry about the Java Ferns.

Anubias Nana - There was some sign of yellowing in the leaves. The top leaf seems to be dying. However, new leaves are growing too. Two have already grown in the tank and another is coming out right now. New roots are also coming out. I think the old leaves will die out eventually.

Cuba - I made a big mistake with the Cuba even before planting. I had kept it in the dark for a long time. By the time I planted them they had started melting. A few took decent root. But I had to take them out and replant, as I re-scaped the front with tripartita. The replanted ones aren't doing too well.

Alternanthera - Doing extremely well. Growing reasonably fast. I might need to prune a few of the plants this Sunday. The leaves on top have grown a little too large for my taste.

HM - Standing still. Taking roots. Least worried about them though. Once their root spread is over they will start growing.

Crypt Wendtii - Standing still. A few bottom leaves have yellowed or melted. The internet says this is normal. Perhaps I have planted a few too many of them.

Rotala Hi-Red - They are also standing still and doing nothing. I guess waiting for the roiots to take hold. They look green but with a brownish tinge.

Tripartita Mini - The battle to keep them down seems to have been won. The trick is to make the clumps smaller and mercilessly push them right in. They pearl a lot. They have still not started growing though. But good health is obvious.

Thursday, 7th January 2016 - Four-footer Gone

Today I managed to find a buyer for my four-footer. A guy called Sashi Singh bought it for his expanding black molly family. Sold it for Rs 1800. I shall see if the first aquarium I started my planted tank journey with is suitable. Ibrahim has cleaned it up. Will have to bring it over from Metro Park. If nothing, it can be my clippings storage tank.

Last night I got for myself some christmas moss from Buro for Rs 50. I have kept them in the divided betta tank for now. I have got the bog wood soaked now. It's still floating though. It will, for a few days.

Yesterday Buro repaired my Eheim 2215 canister. He has done a neat job. Asked me to watch it out for a few days initially. I don't think it will leak. He has done a great job. But of course, the pressure that is generated inside a filter is pretty high. But I still have confidence in him that it will not fail.

Ibrahim has also cleaned my other four-footer. But he said apparently it has a crack at the bottom, though it is not a leaking one.

My anubias has thrown up a new leaf but it is all yellow except for the middle which is green. I dosed a little extra potassium today. Let me see how it behaves.

The tripartitas have started sending out runners. I am super excited. I also tried the mechanical compaction method that the Tropica website talks about. The very fine cobwebish roots settle in when you press them gently. The plants are looking more compact and much better.

But I think I am going to have to keep a strict watch on their growth. I spoke to Buro about a pair of scissors. He said they should be in any time now.

Friday, 8th January 2016 - Fresh Purchases

Today got a few items from Buro. A bag of ADA Amazonia 9 lit, 2 litres of Bio Rio and a net bag, a glass lily pipe for the outlet and a water column additive that is supposed to keep the water sparkling clear and improve oxygenation.

Will set up the lily pipe and bio rio tomorrow.

Saturday, 9th January 2016 - Added Bio Rio & Lily Pipe

Added the Bio Rio and the lily pipe into the Eheim 2217 and removed the carbon pad. The bio rio is taking the space of two of the blue sponge filters. Had two mini accidents in the process. But managed somehow with some water flow on the floor and once on the wall and a little bruised forehead for Monisha.  One of the basic requirements for successfully running an Eheim filter is the support of your wife. Monisha cleaned up the mess without a grumble.

The tank became a little cloudy after the addition of Bio Rio. I am hoping it will go down. The lily pipe is not holding straight. But one great thing - I have been able to let the filter run at full flow without any problem to the plants. The mollies are a little rattled by the extra flow rate of the water. Let me see how they adjust in a couple of days. If they find it difficult I will turn the force down.

I have also changed the position of the CO2 diffuser.

Update at 12 mid night

• The turbidity created by Bio Rio is yet to fully go but it's certainly clearing up
• The CO2 diffusion is way better now. Earlier only the tripartitas would pearl. Now everything is pearling, especially the hi-red rotalas.
•  Stepped down the bubble rate from 2.5 bps to1 bps. Let me see how the bubbling goes on.
• The mollies have settled down. 

