CHAPTER 4
Om
Wonderful secrets--
( Ways and techniques of Nature )
Of Nature’s wonders oh God ! what to say
As many as stars in the sky they say
That twinkle and tease us night after night
For while we admire them for their bright
Shining garb, that attracts us like moths to light
they look at our blue green earth day and night
with mouth agape ,and envious twinkling eyes ;
after all it is the only planet full of sparkling life
which they can only see from afar and touch gently by
their magical wand, but never hope to be close by;
So before turning to them to know more and more
of their nature and their secrets they hide inside
let us probe features of life which even they admire
and peep into a few more surprises in its store .
I for one like the bio world so much more
for Its fascinating and enchanting lore
so let us see really why it so much lures
men from times gone by and be sure
will continue to do so in times to come
all the more :
Just see, Man has learnt to produce and use
electricity in only relatively recent times ,
but some amphibians and aquatic animals
knew how to do so from immemorial time ;
Really who has not heard of the devilish dare
of torpedo rays, electric eels or sharks that stare
and carry a veritable power house near their ‘hearts’;
Actually each living cell has an electric potential
but many fishes and others like platypus australial
have unique electric organs for specialized usages
like electro location of objects or prey, and shocking
a prey or predator , communication and navigation,
even attraction for mating !,i.e. in a variety of ways ;
Oh ! how they do so is an interesting tale
which I will leave to you to discover and hale.
And plants ! believe it or not, are no less clever ‘guys’
Always ready to match their wits with their animal ‘bhais’
Resulting in co-evolution of their progeny from old times
We will probe these secrets a little later in time
For the time being let us admire their techniques ‘on line’
Which they use for producing action potential in time
for Physiological purposes and speedy communication ! always,
imagine cell to cell ‘talk’ by plants in a similar way or ways!
By electric signals as well ! oh really ! what do you say ?;
And Photo electricity for synthesis of sugars -pray
for Their own self and for us ! tell me dear is it not right ?
And we ought to be thankful to them - alright .;
We have all seen spiders and detested their shy
Looks, ways and webs, without a thought passing by
Forgetting that in all probability it is they, you can’t deny
Who have taught us how to spin and weave fabric well-nigh
And that too in so many artistic patterns by and by;
And what about ‘lowly’ insects we ignore arrogantly
Inspite of the fact that it is one of their kind ,albeit unwittingly
Who give us ,at the cost of their kids life , that silk we wear merrily
( Without an iota of remorse for what we do to them inhumanly ,
Or saying a prayer for peace of their sole even momentarily, )
Donning its garb during worship and festivals we celebrate joyfully
And let us not forget glow worms which every night
merrily ‘twinkle’ like stars and produce ‘moon light’ !;
And of their marine ‘brothers and sisters’, what to say,
moving in the deep like bio lanterns in their sway
in fact bio luminescence is a beautiful phenomenon
and fluorescent marine plankton has a charming way
Ocean is of course ocean of natural beauty and wonder
with mollusks on the beach and coral gardens lying under
And some bacteria living near submerged volcanoes,
yet others in below zero conditions in arctic shallows;
Not to be left out yeast and other varieties of fungi
which do so much for mankind it is difficult to describe
with drugs and antibiotics we use in illness or otherwise
without thanks and without even blinking an eye .
And who is that boy or girl, man or child
Who has not admired
flocks of swans or Gees flying in formation
high in the sky and wondered
how they fly miles and miles above high
hills and vales, deserts or oceans wide
with no one or mark to tell the way
and instinct their only guide ! ,
in star studded nights after night flying side by side
( season after season by their favorite way beside,)
from same place to the same place of their choice
right on the dot of time clockwise .
firing poets wandering imagination
in inimitable Kalidas style
raising scientists curiosity to probe
and learn by and by
what guides them in their flights
day and night route wise
DNA, sun, moon or earths magnetism ?
at such great heights
And among plants many make sure
That their seeds or fruits swim or fly
Winged seeds of Albezzia and hairy
Ones of Cleotropis are a familiar sight
But others also disperse their scions by
various mechanisms far and wide
Plants have yet another surprise in store
Hiding ‘Meat eating’ plants called carnivore (s)
Which have designed such mechanisms to trap
Their victims, that Darwin and others scientists
have till date admired their features and expertise
as in case of Venus fly trap and others besides .
