"Garibi Hatao" was Indira Gandhi's rallying cry in 1971. But as the Commonwealth Games grow menacingly closer, the government would rather cry out "Garib Hatao, Gandagi Chhipao". Lest shanties and dirt get in the way of a picturesque setting, the Delhi government is on an overdrive to hide the dirt and chase out the poor.
Demon birds. Death-portending banshees. Soul-eaters. Owls attract foreboding and superstitious epithets as naturally and irresistibly as pandas attract cuddlesome baby-talk and tigers attract awestruck poetry.
Prize Catch
* The Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats are prime hunting grounds for smugglers of rare Indian butterflies and beetles
* They're in demand internationally for private collections, butterfly parks, traditional medicine, and also to be encased into jewellery