Fixing the lily pipe to the aquarium's wall is not easy because of its shape. I should have kept a little more slack on the pipe. But this is a learning process for me.

Sunday, 10th January, 2016

It's morning 11 and the turbidity of the water is still not completely gone. It is still not 100 per cent sparkling clean water as I had before. Last night before going to sleep I had turned the CO2 bubbling rate to about 1 bps. This morning I saw a lot of pearling still on the leaves of the Rotalas and Java ferns and of course the tripartitas.

Wednesday, 13th January, 2016

The tripartitas have started to take off in the tank. I am really impressed by their growth rate. They are sending out runners in all directions. I think I am going to have trouble controlling their growth. But as someone on the KAC forum said, this growth will stop once summer sets in.

I have also stepped up the Seachem dosage by 10x. Let me see what happens. Most international forums are of the opinion that Seachem's dosage recommendations are on the lower side. Also, a hi-tech planted tank's dosage requirements are much higher because the plants are growing much faster here. Nutrient supply must keep pace with the available light and CO2.

Thursday, 14th January, 2016 

Today I got two rhizomes of Anubias minima from Nature's Gift in Bangalore. Good healthy plants. Obviously grown emersed. But strong large green leaves. Well packed. It worked out a little costly, but I was basically testing their service for future. They seem dependable.

Friday, 15th January, 2016

The aquarium on 15th January, 2016

A total low down on the aquarium as on date

Age of the tank: A little more than a month. Set up a week or so before 13th December, 2015

Fauna: Four black mollies and 2 Otocinclus

Plant Details: As on date hydrocotyle tripartita mini, very small clumps of Cuba, Cryptocorene Wendtii, HM, Rotala rotundofilia Hi-Red, Alternanthera reinicki Mini, Anubias nana, Jave fern

Light: 2 Osram T5HO 6500K on Aqua Zonic fixture

CO2: Pressurised. Manual.

Filtration: Eheim Classic 2217 with 2 litres of Bio Rio

Description: All the plants are doing well except the Cubas. Some black brush algae is observed. First on the edge of the anubias which went with manual scraping by finger. Next on Cuba and some on HM. Photo period was reduced to six hours yesterday. CO2 bps has been increased to 2.25 per second. Flourish Excel dosing was stopped for a few days (which could be a reason). Have restarted with 10 ml tonight. Lot of green algae on the front glass which is unattended by the Oto.

Saturday, 16th January, 2016

I had increased the flow of the filter a little. That increased turbulence in the water, particularly at the far end where the HMs are. Today I find the HMs are more or less clear of BBA. The Cubas have some BBA left. But it is clearly not increasing. Mollies are attacking BBA on Cuba.

Today I got two more Otos from Buro and a bottle of Flourish Trace. I think there is scope for 2 more Otos in the tank. The Otos don't eat the hard, old and established algae. The glass is getting quite coated with green algae despite their relentless eating. The mollies are also busy all the time. Yet the amount of green algae is a lot. I mean not yet ungainly sight but the Otos will not go unfed, for sure.

Sunday, 17th January, 2016 - First Major Pruning

Tank before pruning

Today I did my first major pruning for the tank. I snipped the tripartitas in a few places where they were tresspassing into the Cuba or crypt territory. The new growth on the runners come out pretty easily off the substrate. It is not a major issue. However, these new growths hardly have any leaves on them. I have given the clippings to Sumit-da. Let me see how they do in his tank.

I also clipped the top of a few of the fast growing AR Mini. The growth was really robust. I wish I could clip a few more but there the growth is just a little more than what I want. So if I clip them now, they will be really small plants and may not survive if planted somewhere else. So I shall clip them next Sunday. I gave the clips to Sumit-da. A total of 5 stems.

There was just one stem of Rotala Rotundifilia Hi-Red that I had to cut. Because it had grown up ahead of its friends. I wonder if Sumit-da will find any use for it.

I pruned the HMs pretty much like a barber. Just chopped them off. Some stems are large. Some are rather small. I have kept them floating in a mug. If there is no taker I will have to throw them away.

After pruning I dosed 5 drops of the ADA whatever.

