How did Crows get into Fables?

Although I have observed the quirks and mannerisms of crows that we see so commonly all around us, it took me a visit tot eh Basai Wetland in Gurgaon to finally understand how the ubiquitous crow came to be in a fable known as the Thirsty Crow! It took me a moment to realise that a Crow that I spotted on one of my visits to the Basai Wetland was doing something odd and yet so familiar! 

It immediately struck me that what I was seeing was straight out of a Fable handed down generations about how a thirsty crow dropped pebbles into a jar to make the water level rise so that it could quench its thirst. Although I did not see a jar, I did spot a round object in its beak, something that looked like an over-sized pebble. Giving in to my curiosity, I decided to ignore the other, more exotic birds and instead to focus on this crow. I was able to take quite a few snaps and which I am sharing below.

Surely, those wise people of the past must have observed the intelligent behaviour of crows which is why they were added to various folktales and fables. This crow however had taken too large a bite to swallow. What it was doing with that thing in its beak is probably stuff for another table.

Amazing Wire-Tailed Swallows Spotted at The Basai Wetland Gurugram

Wire-tailed Swallows are amazing little birds! Swift-flying and playful in nature, they have been a part of our culture and literature. When I spot Swallows, I remember the story of the "Happy Prince", a story by Oscar Wilde. The Swallow was a constant companion of the Happy Prince statue till the end. In the end, when winter comes, it is the Swallow that remains with the Happy Prince since it doesn't migrate with the others to warmer regions. The story speaks volumes about the companionship with a human statue and a bird, symbolising the relationship between nature and man. Even Shakespeare had something to say about the Swallow when he wrote, "true hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings."

The swallow symbolises love, care and affection towards family and friends, and fidelity. The birds interestingly choose a mate for life and will nest with only there partners. In various cultures, swallows symbolise hope and freedom. Whenever I spot swallows I am filled with joy. Their friskiness and swift swoops all over the area are often difficult to capture on camera, but their memory will always remain in the mind! I was fortunate enough to spot a few juveniles accompanied by adults at the Basai Wetland when I visited it today. The wind was strong and the birds were clinging on to a wire-mesh fence lest they should be blown away. I got as close to them as possible, and they did not mind, probably as they were juveniles.

This is the first time that I have gotten so close to Wire-tailed Swallows, and although the lighting was not so good, managed to take a few decent shots of them. What struck me the most was to see three of them sitting close to each other like the three stooges. I could sense their wonder and curiosity about what I was doing with the camera. Without further explanation, I would like to present a series of photographs that I would like to label as "The Three Stooges."

The Three Stooges

The birds might as well be in a silent conversation, or perhaps, I might have missed their whispers. The wind must have snatched away their silent whispers (even as I was eager to get them into the frame) or I would tell you what they were conversing about- me of course! Whatever might be the case, their body-language is so familiar to that of human beings.

A clear distinction exists between adult and juvenile swallows. While adult Wire-tailed swallows have longe wire-like projections coming out from each of their wings, the juveniles have yet to develop them. Additionally, juveniles Wire-tailed swallows have a dash of yellow on the base of their beaks.

The Juvenile

Swallows are playful birds and they can be seen swooping around chasing each other, trying to settle on a perch that is already occupied. I was able to capture a few instances of Wire-tailed swallows trying to dislodge their siblings from their perch. These games reminded me of the games that our own children play with each other.

Juveniles Playing for a Perch

If the juvenile Wire-tailed swallows are playful, the adults are more reserved and watchful. They perch on posts with long 'wires' trailing from each of their wings. This is a graceful sight for those who have a sharp eye.

The watchful Adult

I guess there is more to Wire-tailed swallows that meets the eyes. The way they have adapted to life in the cities is somehow a success story that we need to learn from. These photographs were taken at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon today. While I was not able to spot too many big water-birds, I had to make do with these tiny ones.

Amazing Birds and Insects of Gurgaon

It is indeed amazing what all Gurgaon can offer to those who look deeply. There are pockets in and around the city that have much to offer in terms of scenic beauty, nature and greenery. For birders and wildlife photographers, perhaps the best go-to places are the Basai Wetland and the Sultanpur bird sanctuary. 

Gurgaon continues to be a paradox, an interesting mix of rural and modern cultures. It is also surprising how the modern city skyline is often interspersed with green belts, wetlands and scrublands which support rich flora and fauna. Heavy rains often inundate low-lying areas which in turn attract numerous birds and insects.

Some of the insects include the amazing Dragonflies and Damselflies, many often flitting around in large numbers. The photographs in this blogpost were taken at the Basai Wetland which is about four kilometres from the city.

The photograph above is one of the funniest I have taken so far. There used to be an advertisement of  Happy Dent Chewing Gum that showed how chewing it made the teeth sparkling white, even those of a Buffalo. In the photograph, you can see one of the buffalos grinning and showing off its white teeth while the crow and the other buffalo look on. Perhaps one of the most amazing things about Gurgaon is that it can spring up lots of surprises.

