Medical Astrology (With One Hundred Case Studies Part - 1)

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SANJAY KUMAR is a serving bureaucrat of the 2002 batch of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He is presently posted as Secretary. Finance, to the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Sanjay is an ardent naturalist and passionate wildlife photographer.

During his tenure as District Magistrate in various districts of Uttar Pradesh, Sanjay, with an untiring focus on conservation of natural resources, has made all possible efforts to protect wildlife and biodiversity, especicially conservation of wetlands. He has been instrumental in many on-site conservation initiatives. The first-ever blackbuck conservation reserve in Prayagraj district and restoration of Haiderpur Wetland in Muzaffarnagar district are amongst his most prominent initiatives. The Ramganga River conservation initiative in Moradabad and Bareilly districts is also being supervised under him.

A prolific writer and talented photographer, Sanjay Kumar has several articles, books and stunning photographs to his credit. Some of his works include Conservation of Potential Wetlands in District Sitapur, Threatened Birds of Uttar Pradesh, Birds in and around Mussoorie. Thrill of Bird Watching, Bird Diversity of Uttar Pradesh and Binds around Us: A Pictorial Presentation.

NEERAJ SRIVASTAVA is professionally associated with the State Transport Department of Uttar Pradesh. He prefers to spend time enjoying nature, when not busy at work, and has been active in the conservation of birds and wetlands for nearly three decades. His contribution in the form of lectures, articles, photographs and books is widely acknowledged and recognised.

Neeraj has authored/co-authored four books, titled Conservation of Potential Wetlands in District Sitapur. Birds of Raj Bhavan, Uttar Pradesh., Threatened Birds of Uttar Pradesh and Birds of Uttar Pradesh.

He is an Honorary State Coordinator of Uttar Pradesh on behalf of the Indian Bird Conservation Network and with Wetland International, South Asia, since 2006, discharging his conservation duties, and has been instrumental in documenting the state and status of bird diversity across Uttar Pradesh.

The first sentence of the book, 'Birds are one of the most important indicators of the health of the ecosystem, sets the tone of this magnificently illustrated, much-awaited book by two prominent conservationists of Uttar Pradesh. They rightly point out that The very survival of a healthy population of birds ensures a healthy environment around us.

Lucknow is an old city, famous for its rich cultural heritage, splendid buildings, lush gardens, meandering Gomti River, one of the largest army cantonments of India, Lucknow-gharens of music, gazal and thumru, and the cradle of a well known Ganga Jamuna takzerb. Not many people know that at one time, it was famous for bird trade, both for food and pet purposes, that created its own subculture of bird trappers, bird keepers, cage makers, seed suppliers and falconers. All this gradually and rightly disappeared from the early 1970s, after the enactment of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. One aspect that is still surviving is the diversity of birds in the environs of Lucknow.

Sanjay Kumar, a high-ranking IAS officer and Neeraj Srivastava, an officer in the State Transport Department, Uttar Pradesh-both amateur birdwatchers-need to be congratulated for introducing us to the wonderful world of birdlife of Lucknow. Despite the fact that Lucknow has grown from a sleepy town of 489.000 people in 1950, to a dazzling city of 3,765,700 in 2021, and despite the fact that Lucknow has lost almost all the mango orchards, it still has 360 species of birds. Many species, unfortunately, are not so common now. Nonetheless, they sometimes make an appearance to a discerning birdwatcher. This rich birdlife is mainly due to the large numbers of gardens, the Gomti River and the 5,000-acre Kulrail Reserve Forest. Along with this, we have the sprawling National Botanical Research Institute. Remote Sensing Application Centre, Residency Complex and a large cantonment that fortunately still has large avenue trees and old attractive British-era houses, surrounded by trees.

Both the authors are keen observers of Nature and equally keen photographers. The result is an eminently readable book with amazing images of birds and their habitats. The design and layout of this coffee-table book is pleasant-a bird book has to be pleasant. Isn't it! It is difficult to decide from where to start. Let us start with the cover. It shows a proud and arrogant-looking male Sunbird in its finest breeding plumage, dwarfing the fact that it is only 10 cm long. When you have confidence, size does not matter! The Sunbird is found all over Lucknow in any housing colony with bushes, shrubs and trees.

There was a time when we used to sleep under the stars, breathe fresh air, and witness sunrise and sunset, day after day One of the most astonishing sights that we witnessed, especially at down, was the movement of birds in the sky. The memory of the perfect formation and discipline of those birds in flight is still fresh in our minds. Though one might get used to such wights, one can never truly cease to be amazed by it. Being close to Nature has surely left an indelible impression on mankind.

As the primary user and beneficiary of natural resources, we humans have the responsibility to contribute towards balancing and conserving the ecosystem that we are a part of. For that, one needs to have an in-depth understanding of the natural world. Nature is heterogeneous and full of remarkable creatures, intermixed in a complex system, functioning separately or together, to maintain a sustainable atmosphere for all living beings, including us. Birds are an inseparable part of our ecosystem and also one of the most fascinating members of the natural world. They play an important role in maintaining ecological balance, and are aptly called bioindicators of the ecosystem they inhabit.

With this in mind, an effort has been made to enable the non-ornithological reader, who knows little or nothing about binds, to recognise, and hence develop an interest in some of the common species found in India, and particularly in Lucknow. This book is dedicated to those readers who derive deep, albeit simple joy, from observing the habits of the wild birdlife, but are often denied a wholesome experience by their want of knowledge of the birds concerned, their names and what is already known about them. It is also aimed that this repository of the avifaunal richness of Lucknow might allow the responsible authorities to derive useful inferences while planning a green and healthy urbanscape and waterscape subsequently, and take a prudent and sustainable approach towards nature and natural resources. This book has been written with the hope that it would help shape the landscape of rapidly developing cities in a more sustainable manner so that it is both healthy and delightful.

Locations or site names are not mentioned along with the description of bird species in the chapter Thirds of Lucknow-A Showcase' It is done so as to keep those long lensers at bay who, ofien intentionally or unintentionally no get a closer view of the bird, not only violate the conservation norms but may adversely affect the species and habitat.