Tank just after pruning

Added A Bog Wood With Christmas Moss 

In the afternoon/evening I added a bog wood on the right hand backside to add some balance to the tank's overall design. The wood has some Christmas moss attached to it in strategic locations. Let me see how well they grow in my tank. 

In the betta tank attached the two anubias minima to another old bog wood. The water there is a little warm. I wonder how they will grow there.

Monday January 18, 2016

After coming back home from office I found the turbidity in the water had increased a bit. I thought it was perhaps due to the new driftwood. Changed a bucket and a half of water, which is perhaps more than 50 per cent. The water has cleared up significantly.

I seem to be getting better of BBA. I have increased the flow of water and dosing 10 ml of Flourish Excel every day.  But the wall towards Ma's room is getting coated in Green Spot Algae. I think it is due to the window in the distance. Currently the black cloth with which I cover the tank during day cannot cover that wall. Must get a longer piece of cloth specifically for the tank. Using Monisha's black dupatta for now.

Sunday January 24, 2016

Pruned the HMs, tripartitas and AR Minis. Kept them all in a mug. Will give the tripartitas to Sumit-da. Have put up an ad on KAC for the other clippings, if anyone is interested. The growth in these three plants is phenomenal. The RR Hi-red is growing but not as fast as these three to be sure. Even the anubias is growing pretty fast. But I have still not been able to get a green leaf at the sprouting stage. They are still yellowish and turn green only after a week or so. Have increased the dosing of K and Ph. A new leaf is coming out now. Let me see how it fares.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week bought a two meter black cloth from Kalighat market for Rs 100. I keep the tank covered in it during the day. The green spot algae has already come under control in about three days. Therefore it can be safely said that diffused sunlight, coming through a smoked glass twenty feet away can cause green spot algae. Probably the nutrient in the water is also responsible, in the sense if it was just tap water it would probably not get the algae so soon. But it is really amazing how powerful sunlight is.

The Road Is Free

A typical 3K evening. The white tear drops are Km markers. 3 onwards is a walk

I am running 3 km every alternate evening. Consistently for the last month and a half. The last 3K was at a little over 23 minutes. So what's the big deal? A few of my childhood school friends do much better than that !!! To me it's indeed a big deal. So big that I have decided to write a blog on the subject !!! I cannot remember being so fit and injury free for such a long period of time. And I am going to be 51 in two days. 

I have come down so heavily with running related injuries in the past that I started believing it was a dangerous activity. I am an expert in injuries. Knees (every corner of it), calves, Achilles, plantar - you name it and I have suffered excruciating pain there for several weeks. The worst part about injuries is it throws your fitness regime completely out of gear. For me it is important because staying active is part of my diabetes management strategy. 

Inactivity makes me insulin resistant pretty soon and only exercise makes my medicines more effective. Of course for diabetes management it is not necessary that you run. Even brisk walking is good. I have done it. But it's boring unless you are chatting with a partner, like my wife, in my case. But of late she has been lazy resulting in me missing my walks. Swimming is excellent and I have done that too but it can be very inconvenient, particularly in a city like Calcutta. 

Running has its own charm for various reasons. 

A. It is very convenient. You just go out and run on the road. It is free and it is just there. In terms of convenience only walking comes close to it. Swimming involves a lot of other things like you need a pool. You need to change your dress two times, take shower two times and worst of all you cannot swim in winter. At least not in our club that does not have a heated pool. Cycling needs for you to maintain the machine properly and in Calcutta it is not always very safe. 

B. Running is macho. Not every one is a runner and most walkers quietly envy the runners. We have an old man in the Lake who is a regular runner even in his late 70s. I really envy him. Every single morning he comes running to the Lake. Greets every one with a loud "Bande Mataram ! Jai Hind!" To me he is the most macho man. We also had two sisters in the Lake who were consistent runners (I don't see them any more). Every time an elderly person goes running past me in the Lake, I feel good about him. I see a really old man, perhaps in his eighties, on the Red Road every morning at around 8.30 am. Rain or shine he is there. Just the other day I saw him getting drenched in blinding rain but running nevertheless.

C. You can modulate the tempo and intensity of your exercise very easily. In other words, you can push yourself quite easily or bring it down quickly too. Of course you can do it with any other activity also but somehow doing that while running is perhaps the easiest thing to do - just increase the speed. Simple. 

