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2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Discovering Marine Life at Girgaum Chowpatty, Mumbai

Mumbai’s beaches. The first word that comes to mind when we think of them, sadly, is ‘filth’. Over the years, we have so got used to seeing our beaches in a mess, that we rarely give a thought to the marine life teeming there. Our eyes were opened to the incredible marine bio-diversity of Girgaum Chowpatty, (more popularly called Chowpatty Beach), when we recently went on a walk with Marine Life of Mumbai and INatureWatch Foundation. Over the last few weeks, I have racked my mind about what to write about our experience, but I have finally decided to cut out the words, and show you instead, through my photographs, the incredible life that manages to survive despite all odds….



Shells are everywhere, which is not surprising. But what is surprising is the fact that each of them, small and big, have creatures within them – the molluscs whose natural homes these are, as well as hermit crabs, which occupy them once they are abandoned. 


Hermit crab in spiral shell

a different type of shell, with the mollusc inside

Hermit crab which has grown too big for its adopted shell

Hermit Crab


Hermit Crab
And here is a video... of a hermit crab moving with its shell...



Then, there are the crabs… of all sizes and colours… this one is a Blood Spotted Swimming Crab

Blood Spotted Swimming Crab. Notice the three red spots? 


And Sea Snails

Sea Snail


But the most fascinating among all the creatures that we saw, were the Sea Anemones….

Sea Anemone

Sea Anemone  This one seems to be partly closed, and you can see the bulk of it under water



They seemed to be all over, hidden in the sand, yet in plain view, uncovered by the low tide…

Sea Anemone


Another sea anemone where you can see the base underwater


It seemed such a wonder that we had never seen them before!

Yet another sea anemone


On bits of rock, or pieces of wood, we saw these….

Egg capsules


They are egg capsules of molluscs, from which they emerge with their shells….

Egg capsules on a piece of wood


We also saw Decorator Worms, which adhere to broken shells and other debris from the sea, and use them as a natural covering or protection, which also helps them camouflage with their surroundings.

Can you spot the Decorator Worms in this pic? 


It was most exciting to spot a sea-fan, a type of coral, which, we were told, would most probably have been caught in a fishing net and discarded. Never having imagined its existence, let alone in our very own city, you can imagine how excited we were!

Sea Fan


A flock of geese flew over, reminding us that there was avian life around too. In the horizon were small rocky outcrops, isolated enough for marine life to thrive. Standing there, our feet washed by the waters of the Arabian Sea, we wondered how long this marine life would thrive, with all the ‘development’ planned in the coming years.



But most poignant was this sight… of an abandoned Ganesha idol on the shore….



Sometime next month, when the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated, many more such idols will find their way to the sea, to meet just such a fate, endangering all the marine life here in the process. I wish we could realise that this is no way to celebrate our gods, our city, or indeed our culture. How much better it would be, if we could celebrate by recognising the presence of the divine all around us, including in these creatures, which we threaten by our actions, and our indifference, every single day.



Meanwhile, I can only ask you, the next time you visit one of the beaches in this island city of ours, to keep your eyes open for all the life that lives and breathes, just beneath our feet!

Bubbles... signs of life


A very special thanks to Marine Life of Mumbai and INatureWatch Foundation, for their impressive work, in making us aware of the marine life teeming in our concrete city.

To see more images from the walk, click here


Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. I participated in the walk as a member of the general public, and paid the full fee for the same. 

Comments

  1. Interesting to spot so much marine life on Chowpatty as yes my first impression was also of filth and dirt. I try and do some of these walks whenever I come Mumbai and have noted down this one for my next trip! My fav walk so far is the one to Sewri to view the Flamingos - have you been there yet?

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  2. Informative post with some amazing photos. Thanks for sharing, will try to visit during my next tour to India.

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  3. Its such a worth treasure hunt. I am so excited to do it myself on my next visit.

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  4. Appreciating the time and energy you put into your
    site and in depth information you provide. It’s awesome to come across a blog
    every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.

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  5. Thanks for sharing so much deep and insight knowledge about the marine life of the city of dreams known for its filthy beaches. I tried visiting almost all the beaches but unfortunately I was only able to visit few of them which was quite amazing and interesting experience.

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  6. You’re amazing and inspiring.. Glad to read his post. Thank you so much for sharing a great information.

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  7. It was such a treat to watch and read all the information you have quoted in your post. Thanks for sharing such a treasure of knowledge about the dream place. I just love beaches and this just made my day.

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  8. Interesting bcoz i am beach person!

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  9. I have never seen a picture of sea anemone on an Indian beach. Its just so beautiful, just like the rest of your images. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Wow, what a beautiful post you have written. This is the first time I am reading your blog and I must say I am highly motivated and inspired. Keep the good work. I am looking forward to read more stories from you.

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  11. You had a great discovery on this. Thanks for sharing such an amazing post with us

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  12. Looking at how cute sea creatures are, I want to go to the beach again.

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  13. Amazing. After seeing your fascinating pics, I will also surely go to Girgaum Chowpatty and look around. Was this near the road going up to Malabar Hill end where there are some rocks or on the main beach?

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  14. Never knew that Mumbai beaches has so much treasures

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  15. Superb! it is really important for those who don't know about it So Keep sharing Valuable content, admin. I will also suggest it to my friends also. So keep going

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  16. It is really a nice article. It’s awesome to come across a blog
    every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nice post , Thanks fot the post.
    https://tumanishvili.com/

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  18. What an amazing blog you have shred with us. Liked and appreciated it well published. Thank you.

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  19. Thanks for such an interesting blog and the given content is extremely good. Keep posting such an amazing blogs, Will definitely share with my friends.

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  20. bubbles is a sign of life :) sure i will take care of that in future. Thanks for this awesome blog. Our also mission is clean earth, green earth. https://gardendeco.in/

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  21. We have so many things to lean about marine life and all its creatures. I am really glad to go through your blog and update my knowledge on the same. Thanks for this blog.

    ReplyDelete

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