Once, when it was raising such a ruckus, I stepped out to ask what was wrong, since there already was some ‘food on the table’. The crow picked up each piece, one by one, and threw it down as if to say, “Do you think I am going to eat this? Hurry along now and get us some fresh ones!”
Its sense of ‘ownership’ has become so strong that it admonishes us strongly if we try to feed a stray cow or dog, regardless of whether or not it has had lunch.
·
AN OLD STORY FOR TODAY
·
by Sidhusaaheb
·
Note for WoP readers:
Sidhu Saaheb is a blogger from Delhi, India. He is a young man, loves bikes and is equally adept at writing small, beautiful notes, a prerequisite to be successful blogger in electronic media and e-publishing. Although I would very much wish him to put up regular notes on his blog but it appears that he is so much engaged in his other professional works that he doesn’t find much of a time to add regular notes to his blog which Sidhu’s readers including myself would wish him to.
Or it could also be a reason that free blogging is a thankless job and, therefore, those who do it, they do so mainly out of a passion for writing – even though it takes much of their time and a mental exercise that makes them sweat, yet to earn bread for themselves, they knock other doors, other avenues.
In this context, am not sure about specific reason/s for Sidhu absenting from his blog, however, whatever he puts up there, I and am sure, his other readers find worth reading.
Sometime back Sidhu put up one such note and that particular one is about our wonderful world of birds, a world so sweet, so lovely it can be enjoyed only by those who are keen bird watchers. Though myself am not a regular bird watcher, yet I do love to see these small flying objects which is in itself a view worth watching.
Interestingly like Sidhu’s mom, my wife too is very fond of putting something to birds to eat. Sometimes there is bajra like his mom does for her share of birds to feast, another time she offers them rice and when she starts preparing a daal dish for the family, its the daal feast that she offers to her share [of flying guests].
And dear readers, she is such a lover of birds, ever since I came to know of her [and its since she became my better half] she would ask me to drive her to Lahore Liberty Market roundabout, where three or four persons would be hawking caged birds, and these birds include common house sparrows, parrots, Mainas, and such fowls. She would purchase a dozen or so of them and then set them free and as she always says: The free birds need free world and therefore I do this because I can’t tolerate keeping these free souls in confines of a cage, a prison like situation for them.
Its really thus unfortunate that in this age and race of modernism, we are forgetting the ornithological world with its sweet, innocent inhabitants.
Another aspect of what Sidhu tells in his story of feeding the common crows, makes me ponder over the possibility that had the Indian and Pakistani leaders demonstrated the common wisdom as done by the blackbirds (which perhaps in character are more white than our leaders with white bright clothes but dark, black minds) the conditions between Pakistan and India would have been much better, much friendlier and much luckier than they are now. [Nayyar]
***
And here now the note from Sidhu.
Soon after we moved into the house we live in at present, my mother put out a wide, shallow earthen bowl in the yard, to provide the birds in the vicinity with fresh water to drink. She also began to provide them with a regular supply of bajra seeds, along with left-over pieces of chapatti. The seeds had to be replenished every day, while the pieces of bread often did not have to be.
One day, I saw a crow pick up a rather dry piece of chapatti in its beak. However, instead of flying away with it thereafter, it hopped over to the bowl of water and dropped the piece in. After having turned it around in the water for a while, so as to soak it well, the crow took off. By the time it returned, the chapatti appeared to have softened quite a bit and the bird proceeded to consume it.
Since then, I have become quite convinced that the story about a thirsty crow must have been based more on fact than fiction.
By the by, the bird in question has become great friends with my mother and she now sets an entire chapatti aside for it every day, while preparing lunch for the family. If she forgets, the crow spots her whenever she steps outside, perches itself on an electrical wire overhead and protests loudly until fed. At times, it even sits on the boundary wall, facing the house, and crows until its daily quota of the unleavened bread is served. In fact, the menu has now been expanded to include biscuits, fruits, and pakoras.
Once, when it was raising such a ruckus, I stepped out to ask what was wrong, since there already was some ‘food on the table’. The crow picked up each piece, one by one, and threw it down as if to say, “Do you think I am going to eat this? Hurry along now and get us some fresh ones!”
Its sense of ‘ownership’ has become so strong that it admonishes us strongly if we try to feed a stray cow or dog, regardless of whether or not it has had lunch.
Related Posts
1. Vulture population stabilising in Pakistan 2. Cruel corruption 3. Going Batty About Bats In 2011-2012 4. Of Birds, Rivers and Greed 5. My beautiful Pakistan, the land of Balochistan 6. Birds of Lahore – Sustainers of City’s Biodiversity
Source Title image Image next
Wonders of Pakistan supports freedom of expression and this commitment extends to our readers as well. Constraints however, apply in case of a violation of WoP Comments Policy. We also moderate hate speech, libel and gratuitous insults.
YOUR COMMENT IS IMPORTANT
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF YOUR COMMENT
Wonders of Pakistan 
In feeding birds you guys here are ignoring the phenomenon that big crows hardly allow weak and small birds to come and get their share. Even one can see some kind of bird fight over or near the bowl as little one tries best to get some share but big one doesn’t allow them.
We Pakistanis and Indians belong to such societies where people feed birds and animals with more affection as compared to their domestic helpers or poor relatives. So balance of all, always brings change in any system. Uni-side passions only make emotional pockets and thus the nations don’t get to realize the exact point/s of change.
Nazia, I agree with you. Big birds do discourage small birds whenever there is competition to snatch food. Your viewpoint on we humans not rendering proper help and food sometimes to our domestic servants or even to our poor relatives is also true, but this is also a fact that birds fighting for food and quarreling with each other/other birds is a simple quarrel just like small, innocent children do this on petty matters and after a few moments they forget everything becoming good friends again.
Here in Bahria Town Rawalpindi where I live, I see small kids playing together, sometime ‘hide and seek’, some take doing roller skating, they sometime quarrel over a ball, sometime for skating over ‘middle of the road’ position which offers a smooth and enjoyable skate ride and all of a sudden a row ensues. A party goes weeping and when I ask them, the weeping kids will say no uncle nothing happened and they will start smiling and playing again.
Singing birds and playing kids are a beautiful sight. Small, innocent quarrels like these are OK but nations going wild, doing ferocious, wild beest like fighting and fighting wars is something which is neither good for the beast for beast may loose their horns, eyes, legs and sometime may pay the price even with their life, so is the case when humans fight. Otherwise I do agree with you regarding human relations i. e. Unilateral passions only make emotional pockets and when nations get embroiled in emotional outbursts and thus obfuscate the correct points of change/exchange resulting in colossal losses to all concerned.