I go to my terrace just before sunset and I see birds in the sky and on rooftops.Some tiny ones I cannot identify as they flit away instantly. I see a lot of crows (they are my favorite. I think many people who do not like crows are color-conscious and can think only of ‘Fair and lovely’). I see pigeons, an odd mynah sometimes, and lately quite a few eagles. The eagles are very stately – they hardly flap their wings once in a while but soar majestically high up in the sky. As the sky darkens I get to see some bats too.
Competing with the birds are the squirrels that so graciously leap from one tree to another fearlessly, almost as though they are flying. None of them feel constrained by any virus, nor do they fear for tomorrow. They fly alone and they fly in the amazing ‘V’ formation giving each other the air-uplift to reduce their efforts. They do not interfere in each others’ lives, nor do they compete for anything – unlike humans.
Competing with the birds are the squirrels that so graciously leap from one tree to another fearlessly, almost as though they are flying. None of them feel constrained by any virus, nor do they fear for tomorrow. They fly alone and they fly in the amazing ‘V’ formation giving each other the air-uplift to reduce their efforts. They do not interfere in each others’ lives, nor do they compete for anything – unlike humans.
And the backdrop to this amazing and picturesque panorama is the clouds – fascinating, changing shapes and colors, reflecting the golden hue of the setting sun. Even the mighty sun gives way graciously to the all-enveloping night. And it is time for me to come down and put on the artificial lights.
-Dr. Ali Khwaja
