From the matchbox flat of Mumbai to a more spacious apartment in New Delhi and to our small independent house in Chennai, we had seen it all. We had a large neem tree in the compound, providing shade to nearby areas and the road, two coconut trees, one reluctant to grow high, a guava tree reluctant to yield any fruit and some wild growth along the boundary walls.
My pastime after breakfast and afternoon coffee was to relax in an easy chair on the terrace and watch the sky, the planes taking off from Meenambakkam just 10 km south of our home and the birds. The butterflies will visit mostly in the morning.
Not a discerning birdwatcher until we moved to Chennai, I started enjoying the company of friends from the avian kingdom. It was fascinating to watch a couple of crows swooping on the terrace, pick up a twig, fly somewhere and return after a few minutes on a hunt for more. The crows will carefully pick the neem fruit and eat it sitting on the branch or on the gate. Quite often, they will carry it elsewhere, perhaps for mates or offspring.
The crows would sip the water kept in a coconut shell on the boundary wall, following the pecking order strictly if there were two or more. The squirrels running all over from among the trees added to my delight. Butterflies of three or four colours (light yellow, black with white dots under and dark brown) will hover in search of nectar from the few wild bush flowers.
All these pleasures vanished one after the other. The root cause was the cutting of the neem tree. As it was reported to be an obstruction to bus traffic, we were told to cut many outward branches. We were further cautioned against the roots damaging the boundary wall and the house.
Hence the whole tree was cut. I was upset for a couple of days with the source of my small joy withering. The other trees did not attract the birds so much. The net result was, I had to daydream and look for other pastimes to fill the day.
It was like paradise regained when after more than a year, the crows appeared. Though they missed the neem fruits and the shade, they were regular to get their thirst quenched. The squirrels had perhaps gone never to return, not having enough tree branches for play. But their place is filled by a couple of cats. I am not a lover of cats but over a few days, I started playing with them. I was surprised to see them climb trees. Every day, religiously, they will climb the tree at least once. They will go up the guava tree to our terrace on the scent of prey and return by the stairs. The same three varieties of butterflies keep visiting.
Life sciences are fascinating, dealing with the infinite varieties of animals, birds and insects. My regret is I have not taken an interest even as a casual observer of nature in my younger days.
lakshmibashyam@yahoo.com
