Friday, November 12, 2010

The Ones That Flew Away From CU s Nest

Noted cartoonist R. K. Laxman once said he gets away from the pressures of cartooning by drawing the crow, which is his favourite bird. "The crow is an intelligent bird and Indian folklore is full of stories of the crow."
His is a sort of old obsession of the crow, mine too,perhaps to a limited extent.




Sitting by the window sill , looking at the lone tree & watching the crows was & is my past time.Near my house ,this tree used to be occupied by a pair.After the beautiful mating season when the time came to build the nest,the pair were very selective in the shape & size of the twigs.The selection of father crow (FC ) was not always perfect,the mother crow( MC )very choosy many a times ,discarded it .The job of building the nest to the critical requirement was always with MC and FC often used to be perched near by & going around the various branches & watching MC doing the intricate job.It was a pleasure to watch the nest being built.
As the days advanced,with eggs in the nest & later after their hatching ,MC became very busy . But FC always around ,hopping from one branch to the other ,perhaps not knowing what to do. Wanting to contribute but not knowing how to !




This was very funny, I used to think. FC could definitely do many things.

The two baby crows ( BC )were growing & the family seemed to be happy & contended. Then one morning ,as I was watching,a gypsy took a shot at the MC & she fell down the tree.It was heart breaking. A million crows from all over assembled & the db was extreme.FC was cawing almost endlessly.Once the gypsy vanished from the scene ,taking along the MC,the FC was still cawing & hopping around the nest not knowing how to take care of the BC,at least till their wings were strong enough.

I was very worried too, since I always knew the FC was an idiot, who never learnt. But strange is nature that FC soon took the role of ARDHA NAAREESHWARA, a perfect blend of a male /female, in this case a father & mother . The BC were growing & FC, for a change ,looked very busy taking care of them.Two other crows landed up to help,perhaps,grandparent crows.




And then one day ,the two BC were bold enough to jump out of the nest & then from the tree. They were learning to fly .FC was watching proudly. The nest was not going to be occupied by BC any longer. They started flying longer distances & perhaps to test the boundaries of a different kind.

FC ,now all alone ,was as usual ,hopping around the branches,looking at the empty nest & not knowing what to do !



TC
CU

My two sons have just recently left the shores of India for their higher studies, one to Rochester,NY other to Aberdeen,Scotland

27 comments:

Cinderella said...

This is surreal. And heart wrenching.

Goodluck to your sons.

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@Cinderella
Thanks for your wishes Cinderella..
Surreal....

TC
CU

Anonymous said...

The loss for the FC was intense, personal and lasting. All other C's could only go back to their nests and life. By God's Grace the BC's are now grown up Son-Crows and are bringing life back to the FC.

Preetilata【ツ】 said...

i would say, this is my favorite one from you for several reasons. one being the fact that i love crow. People say that's beacause i am crazy.. but now i know i am not alone in it. :D

I have clicked several pics of them and i feel happy going through them. several times thought of posting but still dint. every now and then my mobile wall paper is adorn by a pic of beautiful and confident crow.

anyways i know i talked a lot. :p

regarding the post.. i liked how you drew a symmetri between them and us. the cruelty as well a sorrows and happiness altogether. it's a perfect post drwaing parallels as well as the contrast. in short you have expressed very beautifully that life is a mixture of every emotions. :)

Goodluck to your sons

Preetilata【ツ】 said...

FC hopping from one branch to the other ,perhaps not knowing what to do........



Loved this expression and the way you have used it thrice in the post.

மங்கை said...

very nice analogy...:)

crow is a curious bird with very good intelligence.. likes to live within its community and very social.. how interesting!! .. mmm

//not knowing what to do ! //

FC can is expected to give us such lovely pieces and make us also think within ourselves.. :))

Puthalvarkalukku vaalthukkaL

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@ raghu,

Bringing life back, thanks Raghu for your wishes
TC
CU

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@ Preetilata
Thank you for being here & good to know about another crow watcher..lol

TC
CU

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@மங்கை
Welcome மங்கை & thanks for your wishes for my children ( !! )
Crow I wonder why has been referred for PITHRUKKAL ,I wonder
TC
CU

Sh@s said...

