Karvi flowers in Chorlem Ghat...........

‘Karvi flowers’, botanically called Strobilanthes callosus, are special attractions of this season and year along the hills of Western Ghats, especially in the upper region of Goa-Belgaum roadsides in Chorlem Ghat. We have been reading this since a month in local dailies and felt seeing them from close proximity.....

Strobilanthes callosus is a shrub and grows wildly along the sharp escarpments in the hills of Western Ghats. They are green and luxuriant during monsoon and dry in summer months. Interestingly, these plants flower once in 8 years. We had witnessed the flowering 8 years ago and that is another reason compelled us to see the flowing this year again.  So, along with our friends, Raghukumars, we set out to Chorlem Ghat on last Monday.  First, the Anjuna dam and its peripheral panoramic view, then the winding ghat road and upper plateaus and then the pristine dense forests.... It was truly a wonderful day...

Karvi flowers are pink in colour and truly a delight to watch all over the escarpments.  It’s not only Karvi but also numerous other wild flowers in a variety of sizes and shades, from small to big and white to pink, bloomed all over the escarpments and plateaus....! Added to that numerous butterflies and moths... The Ghats and plateaus are full of life....! When we see this, we feel that nature is at her best during and soon after rain....!  Undoubtedly, it’s a great treat to watch the wilderness of the Western Ghats in this season...! More you wander around, more you will see.....!

D. Jayarama Bhat

A brief visit to Vizag........

70^th Independence Day of India is fast approaching..... 

I and my wife planned a brief trip to Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, and Visakhapatnam, the port-city of Andhra Pradesh.

We spent an interesting last two days in Visakhapatnam, also nicknamed as Vizag.... This port city is undoubtedly very lovely.... Historically, part of Kalinga Kingdom and later ruled by the Vijayanagara dynasty, Visakhapatnam was under the British rule until the impendence of India.  Presently, the principal commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh, the city of Visakhapatnam is stunningly beautiful both at day and night. The port of Visakhapatnam handles maximum amount of consignments coming to India by sea-route, I was told.

In Vizag, we primarily visited my nephew who has a leading prawn hatchery and further we spent some time with my mycology friend who is working on marine and mangrove fungi of east coast of India in a CSIR lab. Prawn or shrimps are invertebrate crustaceans and one of the most lovable, non-vegetarian sea-foods, reared all along the east coast of India. I and my wife saw, first-hand, how prawn is reared and cultivated.... Mycology, my pet subject, of course I like to discuss with whomever I meet....

In Vizag, we climbed the Kailasagiri hill, went around the port city and took a long ride on the beautiful and picturesque beach-road. Inhabited by conscious, young and old citizens and bathed by lovely weather, the city of Vizag is well-organized and very clean. During our visit, everything fell on line and we enjoyed the trip. We bought some interesting eatables and rare mementos. It was truly a refreshing trip.

D. Jayarama Bhat 

Prof. (Dr.) Ram Dayal (1930-2016): An Obituary

Dr. Ram Dayal (born in 1930), formerly Professor & Head, Department of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and a researcher, writer, dedicated mycologist and above all a teacher of high repute, breathed his last on Friday, 29/07/2016, morning at 3:30 am at his residence in Varanasi, after a brief illness.

Graduated from University of Allahabad and worked under the guidance of late Prof. R.K. Saksena, a distinguished mycologist of international repute, University of Allahabad, Dr. Ram Dayal worked primarily on biology and taxonomy of lower fungi with special reference to soil-inhabiting nematophagous fungi. He authored several books, viz. ‘Chytrids of India’, ‘Advances in Zoosporic Fungi’, ‘Zoosporic Fungi of India’ and ‘Introduction to Fungi’. Specialized on soil-inhabiting chitrids and nematode-trapping fungi in agricultural soils, he had published more than 150 research papers in journals of national and international repute. He was the Fellow of National Academy of Sciences (Allahabad) and Life Member of Indian Phytopathological Society and Mycological Society of India.

