We re-open !!

It has been a furious monsoon ! Started in May , it still continues well into its 6th month . While we welcome the extra dose of water , it has wreaked havoc in the conservatory. Almost a month late , we have finally reopened the park on November 9th . It was raining that day as well , but we were committed to welcoming the first batch of tourists from Thomak Cook . And so we did ! Thankfully the rains stopped for a wee bit , but the butterflies were still hiding .

The week end was awesome though . And the visitors for Saturday and Sunday were treated to a feast of butterflies. The Redspot Duke has made his reappearance .

The Southern Birdwing Pupae in on the verge of emerging out .

And the Red Pierrots are all over the place .

Yes ! We are open and ready for action ! Come and join us !!

Spreading Wings !

The Butterfly family just got bigger ! We welcome Animesh and Jigisha in our fold . With them comes not only an additional 2500 sqm to expand the conservatory ,but more importantly the marketing brains of Animesh. A successful biz wizard and with an international footprint, he would be bringing the much needed commercial viability to our efforts.

The ifoundbutterfly.org article

Since the link to the above website is down , putting up the unedited article that appears on it. Will be removed once the link is up and again ( http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/conservation/the-butterfly-conservatory-of-goa ) courtesy Mr Krushnemegh Kunte. Don't remember the citation either..

Our story - Yashodan and Jyoti Heblekar

The Yashodan Version

The learned group stood in a semi circle staring at the sloping roof of the house. The first one to speak , the one with his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully , declared , “ Its going to leak from day one of the rains !” . The other pundit of gloom agreed ,” You underestimate the weight of wet soil . And you have planted ficus , bamboo and cane . The weight is going to crack the slab and the roots are going to go through . Don’t be surprised to see the root hairs peering through your ceiling.” The last one was more sympathetic, “I think the soil will wash down with the rains. That should actually solve your problem of removing it. No way is it going to remain on such a steep gradient”.

That was 4 years ago. The house was constructed a year earlier to that. Doesn’t leak. The soil is still there. No root hairs through my ceiling. Not yet. They are yet to find a crack to peep through. The wet soil ensures that the concrete slab does not expand or contract. And keeps the house cool throughout the year including summer.

This article is about butterflies and conservation. So what’s that to do with this? Lots actually! But will touch upon it later.

In Goa, being a professional naturalist or “wildlifer” is a damn glamorous career. Unlike Mr.Kunte’s early tryst at bride hunting, Goan fathers would happily give their daughters in marriage to these freaks chasing butterflies and birds. You go to one of those social dos, and you are introduced as a wildlife photographer, they go “ahhhh”. Page 3 of Goa times carry their mug shots all the time. Not me though! I am the guy standing lonely at the corner with a glass of soda. Because I sell insurance. Very unpopular and a tribe that everybody avoids like plague…or in these times H1N1. Well ! I don’t even own a good camera to pretend to be one.

Before that, another story. Trust me! All the threads lead to butterflies. Our life in city was picture perfect like the ones on the age old Doordarshan daily soaps : claustrophobic flats , restricted tap water , raucous neighbours , sultry summers and a ceiling like a barbeque grill. My wife, Jyoti gave me an ultimatum. Staying in the city or moving into a village. Read that as - Short commute to office or staying married to a pretty wife. Tough choice!

To begin with we had to construct a house in the village. The plot we bought was small. But it had to comply with all the wifely conditions viz Unending supply of water, lots of garden space, huge windows on all sides and view of green mountains all day long. Difficult! especially if the house takes up almost all the plot space. So we put up the garden on the roof. The whole house got built on deep and wide rainwater tanks. Huge windows were the easiest part. The last condition: view of green mountains- Impossible with the real estate guy wanting to give away the hill slope for mass housing to a few hundred migrants – needless to mention illegal constructions. It was like the city was chasing us in the village too! Neck deep in mortgage after the house construction, buying out that hill slope to stop that was like getting the credit cess-pool up right under the nostrils. We bought it. Since then have ensured that credit card companies remain in good profits.

What do we do with a relatively barren hill slope full of cashew trees? ( Other than enjoy nuts and fruits of cashew through the summer) .It was too small for agriculture plus had no natural water source. Simple! Pump the rainwater from our house tanks up the hill a few hundred metres away, flow it down again like a stream. Plant many many trees alongside – all local. Each chosen carefully to attract or breed butterflies. And start a butterfly park. Yeah! I still sell insurance. Lots of it. After all I have got a butterfly park to run and maintain ( besides my family – God bless them ! all very frugal in their needs ). Important to mention though , that the entire running of the butterfly park is handled by my better half – an off shoot of my very good negotiating skills .

