Indians For Guns

They are the Mongolian Tsaatan, a small community of reindeer herders who live in the achingly beautiful mountains of Taïga in Mongolia.
The people of Mongolian Taiga are the nomads who are seemingly immune from degeneration, still living in such proximity to wild animals with a certain spiritual wisdom, sense of healing and well-being lost to our notions of time and laws of civilization.

The ancient Greek poet Pindar once described a perfect land called HYPERBOREA, beyond the great wind in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia, where the sun always shone, where a race of healers live with, “neither disease not bitter old age”
Photographer HAMID SARDAR-AFKHAMI is a scholar in Mongolian and Tibetan languages, with a PhD from Harvard. After living in Tibet and exploring the Himalayan regions for more than a decade, Hamid began taking annual expeditions into the Mongolian outback to document a country where a majority of the population is still nomadic.







THEIR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION WITH ANIMALS EXTENDS BEYOND KEEPING COMPANY WITH JUST THE REINDEER OF THEIR DREAMSCAPES, BUT WITH THE WOLVES TOO, THE EAGLES AND EVEN THE BEARS.
Eagle hunting in Mongolia is an old tradition that has passed from generation to generation. Eagles Hunters tame eagles and use them for hunting smaller animals, such as foxes and marmots.
It is not a sport to them, but a way of life.
Briha

Thats a incredible alternative outlook to life different from us inhabitants of concrete jungles . Thanks Brihaji ,I have come to expect such gems from you .

Amazing people living in a beautiful landscape. Thanks for sharing briha Sir.

amazing Briha ji thanks

Dear Prashantsingh / ngrewal,

Thank you for your kind words of appreciation & sharing with you guys is a privilege I cherish!
Am sure you'll agree with me that- When out in the jungles your soul sometimes begins to commune with nature's bounty - the trees, streams, flora & fauna, animal & bird calls are no longer a part of the wild - they are all living entities just like you & me - that survive and sustain to complete the 'circle of life'....

Once while on a boar hunt the weather turned nasty, my companions began cursing as we had to call off the hunt... as it had begun to rain incessantly...To protect ourselves we huddled under an overhanging rock...

During this time my eyes wandered & so did my thoughts... and in those moments I composed a poem to express what transpired.... It was not a figment of my imagination...but what truly happened!

I stood at the edge of the mountain path
Looking at the valley below,

Marveling at the handiwork of
The river gone dry eons ago,

A distant thunder rolled and shook
The earth below and beyond,

And soon a cold stormy wind blew
Sending shivers down my spine,

Up in the sky a flock of birds
Whistled and winged their way to safety,

From the nearby woods I heard a peacock cry
Ushering in the torrential rain that soon fell,

Drenching wet I saw across the valley
The tantalizing sight of a rainbow form,

As Mother Nature played her pulsating rhythm
I let myself go and danced like a man possessed!!!

Briha

Beautiful lines Briha Sir . Nothing can be more spectacular and beautiful than nature. Last sunday I experienced the same feelings riding through leopard country; the forests, streams and hills outside Doon. Will request zaheer to post a short video.

No problem Prashanth Ji. Here you go

Briha Ji,
Lovely photos and the lifestyle of these Mongolians is spectacular.They dont have many privileges of modern lifestyle as we do but they do have something which most of us don't. Thanks for sharing a different side of life.

[quote="brihacharan"]D

I stood at the edge of the mountain path
Looking at the valley below,

Marveling at the handiwork of
The river gone dry eons ago

Up in the sky a flock of birds
Whistled and winged their way to safety,

From the nearby woods I heard a peacock cry.
As Mother Nature played her pulsating rhythm
I let myself go and danced like a man possessed!!!

You will actually hear the peacock call " Peeyoo Peeyoo" ...drink...in the video as I jokingly tell my friend to hit the bottle and start drinking.
Interestingly these foot hills are the central point. All maneating leopards shot around Dehradun have been within 5 kms radius from here . (crows fight). Unless the villages within these forests are relocated to reduce the pressure on wildlife . Man animal conflict will continue.

Beautiful words, briha sir...thanks for sharing.

I thought i was reading national geography...thanks brihaji
regards
dr.jk

prashantsingh wrote:Beautiful lines Briha Sir . Nothing can be more spectacular and beautiful than nature. Last sunday I experienced the same feelings riding through leopard country; the forests, streams and hills outside Doon. Will request zaheer to post a short video.

Thank you Zhaheer for those lovely pictures & Prashant for appreciating my poetic expressions...
I must confess that looking at Zaheer's pictures, took me back several years when I was on a trek in Wynad, Kerala...the greenery, gurgling streams, the sound of whistling winds are indeed ambrosia to rejuvenate one's spirits...
The following words were written soon after my return from that memorable visit...

In the wilderness of my thoughts I wander
Scaling peaks, fording rivers and plodding the sands

Visions like mirages fleet past
Just like slickly edited commercials

Stop – pause – rewind yet life goes on
While archived memories keep fading away

Like a weary traveler trudging on
I return to my thoughts like a homing bird

The wavering mind is beyond my grasp
As they intrude and occupy my moments of solitude

To understand the power of the mind
I keep wandering in the wilderness of my thoughts!
Briha

Amazing and educational, thank you Mr Brihacharnji for sharing it. And a wonderfully written poem too! Sir, I am a fairly new member here and have found snippets of the life experiences you have had in some of your posts - one such one I remember was you landing up at Kenneth Anderson place based on a description he gave "Mumptyvayaan" and in this post you speak of a wild boar hunt and a trek in Wyanad. May I please request you to regale us with your stories and share your experiences in the jungles. I am sure you would have some pretty thrilling stories to share which, I for one would certainly love to read as I am sure so will several other members. Thanks sir!
@Prashant Singh ji- fabulous photos and lucky you

Thanks Brihaji for sharing the pictures and your poetic expressions......One with nature that's what the feeling all about. Unfortunately we the younger generation are so much occupied with the grind of life or rather things keep us twined in such a way that we are missing this important part of our life... so good to enjoy this through your life and experience

Hi Guys,
After going through the responses I have strongly come to believe that....
Camping, Trekking & Nature appreciation be made an integral part of the curriculum in all schools.
The way our forest wealth (Flora & Fauna) is being depleted, our present day youth & the future generation stand to lose what nature has bestowed upon us for survival & sustenance....
My sincere request to all those who have never visited a 'Game Sanctuary' is to take a trip to one of those spread across the country & spend a week & am sure that you will return a different person...
I fondly remember the days when a boy came of age, was presented with a 'pen knife', taught to whittle wood, tie a rope, pitch a tent, light a camp fire and preliminary survival techniques etc....
Today it pains me to see teenagers spending time playing video games, texting on their cell phones & lazing about / hanging out...
Wake up guys, there's a whole new world outside your city - go...discover...listen...enjoy....reflect, there's more to life
Briha