My Writing and Pigeons

Now, that I have started writing again and am at it for close to 3 weeks, I recall a few Incidents that happened ages ago. Amongst the many other things that I have on my mind and want to Post across, this one can’t wait for any long; since other-wise it would lose its relevance.

I was fond of writing, painting and singing; actually still am. I wrote a few Science based articles, some odd short stories. I was fond of reading too. Would pick up story books from dad’s office library: folk stories, fairy tales… I can still read them all; read them again.

One typical story that I wrote in On Spot Writing Competition back in IVth standard, got me the Best Hand Writing Award across the Whole School, all classes!! I was pleasantly surprised to note that I had not made a single spelling or grammatical mistake while writing that story that I had read in the Hindi Folk Stories Book that I had picked up from dad’s office library. After long years of time and much events that have dominated the younger years of my Life, this is what I recall of the story..

Once upon a time there lived an old woman, alone all by herself. She was poor & had no source of Permanent Income. People nearby would donate some little food everyday for her to eat and lead her life. Despite the fact, she would scatter seeds in the verandah for the pigeons to eat those and fly away. It so happened that one day, she was left with nothing; neither to eat nor to offer. The whole day had gone by and she had received nothing from anyone. More than being worried about her own starvation, she was more concerned about the birds that she had been feeding since decades.

As the day was toward its end, failing to be able to figure out a bit of what was to be done; she sat in the verandah talking to the birds in her mind & apologizing for her helplessness. As she stared at the sunset & looked at the Orange Ball, it seemed to be developing a strange black mark. She had almost fainted with hunger and weakness when a gentle flap of wings touched her forehead and she felt like never before. Some Pigeons held a big melon by their beaks (I now wonder how, may be the creeper twig it was..!!), and flew towards the old woman’s verandah. The Melon was sat next to her and the pigeons hovered around the fruit, they would perch on it and fly back to her and again go sit on it. The poor woman not been able to make out any thing of it, went to her kitchen thinking that the melon seeds could be offered to them while she would eat the fruit and brought a knife back with her thanking the birds in her mind.

As she cut through the fruit, several precious gems and stones tinkered all around the veranda and shone brightly in the setting sun. There were rare jewels, diamonds & in-valuables all across the floor surprising her for her lifetime (boy!! What luck- where was I?). The birds flapped all around in joy as if to celebrate her end of struggle.

& that’s how she lived happily ever after with her pigeons accompanying her in the veranda pecking the seeds the old woman would disperse.

While this was the 1^st of my tryst towards writing, inspiring me and telling me silently though that this may be my domain, I have yet another incident that took place in XIIth standard exactly in the Boards Paper, the previous day of my English Exam; to quote.

I still do place the bird baths for the pigeons in all the verandas where mynas, sparrows, woodpeckers, robins & all so beautiful birdies that I don’t know the names of come & sit by to enjoy a dip & wet their beaks. It’s wonderful to watch how they all immerse their beaks in the water & row them in order to drink while perching on to the rim of the bowl. The parrots screech though the air & gladly clean their bright beaks while their long tail feather would sweep the floor.

I rejoice in joy. They helped me- big time.