Balamurugan P

@orijeet Sir Believe me it’s not as bitter as we think, i have seen shepherds enjoy these. And our GIB loves these fruits. I have seen hedgehogs finishing these happily and when encountered they stand still as if a child has been caught red handed eating chocolate 😬

The family of Cucurbitaceae is known for its vegetables & fruits (most of which I personally detest). Yet this family has some interesting members. Deep in the Thar desert, on the dunes, one comes across the Bitter Apple. Tumba, I believe it is locally called . Bitter it might be but it is a survivor. A deep tap root helps it to get whatever little moisture it can. The fruits look lovely and nurtures so much insect and other diversity. More the insects, more the birds… Parables say it is an ancient plant, used by Bedouins and other indigenous communities in the deserts of Asia. Roasted seed ground into flour. Medicinal uses. Even a negative reference in Islamic history. Citrullus colocynthis Vine of Sodom, Bitter Apple, Wild Gourd, Bitter Apple, Abu Jahl’s Melon… @GobindsagarBha1 @vrtiwari1 @bmbalap @rameshpandeyifs @jagenia @sumitdookia @dharmkhandal @daulalbohra #biodiversity #desertflora @jica_direct_en @tewari23san @subhoranjansen @JaipalSing60174

@orijeet Sesbania grandiflora - called “Agatti keerai” in Tamil and it’s leaves are also edible sir. Used to have 2 tall trees at home in Chennai and remember mom making sabji out of it adding coconut n all. Parakeets used to come in large numbers during the flowering season

The things that we Bengalis eat. Apart from fish and meat…😀 1. Pumpkin Flowers - Cucurbita melo/ maximus (Family Cucurbitaceae) - the flowers lend to tasty fritters when fried with besan, chilli powder and salt 2. Jukti Phool - Flowers of Stephanotis volubilis (Family Apocynaceae) - stir fried with bit sized potatos or as an ingredient of Shukto. 3. Tender leaves of Jute - Corchorus capsularis (Family Malvaceae) - a tasty fritters in besan with a bit of rice flour, chillies and salt or as a fried sag with mustard seed and whole dry red chillies 4. Bok Phool - Flowers of Sesbania grandiflora (Family Fabaceae) - take the stamen out and fry the flowers dipped in a besan batter. Goes well as a hot snack or starter or with Rice and Dal. Higher rainfall, high humidity and flood plain alluvium invariably leads to higher biomass production and variety . When in eastern India check out the farmers’ markets for many more such delicacies. #wildfoods #vegetariancuisine #Biodiversity @vrtiwari1 @GobindsagarBha1 @sumitdookia @dharmkhandal @IshanDhar @ParveenKaswan @rameshpandeyifs @bmbalap

Gujarat sees a GIB chick after a decade, through a novel conservation measure - the jumpstart approach, coordinated by the Ministry, State Forest Departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and Wildlife Institute of India. Envisioned by PM Shri @narendramodi ji in 2011 to conserve GIB in its natural habitats including Gujrat, Project GIB was launched in 2016. As a result the number of birds in conservation breeding centres, started at Sam and Ramdevra in Rajasthan, have reached 73 with addition of 5 new chicks in this season and we are moving ahead towards rewilding of birds in near future. In achieving another milestone, a female GIB, tagged in August 2025, had laid an infertile egg in Kutch, as this population has lost all its males long back. In a major trans-state conservation effort, a captive-bred GIB egg from the conservation breeding program in Rajasthan was transported by road over 19 hours in a handheld portable incubator and was replaced in the nest on 22 March. The female completed incubating this fertile egg and hatched it on March 26. The field monitoring team found the young chick being reared by its foster mother. This effort is among one of the many steps to recover the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard populations. With the commitment to save GIB, we are making great progress in India’s conservation journey. Congratulations to all scientists, field officers and wildlife enthusiasts who made this possible. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the survival of the chick. At the same time we remain committed to leaving no stone unturned to make the endeavour successful. 🎥 The GIB takes a stroll with her chick.

@orijeet @Vedmalik1 Totally agreed sir. The greening “madness” has only created effects unthought of. Geographically, we need the Thar to stay desert, heat up during the summers so it can attract the monsoon winds. Monsoon fails India fails.

General , with all due respect to you Sir and the forces, may I gently suggest that the Thar is better left to being a desert. These ‘oasis’ and gardens are a hangover from colonial times - British and Mughal. The desert ecosystem is a beautiful thing. Cacti are exotics from the Americas and exotics are best left restricted to home gardens and balconies. I have put in over 30 years in Forestry. Trust me on this.

