By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD
We all know very well that we are all going through some very trying times with the Covid-19 virus doing the rounds in the air and people who are going about their work being constantly worried about whether they will catch it. Yes, we are all living in this constant dread over the past six months now.
The few moments of relaxation and tranquillity we have these days are the ones we spend in complete solitude or in activities which we know are completely safe. One such activity is our routine daily morning walk in a sufficiently safe environment in which most of us now find much solace and mental peace too in addition to its well-known bodily benefits.
It was while on our routine morning walk at the Karanji Tank yesterday that my wife and I had a very pleasant and most unusual experience. As I have said once too before in one of my articles, while my wife goes there for a real morning walk I go there for my morning stroll, very often with my binoculars hanging around my neck.
When you pose as a serious bird-watcher and pretend to be looking for something in the foliage around you, most people will not stop to disturb you with their small talk and they will also not wonder why you are walking without the resolve of a morning walker when you have paid an entry fee to be where you are!
But it is also true that I’m not a completely fake bird-watcher because with or without my binoculars, I do try to spot as many birds as I can whenever I’m out in the open countryside. Sometimes I am lucky in spotting a rare bird which should not normally be expected where I find it. This was exactly the case when some White Rumped Shamas were spotted at the Karanji Tank a few months ago which also found a mention in the news.
This is a species that is normally found in the wooded and hilly countryside, distant from human habitations like towns and cities. But yesterday morning instead of me trying to find a bird at the Karanji Tank it was a bird that found me! As I was sitting on a stone bench gazing at a family of Spot Bill Ducks frolicking in the still waters of the Lake I felt a light tap on my right shoulder. Thinking that it was my wife who had laid her hand there as she usually does when we meet after our respective walks, I turned to see that it was a colourful parrot! Even before I could overcome my surprise it shifted from my right shoulder to my left and stayed there for a good half minute craning its neck to peer at my face as if to ascertain if I was the person it was looking for!
Then it flew to the bamboo thicket an arm’s length away and began admiring me from there. I could take some photos of it with my mobile phone and even shoot a two-minute-long video of its antics while it repeatedly slid back and forth, sideways on its perch with amazing agility.
That was when my wife arrived on the scene and seated herself on the bench to be herself surprised on seeing me photographing a parrot from such close quarters. The moment my new-found companion saw my wife, it flew down from the bamboo thicket and perched itself alongside her on the bench.
But I was not one bit surprised by its behaviour because by that time the ornithologist in me had identified it as a male Alexandrine Parakeet and like all males it was naturally showing a greater affinity for feminine company! It quickly edged closer to her very boldly as if it had known her all its life and began to tug at her sleeve as if to ask her for something to eat, offering me another opportunity for making an interesting video of amazing bird behaviour !
Very sadly we did not have anything with us that we could offer it…not even a biscuit. After a good three minutes and maybe after hearing the call of its real mate from some distant tree, it flew off in a tearing hurry, after perhaps realising before it was too late, that it is better and safer to be faithful than flirty!
Amazed by its very unusual behaviour, my wife and I were hoping to see if we would bump into our new-found friend once again today but very sadly we had to miss our morning walk because today was rainy day. Well, we’ll take a chance tomorrow and who knows, we may be in luck!
Asha Kirana… A real ray of hope!
As most of us in the city know now, MAHAN (The Mysore Association of Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Clinics and Diagnostic Centres) has joined hands with the District Administration to create many exclusive hospitals and care centres to manage Covid-19 cases without endangering the lives of their other patients and their attendants.
The latest addition to this is the Asha Kirana Hospital on the Ring Road in Hebbal which has already been rendering commendable service over twenty-two-long years in the medical field.
The Trustees, donors and the management of this hospital have decided to hand it over to MAHAN Covid Care Consortium to admit and treat the rapidly growing numbers of Covid-19 cases that are literally choking our hospitals everywhere. The hospital has undergone a complete makeover at a huge cost of nearly 14 lakh rupees borne largely by its Trustees and Mahender Darla of Prakash Jewellers and his family and is now ready and waiting to serve suffering humanity.
I will not be wrong if I say that while the medical care that they get there will heal their bodies, the quiet and tranquil ambience of this pristine place itself will be enough medicine to heal the minds of all the patients who go there for treatment.
Three cheers to the generosity of the souls behind this project !
RIP our brave friends !
As we all know very well, hundreds of doctors and para medical personnel have laid down their lives during the call of duty across the world, very much like real soldiers on any battle field.
Unknown to most of us, a good many of our own friends and colleagues nearer home, have been the victims of the Covid-19 battle that they were fighting relentlessly, without any material expectations and often under very adverse circumstances, not to save their own lives but only to save the lives of their patients.
Here is a silent homage to their supreme sacrifice on behalf of my professional fraternity. May their noble souls rest in peace. Amen!
e-mail: kjnmysore@rediffmail.com
This post was published on August 7, 2020 6:05 pm