And our Commanders can also learn
a lesson or two from a Lion’s pride
for Chief Lioness and sisters of the bride
draw up strategy, talk over tactics, and guile,
time their action and execute it with such finesse
that will ensure victory to an army of men anywhere
and will any day fill its General with great pride
if you think invertebrates have no ‘backbone’
you are wrong for they too have got ‘guts’ and more
indeed much more than you and I can make out
for they also are intelligent, clever , and cunning !
and can device techniques which are stunning
thus who can beat squids and octopuses in the variety
of tactics as predator or prey including camouflage
such as spreading ink all around, or changing shape,
or virtually blinding antagonist by suddenly lighting arms tips ,
pull a fast one on the predator, and escape ‘laughing’ .
And not to be left out plants have devised
Their own ways and techniques to survive
In the struggle for existence in such a style
That you may like to call them ‘wise’
For they are ‘Masters’ of Physics and Chemistry
And following their laws very meticulously
Produce energy and innumerable products, literally
using Hundreds of Chemicals quite ‘intelligently’
for a variety of purposes-food, growth and development ,
defense and offense as well, and simultaneously
oblige even ‘ Men’ and make us take their good care !
thankfully ?.
Animals like Otters-makers of dams
Are as you know excellent engineers
and Ants, white ants or bees are good architects
living in well organized colonies, in well designed
air conditioned, heat proof, water proof, safe‘buildings’.
believe it or not Ants are really our ‘Aunties’
blessed as they are with so many qualities
that they have been held as examples by ancients
right from the days of Aristotle Plato and Socrates
Even today our engineers and scientists study their ways
to learn their techniques of building, net working and
fault tolerance etc for use in computers, internet, and robotics .
Not only that
Almost unbelievable are the facts about them
That their males are fatherless ! and have no sons
Although they have grandfathers and grand sons !
For they develop from unferilised Queens eggs
And for the same reasons these drones have
only half the chromosomes That females have
but females are infertile,wingless and have a workers fate
Only Queen is fertile and flies with drones to mate .
Apart from use of polarized light, and U.V. Vision µ
Some use pedometers, others earth’s magnetism
whereas Some like ‘weaver ants’ make leaf nests,
others like ‘leafcutters’ cultivate fungus gardens
still others herd caterpillars of butterfly or milk aphids
their qualities are so many it is difficult to narrate ;.
certainly many more than common man’s view or vision .
Hence , It seems strange but it is true
Plants and animals have preceded Man
Not only in aeons but in every virtu
In discovery, development of techniques new
Tact, talent , and art of living—in not quite a few
Instances of love, war and peace and saying adieu
We should accept it heartily with feelings true .
Of flowers butterflies or birds many stories are told
their beauty and friendship is a pleasure to behold
from days of Darwin their co-evolution has attracted attention
see how it gives message of harmony and cooperation
Oh! how I wish men could be as wise and learn a lesson
from plants and animals living happily in natures garden .
but who is the best bet of nature –pray
it is naturally controversial—what do you say
non cellular, unicellular, or multi cellular –or
One, on the border line of living and nonliving and
Another, on that of uni and multi cellular beings
The former, viruses every one knows are ‘clever’
enough to ‘enslave’ !The Cells of living forms ,whenever
possible and the second ‘Dictostelium discoidium’
becoming uni or multi cellular ‘at will’ by ‘talking’ it over
and living as separate individuals or as a single being .
And I will preferably choose to
leave the judgment gentlemen to you .
santosh ‘ratan ‘
NB : µThey say Indra devta has thousand eyes
And so also Ants, white ants, bees and flies
Perhaps they are his direct descendents
That is why they have compound eyes .
There are also Mollusks who
have up to two hundred single eyes
perhaps they are Devraj’s chota bhais .
