A Fleeting Moment

Millions of years of evolution on earth of different living creatures. Our life span of around a hundred years is miniscule compared to it. No wonder we find it hard to comprehend. We find ourselves surrounded by infinite variety of life and forms. Even our own evolution is so remarkable. Sometimes I feel being alive is like being planted in the middle of a developed system. No wonder its lot easier to say that god made the earth and all its living beings in a few days. Kaun itna dimaag lagaaye.

If we start thinking about the origin of earth and solar system and galaxies it goes beyond even our wildest of imagination. The time and numbers involved are something out of this world. It is so fascinating to stand and feel the moments pass sometimes. Seeing other living and non living things around us. To feel and imagine their history of millions of years. Look at the ant; it is the most incredible design. The house fly, the praying mantis, the insect looking like a grain of rice and so on and so on, it’s countless.

Going beyond the earth the matter we see around was a part of this universe before earth was formed. Even what we are made up of was floating somewhere in the cosmos. I would like to quote a quotable quote from readers digest.

“To some nothing is a miracle, to some everything is a miracle “.

A spider the size of a pinhead at the centre of its web was observed on the balustrade in our balcony in greater noida. We saw it as we have some time to spare there. Such a small spider, wonder what was the size of insects it caught, how it would find a mate, how long will it survive. Anshul has a special fascination for spiders. I too don’t wipe away their webs as long as I can resist the dictats of mummy and anupama. Many relatives and visitors to our house point out that spider webs are not auspicious. Our cleaning will bring their world crashing down. I try to ensure sometimes that there is no spider inside the web when I clean it. Not always though, sometimes it does really looks messy and public pressure becomes too great to handle.

We bought a book on birds exactly two years ago before visiting Sultanpur bird sanctuary. Since then birds are mysteriously appearing around us all the time. Birds we never thought existed at all in this congestion and pollution of one of the most polluted cities of this world. A theory that they are probably the closest descendants of dinosaurs makes them all the more so interesting. Go to

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anishawasthi/sets/72157609678495954/detail/

to see the birds photographed and identified by us. you can see their scientific names there alongwith their common names.


They were always there around us. It’s just that we did not see them. It is not very easy. To catch a fleeting moment.