This is a Blue Laughing Thrush. Picture taken at Sadhupul.

We have a pair of these birds living around our house in Shimla. Nice, peppy, noisy creatures, not shy or too swift(from the cameraman's point of view) and very territorial. Have often seen them chase away the large pitch black crows and other pairs of their species.

Though before I got my bird book I thought they were black birds. Reminded me of the old nursery rhyme

'Sing a song of six pence,

A pocket full of Rye,

Four and twenty black birds,

baked in a pie,

When the pie was opened,

The birds began to sing

Wasn't that a dainty dish

Fit for a king.

Made me think that these rather cantankerous birds would do a lot of mischief before being persuaded to sing. :)

The book also goes on to say that they are found around streams... so this bird is in the correct place.... as for the ones around our house I guess they have learnt to get their water from more man made sources.