I spotted a female Asian Koel in a tree with thick foliage, perched in a frightful manner. That is when I noticed a pair of crows hovering over the foliage. The Koel seemed to hide in the foliage with couching of its body.
I have not heard the call of any Koel in our garden for a while. I was therefore suspicious that the female Koel was a visitor to our garden and was not yet familiar with its flight stations.
Th noisy crows were determined to chase the Koel away, which they did with more crows joining them.
My attention was on the keel to observe its body movements and the next flight movement.
It moved away from that hiding place to another tree, which I was able to capture. Th following pictures do not suggest that the Koel was comfortable in tis location. It looked around, while hearing the crows and noticing their movements.
One crow came towards her and she flew away beyond my sight.
I walked back with. sense of discomfort as a visiting bird did not receive a welcome for it t get used to the garden. It is unlikely that it would return for a while. Often Koels are migratory birds and some resident birds in a garden might feel threatened and chase away the visitors. I notice this. Leaf bird is another bird that the crows are not fond of.
A male Koel is a defender. This female bird did not find that protection.
On might say, that it is the avian world, where there is a stressful existence!
I felt this sight representing a larger issue.
While, travelling in a bus, the two seats allotted for senior citizens were occupied by two boys who were engrossed in their phones. A traveller pointed out to them that they were occupying the seats for senior citizens. There were three senior citizens standing, along with a woman carrying an infant in her hand. I wondered whether the conductor would find a place for her to sit. That too did not happen. All four of us travelled ten kilometres in the bus standing.
The traction to be centred in one's own perceptions and attitudes is rather strong. This obliterates the openness to be mindful of the needs of others, even when it is obvious.
A child had another way of behaving. I noticed a mother giving a lolly pop to her pre-school child. While he was unwrapping, another child of his age came to the shop. Seeing him, this boy offered his lolly pop. I do not think that they had known each other before, from the indications of strangeness in their behaviour. This boy's mother got two lolly pops and gave him one to her son. I was curious to find out mother's attitude. When I greeted her with my appreciation for her kinheartedness, she told me, 'Children cannot always express their desires. I was glad that my son gave his lolly pop to the other boy'!
The Koel's story disturbed me; the behaviour of the boys in not being considerate worried me; the conductor's callousness to find a seat for the woman with her child distressed me. There was one seat in the ladies section, where a woman occupied her adjacent seat with her carry bag.
Do we create a shared space for our co-existence in civil society!
This is the national election season in India, when the nation would elect the next political combination for governance for the next five years. I have followed the electioneering language of the leaders. Most of the leaders accuse the opponents. It is exceptional to find leaders who would focus on what they bring to the table for the welfare of people in the next five years. I wish the leaders had a visionary language and transitional plan for making people survive the current economic stress and unemployment! Instead what comes forth is traction for power, visibility and control !
A female Koel was defenceless. The crows took full advantage of it.
A child felt the unspoken need of another child, a stranger, and his mother endorsed his thoughtful gesture of giving away his lolly pop. The mother bought two to replace the one he gave away!
No wonder, we need to celebrate motherhood and their sanctifying presence in our homes!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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