Om
Wonderful secrets--
( Ways and techniques of Nature )
Of Nature’s wonders oh God ! what to say
As many as stars in the sky they say
That twinkle and tease us night after night
For while we admire them for their bright
Shining garb, that attracts us like moths to light
they look at our blue green earth day and night
with mouth agape ,and envious twinkling eyes ;
after all it is the only planet full of sparkling life
which they can only see from afar and touch gently by
their magical wand, but never hope to be close by;
So before turning to them to know more and more
of their nature and their secrets they hide inside
let us probe features of life which even they admire
and peep into a few more surprises in its store .
I for one like the bio world so much more
for Its fascinating and enchanting lore
so let us see really why it so much lures
men from times gone by and be sure
will continue to do so in times to come
all the more :
Just see, Man has learnt to produce and use
electricity in only relatively recent times ,
but some amphibians and aquatic animals
knew how to do so from immemorial time ;
Really who has not heard of the devilish dare
of torpedo rays, electric eels or sharks that stare
and carry a veritable power house near their ‘hearts’;
Actually each living cell has an electric potential
but many fishes and others like platypus australial
have unique electric organs for specialized usages
like electro location of objects or prey, and shocking
a prey or predator , communication and navigation,
even attraction for mating !,i.e. in a variety of ways ;
Oh ! how they do so is an interesting tale
which I will leave to you to discover and hale.
And plants ! believe it or not, are no less clever ‘guys’
Always ready to match their wits with their animal ‘bhais’
Resulting in co-evolution of their progeny from old times
We will probe these secrets a little later in time
For the time being let us admire their techniques ‘on line’
Which they use for producing action potential in time
for Physiological purposes and speedy communication ! always,
imagine cell to cell ‘talk’ by plants in a similar way or ways!
By electric signals as well ! oh really ! what do you say ?;
And Photo electricity for synthesis of sugars -pray
for Their own self and for us ! tell me dear is it not right ?
And we ought to be thankful to them - alright .;
We have all seen spiders and detested their shy
Looks, ways and webs, without a thought passing by
Forgetting that in all probability it is they, you can’t deny
Who have taught us how to spin and weave fabric well-nigh
And that too in so many artistic patterns by and by;
And what about ‘lowly’ insects we ignore arrogantly
Inspite of the fact that it is one of their kind ,albeit unwittingly
Who give us ,at the cost of their kids life , that silk we wear merrily
( Without an iota of remorse for what we do to them inhumanly ,
Or saying a prayer for peace of their sole even momentarily, )
Donning its garb during worship and festivals we celebrate joyfully
And let us not forget glow worms which every night
merrily ‘twinkle’ like stars and produce ‘moon light’ !;
And of their marine ‘brothers and sisters’, what to say,
moving in the deep like bio lanterns in their sway
in fact bio luminescence is a beautiful phenomenon
and fluorescent marine plankton has a charming way
Ocean is of course ocean of natural beauty and wonder
with mollusks on the beach and coral gardens lying under
And some bacteria living near submerged volcanoes,
yet others in below zero conditions in arctic shallows;
Not to be left out yeast and other varieties of fungi
which do so much for mankind it is difficult to describe
with drugs and antibiotics we use in illness or otherwise
without thanks and without even blinking an eye .
And who is that boy or girl, man or child
Who has not admired
flocks of swans or Gees flying in formation
high in the sky and wondered
how they fly miles and miles above high
hills and vales, deserts or oceans wide
with no one or mark to tell the way
and instinct their only guide ! ,
in star studded nights after night flying side by side
( season after season by their favorite way beside,)
from same place to the same place of their choice
right on the dot of time clockwise .
firing poets wandering imagination
in inimitable Kalidas style
raising scientists curiosity to probe
and learn by and by
what guides them in their flights
day and night route wise
DNA, sun, moon or earths magnetism ?
at such great heights
And among plants many make sure
That their seeds or fruits swim or fly
Winged seeds of Albezzia and hairy
Ones of Cleotropis are a familiar sight
But others also disperse their scions by
various mechanisms far and wide
Plants have yet another surprise in store
Hiding ‘Meat eating’ plants called carnivore (s)
Which have designed such mechanisms to trap
Their victims, that Darwin and others scientists
have till date admired their features and expertise
as in case of Venus fly trap and others besides .
