A outing at sunrise !

 

The sunshine in the morning brought a new ambience for birds in our garden. It was after a week I noticed a community of birds around our bird feed- Barbet, Bulbul, Magpie robin, Sunbird, and Drongo. The cacophony filled the air bringing the ambience as before on a regular day. 

When the above movements were taking place around the bird feed, three woodpeckers flew into the coconut tree, adjacent to the bird bath with their loud bird calls. They moved around the palm tree trunk and practiced their climbing, while finding insects to feed on. The chirps that they shared between them was what intrigued me. The chirps were to invite the attention of the other Woodpeckers towards insects on the trunk. Their social communication and fraternal behaviour  highlighted their social instinct. 

It is unusual to find three Woodpeckers together. That itself was a delight. To see them behave mindfully towards each other was another striking feature about their social habit!

The avian behaviour has different intents. The social behaviour is striking among them. There is a communicating link between birds across different species. The smaller birds communicate through different tones in their chirps about food, threat from predators, impending rain or storm,  or announcing the sunrise and sunset. They live as a community although some birds like Barbets can deny Bulbuls from sharing a meal. 

I find a collaborative and communicative habit among the birds which is most refreshing to watch.  

A bulbul was feeding at the bird feed! A Barbet waited till the Bulbul flew away for its turn! That was a change from Barbet's usual behaviour of chasing away a Bulbul !

The feeding time ended with both Bulbul and Barbet being together around the Bowl of food!

I found this sight instructional! 

To be regardful of the need of another bird and wait to be gratified!

An unusual message during a season, when the rainy spells offer only a short a window of a dry period for birds to find food!

The experience in the garden in the morning yesterday was most refreshing to stay pondering on it, during the day! A lesson in social consciousness !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Together, we shall find!

I happened to notice a pair of Bulbul in the pepper creeper, looking for ripe berries from the plant. Their search seemed to lead them to raw berries. The frequent bird calls by both of them bought more Bulbuls to the plant. 

What happened after that, was what surprised me. One of them found the ripe berries and plucked one. Seeing this, the other Bulbuls also turned to the ones that looked ripe. Each of them had enough to feed on. In fact, one stayed on even after all the others left after their sumptuous meal. 

The individual effort versus the collective! It was a lesson and a message arising out of this activity!

Yesterday, following the visit of Mr Rahul  Gandhi to the ethnically divided state of Manipur and being with the displaced people living in transit camps for over a year now, one press reported asked, 'what can come out of the effort of one person' to resolve the divide! To this, one of Mr Gandhi's colleagues said, 'we will work together to bring  a respite'! The recently elected members of the Parliament from that state said, 'we shall labour for peace'!

I confess that what is more evident than the collective efforts is individual striving to acquire space to thrive and prosperous! The number of millionaires in India has gone up ten times in the recent ten years, whereas those hovering around the poverty line seem to stay where they are! The prosperity of the rich and the able and the disadvantage of those who are waylaid by adverse circumstances of life, is a an ugly reality we face in India!

A pharmacist who started his medical shop in our village forty years ago, ran the lone retail medical shop until ten years ago. Since then there are six other medical shops in our village.   His income has dropped and he talked about it being non viable.  At late sixties in age,  what else can he do! While delivering some medicines to me he remembered my father going to buy medicines from him. His resources are limited to give a face lift to the appearance of the shop. Its old cupboards for display of medicines give the shop a dampening look.  He sells some medicines below the market price although it reduces his profit because, he feels that most of his customers are from low income groups. He also keeps generic drugs of high quality that helps to regulate the price. He regretted that the association of pharmacists he belongs to, looks after the interests of large shops and firms. Small retail shops like that of his receives no attention to feel protected from the market forces. 

Listening to his story of being alone in his struggle to run the shop brought the memory of the lone Bulbuls calling out for help to find ripe pepper berries. They received instant attention from other Bulbuls. Each of them had enough and more, with enough left over for other birds. who would come during the day. 

The language of new entrepreneurs is 'success somehow'. That is the management slogan. They seem to carry the day!

I shall remember the behaviour of the Bulbuls as a social habit to promote. 'Grow up belonging to others and promote feeling for each other'! That call springs from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth: 'Love your neighbour as yourself'!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The listening habit!

A bulbul perched in a tall tree in our garden gave different forms of bird calls. I remembered reading in a research article that the morning

calls, resting calls, mating calls and alarm calls of a Bulbul are different and distinct. 

