The Elephant Whisperer

What's better than a book about a conservationist in Africa? A book about him adopting a rogue elephant herd, of course!

Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to animal conservation, protecting the world's endangered species. Then he was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. His common sense told him to refuse, but he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them.

In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom.

The Elephant Whisperer is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad memoir of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, Anthony's unrelenting efforts at animal protection and his remarkable connection with nature will inspire animal lovers and adventurous souls everywhere. 

Source: The Elephant Whisperer on Amazon.

African Folk Tales

At the library today, I came across a McCall Smith book with an interesting title, ‘The girl who married a lion’. The book is a collection of short African Folk Tales from Zimbabwe and Botswane. The stories feature people and animals (which talk, of course!). As McCall Smith puts it so nicely in the introduction, the stories draw us into “a fascinating world view in which the boundaries between the animal and human worlds are indistinct and fluid”. The idea is very much along the lines of Aesop’s fables and Panchatantra stories but the stories are completely different from the ones I grew up with, featuring a totally different landscape and culture.

Of course, I had already decided to read it once I realized it had a foreword by good old Mma Ramotswe! Now, who can resist her solid recommendations? ;)

Elegant Artwork

I loved today's Google Doodle celebrating Miriam Makeba's 81st Birthday. Here is my favourite song by her, Soweto Blues.
Happy Birthday, Mama Africa!

Touching Moment

 

1964 | TANZANIA - A touching moment between primatologist and National Geographic grantee Jane Goodall and young chimpanzee Flint at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream Reserve. (Photo by Hugo van Lawick).

From Boston Globe's 125 Years of National Geographic. Thanks for sharing, PR.

Karibu to Bangalore!

Jambo, my friends! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending the day with a group of 21 from Nairobi, Kenya. Visiting India for a short program over 9 days, the students had a day off before they went back to Kenya. Sr. Maria Sheila (my primary school Headmistress), who is now based in Kenya told me about their trip and I was eager to show them around Bangalore. 

The Carmel Blossoms Group at Lal Bagh

The Tour:

I picked the group up from my school campus and we headed straight to LalBagh Botanical Gardens. It was a warm, sunny day (a little too hot for some of the children, all of whom are between 11 and 13 years of age). After a quick tour of the KempeGowda tower on the hill which has a nice view, the glasshouse, the snow white clock and the topiary garden, we headed towards the center of the city. We picked up lunch at Ice & Spice on St. Mark's road and enjoyed it leisurely in the gardens of Cubbon Park under the shade of the tall trees. My friend Asha joined us and we chatted with Sr. Winifred and Sr. Maria Villa who are leading the group on this tour. I enjoyed the conversation very much as they talked to us about life in Kenya. I remembered my trip to Kenya last year fondly and remembered some of my favourite Swahili words too!

 At the Kempegowda Tower on the hill at Lal Bagh

After lunch we walked into the beautiful Sheshadri Iyer public library (which is almost a 100 years old) to gawk at the giant collection of books and periodicals. Our next stop was UB City Mall where we went to see another side of Bangalore and of course, to use their luxurious bathrooms! Next stop was the Visveswaraiah science museum which was fascinating - it even had a 3D show which I hadn't heard of! After driving past the Vidhana Soudha and High Court Building, we went to Commercial Street and Jayanagar 4th block where the girls had fun shopping for gifts, shoes and clothes. We managed to drink some fresh sugarcane juice too! It was a long and fun day. It was also my first time as a tour guide and I enjoyed it, especially because of the good company. :)

Just after lunch, in the shade of the trees at Cubbon Park

Some Special Moments:

One of the girls lost her money (about Rs.2000) at the museum, as her bag was open and with such a big crowd there, I am not surprised that it was stolen. She seemed quite dejected but wait! As soon as we got into the bus, Sr. Winifred said a magic word "Harambey!". Immediately, 100 rupee notes appeared and within a minute or two, funds were pooled together and the girl got her money back. I was amazed. "What is Harambe?", I asked. Harambe is Swahili for "working together in unity" or "let's pull together". Following Kenya's independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambee" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. He encouraged communities to work together to raise funds for all sorts of local projects. This is still a strong and widely used concept in Kenya. What a beautiful idea! We should use it too, no?

Towards the end of the day as we headed back home on the bus, a few of the guests came forward to say a few words. They were very kind and I felt happy to hear that they had enjoyed the day. But the best part was when they decided that they would send blessings my way and all of a sudden, in unison, they burst into song, "Ubarikiwe! Ubarikiwe!" (May you be blessed). All their strong voices blended together in beautiful harmonies and I was touched. A truly memorable moment. 

I got big hugs from the children at the end of the day! :) I feel lucky to have had such a wonderful opportunity - to have spent the day with such a warm, genuine and caring group of people. I hope the children went back with happy memories from India.

Ubarikiwe!

Iron Lady wins Nobel

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wins the Nobel Prize for Peace along with Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. Congratulations!

BBC Article.

RIP Dr.Wangari Maathai

Goodbye, Prof. Wangari Maathai. We will miss you. Thank you for the inspiration and for all the trees.

Pictures galleries at BBC and Guardian.

Dave Sheldrick

Official Photos from Dave Sheldrick Postcards and Newsletter

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is an orphanage for Baby Elephants. It was started by Daphne Sheldrick to honour the memory of her husband David, who was a great naturalist. The couple served as the wardens of the Tsavo National Park in Kenya.

