England's #1 badminton player is a Brit Indian!!!

Would you believe it ??

Went to Houslow Badminton Club y'day where England's current #1 ranked player Rajiv Ouseph ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiv_Ouseph ) was coached and still plays.. His 2 sisters are also players.
The day before, Met them with their parents (from Kerala) during a Music program at Rasa Restaurant (Holiday Inn, King's X) .

It's inspiring to know what Mr Ouseph Sr. achieved, following his passion for the game.. his kids are ranked players at national level and his becoming the top ranked player in badminton's home country!!.. , who also became the first European Junior champion from England in 20yrs!.. Amazing!..

Mr Ouseph, from Thrissur, was telling that he came to UK in the 70's after graduating from Trivandrum Engg College as an electronics engr. He works for a company making electronic products for the military. But badminton is where his heart is, and he supervises and manages the Middlesex county badminton centre.

My Prize Catch from the Thar Desert..

Well..Just sharing one of those small things which make life a bit more interesting.. this time, in the form of a Monitor Lizard !.. with memories of looking one straight in the eye and crawling towards it in the middle of a desert..


Was thrilled when I got one of those out-of-the-blue mails from my webshots album guestbook!..:)

On Dec 4, 2006 2:47:51 PM [Robert_Mendyk] viewed your photo entitled "Monitor Lizard, DesertNationalPark, Jaisalmer" and wrote:

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Your photo: http://community.webshots.com/photo/1240582937033861357GqJeXX
Greetings, my name is Robert Mendyk and I am editor in cheif of an upcoming journal which is dedicated to the study of monitor lizards. I came across this photograph of a beautiful Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), and was wondering if you would allow us to use your photograph in a photo gallery of our upcoming website? You will rightfully be credited for your photograph of course. Let me know if you will allow its usage for strictly educational purposes. Thank you for your time, Robert Mendyk
Odatr***@yahoo.com
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Now thrilled to know this is my first pic published.. (somewhere in the journal of International Monitor Lizard Interest Group , Biawak Volume 2 Number 2, published in May 2008.. also availalbe at http://varanidae.org/ )..

Here is the description of the shot I put in webshots:

"Stop encroaching my territory!", it seems to say. Shot this guy during the Camel-cart Safari with my bro, to hunt the rare endangered bird Great Indian Bustard ( http://www.greenteacher.org/?page_id=15 ). I was so thrilled when my eyes caught the well camouflaged lizard ~3ft long, next to a desert-burrow, when I was trying to trace a Desert-Fox the size of a big rabbit which scuttled across. I had to move in so slowly like another monitor lizard!, literally inching so gingerly towards, crouching and stop-n-wait-n-watch-n-refocus before next step.., for more than 15mins.. but it was all worth it when I got him at an eye-level angle! But we were unlucky not to get any Bustards after scouring the desert all morning with Rahman, our guide at DNP. Shot in Kodak Elitechrome 100 slide film. Nikon 70-300ED lens At 300mm, F4.5, 1/125s, 1-stop under-exposed.

it just makes those very memorable moments of crawling in the desert, even more memorable for me ;) The moments we Nature devotees and Shutterbugs absolutely crave(and even crawl on the desert:) for..

It's inspiring not just because someone found it useful,
but it's the kind of use I can imagine being best suited and serving a purpose, helping the casue of its conservation..
Well, at least, better suited than languishing in an unknown corner of my non-descript album.. feel, now it's found a better 'home'! :)

it gives a sense of fulfillment for me.. even if it could be just a worthy drop-in-the-ocean..

Though it would be more fulfilling for any nature lover if your work could help create in others, esp kids, more sense of awareness and respect for the environment.. at least enough to remove the apathy towards it and appreciate those wonderful creatures if not wanting to protect and preserve...

Wish I had enough time to go after such pursuits.. or shall I say, wish I were efficient enough to create enough time for such stuff..?? ;)

“I believe in God, only I spell it NATURE.”- Frank Lloyd Wright.