Someday I will buy a good camera. And be called a “wildlifer” . Till that time , be a damn good insurance salesman. General Insurance , not life. True story – all of it.

The Jyoti Version

Yashodan believes he is good at sales . Someday he will get over his delusion. From a person who can’t just remember faces and whose negotiating skills are as good as Sourav Ganguly’s fielding , you don’t expect hardcore sales . People like him and that’s why he does well – period ! But he is good in butterflies and snakes and the numerous tiny critters and everything wild. It keeps him happy . And everyone likes a happy person – even if he sells insurance.

Every holiday , armed with nuggets of information from the learned visitors , loads of books on the subject of butterflies and the friendly dhangars ( Shepherds ) – at the risk of intense ridicule – we go around collecting weeds that supposedly attract butterflies like magnets. We plant those in our conservatory. Every morning , the local fruit seller is paid a visit for the discarded stock of fruits – rotten and damaged ; Hate to think what he might be thinking about a lady who comes on a car to buy rotten fruits . A million small sacrifices of stuff that I always wanted to buy but didn’t so that we could keep the conservatory running and paying the salaries of workers. And I am often asked the question : Why ?

Why the garden on the roof ? Why storing so much of rainwater when you have good supply of piped water – at the risk of a weak foundation ? Why compost pits all around the house – a sure way of inviting rats and in turn snakes ? Why spend so much on a butterfly park when you hardly get any visitors ? Why ?

I am not much into butterflies . Yashodan shows me a cerulean and a plains cupid . And they both look same to me. I am also certain that skippers are actually moths. But I love the Tawny costers and Tamil Lacewings because I have raised them like kids sacrificing my passion flower plants. My six year daughter can identify a monkey puzzle better than the pokemon characters – and I love it . My son , all of 12 years , is a snake expert . He climbs trees , swims in ponds and is every bit of Mowgli , yet excels in his studies. Mature kids , both of them . Not Yashodan though – he still runs down excited, like a 5 year old , each time he photographs a “new” butterfly on his downright amateur camera . That would 87 times running down to show me, in the last one year because that’s the count of different butterflies in our park . His only exercise .

That’s why !

I don’t ever worry about water . Don’t need to put on the air-conditioner . No trips to the garbage bin like we needed to each night in the city. Don’t feel like a hypocrite when I talk green because I live green . Yes ! I don’t talk green. I wake up everyday morning and I have my own park to walk my two German Shepards. My own flowers to offer to the Gods . Our own stream for the kids to play in.

That’s why !

We didn’t know if butterflies would ever come when we started work on the butterfly park . At the most 20 to 25 species , I was told by Yashodan. 87 and still counting – we don’t know from where and how . There were no plans or designs made ; randomly improvised . One week we put up the stream , another week it was the bamboo bridge . Turtle pond the next . We see something nice , we buy . Not on month ends though. Lots of money and effort in it already gone . I tell Yashodan – Don’t get depressed ,the butterflies are in ; someday we will have lots of visitors too. Actually ridiculous to say so , because it’s not him , its me ! He is always happy . That’s good for sales, isn’t it ?

That’s why !

Someday he need not sell any more insurance and instead chase butterflies all day long.
Someday I shall return to my medical practice . And buy him a good camera.

That’s why !

Why we love the Palekars ?

Our treasurer , Mrs Patil has a huge grin. She was holding the first ever donation cheque . With almost half the members not having even paid their membership fees , this expression is not surprising . She is also annoyed with me for not collecting entry fees from most of the visitors. She wished that everyone was like the Palekar family who not only paid the entry fees but also wrote a cheque to the Butterfly Conservatory Of Goa.

Jyoti ( my wife -lets call her J ) likes people more easily. That Mrs. Palekar is also named Jyoti helped . Any appreciation of the rainwater harvesting concept or about her house - and that one is in the good books of J. She loved Deepak and Jyoti for their friendly and afflable nature.

When the Palekars came in to the conservatory , there were hardly any butterflies . It was pretty warm and I was mourning the repeated raids of the langurs on almost all of our flowering bushes . But the Palekars waited . Patiently . Watching the birds . The trees . The occassional butterfly - the crow mainly. They took time to examine every nook and cranny of the conservatory . Photographing . They took a break inbetween to check out the house and climbed up the hill again in the hot sun, back in to the conservatory. As if to oblige them , suddenly we had butterflies ! Spot swordtail and the Silverline flew into the breeding enclosure through the entrance opening . And there were quite a few others : Lascar , sergeant , plum Judy , monkey puzzle.

