UNKNOWN FACE OF THE WEEK #6

Mummy found these lovely figures and designs all made out of a simple mixture of sand and cement displayed on the roadside while on her way to work.

That is the hut where a humble labourer lives.

He derives his livelihood out of constructing cement rings for dug-wells.

For thousands of years, dug-wells have been in use to obtain drinking water. These wells are holes dug deep into the earth down to the water-table.
In rural India, these are still a popular as a source of drinking water.

Sometimes, these wells are left open to the environment and can get polluted by animal waste etc.
Improved wells have rings around them, like caissons, that project higher than ground level and help protect the groundwater from being polluted.
Often a mixture of cement with sea or river sand, which is cheap and readily available, is used for making these rings.
It was very interesting, moving and inspiring to find these lovely works of art in this humble abode of a minimum wage labourer.
That is why today this unknown man is our ‘Face of the Week’.

Hope you liked knowing him.
wags,
,

Pee Ess: Guess what Furiends? The sun peeked out from behind the clouds today.
              Not very Happy and Bright but definitely a very long and inquisitive peek!!

(Sun portrait courtesy Google)

Thank you very much. That was certainly an example of what we call the 'Power of Collective Positive Thinking'

SISTERTEX seems to be on a holiday. But nevertheless, we are still playing this very special meme.

Sand Bubbler Crab: FACE OF THE WEEK #2

Our ‘Face of the Week’ this time, is this little fellow-‘The Sand Bubbler Crab’

Remember our trip to the beach? We found him and a number of his friends pottering around, religiously making these lovely patterns.
Mummy told me to stand absolutely still and not dig after him so she could get a few photos of him. And being the good girl that I am, I let her.
I am glad because I think he is a very interesting and artistic little fellow and I am very pleased to present to you his exclusive photos, up close and personal!
Don’t you think the patterns he makes are exquisite?

We researched him for you. And here are some cool facts about our ‘Face of the Week’.

1. He is also called ‘The Soldier Crab’ because he sometimes moves around in large herds.
2. The small balls of sand he forms are called Crab-Pellets. He scrapes the sand into his mouth, sifts any organic, edible matter and rejects the sand grains in the form of a ball!
3. He breathes through his legs! He has a little membrane in his legs which helps in exchange of oxygen.
4. He has some stiff hair on his underbelly that helps him stick to the sand and draw water from between the grains of sand for rehydration in the heat.
5. He is very sensitive and quickly withdraws into his burrow at the slightest hint of movement may it be life-forms around him, a flying leaf or a plastic bag, only to re-emerge
6. When the tide comes in, he withdraws inside and seals his burrow. And he waits for the next low-tide so he can go back to his pottering!

Even as we watched, a large wave washed off his beautiful handiwork, bringing with it a small conch but making our little friend disappear into his home.
Till the next tide, I am told?

Pee Ess: Thank you so very much, Dear Pawple, for the understanding our predicament (and inconvenience due to our Secretary-Editor’s busy-ness).
We are glad to have so many Furiends who understand. Btw, we still are struggling to catch up with you all, but rest assured we will definitely make it.

If you want to see more faces, please visit 'Spacial Peepol' . Maybe you will want to join this meme.
Wags,