Bharatpur, Rajasthan. January 2025

Keoladeo bird sanctuary at Bharatpur has been a nature refuge for me since the 1990s. Close to Delhi, I visited here for a few days whenever I could during my crazy working years.  Staying at the forest rest house, a small hunting lodge built in early last century, was a major attraction. The boat rides and a walking path into the reserve start at the gates of the FRH, and one is enveloped by the soothing rhythms and sounds of nature.  Chital deer nibble, pythons bask in the sun, wild boar scuttle by, peacocks amble and monkeys are all over; what to say of the birds. Keoladeo was then beyond the city, now the new national highway has brought the roar of traffic and high-pressure horns to deep within the reserve. The sound of the city recedes as one moves closer to the mandir in the heart of the forest. Motor vehicles are not allowed within the forest, walking and solar powered rickshaws are the only transport. Water is its own therapy, and 3 hours at sunrise or sunset gliding on the motorless boat is an experience in peace. My Canon camera is now digital, with long distances to the birds bridged by powerful Canon 300 mm and 500 mm lenses. The images you see above are in black and white, an effort to balance the technological sophistication of our times with the secrets of nature.