My camera-shy guest

Sometimes, guests come in, uninvited, and leave you with the most amusing of moments! Am talking of a few minutes back. In our cage like home at Mumbai (with shutter-windows that have box-grills outside and no balcony), we hardly have guests. It's despite a lovely home, clean fresh air and a close-to-lovely view outside. 

Just a while ago, I had an unusual guest at home. I moved from my PC to my bedroom and found the floor unusually clumsy. Maybe it's that dusty thermocol that dropped down from the slab above, I thought, my mind hitting on ideas to convert that piece into a little shelf. I shut the window-shutters, lest the room gets more fine dust. And lo!

A pigeon flaps its wings violently from above, moving all over the place. For a moment, I was shocked! `Whew! What an entry young lady, or are you a male!' Since the pigeon was at the window and flapping away, I thought it best to open the door of our attached toilet. And did it. Foolish thought...there was no way the pigeon could pull those glass panes out and fly!

``Calm down....calm down...relax!'' I said these words and realised...Oh God! How will it understand! And flash comes the memory: Shah Rukh Khan and Amrish Puri in the pigeon-feeding scene of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. I went ``Phurrr...Phurr....'' and it occurred if I made that sound like kids make...pushing air between pout-closed lips, it may work. Cannot quite describe that sound in words. But it worked. The wobbly bird quitely flew over a luggage bag placed on my cup-board. And turned its head away in all directions, calmly.

I seized this chance to open the window. But the bird would not budge. A minute or two later...I still wondered what to do as the bird seemed to love it there! `Maybe I should feed you', I muttered to the pigeon and ran towards the kitchen, before which I grabbed my phone to take a suggestion or two from my husband.

Believe it or not, he said, ``Just click a picture and keep!'' Huh! I went back to the bedroom. By now, a fellow pigeon stood guard at the window-sill for my guest. I picked up my camera lying on my floor-bed and was getting set for the first shot. My guest, instead of posing for the picture, hopped easily to the window-sill, the grill, and flew away. Sigh! A good shot lost! And so unlike our camera-loving celebrities who pose away at the sight of cameras and feel of a few flashes!

I should have just stuck to feeding my guest rather than indulging in souvenir hunt! I still love you my guest, for you are one of the many of your flock who make my day with your mere presence on the building opposite, fluttering away with your friends, fighting, making up, basking in the sun, and performing acrobatics.

On my morning walks that I began in the past few days, I discovered where the birds got their food. Generous amounts of roti crumbs thrown out of kitchen windows between 7 am and 8 am. One side of my flats-colony compound has a high-wall with many holes and hollows. Home for sparrows in the morning. 

After 7 in the morning is when not just sparrows, but pigeons, mynahs and crows throng that side of the compound for their breakfast. Another side of the compound is privy to a couple of pigeons alone! Trust me, in a few minutes, they leave the place as clean as it was before, with every crumb gone. Need a lesson in cleanliness? Just watch them eat!