A place for all !

This was an evening scened in the farm beside the stream below our property. Before the dusk falls, all of them are feeding or finding their feed!

Yesterday, I watched in the TV the terrible sight of the violence in Kolkota during an election procession between supporters of two political parties. What disturbed me most was the way the political leaders of the two parties blame each other with neither of them regret for the incident or express concern for those injured or the property damaged !

How terrible it is when we fail to recognise the need of space and freedom for others!

I feel sad to find this 'compulsion' among some political parties to use violence and fear as the way to capture political space. The leader who was at the head of the procession continued his procession even when violence broke out! I wish there was a message and action of restraint.   

I hope we return to the way of 'non-violence' for all our actions and reactions, because that is how Mahatma Gandhi led the nation during the independence struggle!  

I feel distressed at the TV channels playing out the violence scene again and again in their screen shots ! I noticed that some channels avoided this. To me it was an act of thoughtfulness. It is a way of denying attention to violence! 

I have heard some political leaders use a language of soberness even amidst provocation. A political leader who was abused for his family heritage, replied resolutely that he would not refer to any individual and family matters of his opponents  during the campaign.

There is space for all of us. 

Yesterday, during the orientation to the post graduate students who joined the college where I work, one discussion was about doctor-patient relationship. During the role play to highlight this, I felt that the post graduates expressed the need to be mindful of the needs of those who seek medical attention and offer consideration and compassion in the way we welcome them!

That refreshed me! 

Let us create and offer space for others. That is one way we can be 'neighbours' to others.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A sunbird's morning routine !

I have often watched this female sunbird with its pair in glistening bluish purple, hopping between tall trees where there are dry twigs. Having seen them in different times of the day in and around our cottage, I have begun to look for a nest.

These are quiet birds except for their bird calls and fluttering movements. They easily get frightened by crows and bigger birds. 

I have preferential interest in small birds because, it is a delight to spot the relatively silent birds and track them between their landing and flight. That gives only an ultrashort time to take any decent photograph!

So sighting them is all that might be possible most of the times!

It give us a wider message. The larger sights and scenes crowd our horizon and we miss the smaller sights. 

This way we view the world around us almost make us think that only big things exist or matter. 

A bird photographer told me that most bird sighters begin with big birds at the beginning of their journey of bird sighting and often land up later in life as those who search for small birds. The large sights and experiences lose their appeal as they are frequent and shall become too ordinary. 

My day is made when I can spot a lady bird or a grass hopper. They are hard to find and we therefore do not look for them enough!

Small is beautiful ! It is a delight when we can find small things inspirational!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Photoblog: childdevelopmentashirvad.blogspot.com