D. You can reflect upon a lot of things when you are running alone. Particularly how your body is behaving. 

E. It can bring your blood glucose level down almost instantly. Of course so can any other intense activity like swimming, cycling, weight training etc but the convenience of running isn't there. 

But then running has its serious shortcomings too. 

A. It is an extremely injury prone activity, particularly if you start it late in life. No one knows this better than me. Even the most elite of athletes suffer from injuries. The most recent and famous example is of Haile Gabreselassie. 

B. It is easy to get bored. Particularly in a city like Calcutta where there aren't too many safe running routes from a traffic point of view. I dread looking forward to running along the same route when I start and feel very demotivated. In my mental map I can see the entire route, particularly the end point and I feel, "oh my God. Not again." I have tried varying the routes, changing direction etc. But for how long can you do that?

C. It is easy to over push yourself leading to not only injury to your joints but also to your heart. You can reach your maximum heart rate quite easily, particularly if you are new to cardiac exercise. So one has to know when to stop.

So how did I manage to achieve this seemingly impossible feat of running injury free for quite some time without signs of any serious injury so far and at the same time managing to stay motivated while running on more or less the same route day in and day out?

I think consciously or otherwise, this time around, I did many things that were right. I shall write my experience down so that it helps others in a similar situation. 

The Secret of Staying Injury Free

It may seem like a no brainer but the best way to stay injury free is to strengthen your leg muscles. This is very easy to say. But it is very difficult to achieve, particularly if you are in a hurry to hit the road. And this is what I ended up doing without ever thinking that I would take to running soon.

You will read about many theories like the need for stretches and warm up, the need for proper cushioning and right pair of shoes, the need for running on soft surface, correct form, cooling down, hydration etc etc. But the most important factor for me at least is - strengthen your core muscles, your hips, glutes, thighs and calves before you start running at an age beyond 30.

I had no intention to run this time. I had started exercising a few months ago. At home. Doing push ups and sit ups and some weights for the upper body. This was because my insulin requirement was going up gradually and I needed to intervene. After a few weeks I started getting my daughter to sit on my feet while I did my sit ups. Principally to make sure that my feet didn't move up off the floor. I did not know, I was unknowingly strengthening my running muscles. I thought I was strengthening my abs !!!

After this, one evening I decided to walk in the Lake. After a few days of walking I ran for a while. And I discovered I could quite run for 15 minutes !!! Next day I ran for 20 minutes. I was pretty impressed by the distance. It seemed like quite a long distance. Of course I got very tired at the end of it but I could finish it and wonder of wonders - while I was coming back I felt rejuvenated quite quickly. Almost ready for more. And most importantly I wasn't in any sort of pain anywhere.

This was some time in August 2015. Started in the week beginning August 8, 2015, to be very precise. I have been carrying on since. I run every alternate day. And I exercise every other day. Complete rest for a day. I also have a professional sports masseur who comes once a week on the rest day. While strength of the muscles is important, it is also important for the muscles to remain supple. At an advanced age, that suppleness is severely compromised, particularly for those not used to regular exercise. My muscles tighten up quite easily. I am sure it will go as they get more used to exercise but as of now I would rather get the masseur's help to stay fit.

Side by side with proper strength training, the other factors mentioned earlier are also important. If I had to prioritise which is the second most important factor, I would say cushioning. That is, proper shoes and socks. When we were younger - in school or college - we ran in our keds which had just a thin rubber sole. It is a shade better than running bare foot. We could get away with that because our relative strength and flexibility of the muscles was very good. Not so at this age any more.

I have a friend who runs regularly for 5/6 kms every evening. He has been running for a long time now. He wears quite minimalist running shoes. He gets away with it because his muscle strength is very good. Mine is not. So I have no hesitation in accepting that I need good running shoes.

Right now I am using two running shoes. One is an old pair of red Asics GT 2140 in size 7.5 (Euro 42) and the other is Asics Gel Nimbus 16 in size 8 (Euro 42.5). They are expensive shoes no doubt. But I have realised that spending money on good pair of shoes is important. Because bad shoes have brought me down repeatedly. It could have brought me down again this time too. But the strength in my legs saved me by a whisker. Read the story here.

