Since childhood and till recently,
after the first few rains after summer I always got a chance of coming across
Arudra Purugulu that is Red Velvet Mites. They pop up from the soil around this
time, with the onset of monsoon. During childhood I used to play a lot with
them. I used to pick them up and put them in boxes with some soil and grass,
enjoy watching their movements for some time and then let them go. I loved
holding them on my palm and tenderly stroking their soft velvety bodies and
feeling their crawling on my palm and hand. They appear just for few days after
the initial rains and then vanish. But now they seem to have permanently
vanished from our small garden and the areas around our house in Secunderabad.
I hope they still do come out in large numbers in open and unpolluted lands
outside our city. Many years ago I used to see countless of them in the
large front and backyard gardens of our house at Kothagudem and also all around
the house. It is a beautiful memory that will live with me forever.
For those of you, who do not know
about this awesome creation, please see the attached pictures and video
intently. They are called Arudra Purugulu because they surface around an
auspicious day called Arudra Karthi in Aashada Masam of Telugu Calendar and
Purugulu means insects. These Arudra Purugulu / Red Velvet Mites / Rain Bugs,
are very tiny as you can see in the above pictures, bright red in color with a
body covered with velvety coating of red color hair which sometimes act as
feelers, two tiny eyes and four pairs of legs. They are harmless to humans and
that is why children are allowed to hold, play and snuggle-wuggle with these
cuddly-wuddly tiny teddy bears!
A LOVELY VIDEO:
Hi Raghu garu,
ReplyDeleteAm connected much with ur article.Sinc I love those Arudra.Ifeel many times like missing them.Me too from Kothagudem.Isaw them at the open grass of rotary club school,now itsveg-market,during'80s.Thank u for writing this column with my feelings.
Thank you for writing to me with your encouraging comments. Nice to know that you are from Kothagudem, with which I have a very long relationship.
DeleteSame this,i also love this arudra, Siddik from Gujarat
DeleteSame this,i also love this arudra, Siddik from Gujarat
Delete👌👌
ReplyDeleteSir, Raghu Garu u exactly expressed the same feeling which I too have about Aarudhra purugulu. During 1980 I remember that I played with them by placing them in my pencil box and trying to feed them the biscuits give by my mom for sancks. Later we left Hyd for Bhimavaram and I have never seen them. I not even know it's name except a soothing memory of their colour n touch. Today when I discussed with my colleague I came to know the name and on searching I saw the pictures and I am impressed on reading it expression about this beautiful bug, which words seem to have come from my memories. Even I too miss them alot. Swarna APAT Court Master, C-603, M H II, LB Nagar, Hyd-74.
DeleteThanks a lot sir. Many memories from the past. I am much younger than you and all I know are the things that my mom tells me from your childhood. Today it happened that she was talking about the Arudra Purugulu and bingo, your article. A sensational one indeed. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experiences sir. Appreciated
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