Birds’ view of man
A F Dawood
Some migratory birds are in the Kumana Sanctuary. They are Sandpiper,
Tern, Plover and Duck. They are perched on branches of trees and are
whiling away their time; some are eating fruits or grains; some chirping
melodiously and some preening their feathers.
Among them are the indigenous birds like parrots, mynahs, budgerigas,
pigeons and paddy birds. In fact both the migratory birds and the
indigenous birds co-exist peacefully and this should be a classic lesson
for people whose thinking is tainted with communalism and whose outlook
is for status quo. A journalist who wants to write a report on migratory
birds alights from his motorbike and sees a vast number of migratory
birds and indigenous birds.
 “Good morning all you migratory birds, you're welcome to Sri Lanka.”
“And your purpose of coming here?” A migratory bird questions the
journalist.
“Well, I work in the press. I've come to get some facts about you
all. You're a rare bird and I've not seen you before. What's your name?”
“I'm Sandpiper and I come from North America. We come here in groups
every year to escape the winter in our country.” The journalist looks
around and sees different kinds of birds peacefully co-existing.
“North America is very far from Sri Lanka and still you ..........”
“Yes, yes, it's very far,” Sandpiper replies, “but it's our routine
practice every year.” “What other birds come here?”
“Turn, Plover, Duck and Snipe.” “Then you must be familiar with our
country,” says the journalist.
“Of course, why not?” Replies the Sandpiper. “The migratory birds
love your country. Your country is blessed with a good climate. I mean
there's no two extremes like my country.”
This reply is food for thought to the journalist. He begins to think
that people cannot live peacefully in such a good country and grumble
always for this and that. He thinks that man's mind is polluted with
jealousy, hatred, greed and power and that is why there is violence,
recrimination and bicker among the people.
“Sandpiper, apart from Sri Lanka where else you migrate?” “India,
Indonesia and all other Asian countries that have similar weather
pattern like yours.” Just then a melodious twitter comes piercing the
ears of the journalist. He looks around and sees a tiny bird perched on
a branch, twittering its melody.
“Oh! I see a tiny bird. What's its name?”
“That bird is called Snipe.” Replies the Sandpiper.
“It's the smallest migratory bird weighing only 120 grams.”
“My God, a tiny fellow with tiny wings. From where?”
“This bird is from Siberia. It flies over thousands of kilometres to
come to your country.”
The journalist is really surprised to hear how such a tiny bird can
fly such a long distance and how it knows the climatic change in
advance. “Can you tell me when you start flying and how you come to know
the change?” “You see, though we're small birds, by instinct we can tell
what's going to happen next.” Explains the Sandpiper.
“It's a gift that Nature has given us; we feel small body pricks,
then we start leaving our country.
The journalist is puzzled at the Sandpiper's explanation.
“I can't understand how you know the exact direction to reach a
tropical country.”
“Mother Nature has endowed us with intelligence that serves us as
mariner's compass.” “That's really wonderful but we people need a
mariner's compass to guide our direction to sail a ship or fly a plane.”
The Sandpiper looks at the journalist and shakes its head as a form of
smiling gesture.
Then it speaks. “You people need not only a mariner's compass but
many things – wealth, power and position. But we need only food.” The
journalist smiles. “That's true; man's cravings are limitless. Tell me
now what interesting things you have come across during your visit to
our country?” “The unity among the birds here.
Your parrots, mynahs, pigeons and paddy birds are very united.”Do
these birds welcome the migratory birds?” “Of course, they welcome us.
In fact we sit on the same branch and take our meals. They're peaceful
birds, not like your people.” “Why you have a complaint against the
people?” Then the Sandpiper says that some men have come with nets to
trap them; some boys have aimed stones at them, using a catapult.
“So I agree with you man's craving is limitless, he is greedy.”
“That's true. That's why man has captured parrots, puts them in a cage
and sells them.” A parrot perched on a nearby tree says.
“Not only parrots, even we're captured, put in a small cage and
sold.” A mynah joins the conversation. “You birds are only captured but
we're killed for food by man.” Remarks a pigeon perched on a branch in
the opposite tree. The journalist feels embarrassed when the birds in
his own country speaks of the cruelty to them and so he diverts the
subject. “So you migratory birds find your food in Sri Lanka?”
“We’re grain eaters or fruit eaters; so we find our food in plenty in
your country.” “You said our birds are peaceful.” The Sandpiper remains
silent for sometime; then it looks at the journalist and replies. “Let
me tell the truth. Your birds are peaceful but not your people. They're
greedy and jealous. A couple of times we have flown to villages and
there we've seen people fighting; in some houses we've seen mynahs and
parrots in cages.
That means you people don't give freedom to these birds. A couple of
times we've seen houses set on fire. Are you people crazy? You people
must learn to live peacefully like birds.
“The journalist realises the cruel nature of people and the care
free, innocent nature of birds. Now he wants to finish the interview
“One last question from me. Have you come across any problem during your
stay here?” “Well, your crow is a trouble shooter. It pecks us for no
reason.” “Well, crows are greedy birds; they trouble the people also.”
The journalist replies. A crow on the topmost branch of a tree hears
this. “Oh! man you say we're greedy birds. Why don't you tell the
migratory birds the service we do to you people?”
The Sandpiper and the other migratory birds look at the journalist in
amazement and pose the question.
“Do the crows give a service to people?”
“Yes. The crows get up early in the morning and wake us with their
‘caw’ ‘caw’ crowing voice. The crow has the last word with the
journalist. “when you write about the migratory birds to the papers, you
write about your people's greed and selfishness.” |