I have known Prof. Ram Dayal, since 2 decades. We had organized a DST-sponsored 10-day duration hands-on workshop on “Techniques in Aquatic Fungi’ at Department of Botany, Goa University, during 1-10 September 1994 and Prof. Ram Dayal was one of the resource persons. A renowned expert on zoosporic soil fungi, he taught the participants everything that he knew during the workshop. Since then, we continued our academic and research interactions and Prof Ram Dayal became a close friend of mine.

He had invited me and my wife to Varanasi which we could accomplish only last year. His former student and presently Professor at the Department of Mycology & Plant Pathology, BHU, Prof. Asha Sinha, organised my visit to Varanasi. I delivered two guest lectures at their Department, in the first week of Nov 2015 and Prof Ram Dayal attended my lectures. It was a moment of immense joy for me. I and my wife visited his residence in Lanka, Varanasi, in the evening. Then at the age of 85, Prof. Dayal was very alert and well-receiving. He was very happy to see us at his place, one of his dreams that he said.

With passing away of Prof. Ram Dayal, we lost a distinguished Indian mycologist and a wonderful human being. I pray Bhagwaan Kashi Vishwanath and Bhagwaan Shri Ram to bless his soul with peace.

D. Jayarama Bhat

Our Recent Visit to Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand

I (along with my wife) spent a 4-week duration at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand, recently, as Visiting Professor, advising research scholars on and developing researches in taxonomy of fungi. Besides, I gave a couple of seminars and a week-long duration hands-on-training on application and importance of ‘çonidiogenesis’ in fungal taxonomy. It was quite an excitement to me also, being with them and having seen a number of interesting and rare fungi under microscope. I am sure that my visit and our activities therein were useful to those young and enthusiastic students from various Asian countries joined MFLU, aspiring to make big in mycology. Being used as food (mushrooms, Tofu, cheese, etc.), producer of medicines (yeast, antibiotics, immune-suppressants, bio-molecules, etc.) and biofertilizers (mycorrhizae, Trichoderma, etc.), the importance of fungi and their taxonomy in the development of a nation need not be over-emphasized.  

Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research at Mae Fah Luang University, is an active school of mycology where a number of students from various Asian and European countries are researching on fungi, especially in fungal taxonomy and biodiversity studies, ecology, biology and so on, using conventional and advanced techniques, under the leadership of Prof. Kevin D Hyde. I am happy to have been invited to MFLU and shared my thoughts with them, especially on fungal taxonomy. 

The May Fah Luang University campus in Chaing Rai is very beautiful and picturesque. Modern academic and administrative buildings, free and fast Wi-Fi in the entire campus, modern sports complex with well-laid tracks, numerous student dormitories, several food-courts catering students from across Asia, staff quarters, guest-house, excellent landscaping, well-laid roads, well-grown avenue trees and defined woodlots, joggers park, regularly pruned lawns, thoughtful rain-harvesting ponds and absolutely clean surroundings. As I wrote earlier from my previous visits, Chiang Rai, the northern most city of Thailand bordering Myanmar, China and Laos (Golden Triangle) and Mekong River, is a hilly mountainous province with lush green forests and advanced agriculture and horticulture activities. They grow a variety of rice, plenty of vegetables, fruits of all kinds and varied cultivated mushrooms. Everything brought to the market, daily, fresh and clean. They are also very artistic in displaying their produces in the market. The city of Chiang Rai has a recently-opened restaurant named ‘Accha – Indian Fusion’ where we frequented quite often and relished Indian dishes. The city is undoubtedly clean and tidy. Though for a brief period, I and my wife enjoyed our stay at MFLU.

The border town, Mae Sai, to where Gawahati, Assam, will be soon be connected through Asian road-link via Myanmar, is located just 35 km north of city of Chiang Rai.   

The Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, will be organising an International Conference entitled ‘Towards a Natural Classification & Industrial Utilization of the Fungi’ during 10-13 January 2017 in Chiang Rai, and it will be a golden opportunity for all those desirous  to visit north of Thailand and learn more on fungal taxonomy.

D. Jayarama bhat     

Drive carefully on our roads......

I am terribly pained and deeply saddened reading the news of horrendous road accident, head-on collision of a private bus and an omni-car carrying school-children, that took place last week in Trassi near Kundapur, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka State, where eight young and tender school-going kids lost their life. Our deepest condolences and my heart goes to the bereaved family... I pray Almighty to rest the departed souls in peace and give needful strength to the families who lost their dear ones.

