Sparrow Day
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 22 Aug 2022
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
Many people celebrate this date that fell on 20 March this year.
It is celebrated to protect the tiny bird from total disappearance from our lives. It used to find a small nook or corner in our homes earlier to build its nest and lay its eggs for small sparroettes to emerge. No more — modern buildings have done away with these small corners to build these nests.
When a sparrow used to fly away it appeared that an arrow like a spear was launched. No wonder the bird was called sp-arrow.
Would Love to See These Arrows Again
Once I was sitting passively in my home when a sparrow came to sit on my arm. I wondered why this was happening. These tiny birds don’t like to sit on any part of a human being sitting quietly on a chair. I wondered what did this behaviour convey? Was there any danger that the tiny bird was trying to convey, or was it so hungry that it thought best way to ask for food was to do what it was doing?
In a few moments I heard a knock on my door and found that a man wanted to see me. For what purpose was soon made clear. He was from the Income tax Department and asked me why I had not paid my taxes. ‘But I have’, I informed him. He didn’t believe me till I told him I could show him the tax receipts. ‘OK’ and he stood up to leave. ‘Wait I said. I have not offered you this’ I stood up and went to the refrigerator to bring some orange juice.
Oh, how nice and he gulped the juice, smiled and waved goodbye.
I went to the kitchen again and brought some crumbs for the tiny angel. No thanks as he finished them, but he flew off like an arrow maybe to visit my neighbour.
A friendly advice: keep some nutritious crumbs in your kitchen and use them on such occasions.
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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 22 Aug 2022.
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