An Introduction.

We live in a small plot of land which have been owned by our family for over 70 years. Initially there was only a single small house on the plot while now there are seven reasonable sized ones (including one under construction) on the same plot. Although the number of houses as well as the number of people occupying them have gone up over the years, we have tried to maintain greenery of the compound as best as we could rather than trying to commercialize it since all of us have other sources of income and are not dependent on the income from the land to support us.

As you roam around the compound, you come across some funny sights like an 'Ash gourd' hanging from a 'Yam' (Elephant Yam) plant or a 'Spotted Koel' making a repast of a ripe 'Papaya' and so on. You also come across some creatures (some good-looking and some that put you off) and birds, like the one that 'Mews' like a cat. I'd like to share it with others through this blog including the sounds (whenever possible).

Since no commercial exploitation of the land have been attempted a large variety of trees, plants and shrubs (some planted by us and some that came up on their own) grow wild on the land. Quite a few of the plants and trees have medicinal properties and were used by an earlier generation for preparation of different concoctions for a variety of ailments and also for their nutritional value. Unfortunately, I am neither in a position to identify them nor have any idea of their medicinal value. Not being a biologist, I am not even aware of the names of many of the plants and animals/creatures and have to depend on their pictures and my observation of their behaviour to describe them.

I am sure at least some of visitors to this site will be able to identify them from the descriptions that I am able to provide and may even be aware of their medicinal properties and/or commercial uses. I would request all such vistors to leave a comment which will help enhance the value of this blog and perhaps help in preserving the bio-diversity of our country (even if in a miniscule way).