Winged paradise: Come winter and India becomes home to flocks of rare migratory birds such as these bar-headed geese

BACK OF THE BOOK

On a cold Sunday morning, while most level-headed people would rather not budge out of bed, there is a tribe of people called 'twichers' (birdwatchers in another tongue) who get up, and armed with notebooks, binoculars and cameras, head out into the mist. What rouses several otherwise-pedantic types up on cold mornings is the abundance of migratory birds that find their way onto the subcontinent escaping the ever-colder climes up north. The migration of birds has attracted and aroused man since Homeric times and even finds mention in several ancient texts. And one would do well to delve into this hobby/passion/obsession (whatever you choose to call it).

The capital would be a good place to start, if for nothing else than the fact that it rests on one of the main migratory flyways for birds. Over 450 different species of birds visit or make their home in this city. Noted author Bikram Grewal believes that this makes "the city (Delhi) probably the second richest city in the world for birds after Nairobi in Kenya". The area is famous for huge duck and goose flocks, with over 20,000 birds from over 20 species, and wintering gull flocks, which can number over 10,000. Recently, a sighting of the endangered White Stork was made by a couple of birdwatchers in the capital.

Bronze Wing Jacana

Asian Spoon Bill

Black Neck Stork

Kolkata too boasts several rare species of birds as well as great places to watch them. The Nalban water body off the eastern outskirts of the city, the Maidan and the Botanical Gardens make for great walks any time of the year. Santragachi jheel in Howrah is a good place to catch migratory waterfowl. The Western Ghats is a biological hotspot, with over 500 species making their home on the southern reaches of the hills in Kerala. On the other side of the hills, in the city of Bangalore, bird-watching is quickly catching on-the latest hotspot being close to iim-Bangalore off Bannerghatta Road.

Across the border in Chennai, twitching is an established passion. The Guindy National Park, the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest in Medavakkam, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guindy, the Central Polytechnic, the Matscience Institute on the Canal Bank Road in Taramani, the Adyar Estuary, the Theosophical Society in Adyar, the Simpson Industrial Estate in Sembium, the Madras Christian College in Tambaram, the Manali and Madhavaram jheels, and the Velachery marsh are excellent bird habitats where the twichers of Chennai flock together. At IIT, one can see large groups of open-billed storks, black-winged stilts and other wader species.

At the other port metropolis of Mumbai, one can see greater flamingoes in Bombay Harbour. The 15-acre Sewri Mangrove Park is now home to a few thousand flamingoes, red shanks and pied avocets, among others. If one ventures a bit further, the Borivali National Park is also a superb bird habitat and home to over 250 species. India is a bird watchers' paradise, and if you are interested in joining the tribe, you could look up some of these books-A Birdwatchers' Guide to India, Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent and A Field Guide to the Birds of India. The following websites will give you a headstart-www.delhibird.org, www.orientalbirdclub.org, www.kolkatabirds.com, www.birdskerala.com, www.indiabirds.com and www.bnhs.org.

-Ananda Banerjee

TREADMILL
ONE-SIDED EXERCISES

A common objective of weight-training and cardiovascular exercises is to get a well-proportioned, symmetrically balanced body. Still, as many fitness enthusiasts discover, sometimes things can go awry. It is not unusual to find right-handed people develop stronger and bigger muscles on the right side of their bodies compared to the left. A reader, Rajneesh Kumar, writes about how weight-training appears to have made the biceps, triceps and pectorals of the right side of his body more developed than those on the left, and wonders whether he can set things straight. Of course he can, but before solving his problem, let's quickly see why this happens to many of us.

Most of us aren't ambidextrous and are either right-handed (most of us are) or left-handed (some of us are). This usually means that the right (or left) hand performs more actions or movements in the course of everyday living. As a consequence, the muscles on one arm or side of the body get more developed. It is possible that the imbalance can get more pronounced with weight-training because one arm is able to perform better during exercise than the other. For instance, while bench-pressing a barbell, many right-handed people feel they are lifting the bar predominantly with their right arms, while the left assists in bringing up the slack. Ditto for barbell biceps curls or triceps exercises where both arms are used together-like the triceps pull-down.

One solution is to temporarily stop doing exercises that require simultaneous and similar use of both arms and go in for isolateral (or one-sided) exercises. For instance, instead of barbell bench presses, go in for bench presses using a dumb-bell in each hand. Also, you could alternate the movements of each arm; instead of pressing both dumb-bells upwards together, push each arm separately, alternating between the two. Likewise, instead of barbell arm curls for your biceps, do dumb-bell curls. For good measure, do two or three more repetitions for your weaker arm to induce the muscles on that side to develop stronger.

Tip of the fortnight: Here's a quick-fix remedy for shin pain, an affliction that many runners (particularly those who run on hard surfaces) can experience. Stand on a step with your heels on the edge of the step (a block of wood or a brick will do as well). Now, point your toes down and feel the stretch along the front of your leg. Do a couple of 10-rep sets. Follow it up by soaking your legs in a bucket or tub of hot water. If, however, your shin pain is unbearable or it persists, go see an orthopaedist. It could be more serious than just stress.

-Muscles Mani
write to musclesmani@intoday.com

FOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN

Before your eyes light up, let's make one thing clear: there's no magic potion for the human brain, to improve memory, intelligence, even your ability to learn. But the brain is, after all, an organ like any other, and some nutrients nourish it more than others. Here's a primer:

Over the ages: Ancient Egyptians believed that fish was good for the brain, a belief that was reinforced in 19th-century Europe, simply due to the presence of phosphorus in both fish and the brain. Our own Vedic medicine, on the other hand, prescribes a wide range of nourishing nutrients for improving the brain's functions. Walnuts, ostensibly because it resembles the brain, were viewed as brain food. Then, ghee is another food that is highly spoken of in Ayurveda as good for the brain. Herbs such as Brahmi, Gotu Kola and Aloeweed are also said to assist in sharpening learning ability, memory and recall. All these are ancient beliefs, and have not been proven clinically.

Today's shopping list: Dr. Bipin Walia, Neurosurgeon, Max Healthcare, says, "Foods rich in iron, B vitamins and antioxidants help the brain get plenty of oxygen and energy, and get rid of damaging free radicals." The doc recommends whole-grain cereal, peanut butter, non-fat milk, lean red meat, cooked dried beans, spinach, orange juice, berries and carrots to stimulate the juices of your grey matter.

One ancient wisdom doesn't change though: healthy eating habits are as important as healthy food. So, take your food on time, every time, and keep indulgences like fatty foods and junk food to a minimum. That should work like a potion. For the brain, and all else.

-Alia Ramaswamy