Form is another very important factor for running injury free. Earlier I used to run with a slight forward droop in the upper body. I think this contributed to my injury and lower stamina. Nowadays I run with a straight vertical stance with the shoulders drawn behind a little. Like a marching soldier. I cannot prove it but it helps.

Stretches and proper warm up are important. You will read about that everywhere. Certainly they are. But I do very little stretches. A few for the quads before I start from home. I walk almost a kilometer or more to reach my starting point. That is good enough to warm me up. Also, I run in the evenings when the muscles are in any case warmed up. I do some stretches to release the tight feeling in the calves or shin splints. At night before going to sleep I sit for a while in Padmasana or Vajrasana. That also helps with the quads and calves.

Staying Motivated

 This is a very important factor for me. I just cannot do anything without proper motivation. Running is no exception. The prospect of running down the same track used to leave me very demotivated. Again unconsciously I did something right this time that has so far kept me motivated. Very motivated, I daresay.

After a few weeks of running injury free, I decided to reward myself with a heart rate monitor and fitness watch. I did not know the subject too well at that. But I read it all up. There are many brands in the market at various price points with different capabilities. I zeroed in on the Garmin Forerunner  15 with heart rate monitor (read my review here). It has various useful features but the most important feature for me now is it keeps me motivated. How?

As it is I am quite a gadget freak. That is of course the reason why I bought it in the first place. But this particular gadget makes every run a different one for me and that is what keeps one motivated to go out again. How? Every time I run with it, I can analyse my run - both on the go and of course back home on the computer too. I can see the distance, time, pace and my heart beats per minute (it gives calories too but I just ignore that) and how they are changing. I wish they would include cadence too but then that is reserved for the more expensive watches.

While running I keep an eye on all these factors and see how my run today is better or worse than what it was the other day. What interests me most is how my heart is behaving with distance, time and intensity. Touch wood, it is improving almost every day. I know all these will perhaps reach a plateau sometime in future. And I will be running to a predictable and particular pattern. But I guess that will be yet another reason to push myself harder.

Stay Within Limits 

That brings me to another very important factor for running injury free. You have to know your limit and stay well within them. Every time you break that limit you are risking an injury. When we were young our only limit was stamina. You stopped running when you went completely out of breath. But as grown ups, you will face situations where your stamina might trump over the strength of your muscles. You have to know those limits. Your muscles and ligaments will give way much earlier than your lungs and heart.

I follow these simple rules of thumb. Never push yourself too hard. Don't get carried away by your apparent success and increase the intensity, time, distance etc of your runs drastically. Go step by step. Like I ran 2.5 km for quite some time before hitting 3K. I shall stay at 3K now for a few weeks and consolidate my position there before pushing for anything more. Perhaps 3.5K. I know if I push myself a little I can easily do 3.5K tomorrow. But I won't. Let the body get used to 3K first.

Not only are time and distance important, the length of your stride and cadence are also important issues. Increasing the length of your stride is the most sure fire way of coming down with an instant injury of shin splints. And it is indeed a stupid error. Because increasing the length of your stride does not improve your speed really. Speed increases when you increase your cadence (the number of steps you take every minute). Try to increase that for speed but do that very gradually.

Last but not the least is the importance of rest. The muscles need rest. The joints need rest. I run every alternate day, so that the muscles and joints get the time to recuperate. Of course I do some light strengthening exercise on the intervening days. But that I guess is OK. Those are not too strenuous.

I don't know, I might also end up pushing myself too hard in the near or distant future. At this age there is a constant need to prove yourself to your own self. If that happens I might come down with another injury. I am hoping that I have that maturity now not to do that. One never knows, But as of now I am quite proud to be running 3K at 23 minutes. My ultimate target is to run 5K in 30 minutes. I shall be very happy if I can achieve that.

When, a few years ago, I started following a running programme and achieved running continuously for 30 minutes I was pretty impressed with myself. At the end of the programme I used to run 2.6 km in 30 minutes. If anyone told me that in a few years you would run 3K in 23 minutes I would have thought he was crazy. But here I am now. Aren't I?