The Basai Wetland is our own backyard Masai Mara!

Wildebeest-ahem, Buffalos feeding on succulent grass

Spot-billed Ducks

A Heron flies overhead

Purple Herons flying towards each other

If you thought this is Masai Mara or one of those exotic, commercially promoted tourist destination, you are wrong. Tucked away, on the Basai-Jajjar highway, right in the backyard of sector 9, Gurgaon is a hidden paradise of birds, slowly disappearing a slow and torturous death! A paradise it is, and it is a stretch of Wetland known as the Basai Wetland, a paradise that the government continues to dispute though it continues to support a large number of exotic species of migratory as well as resident species of birds. 

Wire-tailed Swallows

This time when I visited the Wetland on the 23rd of August, an off-day for me, I was pleased to spot a trio of Dabchicks (Little Grebe) wading along looking as unconcerned as ever! Little Grebe, especially those that are breeding have a distinct rust-red colour on their heads and necks. Even more fascinating was the stately flight of a common pond Heron and then the frisky Wire-tailed Swallows that are distinct from Swifts that lack the bright bluish-purple coat of their cousins. The Wire-tailed Swallows moreover have long parallel wire-like appendages in their tails, rather like radio antennae.

Dabchicks or Little Grebe

Weavers are very artistic, especially when it is about weaving a nest to lay eggs in. They, incidentally end up tying up long stalks of grass to form a single nest. And, yes, they try to mislead you about the presence of their nests even though there is a tell-tale sign of stalks of grass bending down to a knot.

Weaver Bird

Weaver Bird

If Wire-tailed Swallows are frisky then so are Bee-eaters! Spotted in two or threes, Bee-eaters seem to be wired for action. I sported quite a few of them darting to and fro.

Green Bee-eaters

Bee-eaters

Wire-tailed Swallow

The larger birds like to congregate on the ground next to the water surface. Cattle Egrets, Common pond herons, Ibis, and Lapwings like foraging for food in groups. One might see a significant congregation of assorted birds foraging together for food at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon most of the time!

Egrets

Egrets

Perhaps the greatest attraction of the Basai Wetland is that the entry is free all the year-round and it offers an exclusive opportunity for bird-spotters and wild-life photographers to test their skills in wildlife photography. I guess there is a slight advantage in the authorities not identifying the Basai Wetland as a Wetland because then the entry would be restricted. 

A pair of Purple Herons

Church of The Epiphany Annual Convention-2019

The Annual three-day Spiritual Convention of the Church of the Epiphany, Gurgaon took place from the 16^th of August to the 18^th of August 2019. The theme this time was, “Walk with Jesus” and the speaker was Revd. Dr John Jaswant.

A gist of what we learned during the three-day convention from the speaker was that Walking with Jesus might not be an easy task especially for those who are not able to be consistent in their prayers. Walking with Jesus has a lot to do with prayer and to walk with Jesus one needs to know how to pray. According to the speaker, Dr John, it all depends on the kind of relationship one has with Jesus. For a prayer to be effective one needs to understand what kind of a relationship one should have with Jesus. It is a relationship that exists between a father and his son or daughter.

Dr John Jaswant likened an effective prayer to a Superhighway to God. To be on this Superhighway, one would have to ensure that in order to pray effectively one should pray with a clean heart, not an unclean one. A clean heart is often reflected in the visage. The speaker went on to state that an effective prayer pre-supposes that the supplicant is fully devoted to the Lord.

The speaker talked about three kinds of prayer that play an important role in the Spiritual life of a Christian and they include a Morning prayer that provides us with freshness to face the day with, an Evening prayer and a whole-night prayer. Dr John Jaswant impressed upon the gathering how Prayer is like a Royal Telephone that works without a SIM and helps the supplicant to speak to God. This, according to him is a two-way communication in which God responds in his own ways.

Dr John also spoke about the importance of developing a sound prayer life. To do so it is important to be in the spirit of prayer, to persevere, be steadfast and earnest in prayer. In all these instances, the speaker supported his observations with numerous references from the Holy Writ.

The Speaker also talked at length about the importance and meaning of the Holy Communion. He spoke about how important it is for a partaking of the Communion one should be transformed. But then for the Holy Communion to really have its impact one should have undergone through a process of spiritual cleansing. Dr John talked about the need to examine one’s self, ensuring that one was clean while speaking with others-ensuring that one’s blessings were not mixes with curses; to beware of the potent tongue that boasts and kindles fire. He stressed that if the lips honour the Lord, then the heart also needs to be with the Lord, not away from him. The eyes need cleansing for eyes that spew anger would render the partaking of the Holy Communion ineffective. The need to clear one’s ears of all that prevents the supplicant from hearing the Lords voice is equally important. Having metaphorically clean hands, hands that have not committed wrong, feet that have not gone the wrong way is required as a preparation for the Holy feast.

We were also graced by the presence of Revd. Sunil Ghazan on the third day of the convention which was also part of the Sunday Mass. The Choirs (both Hindi and English) created the right tone and atmosphere for the convention.

A few snaps of the Convention are posted below:

The three-day Annual Spiritual Convention of the Church of Epiphany, Gurgaon was held under the guidance of the Presbyter In-Charge, Revd. Daman Rodgers.

A 2019 Confirmation Service

The Rt. Revd.Warris K.Masih, Bishop of the Diocese of Delhi, (CNI) conducted the Confirmation service today at the Church of the Epiphany, Gurgaon. A total of eleven candidates were confirmed in the morning mass.

It was also an important event for the Church as it marked the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the dedication of the new church building. The event was well attended as the pews were fully occupied and we had guests from the Sadhu Sunder Singh Church, Sohna.

The Rt.Revd. Warris K. Masih had an important message for not only the candidates but also all those who were present. It was a moment of remembering our vows and reliving the vows taken by parents during the baptism of their children, and those taken during our confirmation many years back.

And, a warm welcome by the Hon. Secretary of the Pastorate Committee Mrs. Poornima Lal and Mrs Dina Joyce Jathana, the Hon. Treasurer:

It was an important event no doubt for the candidates too as they were formally accepted as full communicant members of the church. They must have been a little nervous about this new phase in their lives, but then there were lighter moments too! Two of my nieces, Naintara and Rhea were among those who were confirmed today.

It was also a moment for connecting with each other and the joy was writ large on the faces of all.

Even the tiniest one Ira had great fun! She is a very camera friendly and wanted me to take a few more snaps!

Large Monitor Lizard Remains Spotted at the Basai Wetland

The Basai Wetland in Gurgaon has a tendency of springing surprises every now and then. Today when I visited the wetland I was in for a surprise as right there on the path was a giant monitor lizard of a most colorful kind. measuring a bit more than one and a half feet, it was lying on its side, perhaps, it had been attacked by a large bird, or had been hit by a moving vehicle. Another surprise sighting was a colourful Strawbery Finch bird. I have pasted the photograph below.

I did as a child see lots of monitor lizards close to my home in Arba Minch Ethiopia but then they were not as colourful as this one was. I wonder how much more beautiful this lizard would have been had it been alive. Unfortunately, no one seems to be bothered about preserving the Basai Wetland for posterity. Today as always there were people who were chasing away the Cormorants that were trying to land on the surface to hunt for fish. It was a disappointment for me especially because I wanted to photograph these birds actually diving for the catfish. I wonder with a bit of anger why the authorities are deliberately allowing this treasure trove of flora and fauna to be destroyed, that too with impunity! Wonder if there are not educated people who will take up the cause of protecting the wetland before it is swallowed whole by land sharks and greedy good doers.