MARCH 2006 I shifted into my current home on Pali Hill in the beautiful suburb of Bandra in Bombay.The apartment needed re-doing and so I decided to live here for a while and get a feel of the place before finalizing plans for what..hopefully.. is home for the rest of my life.I finally decided on placing my dining cum work table at a big picture window that overlooked a forest..an urban jungle..but of the tree kind.
What a wise decision it turned out to be.
Bang opposite were three Copper Pod or Yellow Poinciana trees.In march..when in full bloom..I have a veritable bouquet of flowers..all my own.Yellow from the three Copper-Pods..pink is thrown in by a Cassias tree and red/orange by a Flame of the Forest.There lurks a Gul Mohr(Peacock flower tree)..a Frangipani..and other trees that i do not know the names of.
I have since photographed atleast 16 different species of birds..from the sleek Black Kite to the dramatic looking Asian Paradise Fly-catcher to the White Throated Kingfisher(don't know what he's doing here?!!) to the frolicsome noisy Red Ringed Parakeet.
Yes..it is a jungle out there!
Last week the centre tree..the one in closest proximity..fell.
Woke to an empty space..a void..where the day before had been this magnificent 50 foot tall tree..
Woke to a sense of loss..
This tree had been a teacher to me..opened up nature to me.
I had seen birds..some that I had not known existed..taking shelter in it's shady branches.
Had watched and photographed the mating rituals of the Black Kite.
Had seen Purple-rumped Sunbirds drink pollen from the yellow flowers.
Had started recognizing bird calls..The whistles of the Koel..the tuk tuk call of the Coppersmith Barbet..the strange sounding call of the Coucal..and the mating trill of the female Black Kite.
Had watched a Lizard climb to the flowers in the topmost branches to catch flying insects that came to drink from the flowers.
Had learnt how smart nature is..and how worthy of awe!
Last week the centre tree..the one in closest proximity..fell.
Woke to an empty space..a void..where the day before had been this magnificent 50 foot tall tree..
Woke to a sense of loss..
This tree had been a teacher to me..opened up nature to me.
I had seen birds..some that I had not known existed..taking shelter in it's shady branches.
Had watched and photographed the mating rituals of the Black Kite.
Had seen Purple-rumped Sunbirds drink pollen from the yellow flowers.
Had started recognizing bird calls..The whistles of the Koel..the tuk tuk call of the Coppersmith Barbet..the strange sounding call of the Coucal..and the mating trill of the female Black Kite.
Had watched a Lizard climb to the flowers in the topmost branches to catch flying insects that came to drink from the flowers.
Had learnt how smart nature is..and how worthy of awe!
"In some mysterious way woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me." ~John Fowles
How blessed your life is, Sunil! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe post encompassed Hartwould's confession, "My favorite weather is bird-chirping weather" to Rumi's observation, "Every object, every being, is a jar full of delight!"
ReplyDeleteNature is the best teacher..
ReplyDelete