Sanjay Gandhi National Park - The March Avatar

             Nature, an important part of our lives but often neglected and cruelly destroyed by humans for their selfish motives. Today with increasing concrete jungle Mumbai, a dream of many, has lost most of its forests. It is said that a part of Mumbai from dadar onwards towards virar was a forest even in 1947, when India got its independence. We got the freedom and the forests in India started losing it. Increase in population led to construction of more houses resulting in deforestation. After all the deforestation today Mumbai is left with a small patch of green area which is called Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

           With about 102 sq. Km. area SGNP is one of it's kind because of its location. Also it is home to many different and uncommon species of flora and fauna. I think it is a different world all together. The monent you enter the national park the fragrance of the trees and their existence, the  chirping sounds of the birds, the beautiful sight of the colourful flowers all make you forget all your sorrows. You get into a different mood.

                   To any tourist in Mumbai 'Sanjay Gandhi National Park' is a famous attraction because of its uniqueness. Though the best season to visit the park is from November to February, the biodiversity of the park keeps on revealing its beauty throughout the year. The forest majorly comprises of the tall deciduous trees. This decidious forest sheds its leaves in the month of March. Many think that this forest of Mumbai becomes dry in March and thus is not worth visiting. But the fact is that the forest gets its own beauty even in this dry period. The falling of leaves marks a new beginning. The trees that looked dry and lifeless till the mid March start looking greenish with the birth of tiny green buds. This green colour when the leaf is just born is the best representation of life, freshness and prosperity. In the morning sunlight these leaves look even more lively. The Kusum which is a common tree gets beautiful crimson leaves which adds another colour to the forest. Copper cod is another tree which adds colour with its yellow flowers. Not just the leaves and flowers but the trees also bloom with the fruits. The butterflies and the other beautiful species continue to live in the forest-their abode. With all this the forest of Mumbai takes a new Avatar in the month of March which I have tried to capture with my camera.