  

The news of this ghastly accident sends painful and chilling effect in our spines. How these accidents take place in our roads, almost every day ....? Why such anarchic condition in our roads….?

Our roads, including the state and national highways, are worst nightmares….! There is no law and order followed in our roads these days, except in some cities and townships. Every vehicle zooms through by your side, right and left, with unbelievable speed. The coastal highway from Karwar to Mangaluru passes through several busy towns which include Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, Murdeshwar, Bhatkal, Kunapur and Udupi. On the way, there are numerous other thickly populated villages and townships. I have been driving in this road more than 20 years, from Goa to Mangaluru. It is not enough only if we take care. Everyone who drives a vehicle should be careful. Twice I met with serious car accidents in this road simply because of the mistake of opposite vehicle. Though several years passed, this highway did not undergo any major overhauling but a phenomenal increase in vehicular traffic took place. Goods carrying trucks, long- and short-route buses, road-widening big, big machines, private cars, mini-buses and 2-wheeler bikes, everyone uses the same narrow road....This has lead to a near impossible and nightmare-like congestive situation. I am singling out one town, Bhatkal, where numerous 2-wheelers ride in the town without any traffic rules. Believe it or not, I get tensed up when I pass through Bhatkal every time. These 2-wheelers zoom in the front and back from left to right and right to left without any traffic sense. Presently, this highway is getting upgraded to 4-lane highway, from Karwar to Kundapur and hopefully road conditions will improve in the time to come.

Whoever drives a vehicle; one should follow the traffic rules systematically and have enormous patience. Urgency has no priority in our roads except for ambulances. I have seen on the roads, everyone honks and tries to overtake the other. It is not a civic sense but a chaotic situation almost every day.... Unless, all of us impose self-discipline and drive carefully we will not contribute to improve the system.

I appeal everyone to follow the traffic rules and drive carefully. Then only we will be safe and live long. After all, life is precious....

D. Jayarama Bhat

BRAHMINS AND BRAHMINISM.....

A week ago, I read a curious news item appeared in a few Kannada dailies and saw news flashes and discussions of the same in a few Kannada TV channels. This was an unique and pious havan, Soma-Yaga, conducted  in Mattur  Village of Karnataka State. 

The ‘Soma-yaga’ conducted in Mattur was one of the most sacred vedic events, in the contemporary times. This yaga or yajna was conducted for the well-being of entire humanity. We all should have been very proud of such a sacred activity carried out by this only Sanskrit-speaking village in the country! Instead, false news of ‘animal sacrifice’ and ‘brahmins consuming meat and alcoholic soma-rasa’, were spread like wild-fire by some Kannada dailies, media channels and several so-called intellectuals. In my opinion, it is an onslaught of worst kind that brahmin community faced and brahminism condemned like hell, in the recent times......

Neither the State nor Central Government uttered a word in this regard.........!

Since childhood days, many of us have seen and experienced deprivation of government support and humiliation of all kinds, simply because we are brahmins. What mistakes the Brahmins have done being borne in that cast? The Brahmins don’t get any government support or subsidies in health, food, education and employment sector that other casts and religions get.  Brahmins are the worst sufferers in our country....

I have traveled world over... It’s only in our country that brahmins are looked down; nowhere else. What a shame..!

D. Jayarama Bhat

‘WORLD CULTURAL FESTIVAL’, held during 11-13 March 2016, on the floodplain banks of river Yamuna, New Delhi, by ART OF LIVING FOUNDATION......

I and my wife watched fully, the inaugural (1^st day: 11^th March) and concluding (3^rd day: 13^th March 2016) sessions of ‘World Cultural Festival’ organized by the ‘Art of Living Foundation’ of spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji..., held on the floodplain banks of river Yamuna in New Delhi and broadcasted live by DD Bharati (1^st day) and Samskar (3^rd Day) TV channels. The sessions, a grand and impressive display of varied Indian and world cultural programmes, were a memorable treat to the eyes and minds of those who participated in person or saw them fully. Thousands of artists performed varied cultural events on a single sprawling platform. Honestly, two eyes were not enough to watch the event......! As the programmes unfurled continuously for more than 3 hours each day in the evenings, I sent SMS to a number of my friends and relatives and asked them to watch because it was a rare treat to witness, perhaps once in a life time....!. Thousands of people, from 171 nations across the globe, from all walks of life which included traditional artists, intellectuals, politicians and ardent followers of AOL participated in the event.....!

