The two Bulbuls- one a red vented and another a red whiskered in our garden! One at the feeding station and the other perched in the Guava tree waiting for its turn for feeding!
The way the red vented Bulbul takes time to inspect the food before pecking on it caught my attention. It is an accidental visitor to the feeding station and therefore is not familiar with the food available at the feeding station. Also a squirrel or Mynah can be intimidating for both species of Bulbuls.
The freedom of being a bird is real with some exceptions.
A Barbet was feeding at the Guava tree. Its feeding behaviour was effortful!
The food and shelter are primary needs. It can be stressful to find them.
The three shop assistants in the vegetable shop from where we get our provisions are from different parts of north India. Ours is a small village of about two lakh population. The shop assistants in many shops are migrant workers from north or north eastern regions of the country. It is to attend to their primary needs they move out of their native places.
The dialogue in the press connected with the independence day celebration on 15th August was how the national song, Vande Mataram was sung in the independence day parade in red fort, New Delhi for the first time and only two stanza of the song was sung at the celebration in the head quarters of a particular political party!
What a preoccupation with a non issue! Most of the southern states have thousands of migrant workers who live in inadequate facilities and work in order to earn for their families food and shelter! They contribute to build infrastructure and facilities. And yet, they go unnoticed.
The strain of living is real! The recent unrest among students pushing them to protest in streets about declining fairness in conducting competitive examinations and question paper leaks benefitting some who can buy them at enormous costs, raise the same issue of stress and strain of living for many!
The political governance is not inclusive in its approach and appeal.
Amidst the gloom of disappointment, there are signs of hope addressing issues of wellness. The government of Tamil Nadu has announced maternity leave for one year for all women for three pregnancies. I realise how contributory it will be for child development and integrated family living! This single decision favouring to offer a conducive environment for infants to grow and develop in the proximity of their mothers can promote attachment process between infants and parents, which would stabilise the psycho-social formation experience in early childhood. How fortunate are children of tomorrow in that state of India! A government that supports the home as the environment of formation for childhood, promotes wellness of the society!
The strain of living to find the primary need of food and shelter affects many even now after eighty years of independence!
How much do we care! The civil governments ought to do a lot more to offer wellness to all people!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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