NATURE AROUND MY WINDOW IN LOCKDOWN
-Mrs Shakti Bishnoi
Mr A S Bishnoi
Human beings are forced to stay in their homes due to the covid-19 pandemic, leading to no pollution and long awaited healing of mother earth. The corona virus pandemic is very strange for all of us. It’s mostly horrific. But there is a silver lining
due to the human activity put on hold purifying the planet and giving it a chance to recuperate. The birds which were hiding in the few remnants of green cover around our cities moved inside the city on the trees around our houses. Birds have excellent genetic
memory and they are aware of cages and traps, but they were in for a surprise when they found humans trapped in their houses peeping out from the triple security grills and railings created for their safety. Hopeless humans looked at the flying birds with
admiration and got reminded of their own once free life. But human being doesn’t learn so easily as they have gone through such deadly diseases earlier and knows not to stop their hunger for more.
We are fortunate to stay within the secluded and protected establishment MILIT, Pune, as my husband is in Armed Forces and is posted here. I started exploring the avian world within the campus from my window and nearby places. The melodies of birds did
exist before the onset of COVID 19 lockdown, but the sound of silence due to COVID-19, I started enjoying and recognizing them on the basis of Bird calls. I introduced my daughter to bird watching from the window and she was overwhelmed with the mere sight
of the birds in close proximity.
Slowly and gradually, I started putting grains especially jawar and bajra as birds are health conscious unlike humans. Putting water for them was done with lot of planning as some of the birds love to bathe and few just drink and fly. The water and food
area became the most happening place for birds. We learn from our surroundings, and now its the wild birds around us to make us learn so much more than we can assimilate. Everything has prana and is designed to serve a purpose. Humans, while advancing in
the name of development and technology, is yet to learn some important natural laws. COVID-19 gave us that opportunity to look at our ever growing demand lists and we need to stop this meham of earth exploitation. Intelligent segment of people will learn
from our mistakes and learn to coexist, but other segment I m not sure how they will employ their intelligence. We need to be aware of the animals and birds and their raison d’etre, for they are here to teach us the real joy of life. The Earth has an immense
possibility. I started taking out time early morning and evening to click them and appreciate them. Daily I watch them from other side of the window eating grains, bathing, drinking water and sometimes having important discussions during their meals. My daughter
used to first secretly feed the birds whatever she relished and then disclosed about how the birds loved cooked rice, corn flakes, chapatis and cooked poha. As a mother smiles in contentment when her child enjoys her food, our daughter donned the same smile
when birds ate what she offered them.
Our family became friends with all the visitors on our window and our daughter is excited to jump out of bed at dawn to do atithi satkar everyday. From the early morning chirping and twittering throughout the day to the cacophony of sound at their return
to the nests at dusk, there is music every where and they are free to explore the majestic earth in all possible ways. We are caged and short of choice to choose our visitors, but if our aim is to coexist then wilderness will welcome us with open arms and
show us the miracles we have not imagined. Human are now in self created personalised ZOO.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything gets accomplished”. We humans need to look around and observe, and act upon if needed, otherwise nature has its own way. Embrace the abundance of universe waiting for us.