And our Commanders can also learn
a lesson or two from a Lion’s pride
for Chief Lioness and sisters of the bride
draw up strategy, talk over tactics, and guile,
time their action and execute it with such finesse
that will ensure victory to an army of men anywhere
and will any day fill its General with great pride
if you think invertebrates have no ‘backbone’
you are wrong for they too have got ‘guts’ and more
indeed much more than you and I can make out
for they also are intelligent, clever , and cunning !
and can device techniques which are stunning
thus who can beat squids and octopuses in the variety
of tactics as predator or prey including camouflage
such as spreading ink all around, or changing shape,
or virtually blinding antagonist by suddenly lighting arms tips ,
pull a fast one on the predator, and escape ‘laughing’ .
And not to be left out plants have devised
Their own ways and techniques to survive
In the struggle for existence in such a style
That you may like to call them ‘wise’
For they are ‘Masters’ of Physics and Chemistry
And following their laws very meticulously
Produce energy and innumerable products, literally
using Hundreds of Chemicals quite ‘intelligently’
for a variety of purposes-food, growth and development ,
defense and offense as well, and simultaneously
oblige even ‘ Men’ and make us take their good care !
thankfully ?.
Animals like Otters-makers of dams
Are as you know excellent engineers
and Ants, white ants or bees are good architects
living in well organized colonies, in well designed
air conditioned, heat proof, water proof, safe‘buildings’.
believe it or not Ants are really our ‘Aunties’
blessed as they are with so many qualities
that they have been held as examples by ancients
right from the days of Aristotle Plato and Socrates
Even today our engineers and scientists study their ways
to learn their techniques of building, net working and
fault tolerance etc for use in computers, internet, and robotics .
Not only that
Almost unbelievable are the facts about them
That their males are fatherless ! and have no sons
Although they have grandfathers and grand sons !
For they develop from unferilised Queens eggs
And for the same reasons these drones have
only half the chromosomes That females have
but females are infertile,wingless and have a workers fate
Only Queen is fertile and flies with drones to mate .
Apart from use of polarized light, and U.V. Vision µ
Some use pedometers, others earth’s magnetism
whereas Some like ‘weaver ants’ make leaf nests,
others like ‘leafcutters’ cultivate fungus gardens
still others herd caterpillars of butterfly or milk aphids
their qualities are so many it is difficult to narrate ;.
certainly many more than common man’s view or vision .
Hence , It seems strange but it is true
Plants and animals have preceded Man
Not only in aeons but in every virtu
In discovery, development of techniques new
Tact, talent , and art of living—in not quite a few
Instances of love, war and peace and saying adieu
We should accept it heartily with feelings true .
Of flowers butterflies or birds many stories are told
their beauty and friendship is a pleasure to behold
from days of Darwin their co-evolution has attracted attention
see how it gives message of harmony and cooperation
Oh! how I wish men could be as wise and learn a lesson
from plants and animals living happily in natures garden .
but who is the best bet of nature –pray
it is naturally controversial—what do you say
non cellular, unicellular, or multi cellular –or
One, on the border line of living and nonliving and
Another, on that of uni and multi cellular beings
The former, viruses every one knows are ‘clever’
enough to ‘enslave’ !The Cells of living forms ,whenever
possible and the second ‘Dictostelium discoidium’
becoming uni or multi cellular ‘at will’ by ‘talking’ it over
and living as separate individuals or as a single being .
And I will preferably choose to
leave the judgment gentlemen to you .
santosh ‘ratan ‘
NB : µThey say Indra devta has thousand eyes
And so also Ants, white ants, bees and flies
Perhaps they are his direct descendents
That is why they have compound eyes .
There are also Mollusks who
have up to two hundred single eyes
perhaps they are Devraj’s chota bhais .