If the White-throated Kingfishers are a draw, so too are the numerous Dragonflies that flit around. Some of the best shots are taken while they are flying, and trust me, are they difficult to photograph! Flying Dragonflies are difficult to focus on, especially with a zoom lens. You might as well forget autofocus!

Perhaps Purple Herons might be amongst the most graceful birds in flight. Their wingspan is quite large and quite a few of them can be found at the Basai Wetland. One can not have enough simply watching them fly!

One of the lucky shots that I have been able to take is that of a pair of painted Storks in which one of them seems to be laughing out loudly  (although I guess it was only trying to settle its meal).

Spot-billed Ducks too can be a great draw at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon. Often looking at them in the distance, fluffing up their feathers and stretching their wings can be an amazing sight.

Damselflies are cute and they are a bit different from Dragonflies. Slimmer in thickness they have tapering bodies and bulging eyes. Some of them are so slim that you might miss them in the morning light.

Twenty-Twenty, A Poem

The winds of change begin to blow, slowly at first, but then,

Working up the clouds into a roiling mass. Churning up 

Even the blue sky into a gyre that gathers speed, alas!

Not even seen by those that pass below, unsuspecting, 

That the times are changing. A virus stops the world in its tracks.

Yet they continue their games to play, tasks to do and ratings to win.

The blast that flattens a skyline leaving untold suffering,

While nations stage economic wars and wars with bombs,

Even the greatest dams cannot the floods stop!

Not all but few do see the spinning circle that swallows all.

The vain do boast of science so strong,

Yet before a tiny germ do hang their heads with shame.

The schools shut down, students struggle, focus on screens,

While teachers tackle technology and ignore the lesson.

Even the best can create merely a virtual world out of a film!

Not even history did see an exodus, so long, of migrant workers 

Trudging a thousand miles with kith and kin to be.

Yet the powers that be, focus wars with others not caring about the sick.

The Factory barely ticks, the jobless wanders, another one dies

While they prepare to unleash the dogs of war. Recession depression 

Even inflation, lead to wars. Have they forgotten lessons of the great war?

Now he needs to unlearn, learn, upskill and re-skill all from scratch,

The teachings of grandfathers of no more use. A.I. Algorithms rule the day

Yet as we continue to be drawn into an unforgiving quagmire of data.

The world teeters on the brink of change, a chasm that will 

Whittle away all that makes us human. For we need to adapt

Ever so fast to new things, competing with machines that

Nip ahead evolving and changing so fast, shedding obsolescence 

That too without a conscience. Soon like them will we have

Yet to forego, memories and relations just to live.

The man holds his head in his hands, how long, how long

Will he have to start anew? At an age when they thought

Even to retire. He started with garments to suffer loss

Next went  to electronics, suffered loss, imported stuff

Then suffered loss, a victim of market forces, intent to destroy.

Yet, now he needs to go to a counsellor to tell him what to start.

The chaos sucks all into a gyre, that spins faster and faster.

Whole worlds whirl, whirlpools spin faster and faster and lives flash by

Even as those that pause to watch grow dizzy by what they see.

Now, this is the new world order, where AI is a new religion,

That has algorithms as its acolytes - each one of us is a mere

Yoked data point, an ingredient to be whipped, into a  soup.

The winds of change have arrived, at last, they bring 

With them, confusion, chaos and perplexity, 

Even as children, teachers, businessmen, doctors and

Nurses stare bewildered, at plastic worlds on plastic screens,

That siphon  them into a virtual soup feeding hungry maws of

Yet invisible machines that crunch data into a mish-mash.

The new world order teeters on unstable heels,

Which threaten to topple all into one dusty heap.

Eliot would have recognised the wasteland that we're getting into

Not even the gods of Greece and Rome can find a way out,

They're replaced by a greater one that eats data and spawns algorithms.

You all are nothing but digital data to be hacked and secured!

There is something even worse coming, an entity that feeds

When we sleep, a succubus, on the  human spirit,

Even Einstein in his wildest dreams wouldn't have thought that,

Not, even science at its best could be stopped from turning into  a competitor,

That too of its maker that would turn him into a beggar and a jobless man.

You all know how businesses failed as data predictions swayed choice.

There is, something weird about planes falling, ports exploding

Waters roiling, oil spills spreading and forest fires spreading.

Even countries turn enemies eye-balling  each other hatred 

Nurtured by desire and gain, of other's lands and resources.

Times have changed, People drift apart, humanity, forsaken.

Years squeeze into minutes, memories compressed into bytes.

Terrabytes squeeze in Gigabytes, human limits explode,
Who can squeeze the brain into a pinhead! Moore's law
Now fails, and human beings are hacked! Those people
That ruled the world now mere slaves to machines a few
Years ago they created, human minds fuel and drive machines!

The Enemy - Long Answer and Latest MCIQ Questions

1.Dr. Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?

It is true that Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to save the enemy soldier's life. However, this was possible also because of the support given to him by Hana his wife. When faced with the dilemma, she says, " You also cannot throw him back into the sea." She goes on to state the obvious, "We must carry him into the house."

