Pigeons at my window sill
By Tribhuwan N. Bhan
Every morning after getting up, the first thing I do is to feed
the pigeons by putting some
cereals at the window sill. But,
if I have slept late the previous night
and I do not get up at the usual time, I
hear sounds of 'tick', 'tick' ... at the
glass window when the pigeons strike
at the glass pane with their beaks,
demanding their breakfast. When I
spread the cereals like wheat or jawari
at the sill, the pigeons at once come
flying to have their feed. Sometimes
they fall over each other or have
massive fights, catching each other's
beaks and pulling each other violently,
I try to separate them.
These pigeons remind
me of Mohammed Waza and
his son Ali Katsur (Ali the
blond), he was given this
nickname as he was the
only blond boy of the
locality Chotta Bazar near
Kani Kadal at Srinagar.
Mohammed Waza was a
famous cook of those days,
who excelled in cooking the
well-known culinary
delights particularly Tabak
Maaz, Goshtaba and Rista.
Being a chef was his family
profession, besides that he
was very fond of pigeons. His love for
these birds was a passion with him.
At his humble dwelling, he had erected
huge wooden frames on which his pet
birds used to perch. He would spend
hours watching the pigeons fly away
in formation and then return to their
open air abode. Once all
of them would perch on
the wooden frame,
Mohammed would make
some loud sound and
the birds would fly
again in unison. This
obedience to his
command was the delight of
Mohammed. He lived for that moment.
Watching the birds fly away and then
return was an addiction with him. He
would indulge in this for hours
together. This affected his health,
particularly his eyesight.
In the morning I feed my pigeons at least thrice till I am sure,
they do not want anymore
and they had their feed. In
the evening when I return
from work, these pets of
mine return to the window
sill. Though the windows
are shut, how they know
that I have come home is a
mystery to me. There might
be some telepathy. If there
are any cereals leftover
from the morning feed on
the sill, they devour the
same. Then they strike with
their beaks at the window
pane, demanding more.
Catering to their demand gives me
utmost satisfaction and happiness.
Some say pigeons bring good luck.
Whatever it be, whether they bring
good luck or not, they give me infinite
happiness for which I love them. The
early morning 'tick', 'tick' ... sound of
the glass pane is more pleasing to my
ears than any earthly music, as it
gives me the feeling of belonging,
which gives me confidence to face the
ever changing vicissitudes of this
murky world.
There have been times when due
to the loud sound of crackers during
festivals or marriage season, the birds
are too scared and are not seen on
the neighbouring trees in the
morning. They are too scared to come
to the window sill. It is a bad beginning
of the day for me. Out of frustration, I
put on some soft music by Shiv Kumar
Sharma or Vishwa Mohan Bhat or Ravi
Shankar. The speakers of the music
system happen to be near the window.
It may be unbelievable but soon the
pigeons can be seen flying in one by
one and cooing. I noticed this once. I
repeat this whenever I do not see
them at the window sill in the
morning. Who says birds do not enjoy
music? The legend has it that when
Orpheous the Greek God of Music
played on his lute, even trees uprooted
and left their place to follow Orpheous.
On Shravan Purnima, two pigeons
appear near the Shiv Lingam at
Amarnath Cave in Kashmir. People
have a firm belief that these two
pigeons are the re-incarnation of Lord
Shiva and Parvati. It is this belief that
draws lakhs of pilgrims to the holy cave
of Amarnath. My firm belief is that the
pigeons who come to my window sill
are the re-incarnation of my forefathers
who looked after me with
loving care when I was a child. I am
now reciprocating the love and
affection they showered on me then,
by taking care of these birds now, who
come cooing to my window sill every
morning.
Source: Milchar
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