Another Bulbul perched in the courtyard of our cottage responded to the calls with changing movements in its neck, body and tail. The ten minutes or so till the calling bird flew away, it was interesting to watch how the bulbul received the call of the other Bulbul with varying body behaviour. That is what made me think that the listening Bulbul perceived the different amplitude,  tone and message in the bird calls. 

That initiated an inner conversation within me. During a short training exposure on listening habits in a counselling session, I remembered the emphasis given to appreciate the tone, voice modulation, speed of word utterances and facial gestures of the speaking person. I remember the counsellor urging us to listen to the spoken words and discern the unspoken feelings by becoming familiar with the voice tones to feel with the speaking person. 

Watching the birds behave in response to the bird calls indicated that they treated the calls as language of communication. The chirp of a bird before it flies away, is a signal to its pair to move. The repeated chirps while feeding is announcement of having found food. A sonorous subdued call can be an indication of a threat perception.

The two Bulbuls brought a reminder about listening behaviour that needs attention and presence. It was while listening to our domestic worker who returned after a pilgrimage, I realised that his description had different tonal content. He felt what he was narrating. That gave me another message about speaking feelingly and heartily! 

The bird visitors bring purposeful messages!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

 

The transition of hope !

The new British Parliament members were elected last week. Let me send the above flowers from our garden to all the elected members, the new Prime Minister and the outgoing members and the Prime Minister. 

The United Kingdom now has a King and a new Prime Minister, when the world is pulling in different directions militarily, economically, socially and culturally. We live in a polarised world. The people's aspirations and the political aspirations of the political masters do not often match.

The United Kingdom was a home for people of moderate views towards people in the developing world that it went beyond the common wealth of nations to support their development pursuit. The opportunity Britain offered to people from other countries to have advanced educational opportunities was a path finder for nations to have their human resources well trained to address the needs in their own country.

I benefitted from a scholarship London University offered me to get trained in child development and rehabilitation in 1986. There would be thousands in India who have had similar opportunities since our independence. It is a home for thousands of Indians who work and live for two or three generations. The National Health Service of Britain continues to offer opportunities for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to migrate to Britain. 

The United Kingdom having left the European Union has to reinvent itself in its role as a moral leader for practicing social equity, distributive justice, racial tolerance and communal harmony. The conflict in Israel-Palestine region, Russian-Ukraine region and the dominance of right wing forces in France come up as issues for which Britain to has to take a stand. Its immigrant's pressure is overwhelming. 

The monarchy in Britain has been an example of how democracy flourishes with acceptance and mutuality.  

Some of the good friends we have had for forty five years, live in Britain. We benefitted from their hospitality. On one occasion Anna and I were able to sit in the gallery of the house, when the Prime Minister was giving his weekly address to the House of Commons. That gave us an idea of the rich heritage the parliamentary democracy in Britain offers to the rest of the world.  

Anna and I recall the short and long periods we spent in the United Kingdom and want to offer the new political leadership our good wishes to lead the nation to a new path of wellness for people. The United Kingdom escaped the decline, the United States of America faced in its leadership role due to the inherent contradiction that it could not resolve. The Great Britain is still in an advantaged position to lead and influence the affairs of the world, as its leadership is open, receptive and accommodative of interests with  tolerance and appreciation. 

Sir Christopher Wren, an architect of repute, while involved in the design and building St Paul's cathedral in London, asked three bricklayers a question on one day: 'What are you doing'. The first one said, 'I am laying bricks'; the second said, 'I am building a wall' and the third said, 'I am a cathedral builder, building it for the Almighty'!

May the leadership of Britain be such visionaries, who would labour to make Britain a country, where people live as neighbours in harmony!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

 

Battered and yet giving!

The sight of the flowers in our garden is not impressive now as they bear a battered look at the end of a week long intermittent heavy rains. The flowers appear diminished of their colour, fragrance and aesthetic look. 

I avoided  looking  at those flowers, who had a battered look. But it was some movement around the flowers, which took me back to them, during my walk in the garden. 

I noticed an ant crawling over a rose flower. It stayed receiving the nectar. A butterfly was around the butter cups, which had a bleached look following the rain. I noticed the butterfly receiving the nectar and sucking the water drops from the petal. 

These are sights which actually challenge one's beliefs and notions. The flowers get damaged in the rain, and even in that state, they become providers for ants, bees  and butterflies!

Does one have to be well to give!

I remember a moving instance that Anna and I often recall to relive our history in the early years of ASHIRVAD, a Child Development Initiative started in 1983 to support developmentally challenged children. Rev Eva Marie Koch, Ms Christiane Osburg, and Giesela Jahner, a presbyter and two school teachers happened to hear about the initiative and became ardent supporters. 

