It was seven in the morning. Little Diya was fast asleep. The school holidays had begun and Diya was peacefully sleeping , her head on the wrong side of the bed! Its amazing how a little one manages all the stunts on the bed .I guess it is one of those skills which people lose with age.(Not that I am completely over stunts on bed even at twenty two!)
Diya lived with her parents in a small rented house .The house overlooked the Nilgiri range of hills and the early morning view from the rooftop was just amazing. Especially when there was a morning drizzle one could see a hazy view of clouds hanging from nowhere and trying to hug the mountains . Diya has always been enamoured by the beauty of nature and the rooftop was her favourite holiday destination.
"Why do you have to be a monkey everyday and climb there? You might fall and break your bones , be careful.” Diya’s mom would scold . Diya was now used to this everyday monologue and would smile to herself and say “I should check if the mountains have grown taller! And mama, there is a tiny nest on the top branch of that big tree..I should see if the mother bird gives food to all its children”. And with such excuses and a surging enthusiasm she would flee from inside the house leaving behind an astonished mom. " Seeing the usual drama unfold Diya’s dad would say “Let her be. Dont you very well know by now that our daughter is the nature’s child? Let her grow up enjoying the nature. It is not every child that gets lucky to be able to understand and play in the lap of nature.” Little had the family then known that their life had different ideas for Diya.
The "big tree",as Diya described ,was situated very close to their house . It was a mahagony and truly a beauty with all the overgrown branches and the huge crown of a canopy. It was the house for a lot many species including birds, squirrels and even a green snake. The tree was a landmark sign given to visitors. One could see the top of the tree from far. One of the branches of the tree was at level with the rooftop of Diya's house .The "mama bird " that year had chosen that very branch for her nest and soon had a little family inside there. Diya had been a keenful observer of the ongoings of this little bird family from her rooftop and enjoyed the chirpings of the birdlings .The feeding process of the birdlings was wonderful to watch. The mother bird would first feed the one which chirped the most and then in series would feed all her babies and at last would tuck in the last bits of food into her own mouth. Watching this was a daily routine for Diya and she enjoyed it. Thus the big tree and its inhabitants, especially the mama bird with her nests and birdlings, were all Diya's best friends.
The rains in that monsoon were heavier than usual. The clouds which tried to kiss the mountains once were now forcefully letting out their wrath and eating up the hills. There was a huge landslide which swept away the road in front of Diya’s house. The days of terror seemed endless .Diya was not allowed to climb up to the rooftop owing to the slippery condition of the steps and the wind too was too strong.
One night the family was trying to get some sleep when suddenly a storm broke out. Diya went near the window to have a glimpse of the happenings outside…as she looked out her eyes filled with wonder which turned into fear and she screamed “ The big tree is falling..”The three of them were just in time to get out of the house because as soon as they reached a few feet away they heard a loud BOOOMMM…..Diya looked back…their house was gone, a part of the crumbled rooftop was visible."Mama…the mother bird and her children,shouldn’t we save them?"
It was with much difficulty that Diya was convinced by her parents. Her dad told her “Diya ,birds and animals have a special power to understand an approaching danger. The mother would have known of the danger and would have taken away her children safely.”
For a few days after that Diya still mumbled in her sleep “The big tree….the mama bird…”
© jugnu