of rainbows and wings – Wangchuk ‘Chuck’ Basi

time passes, and a great many things just become a clutter of memories . some days i think of days past and remember things from my childhood. the many treks and hikes down to the valleys where our two rivers flowed..relli on the east and teesta on the west. the many paths and trails in the woods and forests that led to our secret swimming holes. aah, then the rivers were pristine, their waters clear and cool and we spent magical summer days diving off the rocks basking in the sun wishing the day never came to an end. and innocence would last forever.

along the way we often came across the most gorgeous butterflies .They seemed to be everywhere. So many that the national geographic magazine once did a long article on it under the banner “the valley of butterflies”. then sometime beginning in the late 60’s the butterflies vanished. they say the great floods of 68 was responsible.likely. what remained swiftly became a collectors treasure hunt. and they came from all over the world with butterfly nets and trophy boxes,and for a while it seemed like these winged creatures of such exquisite beauty too would be driven to extinction.

Almost four decades ,and it seems somewhere in the hidden shades of the remaining forests and under the warm moist rocks of the river bends, the butterflies have made a slow but definite comeback. i don’t know how long it will last this time. the nhpc with their grandiose plans to build hydroelectricity dams are clawing away in the valley; and human colonisation of forest lands, the butterflies are making their last stand here.

i took these pictures over the last two summers. butterflies are very difficult subjects. their flight patterns are absolutely freaky. and most times they land and stay still just long enough to tease you. i had some very interesting moments getting these shots and will tell you about it some other time. for now hope you enjoy these pictures as much as i enjoyed taking them.

chuck

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