I always find in nature a great companion, guide and advisor. What lessons this summer, I got from nature is something that might interest you as well.
Subtle Side of Nature.
The first crude feel of nature is its physical existence. And then comes the feel of myriads of lessons it spreads out. The sensitive and receptive minds amaze at it, praise it and experience the bliss associated with it.
To me, watching nature is like roaming in a world which is so subtle yet so sensible, so enormous yet so approachable, so complex yet so simple. For me it is like Godliness expressed, translated and explained.
Lessons of Summer in a Sunny Morning.
Early July, year 2023. Dry summer was slowly giving way to the onset of monsoons over South Asia. I rose late in the morning, this day, when morning sunbeam had carpeted the floor of the hall, in which, opens the door of my bedroom.
In otherwise moderate to cool summer night temperatures in the Terai regions of eastern North Indian plains; nights this summer had been oppressively hot.
Most of the families in general, in these regions are still not used to of using air conditioners. Thus a proper sleep is possible in later part of night. Even myself also is not too much in habit of using AC to parry the heat of the summer.
Anyway I was late to awake this morning and was somewhere filled with the guilt of not rising at the first chirp of birds.
These birds were racing and stirring the morning calm with their lovely playful bustle. From my residence at the first floor, I rushed to open the main entrance door at the ground, because it were only few minutes to go when our housemaid would come.
Soon a Bulbul(bird), flied past my head and lost in to the canopy of our only mango tree in the garden.
With sudden spurt of curiosity, I followed and tracked its course and finally spotted the bird with straw in its beak, busy in weaving its incomplete nest at some safe location in the branches.
I was completely bewildered at so many things which started darting in my mind at this sight. To me this tiny avian appeared no less than an aeronautics specialist. Their survey for a base tree branch to construct a nest, might have a lot of calculations and assessments related to aerodynamic stability and protection from their natural enemies. A lot of considerations regarding protection from intense sunrays, blow of local prevailing winds and rains would certainly have factored in their decision making.
Thought of their skillful work for architecture and design of nest, and identification and procurement of suitable raw material for it, pushed me to another level astonishment.
And along with this all, the lessons of this summer that percolated in me was to remain attentive to our priorities and work hard to achieve them.
Tiny Birds Were Like Bubbles of Lessons This Summer.
Tiny birds at large are very fascinating. They are like tiny bubbles full of amazements and many pleasing attributes. They look so cute and brim with energy. They are specially lovely to watch in morning time, when they are far too busy in their own world.
My balcony on first floor finds a nice aerial view of our neighbour’s campus below. The campus is not well maintained. Rather it wears a deserted look, due to owner’s negligence, who is a Nepali citizen but owns property in India as well for the reasons not known to me.
Anyway, above the green yard of my neighbour’s campus ran a contrasting white thick electric cable, which supplied electricity to the household from the electric pole.
On one fine morning I caught view of few seasonal newcomers. Big Kadamb tree, laden with its golden fruits, and growth of some other wild shrubs in the immediate surrounding might have attracted them for their temporary stay in my neighborhood.
Pale green in colour, with extended sharp beaks; these tiny birds created a great view, when they sat on the smooth white electric cable. The cable swung like a hammock every time they flied off or alighted on it. These distorted cuboidal shaped birds in their pale green robe and sturdy black beak in the panoramic morning environment, appeared feast to the eyes.
The more awesome was their flight. They took flight in vertical concave shape for their first half, and then with a blink of eye; a swift vertical concave return to the cable in their later half.
It took me some time to discover that they were targeting the insects that were flying above and around. Their takeoff and comeback had left the cable swinging in a rhythm and the birds sitting on them were like riding on a hammock.
This view of birds, set in me also, the waves of untold pleasure and exhilaration. Nature is full of myriads of tiny pleasure. we must have appropriate discerning senses to feel and enjoy them!
That Unfortunate Butterfly: A Bitter Experience This Summer.
But I would like to mention one such incident which I still detest. Our new SUV(vehicle) had some issue related to tyre air pressure. I and my 14 year old son, on a cloudy morning, took a drive towards garage and after getting the issue resolved, we thought to get the fuel tank filled as well.
As the weather was incredibly pleasant, we deliberately chose to visit the fuel station, which was located on the outskirts. Within few minutes we were on the outer road of the township.
The smooth black coal tar road was flanked on both sides by the lush green vegetation. The cool breeze and the seductive view of blue Himalayan mountains on our right were further adding to our joy. My son like me, is also nature connoisseur and is very much comfortable with intricacies of photography techniques available over mobile phones. So he was totally absorbed in taking pictures of changing frames of sceneries outside.
Then suddenly happened the unexpected. Birds catch insects is a common phenomena ,we observe. But what we saw now, jerked us. A big brown sturdy bird with long tail, came out of the blue in front of our racing vehicle, and swooped at a gorgeous emerald butterfly that was on its flight across the road, dancing in the air with its shapely royal wings. The hunter bird clenched it in its beak and vanished in to the canopy of trees.
With my foot on accelerator, and hands on the steering, I felt like left behind in time at this scene. I stared in my son’s face, who was also awestruck and was staring at me with shock and surprise written all across his innocent face. Time had fallen still for us, and the vehicle…kept racing towards its destination.