Monday 29th Apr, 2024
In memory of my lost Bird Kukel of our colony
All Birds are lord’s Gift and are with gifted throats and voices having so many modulations tuning notes in their voice or in simpler words they are gifted with the fine musical fire bands of LORD conveying that they all are born musicians, all are sweet, all with soothing melodious effect making us breathless .This all is coming out of their beaks of different sizes and curvatures .Each voice or BOLI has a mark of distinction and we the” Adamzad” at once can make out as to which bird is in melody, sinning or is in chirping moods being in possession of nature’s Adhaar Card.
Two decades back this new residential place of ours was having lot of Greenery surrounded by the smiling hill hocks of the Zabbarwan Range fortified by tall mountainous ranges of the vale. Simply to say that it was quiet a nice place to live in, being cool-calm-quiet and peaceful place surrounded by Green paddy fields, orchards, vegetable belt, Milk in abundance with cattle, sheep all around as part of this rich and fertile habitat of ours.
There were lots of tall local trees of different species in this habitat wherefrom birds of all sorts used to watch our activities with bird’s eye view. They never knew that we humans are going to make it a desert very soon and they will be robed off nests, fun and pleasure. Although there was already a govt. colony in place very near to main city but people from all walks/shades/Money strengths/ back grounds purchased the Pvt. land surrounding the colony. So what is left now for us and posterity? It makes one to cry and hearts bleed because now the land around us stands sold out as it has given the owners huge amount of money and the new masters their new dwellings of any dimensions and shape. But they have bulldozed everything which belonged to the nature and its glory.
Today we have different colonies with different names, fames, lanes and by lanes known by their titles. Now we have huge, big or small buildings housing MALLS for the “MALLDAAR S” under roof of one blue cover of the lord with rainbow shaded roofs of the masters of present day making it look awful and also keeping the evil spirits of the colony away. It is sad that money gives you an ego which at times makes us mad otherwise what right we have to encroach the environment, natural habitats and its rightful claimers. In this mad race we have lost our Kukel the Dove and its melodious ‘koo koo’ Its habitat, its stake natural climate. I am reminded of a couplet of some poetry which my mother used to narrate me in context of KUKEL in Rhythmic notes like
“ HAA-BARR-SAHIBOO,
SATH KORI CHAM,
NAKHE WALTUM,
SOI BRAANTH CHUM
KOO-KOO-KOOEE”.
Meaning “OH Lord I have seven daughters, Oh lord ensure their wed lock, which I expect surely from YOU, Koo-Koo-Kooee”.
All these little birds are under prayer and submission asking help and assistance from the Khaliq and Razaaq –THE CREATOR. On the contrary we humans send our would be mothers for sex determination tests and in case she is found carrying a female fetus in her womb in the embryonic stage we just abort or kill it. Our heads should bow in shame as we do not trust in our creator – the sustainer .
To my surprise, the other day I heard the melodious and rhythmic notes of the KUKEL I rushed out and looked around I found a pair of Doves singing in unison. Suddenly one KUKEL or DOVE came very near and sat on a nearby tree but she was not singing at all. I looked confused but in a flash of a second she flew pass my chair fluttering her wings as if telling me in a whisper and complaining to me that from her senior and parents she was told that she would get her food in and around this area being known for versatile peach to plum to Apricot AppletoPaddy, Maize seeds, mustard seeds, wild chestnuts / wild barries/ wild tulips/ walnuts or other dried fruits/ Mushrooms, straw barries, the medicinal herbs and other herbs rich in medicinal value with curing qualities like Handd, Vupal Haakh, Sochel, Chokee Ledder,krech etc.
I put my head in shame as I had no courage to tell her that we have buried them forever as soon as we laid the concrete foundation stones of our houses and like buildings. How could tell her that we are cruel to our nature, to its natural resources and bounties it had in store for us for many many years to come under the direct orders of the ALLAH the CREATOR .
I was sweating in the face of reality, repentance and of course shame on the guilt that how can we face our LORD or to our Mouj Kasheer or to these birds of ours or to our future generations as these birds used to make our predawn and the evenings melodious. Oh dear KUKEL Please return to us and do visit us again and again so that we protect the remaining habitats for you and other creatures comfortable. Thanks for your visit.