It’s Time For Nature~ world Migratory Bird Day.
Bhasa in his Swapna Vasavadutta looks at the flying migratory swans and the thought that occurred to me when we were rehearsing this dialogue was, “Thank God not all species are forced to have passports and visa to experience Lands.”
There is something very romantic about the spread wings and the life in motion.
Hindu mythological stories have use these migratory bird for mapping both directions and time. like dying Bhishma in Mahabharata looks at the birds flying northwards and knows that the uttaryana has arrived. Or the episode of Yakshaprashnam, Bheema maps the direction and way to the water body with the flowers taking cue from the migratory birds.
Later Sanskrit poets also have used migratory birds in their creative works. The entire sandesha kavya padatti, is inspired by the migratory birds. The Kokila sandesham, where the poet requests the Kokila to depart from its migratory path and travel another path to see the wondrous destinations on the way. The Hamsa sandesham of Nammaalvar Desika Swami Rama uses the migratory swans to send a message to Sita. Through the flyway of the birds traverses the Srivaishnava destinations. The swan again is used as messenger from Nala to Damayanti. The Mayura sandesham by poet Udaya uses the peacock as the messenger while Vasudeva Payyur’s Cakorasandesham uses chakora or the crow pheasant.
Then there is the “Uno Paloma Blanca…I’m just a bird in the sky, nobody can take my freedom away.”
Well man did, destroying and polluting habitats. The Lockdown has cleaned the air, and quietened the horns. Man is caged in his house while the birds can fly with invaders. There has been a tremendous increase in migratory birds.
WORLD MIRGRATORY BIRD DAY is a day dedicated by united nations environment program to high light the needs of conserving migratory birds and their habitat.
Birds are known to migrate long distances right from the arctic circle to the Mediterranean region, some even further. The migratory path way is called the Flyway. Avian flyways are paths of the birds, or migratory route of a population, species or groups of species of birds between their breeding area and wintering area.
Birds migrate in search of food, more comfortable weather, and wetlands to breed.
While some birds fly without stopping until they reach their destination, some do rest a while. There are birds that migrate nocturnally to handle the heat. These birds make short cries to ensure their safety and mooring. Birds like the penguins migrate by swimming through the water.
As one looks out of the window, there are squirrels that climb up the tree playing with one another, the monitor lizard baby on its day out. The to the younger wetlands, birds, come far away make a shelter, and choose to bring their little ones into this world, its then, that one realizes that the earth is not just for men and women, it is home to many more and we are just a miniscule part of it.
images courtsey Dr.Nandu.
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