For being patient . For their attention to details . For lauding our efforts rather than the number of butterflies . Thank you !

And That's why I love the Palekars !

The Butterfly cafe

We are struck by the malady of ostentious demonstrations : Which is having butterflies on display anytime of the day , anytime of the year. Why ? Well ! Blame it on Blaise !

I mean , the conservatory is designed like a sanctuary , not a zoo. In a sanctuary , you need patience , stealth and lots of luck to spot an animal . Zoo is , well , a Zoo - animal visuals guaranteed ! But then , they have baits and salt licks in sanctuaries. So it is luck by design.

So we are midst of designing a butterfly café – a royal mud puddle treat. Where butterflies of various kind find solace and salt. A gathering for tired wings and thirsty probes – where the male clan shall gather and exchange notes on failed matings and broken thoraxes.

And so what do we serve ? Some initial test offerings of cowdung , common salt , rotten fruits , cashew fenny , some stale beer were left untested . A gang of grateful ants than devoured it all up . Birds took away the salads.

It was time to get the experts out of the woodwork . Col Baindur has given a whole lot of literature that will hold good stead .Urine is good , says Kishen Das . If one wants to vary that diet for the butterflies , all one has to do is vary one’s own. Save it up in one’s bladder ( fermenting it up the whole night is essential, mind you ) , rush to the watering hole in the morning and aim ! It may well get the butterflies , but we are afraid the aroma of a well developed Lepidoptera tea may upset the nasal sensibilities of the human visitors for whose benefit we are creating the spectacle in the first place. Still worth a try !

On an average day we would get 20 to 25 different winged wonders . But that fateful day , not one turned up. But Blaise did . With a few of his local friends . They were getting just introduced to the joys of butterfly watching . Unfortunately they didn’t get the joy at the conservatory .

Matter of luck , I said.

We see more butterflies in our garden, they said

Good if you see more butterflies outside than inside the conservatory. It means we are succeeding !



Yet it hurt - were we taking people for a ride ? A question we ask ourselves.

But now we want everyone to see some butterflies atleast . Most will, hopefully .


A few will choose to see our efforts instead. Those are the ones that keep us going

Shallow Hal

There is an English movie by the above name. Its about a superficial man who has a fixation on physical beauty and fails to see anything beyond that. It ends differently though.


We worship beauty . In humans or in nature. The conservatory is resplendent with beauty. And shallow Hal is wallowing in it. Take a look !

Action over activism

We have been in the serious business of offending people even if we don't mean to ! The lastest victim are some well meaning environmental activists who wanted us to join in a protest campaign for a ( serious , and we agree it to be ) cause. Our refusal , we learn , has been misunderstood . And since they mentioned that they have seen our blog , thought it appropriate to put our thoughts on the same here.

There is no doubt that environment is under great threat . And that every concerned citizen has to do their bit - it is this bit that one needs to choose on their own . We can't expect everyone to start a butterfly conservatory and everyone may not want to join a protest. It does not mean that either of them does not believe in each other's cause.

Like each critter finds a role for themselves in the ecosystem , we have found ours - we want to plant as many trees , reclaim to nature as much land ( our next great goal to recreate a wetland for birds ! ) and rebuild as much as possible in our lifetime .

Protests . Signature campaigns . Seminars . Rallies . Walks . Sit in demonstrations . Educational roadshows . All good . But please count us out . Not because we don't believe it does not have an effect ( it does . Regional plan cancellation , SEZs ) , but just because we made a choice for activism over action. why ?

Action for us is easier . Activism is a huge responsibility . When we have to tell others about right and wrong , we have to be extra careful on our choices in life . Wecan't chase away a pharma company and yet buy medicines of the same company ; or protest about garbage and yet not recycle our own ; Oppose housing projects , yet have more than one dwelling.

We are not yet ready . If and when we think we are , we shall choose.

ROI going bad !

My beloved relatives in question ( actually love them !) have been seriously offended by earlier post . So apologies .

And also their side of the story : All that I have said could be done without having to spend on it myself. Government sponsored greenary abounds where I live. They also meant that without a commercial plan in place , the effort will not grow into something bigger or meaningful ( something that Ms Tallulah had also suggested). Thirdly no use accumulating debt to pursue what looks like a personal passion without a thought for saving for a rainy day ( Good thought ) or making provisions for the kid's education + allied stuff. And what about medical emergencies ....

Valid points . Accepted and will be given avery serious thought !

Return on investments.

We were the topic of discussion last week among some very close relatives of ours - the crux of the debate was on how poor we were at business . How else do you expect doles of money poured in the butterfly conservatory for no returns ?
Well ,true in a way that we do not have gate collections.