Visited Jaisalmer.14 Mar 26. Visited Shauryavan in Jaisalmer Cantt, world class unique cacti-cum-botanical garden. Situated near 1971 war museum, it aims to transform Thar Desert into a green oasis, honoring Indian Army's commitment to sustainability & environmental stewardship.

Small steps towards inclusivity in some of the areas unthought of. #inclusive @RajCMO @DIPRRajasthan

@orijeet @Mahesh_SharmaDB @AjayUgrasTOI @rameshpandeyifs @GobindsagarBha1 @tewari23san @mazoomdaar Thank you sir. Sure sir will keep the spirit and the papers alive 🙏

@bmbalap Fine initiatives young man. Keep the documentation handy and keep up the good work. @Mahesh_SharmaDB @AjayUgrasTOI @rameshpandeyifs @GobindsagarBha1 @tewari23san @mazoomdaar

Another milestone achieved in Project GIB! Project Great Indian Bustard entered into the fourth year’s of its captive breeding with two new chicks hatched at the Conservation Breeding Centre of Rajasthan this week, one from natural mating and the other from artificial insemination, taking the tally of birds in captivity to 70. In an important milestone for the species' conservation efforts, some of this year's captive-bred chicks will be soft released in the wild, marking a new challenging beginning for the project. I congratulate the forest officials of Rajasthan Forest Department (@ForestRajasthan) for this achievement. Under the environmentally-sensitive leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, we are well on track to make this project a great success.

Seeing the students who were trained through #naanmudhalvan scheme of @CMOTamilnadu excel in competitive exams bring so much joy and satisfaction. Proves Govt schemes, if implemented properly can bring actual organic changes. Keep it up GoTN👏

@ParveenKaswan @SVSifs Amazing sir. Ajmer Forest Division, RJ is also in existence since 1872z

One of the oldest forest divisions of India. Divisional Forest Service officer incumbency board starting from 1874. Imperial Forest Service (IFS) officers trained in Europe and posted in divisions. Imperial Forest Service changed into Indian Forest Service post independence.

Aalin Sherin Abraham🙏 #organdonor

Hey guys, i am looking for vendors who can set up a hi tech speaking software enabled digital class room for visually challenged children in a Govt Blind School. Any leads pls. @Cisco @MicrosoftIndia @TCS @hcltech

@IndiGo6E such a disappointing service. First delayed and missed connection and now missing baggage. PNR IBICSA JDH-BOM-GOI #IndiGo #disappointing

@DrNikitaMehra @CCHRCCancerCare Paediatric Oncology, the term only sends me shivers. Let Science and the Almighty be with them.

Handover done. All set to look after pediatric oncology from tomorrow. Come, join us on all our endeavours. @CCHRCCancerCare Do visit cacharcancerhospital.org

@flightradar24 Why is there so much delay?

For the third day in a row - Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is the most the disrupted airport. Number of cancelled flights per day Saturday - 385 (31%) Sunday - 568 (43%) Monday - 441 (34%) Tuesday - 24 (2%)

@Vinamralongani @IndiGo6E Do these have ovens?

The first brand new aircraft of 2026 bound for India is en route! This 2-class @IndiGo6E A321neo bearing registration VT-NHO has departed Abu Dhabi for New Delhi and will touch down just after midnight making it officially the first arrival of the new year. #AvGeek

Cowardly terror incident in #Australia is shocking. My thoughts are with the people there. #lestweforget #bondibeach #Oz

As a common man, I would like to know what was the board doing for the past 2 years? #IndiGoCrisis

#ImportantUpdate Air India & Air India Express clarify that, since 4 December, economy class airfares on non-stop domestic flights have been proactively capped to prevent the usual demand-and-supply mechanism being applied by revenue management systems. We are aware of screenshots of last-minute itineraries with one-stop or two-stop flights or a combination of economy and premium economy or business cabins taken from third party platforms. It is not technically possible to cap all such permutations, but we are engaging such platforms to exercise oversight. Air India and Air India Express are seeking to add capacity to help travellers and their baggage reach their destinations as quickly as possible. – Air India Spokesperson

@IndiGo6E ’s Apologies are too fake, no where they have taken responsibility for not following the #FDTL guidelines inspite of getting enough time to comply nor they seem to take passengers plight seriously. Sad and very unprofessional. #DGCA #IndiGoCrisis #IndigoDelay

Surrender. Disappointed. #IndigoDelay #DGCA