This sun shines as much for you as
it does for a little bird, say for a mother spotted munia. Heighten your
sensitivities. It will turn you more humane and considerate. It serves as almost
milk and almonds for your loving self I tell you. There are certain
love-drenched moments in Mother Nature when beauty and love is showering. Be
there to get a cooling, healing shower.
These spectacles are so
overpowering that even after a period of months they stand out with their
lovely milestone. Such memories are a bulwark against negative emotions. They
shift them off the floor and take firm roots. You simply smile in return, like
I do over a lilting memory. And believe me there is a smile on my face as I
again dip into those moments and tell the tiny memoir. I feel so alive.
It’s a perfectly rain-lashed day. With
excess of rains the day appears even gloomy dark. But then the skies relent for
some time in early afternoon. The lady takes a break from providing warmth to give
shape to the formless liquid in her eggs. The evening is laden with drizzling
moments. After the day-long watery bonanza, the sun casts a momentary glance to
find out how much more water may be needed. A pale yellow streak spreads under
the black curtain of clouds.
The spotted munia comes out and sits
pensively by her hut. It’s a smart, suave chocolate brown bird of the size of
common house sparrow. It carries its white and black speckled underparts with a
good fashion statement. She utters feeble chirrups. The nest is a disorderly
globular structure, possibly to confuse predators, with a semi-closed entrance
hole. There are eggs under incubation. Probably she has come out to enjoy the
rain-soaked evening with a silver lining.
There are hatchlings! I can hear some distinctive frail
notes. The nest is a masterwork in deception. The outer rag-tag globular
structure, having the main entry hole, gives the look of an abandoned nest. The
real seat of residence lies in a safer cocoon inside. I remember a curious
squirrel enquiringly snoozing by the hole. It sneaked in and came out on
the other side of the loose top ends. The little ones didn't so much as even come
out of their sleep. Or they prefer to remain mum in Mom's absence. Hail cosmic
intelligence. The flawless fabric!
There are further birdie colors behind grey dark
skies and tiny wire-tailed swallows flanked by their parents arrive on the
scene. A wire-tailed
swallow couple arrives with their little ones. The babies are out to be
handsome men and women. They fly swiftly but are yet to get the wires in their
tales like their parents. Ma and Pa are swiftly darting in the overcast skies
to catch midges and flies to feed the little ones. Parental duties going on
swiftly, as usual, just like in every nook corner of earth.
The birds are so colorful: glossy steel blue above, chestnut
patch on head and glistening white underparts. Well, it's always a better world
with more and more birds around. A shikra, crow-sized hawk, is seen around. The
parents dart around and send warning whistles. Within a minute, dozens of
swallows arrive on the scene and rush about in their majestically free ways to
confuse the transgressor. They are always there for each other, without fail,
despite fight, quarrels and brawls for midges. They never betray their
instincts of love and care for each other. The stately Papa (like typical
males, he is braggish with a longer wire tail) gives a picture of poise and
confidence. The mother (as they are always, busy) hovering above. The happy family!
Now to take it a bit closer to the crawly human world, sad pink-bum, the
big intimidating monkey, is also around. I politely refuse him guava from my small
tree because last time he nearly dislodged it. This chap is too hefty, as
broad-backed as a man. So he smirks from the neem tree and doesn't give a good pause to click him. It sadly looks
at the raw guavas. Last time he picked them raw and then threw these like
grenades. The way he is looking at them, I'm sure he will return. In mild
irritation, it takes a swipe at a crow that comes to perch too near for its
dignity. By the way his bum is super-pink! This color is the pick of the day.
Well, don’t you think such memories suffuse your heart with a mystical happiness?
It’s a sweet disinfectant to chase away the bugs of nagging memories that fuel
regrets, anger and jealousies. So have your plate full from the delicacies ever
ready in nature around you. They exist forever, just that we need to have eyes
to define them for suitable meanings about life and living.
