A tiny town called Balasinor in Gujarat is home to the one of the largest dinosaur fossils sites in the world.
There's a fossilized dinosaur nesting ground and a prehistoric burial ground, but you don't know about it because no one is bothering to set it up as a UNESCO Geo Park.
According to the Geological Survey of India's Director of Palaeontology, D N Mohabey, the Gujarat Tourism Department and Gujarat Ecology Commission showed no interest in providing details on the site for a recommendation to UNESCO to set up a park around it.
“I met members of the Gujarat Ecology Commission, Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) and the Tourism Department for giving me the necessary data on the various areas including Ravioli in Balasinor taluka, where unique dinosaur fossil beds exist. But they made me run from pillar to post,” Mohabey told the Indian Express newspaper.
Paleontologists believe that at least seven species of dinosaur lived here and researchers have uncovered fossils of about 10,000 dinosaur eggs, making Raiyoli the third largest hatchery in the world.
In 2003 they also discovered a new species here, which belonged to the Tyrannosaurus Rex family. It was given the name Rajasaurus narmandensis, meaning princely reptile from the Narmada.
The site was discovered accidentally in 1981 when geologists were conducting a mineral survey of the area. Since then, the finds have attracted scientists and tourists from around the world, triggering off what the Gujarat state calls "dinosaur tourism."
The Dinosaur Princess
Aaliya Sultana Babi, the former princess of Balasinor, is an enthusiastic promoter and protector of the dinosaur legacy. Known as the Dinosaur Princess, she conducts tours to the site (contact details below).
Sultana Babi is the only English-speaking guide around and has an expert's knowledge of all the fossils.
At the site you can see part of a limb embedded in a rock, supposed fossilized remains of skin and other bones, fossilized egg rings and even a real dinosaur egg fossil.
It is the only site in the world where tourists can actually touch the dinosaur remains, and hold a 65 million year old egg fossil in their hands.
The ignored wealth
Unfortunately, the state of Gujarat has not shown much interest in developing the site as a mega tourist attraction.
It has taken five years to build a museum next to the site, which has still not been completed.
The site feels abandoned, with only one watchman protecting the site from villagers and grazing cattle.
It is a pity to see such neglect, as Gujarat is one of the few states in India with such a wealth of fossilized dinosaur remains.
The fossils were discovered two decades ago, yet they have not received due importance from state officials and most Indians do not even know of the existence of the site.
Where to stay
Balasinor is about one and a half hours drive from Ahmedabad. While visiting, tourists can stay in the Garden Palace, a heritage hotel property run by the former rulers of Balasinor, the Babi family. In fact this was their royal family home.
The palace has eight rooms, each one done up in a different color scheme, furniture and decor. If you feel like roughing it out, you can even stay in Camp Dinosaur tents on site.
Garden Palace, Palace Road, Balasinor, district Kheda, Gujarat; +91 (0) 26 9020 0111/ 9026 7786; Garden Palace website or email palacebalasinor@gmail.com; Rs 6,000-8,000 per room, per night
Camp Dinosaur tents, Palace road, Garden Palace compound, Balasinor, district Kheda, Gujarat; +91 (0) 26 9020 0111/ 9026 7786; Rs 7,000-8,000 per night; Camp Dinosaur website or email web@campsofindia.com
About the author: Tascha Eipe is a filmmaker based in Mumbai. She directs TV shows for a travel and lifestyle channel called TravelXP, a job that takes her to many remote and exotic locations. She is also a scuba diver and adventure sports junkie. Visit her blog for more details.
M I B S I T B T
Friday, March 4, 2011
Secret of success: Get the mind-set of an ant!
Sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us.
All of us tend to look up to big people for lessons on how to get better. We are keen to learn the secrets of their success. But we forget that sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us. Now that’s a good lesson to remember!
Take ants for instance. Would you believe those small creatures can teach us how to live a better life? Jim Rohn - the great motivational guru – developed what he called the ‘Ants Philosophy’.
He identified four key lessons from the behaviour of ants that can help us lead better lives. Jim Rohn is no more – but his messages continue to inspire. Here then, are the four lessons from Rohn’s ‘Ants Philosophy’.
1. Ants never quit. Have you noticed how ants always look for a way around an obstacle? Put your finger in an ant’s path and it will try and go around it, or over it. It will keep looking for a way out. It won’t just stand there and stare. It won’t give up and go back.
We should all learn to be like that. There will always be obstacles in our lives. The challenge is to keep trying, keep looking for alternative routes to get to our goals. Winston Churchill probably paraphrased the ant’s mindset when he offered this priceless advice: “Never give up. Never, never give up!”
