You got good eye contact. Did you click from car? Did you sight many or only a few birds?

I have a softcorner for this bird. I remember trying hard to click full frame images of this bird in bharatpur and chilika and finally getting it in the swamp behind our place in bhubaneswar. In Chennai, I was told that the people set fire to the reeds to trap and kill these moorhens and other birds. Most of the people don't notice as they think that some garbage is being burnt.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi