The Guava Crow

Just behind my window is a very old guava tree- much more than my age of three cube. My first memory association with it- and even then it was bearing all-year round guavas. The canopy that it is above my home is an affable attraction for a variety of local birds, a family of squirrel and a murder of crows. And of-late a dumb crow.

The crows are not fond of guavas as far as my knowledge informs. The congregation is a shelter to these living creatures- a home from the sultry and scorching wave of summers.

The crow is physically challenged in our parlance. It is unable to speak like the other crows. Yet it has never let that doom to take precedence and unceremoniously glorify its life. Nor do the other crows have established rules to bog it down for its inability to express itself in their words. Interestingly, the other crows (identified only when they crow-crow) share an identifiable bonhomie and a sense of care and fraternal maturity towards the dumb crow. In fact, it is I who is distinguishing between them; they may not be aware of terminologies as such physically challenged, dumb, etc.They may be accepting it the other way round - 'that crow speaks seldom and in a different tone altogether. And that may be reason enough for their gatherings on the guava tree around the dumb crow at different times of the day.

While the other crows unanimously crow saying either kaanv-kaanv or kaa-kaa or a variety of other k-type expressions, the dumb crow specializes in uttering the smallest k's like k-k-k-k... At times I have seen them sharing their meals with this crow. But crows are reputed scavengers and this a statement hard to fathom!! Is it because they are non-human? Or is it because they are humane to some degree? Or is it because their books don't preach differentiation but integration? The crows are predators of minuscule nature and take great pride in social development.

On the other hand, we as the species of biggest evolutionary cycle are holing up our values, ethics and humanity for scalene means. In an oasis of complex developments on all grounds, men still owe a lot to the animals. With changing environment and biology, paucity and surplus- animals have adapted a lot and have kept the social fabric intact as well. Alas! we evolved the most but inculcated dreary and hollow ideals to quench the materialistic thirst - forgetting the purpose of sustainable life in the round marathon.

The crows still assimilate and share stories of courage and patience- after all they've the tacit listener in the guava crow for them.

Written on 24th May 2011.