Shikras were seen quite often in the gardens of Bangalore (Bengaluru), at least that is what i read. I tried my best in last one year just couldn’t locate even one. I found this majestic looking bird at Dhauli. I was walking around the garden behind the rock edict, it was hot sunny noon, air heavy with moisture with impending rain ideally i shouldn’t be out here at this time but my morning engagement took more time and i had already walked some ten kilometres, and so was running short on time, had to catch the evening train, doesn’t really mean that i was rushing around on the contrary i was moving quite leisurely, at my own pace. The garden was still and silent with nobody around that is when i saw the Shikra; busy on the ground negotiating a prey, it seemed a futile effort and the miniature hawk looked disoriented, moments of musing over its lost chance and it flew back to the nearest branch. It really is a magnificent looking bird. Rarely seen in heavy forests they favour well wooded surroundings on the vicinity of cultivated lands, prefers to laze on large leafy trees. Once quite popular with falconers as they trained with ease.There
is a believe in ancient Ao-Naga religion that when a person dies, the soul takes the shape of a bird, an insect or sometimes even a caterpillar. The sighting of birds, especially of hawks, is considered to be the last appearance of loved one on earth. I quote these last few lines of contemporary poetess Temsula Ao (i guess she is from Nagaland, based in Shillong) from the poem Soul bird (bought the book from Shillong) But grandmother clings
to the new-made barrier
guarding the fresh mound
until her grieving heart
senses a presence
hovering in the sky.
She turned her gaze,
rimmed her eye
settled on the circling silhouette,
and then with a sudden
unseemly whoop
She draws me closer
whispering in my ear.,
‘See that keening bird in the sky?
That’s your mother’s soul
saying her final goodbye,
It is over
come, let us go home now’
Writes Tamsula Ao in an essay When in Doubt My earliest memory of her relates to the time when she came a few days after mother was buried. She stood by her grave and cried long. She noticed a hawk and pointed it out to me, "See, that's your mother's soul, watching us." In retrospect, I realise that she had clung to the core of her native faith about the human soul turning into birds or insects even as she 'progressed' in the new religion
These above few lines of the poems has touched me as no other lines has done for a very long time, i went into silence next many hours. Maybe i could write more about this poet and her poems (but i guess there are copyright issues). Since i am unable to i am leaving this blog empty as a mark of appreciation to this beautiful poet...
