More than a little birdie

     Watching a crocodile at close quarters with powerful binoculars has a spine chilling effect. It is a surreal feeling, seeing a crocodile like you are next to it, as it suns itself amidst cool green glades, oblivious to the rare boat that travels in the water around it. And yet, the feeling was not one of fear as I sat in a boat in the Rangnathitu bird sanctuary. It was one of peace and tranquility as we traveled through the sylvan surroundings in which birds of different species contentedly nested, ate or flew around.

       Shivanna, our boatman, had the uncanny ability to spot from a distance rare species of birds hiding in the bushes. We also spotted a lot of not-so-rare species as well of course. Not being a great connoisseur of birds, I was not really qualified to tell the difference between the two. Among the birds we spotted were the painted stork, the purple heron, the stone plover, the wagtail, the snake bird, the night heron, the egret, the thick knee and the pied kingfisher, to name a few. Not to put a too fine point on it, this is a haven for photography enthusiasts, bird watchers, ornithologists and amateur wildlife lovers. The serene surroundings with breathtaking natural beauty make it time well spent even if you are none of the above. A caveat however is to hit the place early in the morning before the crowds start coming in. The danger in going late is twofold - crowds scare the birds away. Anyway, even in the absence of crowds, the later it gets the fewer birds you are likely to see. The other danger is that you are likely to miss out on the serenity of the sylvan surroundings if you go late. After all, the later it gets the less sylvan it becomes. And the teeming crowds are unlikely to enhance the serenity of the sanctuary.
         Located in Karnataka, the Rangnathitu bird sanctuary is 16 Km from Mysore and only 3 Km from Srirangapatna. Though it provides lodging, one can also stay in Mysore and drive down early in the morning. It is not a very large sanctuary, being 67 square kilometers in area. It consists of 6 islets which were formed when a dam was built across the Kaveri river. Dr. Salim Ali, the world renowned ornithologist, observed that these islets formed an important nesting place for birds. In 1940, he asked the Wodeyar kings of Mysore to declare the place as a wildlife sanctuary.The sanctuary has a Dr. Salim Ali interpretation center, in memory of the great ornithologist. Other interesting places include a watch point, which provides a good view of the islets.
         The months between June and November are the best to visit the sanctuary. However, December is the best time for those looking to spot migratory birds. Irrespective of when you go, make sure to hit the place early in the day, and you will be pleasantly surprised with your wonderful experience at the Rangnathitu Bird Sanctuary.

Songs of Blood and Sword

       Songs of Blood and Sword – a Daughter’s memoir is aptly named, if not anything else. The violence and bloodshed that haunts the Bhutto family is the leitmotif of the book, and the only theme that seems stronger is the tribute Fatima Ali Bhutto pays to her dead father, Murtaza Ali Bhutto.

      The book provides an interesting insight into Pakistani politics. An unbiased account this may be not, what with the author being the granddaughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and niece of Benazir Bhutto. However, to the uninformed reader, it provides a passing acquaintance with Pakistani politics, right from the times of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The content seems well researched, drawing on letters and interviews with close confidants and party workers of the PPP (Pakistani People’s Party).

        The book starts off by tracing the history of the Bhutto family. It briefly runs through a highlight of the lives of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s forefathers. It then moves on to describe the childhood and early adult years of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, how he went abroad to study at the University of South California and later on, the University of California, Berkeley. It describes his experiences there, and how these experiences molded his perceptions, his thinking and hence, his policies. The book talks about the deep commitment that Zulfikar had towards socialism. It traces his career as he came back to Pakistan, became foreign minister in the Ayub Khan government, resigned over differences of opinion regarding foreign policy, launched his own party, and became president and later on prime minister.

         The focus of the book then shifts to Murtaza Ali Bhutto, and traces his early years. The narrative moves between the arrest of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by Zia-ul-Haq and the efforts of the brothers Murtaza and Shahnawaz to raise awareness about his plight and garner sympathy and support from world leaders, while staying in exile in Afghanistan and later, Syria. Here’s where the bloodshed begins. The tale of the twists and turns in the lives of the Bhutto family and Pakistani politics as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shahnawaz Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto and finally Benazir Bhutto are killed is told passionately, if not with great detail or precision.

           At the end of the day, what remains with you on reading the book is deep sense of empathy for the author for the entire trauma that she has undergone. The writing is extremely passionate, and makes for interesting reading. Any daughter will be moved by the manner in which the author looks up to her father, how close she was to him, and eventually, her sense of loss.