HBD

birthday greetings Padma and Durga vadina.

Harry Potter World?

What happened to those promised snaps?

Target Accomplished!

Does anyone remember the following characters: Detective Moochwala, Gardhab Das? They were part of that fantastic teen magazine TARGET that used to be published when I was in my 7th or 8th standards. A top-notch product, it used to mix fun, creativity and knowledge so well, it was practically "unputdownable". Alas, like all good things, this too came to a premature end.

After a painstaking search, a fellow bibliophile hunted down a few editions of the magazine and bought them for the princely sum of Rs 250 each, and graciously gifted one to me. We had practically given up hope, after having tried every secondhand book store and having even written to the India Today group (who used to publish this) and to Ajith Ninan (who was the creator of Detective Moochwala and chief cartoonist for the India Today in those days).

Here are a few scanned images for your viewing pleasure. So tell me: is it just me or is that the pleasant whiff of nostalgia?  :-)

The cover page

The indomitable Detective Moochwala!

Those Campa Cola days...

And a few more pages are scanned and available at the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/svkrup/sets/72157625260217604/

So if anyone spots another Target anywhere (Lavanya: check out the second hand markets in Vizag), grab it and send it to me.

Some recent art/craft by Poonam

Snaps available at:

Imagine- My Creative Space

Birds of Bannerghatta Zoo

Poonam and I went to the Bannerghatta Zoo area today AM for birding. As it was a foggy AM, the bird count was less than usual. But we spotted 2 new birds, so the trip was well worth it. The list:

Flycatcher, Asian Paradise  (Female) 

Sunbird, Purple

Sunbird, Purple Rumped 

Sunbird, Loten's 

Tailorbird, Common 

Warbler, Greenish 

Honey Buzzard, Oriental 

Munia, Scaly-breasted 

Silverbill, Indian 

Bee-Eater, Blue-Bearded 

Bulbul, Red Vented 

Bulbul, Red Whiskered 

Dove, Little Brown 

Wagtail, Gray 

Drongo, Ashy 

Drongo, White-Bellied 

Kingfisher, White Breasted 

Kingfisher, Common 

Heron, Pond

Coucal, Greater 

Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue (heard) 

Drongo, Black  

Minivet, Small 

Wagtail, Large Pied
Water Hen, White Breasted
Robin, Indian
Koel, Asian

Snaps of some of the birds (not mine)

Blue Bearded Bee Eater

Loten's Sun Bird

Note the extremely long beak used to sucking honey from the flowers. 

Greenish Warbler

This last bird is a migrant, that comes from the Himalayas to the South every winter- it apparently completes the journey in 2 days flat! They are now back in Bangalore.