But is it a bad investment ?

We need an competent accountant to value the time our kids spend in a forest stream ( stream on demand ) of their own.

He should be able to measure the joy of two German Shepards galloping with a Mowgli like boy that our son is.

Find the IRR of the peace that flows through us each early morning when we sit on the bench waiting for the first sun rays to greet us . In our own manmade forest.

What price do we quote for the liittle friendships we develop each day ?

And we haven't yet got down calculating the normal stuff like oxygen , carbon dioxide cleaning , rainwater saved , top soil , etc.....

How do we calculate the rate of returns on this investment ?

Jailhouse rock !

The typical image of a convict that jumps up in our minds is of a fellow wearing a white uniform with long black stripes . The conservatory currently resembles a comic book jail house . Thanks to the sudden explosion of "Sailor" numbers - hundreds of them . Every variation : common sailor , common Sergeant , Short banded sailor , coloured sergeant , chestnut streaked sailor , lascars !

Fascinating to see these beauties gliding lazily about . The only flurry of furious flying when a gang of smaller sailors chasing away the larger Sergeant away. The mob dispersing once having achieved their objective.

Wonder how suddenly these fellas turned up ( Yup ! Silk cotton trees are yet to sprout leaves !). Any theories ?

We are getting people !

Last week was hectic in a way . A troop of langurs came in and ate every bit of marigold and quite a lot of hibiscus we had . With that went the lure for the lime , blue mormon and company ! With quite a bit of garden back to square one , timing was perfect for guests to visit. Prasad Pankar , ace photographer and a recent convert to nature photography choose this week to capture a few butterflies on lens.

If you can see "waiting, waiting,..." expression on his face , blame it on the langurs.

Then we had eight young ladies of BNHS led by Dr Sheila Tanna. Their knowledge and enthusiasm was fantastic ! How we wish they were residents if Goa - would have had atleast 8 helping hands !

They couldn't spot much of butterflies , but we felt that they were able to notice many things which made their visit worthwhile ( hope so !). We had a troop from Margao who had also come with a hope to meet the BNHS gang , but the infamous usgaon-mollem tipper traffic ensured that the date was missed.

Until next time then !

My first blog - dedicated to Jyoti

Yashodan here ! - actually MY first blog entry . The earlier ones were from Jagdish Katkar and Sadanand Desai ( Also thanks for the first comment ! ).

The writer's bug bit me after the first article that we penned ( Jyoti & me ) appeared here :

http://ifoundbutterflies.org/conservation/the-butterfly-conservatory-of-goa

( Heblekar, Y. & Heblekar, J. 2010. The Butterfly Conservatory of Goa: Protecting butterflies, one household at a time ... a Goan experiment. In, K. Kunte, U. Kodandaramaiah & K. Sadasivan (eds.). Butterflies of India. v.1.0. )

Jagdish's article refers to me as Rohit ( Yeah ! thats me . Jyoti's got only one husband ) - that is my user friendly name . For people who can't remember Yashodan ( how difficult is that ? I mean we are not talking names like Graphium agamemnon ).

We loved the response to the above article and are almost tempted to believe some of the things said to us ( extraordinary ! etc ) . But the fact is we are ordinary. I am rather. But married to an extraordinary person.

She is a doctor ( Human patients , not animals ). Always wanted to be one ever since she was made to think about a career choice. She used to have shivers if she ever saw a snake ... why ? even a teeny weeny tree frog ( she still would yelp if she found one on the bed . The creepers from the roof garden get them in our bedroom. ).

12 years in marriage , she has nursed a few snakes , a hornbill , a hispid hare , turtles , several dogs , cats , civet cat , squirrel , Koel , Indian Pitta and a few other critters to health . Trekked and bird watched , rescued snakes from homes and schools and conducted a few camps for the kids. And till she was 23 years old she didn't even know her love for nature ! Never too late .

I am the dreamer ; She is the Do-er . She gets everything up and going and done. Applies to the butterfly park as well.

Don't remember when I last got her a dress . She stills uses her old nokia almost in tatters . A red activa that is older than my daughter . Travels 60 kms a day making four trips to drop & pick up the kids from school . Not a gram of gold from me . Still married to me !

Garden on the roof . Rainwater tanks . Converting a barren slope into a small forest . Those are practical answers to some interesting situations . Nothing extraordinary in that .

Giving up a cherished medical profession for the kids and the park . Sacrificing stuff that every woman craves for . Being a super mom . Thats extra ordinary.

This is my salute to my wife. My life. Jyoti.