The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
I see them all the time, soaring above the trees, their screech audible as I sit typing... or trying to type :) This is that time of the year when their screeches become shriller, and they build their nests atop the coconut trees. These are the Black Kites which nest in our colony, year after year...
These are birds of prey, and may seem to rule the skies. However, at least in our area, it is the crows which rule the roost, and make lives difficult not just for the smaller birds, but also the bigger ones like these.
I already see the crows chasing the kites away, not allowing them to perch longer than a few minutes on the bigger trees, and I know the sight that will greet me in a few weeks... of the female kite perched on the coconut tree, near her nest, her shrill cries rousing me from my work, while the male kite tries to chase the crows away.
For now, I indulge in the pleasure of seeing these birds often, perched in pairs atop trees and poles, calling out to each other, and soaring beautifully overhead, as I happily leave my work aside to watch them!
Incidentally, do any of you know why these birds are called 'Black Kites'? I think they are more brown than black.. don't you? Someone told me once that its because they appear to be black from a distance, but that can be said of many birds, right?
I live in Mumbai, in a colony lucky enough to still have plenty of trees and open spaces. The best part of living here are the birds I see from my window, every single day. "Birds from my Window" is a series, where I regularly feature photos of birds I see from my home. To see all the posts in this series, click here.
I live in Mumbai, in a colony lucky enough to still have plenty of trees and open spaces. The best part of living here are the birds I see from my window, every single day. "Birds from my Window" is a series, where I regularly feature photos of birds I see from my home. To see all the posts in this series, click here.
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