2. Ants think winter all summer. Remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper? In the middle of summer, the ant was busy gathering food for the winter ahead – while the grasshopper was out having a good time. Ants know that summer - the good times – won’t last forever. Winters will come. That’s a good lesson to remember. When the going is good, don’t be so arrogant as to believe that a crisis or a setback cannot happen to you. Be good to other people. Save for a rainy day. Look ahead. And remember, good times may not last, but good people do.
3. Ants think summer all winter. As they suffer through the unbearable cold of the winter, ants keep reminding themselves that it won’t last forever, and that summer will soon be here. And with the first rays of the summer sun, the ants come out – ready to work, ready to play. When we are down and seemingly out, when we go through what looks like a never-ending crisis, it’s good to remind ourselves that this too shall pass. Good times will come. It’s important to retain a positive attitude, an attitude that says things will get better. As the old saying goes, tough times don’t last. Tough people do.
4. Ants do all they possibly can. How much food does an ant gather in summer? All that it possibly can! Now that’s a great work ethic to have. Do all you can! One ant doesn’t worry about how much food another ant is collecting. It does not sit back and wonder why it should have to work so hard. Nor does it complain about the poor pay! Ants just do their bit. They gather all the food they can. Success and happiness are usually the result of giving 100% - doing all you possibly can. If you look around you, you’ll find that successful people are those who just do all they possibly can.
Follow the four simple steps of Jim Rohn’s ‘Ant Philosophy’ – and you’ll see the difference. Don’t quit. Look ahead. Stay positive. And do all you can.
And there’s just one more lesson to learn from ants. Did you know that an ant can carry objects up to 20 times their own weight? Maybe we are like that too. We can carry burdens on our shoulders and manage workloads that are far, far heavier than we’d imagine. Next time something’s bothering you and weighing you down, and you feel you just can’t carry on, don’t fret. Think of the little ant. And remember, you too can carry a lot more on your shoulders!
Prakash Iyer is MD, Kimberly-Clark and Executive Coach.
M I B S I T B T
All of us tend to look up to big people for lessons on how to get better. We are keen to learn the secrets of their success. But we forget that sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us. Now that’s a good lesson to remember!
Take ants for instance. Would you believe those small creatures can teach us how to live a better life? Jim Rohn - the great motivational guru – developed what he called the ‘Ants Philosophy’.
He identified four key lessons from the behaviour of ants that can help us lead better lives. Jim Rohn is no more – but his messages continue to inspire. Here then, are the four lessons from Rohn’s ‘Ants Philosophy’.
1. Ants never quit. Have you noticed how ants always look for a way around an obstacle? Put your finger in an ant’s path and it will try and go around it, or over it. It will keep looking for a way out. It won’t just stand there and stare. It won’t give up and go back.
We should all learn to be like that. There will always be obstacles in our lives. The challenge is to keep trying, keep looking for alternative routes to get to our goals. Winston Churchill probably paraphrased the ant’s mindset when he offered this priceless advice: “Never give up. Never, never give up!”
2. Ants think winter all summer. Remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper? In the middle of summer, the ant was busy gathering food for the winter ahead – while the grasshopper was out having a good time. Ants know that summer - the good times – won’t last forever. Winters will come. That’s a good lesson to remember. When the going is good, don’t be so arrogant as to believe that a crisis or a setback cannot happen to you. Be good to other people. Save for a rainy day. Look ahead. And remember, good times may not last, but good people do.
3. Ants think summer all winter. As they suffer through the unbearable cold of the winter, ants keep reminding themselves that it won’t last forever, and that summer will soon be here. And with the first rays of the summer sun, the ants come out – ready to work, ready to play. When we are down and seemingly out, when we go through what looks like a never-ending crisis, it’s good to remind ourselves that this too shall pass. Good times will come. It’s important to retain a positive attitude, an attitude that says things will get better. As the old saying goes, tough times don’t last. Tough people do.
4. Ants do all they possibly can. How much food does an ant gather in summer? All that it possibly can! Now that’s a great work ethic to have. Do all you can! One ant doesn’t worry about how much food another ant is collecting. It does not sit back and wonder why it should have to work so hard. Nor does it complain about the poor pay! Ants just do their bit. They gather all the food they can. Success and happiness are usually the result of giving 100% - doing all you possibly can. If you look around you, you’ll find that successful people are those who just do all they possibly can.
Follow the four simple steps of Jim Rohn’s ‘Ant Philosophy’ – and you’ll see the difference. Don’t quit. Look ahead. Stay positive. And do all you can.
And there’s just one more lesson to learn from ants. Did you know that an ant can carry objects up to 20 times their own weight? Maybe we are like that too. We can carry burdens on our shoulders and manage workloads that are far, far heavier than we’d imagine. Next time something’s bothering you and weighing you down, and you feel you just can’t carry on, don’t fret. Think of the little ant. And remember, you too can carry a lot more on your shoulders!
Prakash Iyer is MD, Kimberly-Clark and Executive Coach.
M I B S I T B T
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