Baby elephants are orphaned for various reasons - some mothers die of natural causes, poachers are rampant and mothers are brutally killed for ivory while innocent babies look on, some mothers die when herds get caught in the middle of human conflict. However, it should be noted that most elephants are orphaned due to humans and their activities. Each year 19,000 African elephants are killed.

Once found, the baby elephants are brought to DSWT and hand-reared by a group of dedicated staff members using a special formula of milk whice Daphne took years to develop and perfect. After about three years of TLC, the elephants are taken back into the wild and rehabilitated with a herd. As they are young, they are easily accepted by the mother of the herd and the young ones learn to follow the rules of the herd. A noble initiative that is being well carried out. Another place of hope in an ugly world.
I was fortunate to visit the shelter and say hello to some of the sweet elephant babies there. The shelter also cares for rhinos, one of them completely blind, but at peace.

• Recent NPR Article on getting raincoats for these Baby Elephants.


• Read also about BBC's http://www.elephantdiaries.org/


• Official Website.


• My Photographs:
  
  
  
  
  

  Dave Sheldrick

Unbowed

While I was in Kenya, I read Dr. Wangari Maathai's book, Unbowed. The book is a memoir, the story of her extraordinary life.

Inspired by her interactions with nature as a child, Dr. Maathai went on to become a leading environmentalist. She pioneered the Green Belt Movement, owing to which much of Kenya's forests have been restored, and kept it alive in the face of adversity. Protecting the ecosystem in this manner helped many rural communities fight poverty and become self sufficient. She fought long and hard for many noble causes including multi-party democracy in Kenya and saving the city's central green space, Uhuru (freedom) park. She helped bring out multiple instances of corrpution and the Government turned against her and all her initiatives. Yet, she remained committed to her goals and helped Kenya move forward in many ways, despite her personal struggles and setbacks.

I was inspired to read about her life and the results she brought about from her determination and sheer courage. It was thrilling just to walk around in Uhuru Park, knowing how much had gone into saving it. Through most of the book, I felt as if Dr. Maathai was sitting with me and telling me her heart-warming story. A beautiful read and a great way to learn about Kenya and the story of a phenomenal woman.

From Wikipedia: Wangari Muta Maathai (born April 1, 1940 in Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District of Kenya) is a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya. In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights. In 1984, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, and in 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” Maathai was an elected member of Parliament and served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005.

Achebe on Nigeria

A short BBC interview with Achebe on Nigeria's first 50 years.

Elephants Without Borders

That's right! Elephants sans frontières!

Picture from EWB website

I really enjoyed this BBC video about elephants thriving in Botswana. I learned about two interesting things - this wonderful organization EWB, and the existence of political refugee elephants!

EWB is gathering a lot of information and learning more and more about these majestic creatures. See this Animal Planet video that suggests that elephants have very complex intellectual processes. Founder Dr.Mike Chase has a doctorate in Elephant Ecology and loves these giants with a passion.

Rapper Museveni!

Yes, the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, after 24 years in office, is now a hip-hop star. Yes, Sevo!

1987 Archive Photo in which Rapper meets Actor

CNN Hero: Evans Wadongo

Picture from CNN

See how Evans Wadongo is helping rural Kenyans by bringing solar lanterns into their homes. His story is touching and his work, wonderful. Watch the video here. Vote for him here.

Hugh Masekela - Live!

Click on the concert pictures above to see them better!

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Hugh Masekela live in concert at Carnegie Hall. It was a wonderful evening. Hugh is tremendously entertaining; it is hard to believe he is over 70, he has the energy of a 30 year old! His voice boomed strong across the auditorium and the music was divine! He has a fantastic sense of humor and he regaled us with stories and anecdotes, the best of which was about his true origins in New Orleans and his real identity, "Bo Diddley!". His friend Morris Goldberg's saxophone and flute additions were great, I really enjoyed them. By the way, Hugh can really make fun of an audience!

He danced, he sang, he joked, he played. It was fantastic! One of my favorites from his playlist last night:

Greeting in Rwanda

Here is the South Indian semi-celebrity Wilbur Sargunaraj showing us how to greet in Kinyarwanda. Entertaining and informative.

Disclaimer: Not sure if the spellings are entirely accurate.

Kidjo in concert!

The beautiful Samba Pati rendition and video

Yes, I have been that busy. But not too busy for Angelique! After my disappointment of missing her concert this spring, we drove two hours in crazy Saturday night traffic to see her perform in Westhampton. I got front row center tickets and I was overwhelmed when she sang Arouna. Ah, she is a stellar performer. She has tremendous stage presence; you can feel her energy and passion. The setting was small with limited capacity, and so the evening was more personal and enjoyable. She spoke to the audience a lot and really involved them in the show. This was my first time seeing a big African artist and I was truly excited and happy.

Djin Djin

I recently purchased this spectacular album in which Kidjo collaborates with accomplished artists to create some wonderful tracks.

My favourite is the title track 'Djin Djin' which brings together Kidjo's powerful voice and Alicia Keys' soulful one. I was surprised to find a Rolling Stones number on the album and oh, how wonderful it is! (Gimme Shelter sung with Joss Stone). I am enamored with Josh Groban's voice in Pearls, a truly moving song. Arouna and Sedjedo are old favourites, but Ziggy Marley really spices up this version of Sedjedo. And finally, Salala with Peter Gabriel is simply out of this world. An excellent album overall.