TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Fusion
Fusion
« previous 5


In Search of The Goyal
Related to country: Bangladesh

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

This is my third trip in search of the elusive Goyal (bos frontalis) into the Chittagong Hill Tracks. My first trip, mired by the death of a close relative of my host came to a disastrous end after I had contaminated Typhoid from drinking tainted water. My second attempt involved a two-mile trek through tough terrain to a Mru settlement and frantic last minute negotiations with the village Karbari, whose son agreed to take me to a watering hole that their Goyals frequent. Alas, we could not find any in the immediate area; extreme heat during daytime forced the thick hided animals to go deep into the forest, where they would gather near thickly shaded streams and watering holes. Unlike the domesticated cow, the Goyals never live near human settlements, preferring the surrounding woods and Jhum plantations to graze. They also tend to shun away from direct human contact, until the time comes when they travel en masse to lick the offered salt at their owners hut. Although, belonging to a different species, the Goyal can successfully breed with a domesticated cow. I’ve recently observed a hybrid as it grazed along the road with a cow herd, although, similar in appearance it lacked the well articulated ridge between the horns that the Goyals and wild Gaurs are famous for. A fully grown Goyal (about eight to ten years old) is truly an awesome sight, well developed muscles envelope a stocky frame that gives the impression of the remarkable strength that these seemingly docile creatures are capable of. Although, partially domesticated a Goyal is not a drought animal and tire quickly if handled without due consideration. Like an ensnared crocodile, it’s capable of generating tremendous power at short bursts. Eyewitnesses have reported seeing Goyals fight off fully grown tigers when endangered.

April 16, 2009 | 2:04 AM Comments  0 comments

Tags:


Rangamati Le Troisieme
Related to country: Bangladesh

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I took to the water later than usual as I attended a Buddhist festival that celebrates the initiation into priesthood. The Chaka Chieftain and special advisor to the chief of the interim government also turned up to congratulate the initiates. The dark purple robe that adorns the initiates are woven from cotton that is prepared and completed within 12 hours before the presentation. More than a hundred thousand people attend this festival, some staying under the sky for the night. The buddhist monks, as a rule do not participate in worldly affairs, the women-folk generally tend to be involved in all stages of the production of the deep purple robe that the initiates would get to wear. It's a curious practice, stems more from cultural precepts more than anything else, I can understand why the monks have forsaken labour, but I do not understand their tacit approval of others working for them.

Please visit my multiply site for more than 60 pictures on the issue.

http://flyingzypher.multiply.com/

Location: Rangamati Hill District, Bangladesh

November 11, 2008 | 4:11 AM Comments  0 comments

Tags:


Dawn At Rangamati
Related to country: Bangladesh

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Pictures shot on my second trip to the Rangamati lake. This is my second crack at shooting the lake at dawn. The only difference is that this time I was prepared to take to the water a good hour before sunrise. The result was breathtaking, whatever notion I had beforehand was blown away by the sheer volume of visual stimuli generated by my optics.

This is a handheld from the bow. I chose a higher shutter speed to freeze the moment, and I wouldn't dare to prop up the ISO in my three year old camera (anything above 400 in a D70s generates unmanageable noise)... hence the lack of apparent detail in the shot.

I had to crop in tight to get the detail and perspective for this one, the colors are truly awesome in this part of the day. We're still in the early days of Autumn, the last vestiges of the monsoon would soon be gone and humidity will fall to tolerable levels. It's very pleasent in the mornings, just about right for a enjoyable walk down the valley.

October 21, 2008 | 10:46 AM Comments  1 comments



Rangamati 2.0
Related to country: Bangladesh

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Pictures shot on my second trip to the Rangamati lake. This is my second crack at shooting the lake at dawn. The only difference is that this time I was prepared to take to the water a good hour before sunrise. The result was breathtaking, whatever notion I had beforehand was blown away by the sheer volume of visual stimuli generated by my optics.

There are some handhelds from the bow. I chose a higher shutter speed to freeze the moment, and I wouldn't dare to prop up the ISO in my three year old camera (anything above 400 generates unmanageable noise)... hence the lack of apparent detail in the shot. For some shots, I propped up my tripod. We're still in the early days of Autumn, the last vestiges of the monsoon would soon be gone and humidity will fall to tolerable levels. It's very pleasent in the mornings, just about right for a enjoyable walk down the valley.

Please vist my site for the pictures.

http://flyingzypher.multiply.com/photos/album/26/Rangamati_2.0



October 14, 2008 | 5:10 AM Comments  0 comments



Rangamati
Related to country: Bangladesh

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

We had to get up at five thirty in the morning to catch the right lighting conditions for our shoot. Earlier during the night we were debating on how to get to the boat without drawing the attention of the police (foreigners have to get permission from the police commissioner and agree to take an escort). We had done none since it would be very hard for us to convince the locals of our neutrality if we had agreed with the authorities. I arranged for two locals to act as our guide and they were waiting for us at a pre-arranged spot and after a short delay we were on.

http://flyingzypher.multiply.com/photos/album/23/Rangamati

Location: Rangamati Hill District, Bangladesh

June 30, 2008 | 8:06 AM Comments  0 comments



« previous 5


Zia's Profile


Latest Posts
Sting - Why Should I...
The Most Expensive...
Selective Attention...
Inubo-zaki
Antonovs of The Unicorns

Monthly Archive
July 2006
April 2007
July 2007
August 2007
October 2007
November 2007
January 2008
February 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
July 2009
August 2009
October 2009
February 2010
April 2010
September 2010
October 2010
August 2011
November 2011

Change Language


Tags Archive
anthropology banderban bawm change chittagonghilltracts cht culture cultures dawn digitalart lake nationalgeographicsociety photography rangamatilake ziahasan

Filter By Type
Travel
Topics

Links
Fusion


11117 views
Important Disclaimer