Murugan Anantharaman
05-07-2019, 04:30 AM
The last month resulted in me coming back to India for a holiday and spending time in the mountains of Uttarakhand (UK). I have always been fascinated by the lower Shivalik ranges and the lofty Himalayas further in the state. Since 1990 I have seen the place change resulting in its slicing away from UP to an independent state. There has definitely been progress since then but there have also been disasters of humongous proportions. I always used to spend a month in the state every year but has reduced since the last few years when I moved out of India. I used to work very closely with the forest department of erstwhile UP but since it became UK I have not been involved much. So this time when I saw the hills after a gap of almost 4 years I was heartbroken. Rapid commercialization and eternal roadways work made our experience a very dusty and crowded one. So I finally left the known paths and ventured into least known areas to see the flora and fauna in its full glory. Thankfully I did find quite a few such places and Pokhri was one such place. Practically no tourism, lovely pine and deodhar valleys, great people and fantastic birding options. Its Pokhri where I spent a good amount of time and made this picture.
Nikon D7500, F/8,SS 1/100,ISO 200,EC +.3, 500mm, full frame. (I upgraded my arsenal a few months back to a Nikon D7500 and Nikon 200-500, photographed in India for the first time with my relatively new gear)
Nikon D7500, F/8,SS 1/100,ISO 200,EC +.3, 500mm, full frame. (I upgraded my arsenal a few months back to a Nikon D7500 and Nikon 200-500, photographed in India for the first time with my relatively new gear)