A touching story. I was left speechless when i had read it for the first time so i could not comment on it immediately. Lots of things went through my mind. We see crows everyday but not with the same eyes as you have done here. And you have lent humaneness to their story which touches ones heart. I hope this is not your story.
In one of your replies to the above comments you said that crows are referred as PITHRUKKAL. What is the meaning of that word?
My best wishes to your sons and for all their endeavours. God Bless FC, too.
Take care

Compassion Unlimitted said...

Sh@s

Thank you for your nice comments

/PITHRUKKAL. What is the meaning of that word?/
PITR is the root word for Anchestors. In many religions believing in rebirth,crows have a role especially during ceremonies.

Following link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitru_Paksha explains as follows
//The food offering is then made, cooked especially for the ceremony on the roof. The offering is considered to be accepted if a crow arrives and devours the food; the bird is believed to be a messenger from Yama or the spirit of the ancestors.[2]//

I am curious about this role of crows !!

Yes,this is my life,depicted in few hundred words

TC
CU

Priyamvada_K said...

CU,
This is such a beautiful and touching story, and the parallels between with FC/MC are so well told.

Wishing your sons all the best, and to you too. It is TOUGH to let go. I'm now left with an image of the FC hanging around the nest not knowing what to do. :(

Sending some goodwill/solace your way. Maybe you can write more?

Priya.

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@Priyamvada_K
Welcome Priyamvada after a very long time. Honestly I wish I could write more often for its a wonderful way of letting out.Pressures of business keeps one occupied with mundane things.

Hope the new chapter in your life is blissful

TC
CU

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@ Priyamvada

Also I couldnt get thru to your blogsite since its restricted.let me know a way to keep in touch ,on my mail id
TC
CU

ceedy said...

Great CU....so should I be expecting you to US in the coming future - being a caring FC???

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@ceedy
Welccome ceedy ! Its ben ages since you have in Blog i guess. Hope everything fine.
Wish I do travel to USA ,but its been around two decades. My travels had been somehow been to Japan & Europe. May be the Visa formalities have been making me a reluctant traveller. Now looks I have no choice but to stand in the Q..lol
Take care ceedy & thanks for being here man

TC
CU

ceedy said...

@CU

Yes have been ignoring blog world - but am going to write more...and anytime you are on these shores just let me know....please....

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@ceedy
Sure man,the Scotch awaits us too ,I guess !!
TC
CU

Rashi said...

This should get you all the luck ! Stay blessed !

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@Rashi
Thank you for your words & thanks for being here
TC
CU

Keshi said...

beautiful, warm, heartening analogy!

I wish ur 2 sons all the very best with their studies CU!

Thats what life is all about -going forward. And sometimes that means hvn to let go of the TIMES we thought would always be. But new things and new TIMES await u..now u can go visit them :) u hv something wonderful to look forward to.

All the best CU, and hey a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year to u and ur's!

Keshi.

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@Keshi.

Welcome keshi.ages since you had been in blog !

Thanks for the words & wishes..Let go & change are the realities... but the cancerian in me is not so adventurous !and hence the push & pull

TC
CU

m.flowerr said...

Woahh....similarity well narrated! Wonderful!

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@ m.flowerr
welcome m.flowerr , long time..Thanks for your comment
TC
CU

kiran sawhney said...

Touching and interesting story. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me a comment there.

Compassion Unlimitted said...

@Kiran Bajaj Sawhney

welcome here kiran.You have a very very interesting useful blog for people of all ages.I hope many are visiting
TC
CU

kiran sawhney said...

Thanks. Why good to know that you have been reading my blog for sometime now.