I happened to visit them on one occasion, when Ms Christiane Osburg was unwell. There was suspicion of cancer and she was waiting for further tests. Christiane and Giesela invited me for a cruise during which travel, Christiane shared her life experiences of pleasures and pain. I recall that as a sacred experience of someone trusting me with the journey truths of her life through confession and celebration. That cruise became an encounter experience in God's presence. 

A few months later she deteriorated and moved on. She had bequeathed part of her assets to ASHIRVAD, which we used to convert the terrace of the Hall of Residence for a play area for children, attached to the Developmental Paediatrics Unit at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. This facility of Child development Centre was an activity started on the invitation of CMC Vellore through a partnership MOU with ASHIRVAD. Ms Gisela Jahner was present on the dedication of that terrace in 2021. 

Christiane and Giesela became friends from whom, we received immensely in those early years of ASHIRVAD, when the development of a Child Development Centre was a difficult concept for many to comprehend. What amazes us, is that, that association with them which started in 1984, continues even today with Gisela with her friends, who make hand crafted decorations for sale during Christmas and Eater week ends, the proceeds of which comes as gift,  from which ASHIRVAD supports children hailing from disadvantaged background.  Anna and I had opportunities 

Anna and I recall this, because both Christiane and Giesela were giving people, even though they endured difficult times in their voyage in life.  Their gift of love nourished us. They cared and inspired us. When ASHIRVAD completed its 40th year of service in 2023, we brought out three books, Bird Movements-our inner responses, Buds to Blossom, and Accompany Your child. The latter two were handbooks for developmental monitoring of children from birth to pre-school years, which parents can use.  

Two dear friends gave freely and graciously. ASHIRVAD was enabled to express its philosophy of caring and sharing in a small way. Their gifts of love multiplied to develop services for developmentally challenged children at Chennai, Nagpur, Vellore, Pondicherry and Kolenchery. 

To give is to live fully and meaningfully !

M.C.Mathew( text and photo)

A morning in the garden!

 

The above photographs of a Myna in our garden through different  movements to seek for its feed and find another Myna to share its good time strolling in the garden, caught my attention in the morning.

The Myna stood, watched, moved, turned, searched, found its feed, groomed its body after strolling on wet grass and gave out bird calls to invite another Myna to join in its morning delight in the garden. 

A bird behaviour is intentional. This bird moved about on the grass purposefully. It repeated its daily habit.

The bird calls is what caught my special attention. I wonder if the Myna had noticed another one perched in the tree a little distance away in its grooming process!

The bird calls evoked a reciprocal response and the Myna arrived in the grass! Together they moved about searching for food and flew away together little later. 

Every time I watch the bird behaviour of connecting with others of its species, I become aware the traction they experience towards each other. It is spontaneous and consistent. There is an inner and outer language of communication. 

Yesterday, I watched how the outgoing Prime Minister of the conservative party, who lost the national election to the Labour Party in England, responded to the loss! His wish to the Labour Party leader was an effusive congratulatory note of good wishes, although he would be regretful of the loss to his conservative party. 

It was a few weeks back that we had the national election in India. In less than three weeks after the election, the acrimony between the ruling party and the opposition parties spilled over in an ugly manner in the parliament meetings. 

I keep wondering how humans have buried the art of respectful disagreement which can open the door for communication! I experienced this in a few years ago when I was involved in a difficult situation. I experienced it again recently in the work place from where I retired a year ago. Is there only one way forward! Is there not a middle path! 

The language of communication between people has turned suspicious and untrusting. 

I am appalled how the United Nations has not been able to find a way of peace between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Palestine! The language of negotiation and compromises is replaced by dominance and insistence! 

It was moving and gratifying to watch a Myna create a language of mindfulness and filial regards!

In the book, The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith while narrating the tumultuous life of Leo Tolstoy, suggested that, 'For Tolstoy, the meaning of life was found in faith. But many people do not believe n God or are unmoved by religious teachings. Others have faith, but are still searching for answers about how to live meaningfully here on earth'(p 29). I like the way Emily establishes her argument for meaningful existence, which begins with a new inner orientation of love responses between people and feeling the consciousness of God in one's inner being. 

I recall two stanzas of a hymn:

O lord, all the world belongs to you,

And you're always making all things new,

What is wrong you forgive;

And the new life You give

Is what's turning the world upside-down

The world's only loving to its friends,

But Your way of loving never ends,

Loving enemies too;

And this loving with You

Is what's turning the world upside-down

The world is not yet upside-down, but the dream of the hymn writer speaks to us to live in hope and active engagement, to bring this reality in human lives. 

M.C.Mathew( text and photo)