When faced by open defiance from the servants, Hana supports Sadao. She stands by her husband affirming her faith in him. She washes the sailor when Yumi refuses to do so. She nurses the sailor to good health feeds him and tends him.

Hana displays her true love and affection for Sadao by supporting him in times of difficulty. She shows her loyalty and faith in her husband. It is because of her love for her husband that Hana was sympathetic to Sadao in spite of all the difficulties they had to face. It was a fully balanced partnership between husband and wife.

2. Who was the guiltier of the two, Dr. Sadao or General Takima?

Both Sadao and General Takima were guilty of the crime of treason. While the former had given shelter to the 'Enemy' and treated him, the latter had not reported the matter to the authorities. Both, Sadao and General Takima had broken the laws of patriotism. Both of them could go to prison. Both of them were guilty of the crime of treason.

However, there is a difference in the quantum of guilt and the amount of punishment that could be awarded to them. Dr Sadao, it can be argued, was doing his duty. It was his duty as a doctor to save a life. And added to this, he did not save Tom's life for any selfish reason. General Takima, unlike Sadao, had failed to do his duty to report the sailor's presence to the authorities. In fact, it was more of a responsibility that he had to the nation as a member of the armed forces. To make things worse, General Takima did not report the matter to the authorities for a selfish reason - he did not want Sadao to be arrested because there would be no one to treat him.

It can be rightly said that while both Sadao and the General are guilty of breaking the rules of the land, General Takima is the guiltier of the two. He broke the rules because he put himself before the nation. Sadao, however, broke the rules only to uphold the higher laws of humanity and that too not for any selfish reason.

3. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?

Hatred against members of the enemy race especially during wartime is often caused by the narrow prejudices created by the rules of patriotism. Rules of patriotism dictate that we look at people belonging to enemy countries as people to be feared, sub-humans, and not deserving of respect and kindness.

However, adherence to the higher laws of humanity, helps people rise above narrow prejudice. A sense of duty towards other humans, better education and a broad-minded attitude can help. Dr. Sadao and Hana were loyal to the higher laws of humanity. For Sadao it was also about his being a doctor, he could not see Tom die. For Hana, it was about affirming her faith in Sadao.

Having studied in America, both Sadao and Hana had a broader mindset, they had a broader perspective about life. It was for this reason that unlike the servants they simply could not put Tom back into the sea. They knew that Tom was first a human being and then the enemy.

MCIQ type questions

They came like flickers of rumour, told by word of mouth and always contradicted. In the newspapers, the reports were always that wherever the Japanese armies went the people received them gladly, with cries of joy at their liberations. But sometimes she remembered such men as General Takima, who at home beat his wife cruelly,

1. The statement, "They came like flickers of rumours" does not refer to

    i. the rumours of the defeat of the Japanese army.

   ii. the rumours of the excesses committed by the Japanese army.

  iii. the rumours of cruelty committed by the invading Japanese army

  iv.  the rumours of crimes committed by people like General Takima.

2. The term, 'word of mouth ' does not refer to

    i. Stories passed on by people'

   ii. Whispered conversations.

  iii. Unofficial sources of information.

  iv. Newspapers and Radio reports.

3. The newspaper reports about the Japanese army being received gladly is

    i. true

   ii. false

  iii. inconclusive 

  

4. Hana's perception about the greatness of General Takima is affected by

   i. the rumours she had heard about his actions in the field of battle.

  ii. the stories she had heard about his leadership qualities.

 iii. the stories she had heard about him beating his wife at home.

 iv. the stories she had heard about his being a magnanimous man.

Life is Like a Cactus Flower - A Poem

Life is Like a Cactus Flower.

Life is like a Cactus flower, it starts too slow but moves

So fast. It blooms to end, un-noted too soon. Except for

Silly, crazy, dreamers, poets and lovers, none would see. Alas!

If only you’d pause to see what they saw. It wouldn't end without a

Note! So, stop a while and see it now, its start and bloom that ends at night.

An end so swift, yet all, so calm, though it lasted  just a night - a pleasure it

Gave to those that watch. So savour the moment while it comes, calm yet grand

While it lasts. See the flower that blooms at night - a sight so fine that none could miss!

So stop and savour the magic so rare, a treasure for those that wait and pause.

A gift from God, ignore you not, (gifts such as these come once a while).

Life is like fishing,

(Fishing and photography are similar too),

With patience and dedication, they land a catch. They are

Virtues for sure, that, through ups and downs help you pass! So

 Celebrate a life, success and fame might not give. Pause awhile, to soak the

Joy, so great. For such is a miracle - a flower, that blooms at night, for those that

Wake. For life does pass in moments too fast – you would not know they came to pass.

While you work the day so hard, dawn does come, the flower to wilt, much too fast. For

All you know, to see the flower that blooms at night, might be the purpose be of life. So, be

Like photographer and fisherman, pause a while for a moment so special - catch the bloom and

And the wilt, life’s like a cactus flower, it blooms at night to wilt by dawn, beauty in short measure!