As curtains were drawn for the programme yesterday late evening, I was baffled to note that all prime TV Channels and leading news papers of our country didn’t care to broadcast or report on this unique and grand world cultural fete, with a positive mind-frame! How come this became a non-event or controversial to these broadcasters...?  Our Honorable Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modiji inaugurated the programme, in the august presence of Deputy Speaker of Rajya Sabha and a host of cabinet ministers and numerous world leaders.  The concluding session was presided over by the Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi Sri Arvind Kejriwalji, again in the august presence of Speaker of Lok Sabha and a host of cabinet ministers and numerous world leaders.... Each and every cultural event, fond messages read by numerous world leaders and the divine address of Sri Sri Guruji are recurring in my mind today with positive energy.....   

Whole last week and prior to commencement of World Cultural Festival, almost all prime TV channels (except Zee TV) cried foul so loudly that the event will destroy the ecology and biodiversity of river Yamuna and its floodplain surroundings. The National Green Panel and a number of activists made a hue and cry on this issue. Everyone spoke so authoritatively on the possible destruction of ecology and biodiversity in the floodplains of river Yamuna. I was confused because it is my knowledge that such an event will not destroy the ecology so easily and NGP’s objections were to some extent unfounded. Any naturalist, with basic but holistic knowledge of ecology will realize that a few trees and shrubs growing sporadically in a given ecosystem do not constitute the overall biodiversity. In fact, it is the trillions and trillions of microorganisms, i.e. bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and a vast array of microscopic to small-sized worms that make the bulk of biota of the region’s biodiversity. It is not possible to destroy the ecology so easily by a 3-day festival event. The National Green Panel didn't peruse the issue in its totality and they looked only from an angle of plant community. Instead of objecting, the NGP should have taken the request of AOL as an advantage to restore the floodplains with greenery, after the WCF event. In any case, Sri Sri has assured that AOL will assist in the restoration of the greenery along the river Yamuna...

What is the net effect of WCF? Let us look at this passionately...... The vast knowledge of our culture and heritage is widespread across the globe through those attended the programme. People will go back with fond memories of the event. I appeal the prime TV channels and main news papers to broadcast our heritage showcased through cultural extravaganza such as the world cultural festival fully, at least in the future.... We have many good things to tell to the rest of the world...... 

D. Jayarama Bhat  

Our house is re-painted recently; now looks nice.....!

We got our house re-painted, interior and exterior, and floor re-polished, recently after 13 years of our occupancy. I remember that the initial painting at the time of construction of the house with cream interior and lavender exterior with terracotta bordering, was very methodical, well-done job and endured so long. Over the years, there were quite a bit of additions and deletions on the walls and roof which, together with wear and tear of the weather, deteriorated the wall-paints and demanded a comprehensive repainting. Therefore, we went for a thorough re-painting.....

As this exercise unfolded, we understood that re-painting of a house is no small job.....! It is indeed a big, exhaustive exercise. Firstly, we dismantled everything in the house. The house-hold materials were removed, packed in plastic bags and shifted to another room or compacted at different places in the same rooms. It was quite hectic for me and my wife and we took almost 2 days to pack the materials. The wall-hangings, showpieces, mementos, numerous toys that got accumulated by our children and now being used by our grand-child, sizable quantity of my fungal reference books, utensils, tables, chairs, kitchen utensils and everything....! For a while, the house was in a disarray. I and my wife perched in one room in the house for several days until we got the whole house re-painted and re-organized.

The process of wall repainting is quite elaborate and at times daunting. Retired from service and sitting at home, I observed the whole process of repainting. The old faded and deteriorated wall paint was first scarped using a wire brush or scrapper.  The wall-cracks were opened and re-filled with a crack-filling cement material. The surface imperfections such as dents, holes, depressions, cracks were filled or applied with a coating of wall-putty which is a wall-adhering material. This was followed by an elaborate wall-scrubbing process which resulted with eruption of a mild dust storm of powdered, dusty wall-putty inside the house.  I and my wife used facial masks to avoid inhalation of dust and possible dust-allergy. We cleaned the floor every day, soon after the workers left in the evening but the wall-putty powder rained all through the nights until the primer was applied. Though the dust induced repeated sneezing, fortunately we didn't face any allergic problem from this dust.

The smoothed wall was coated with a primer as a base on which the wall paint was applied subsequently. The raining of wall-putty powder stopped following application of primer. Next, 2-3 coats of wall paint was applied. I guess, it was a water-based emulsion.

There are numerous shades of colours. I believe there has been lot research on providing needful colour combinations onto the walls. Colour charts spell out numerous such colour combinations, depending on one’s taste. We left this to our children to choose appropriate colours, both exterior and interior, and they indeed did well. Eventually we now have ‘wheat sprige’ for interior and ‘burnished sun’ bordered with ‘geranium’ as exterior paint.

There are several reputed paint-manufacturing companies in the Indian market. We went for the brand Asianpaints. I am aware of other paint manufacturers are equally good and very competing with their quotes. All wall-paint manufacturing companies, including Asianpaints claim that their paints are good, competitive in price and resistance to vagaries of weather and especially against algal and fungal growth. This latter aspect, I am not very sure. I am a specialist on fungi and fully aware that controlling fungal growth on a wet wall surface is not that easy. Though microscopic, fungi are grow and subsist on organic matter by elaborating a variety of enzymes.  During rain or when there is lot of humidity and reasonably warm temperature, fungi grow everywhere on the wall paint which is a water-based emulsion. That is how we see patches of fungal growth on wall surfaces. It is not at all easy to control fungal growth. Fungi secrete a variety of enzymes from their filamentous body which digest the paint resulting with the wall paint loosing texture and dexterity.

Meanwhile, we also got the house-floors, partly marble and partly mosaic, mirror-polished. This is also an equally elaborate process. At the end of the day, the whole exercise resulted with even, smooth, shining walls and floors. Indeed, our house now looks grand....!

D. Jayarama Bhat

 Our house before re-painting

Our house after painting (under morning Sun)

 

Our house after painting (as seen in the evening)

Is Agaricostilbum  palmicola,  an endophytic fungus?

I have two fully grown, yellow-dwarf variety coconut trees, in my residential compound, which yield quite well round the year. These were planted in 2003, the seedlings of which I brought from ICAR research station in Old Goa. Though dwarf variety, the trees have now grown to a height of about 12 M. The yield has been continuously good and we use the tender-coconuts as a refreshing soft-drink.  When mature, we harvest the ripened coconuts and use partly in the making of vegetable curries and the rest as sun-dried copra for oil extraction. We get about 15-20 litres of coconut oil annually and, from any standard, these are undoubtedly very high-yielding coconut trees. Thanks to the ICAR station, Old Goa, the source of my coconut trees!  I often take evening strolls in my terrace and watch these mighty ‘kalpavriksh’... They brighten my mind and thinking...!

   

In the yester years, plant- parts of my coconut trees have yielded several microfungi, an area of my research interest.  Recently, I saw some white powdery masses on intact and dried inflorescences on my coconut tree top. I pulled one of those and examined under a hand-lens. Interesting enough, the white powdery expansive patches were microscopic, fruiting bodies of a synnema-like fungus called Agaricostilbum, belonging to Basidiomycota.  

Agaricostilbum palmicola was described by J. Wright in 1970 (Mycologia 62: 680) and again in 1981 (Mycologia 73: 880) as a saprobic, synnema-like basidiomycete on fallen coconut leaves. I have examined the fungus under a light microscope and presence of clamp connections at the base of the synnema confirms its basidiomycete affinity.  What puzzles presently is its habitat affinity.  Originally described as a saprobe on fallen coconut spathe, the fungus is now seen on tree top on intact senescent inflorescence... I am guessing that  Agaricostilbum palmicola is actually an enduring endophyte in coconut trees, world over..... We need further investigations to prove this... 

D. Jayarama Bhat