Nati's small tweet

“A happy life is one which is in accordance with its own nature. -Seneca”

The Corona pandemic has really changed our likings and perspectives towards our life and other lives. To avoid the spread of the infection there has been a nation-wide lockdown. Previously, my brother and I never had the will to go to school, today we are really missing it, even if we are safe in our cozy home. My younger brother Aadi, spends his time moving brushes on canvas. My mother cooks variant-mouth-watering dishes; somehow makes us taste (and test) it. My elder brother has to call clients for health care policy. My father (as working-from-home) has to attend meetings, but all the presentations are made by me ( The plus point is I am getting good exposure to the corporate world at an early age). Every day, Aadi asks my father for permission to create the presentations. And every single day my father told him, “tomorrow will be your turn.” And God knows when that tomorrow will come. The whole day, we eagerly wait for the evening, because then we get to play badminton outside. Even my mother puts on some make-up pretending we are going “out” somewhere. 

One day, we went to see the sunset because my brother wanted to see the shades of sunset for his new “project”. It got me thinking about this word and the general human tendency. Everybody knows that the sun does not go around, rather the Earth revolves around the Sun, but then also we say, it is SUNSET. This means humans want Nature also, as per their choice. We have become self-centered and do not accept the things as they are. 

One day, we were playing badminton on the terrace. Aadi saw something in the corner. We went near that and saw there was a baby bird with a missing feather and fluffy body. Then we saw that, it was injured, might be it has fallen down from a height, because of the previous night’s storm. We tried to find its nest, but there was nothing in close proximity. Then my family decided to take it to our home. I was not sure about it, because of sort-of-phobia. But, looking at its timidness, I gave permission, don’t know how? When we brought it to our home we gave it some water (it drank), some seeds (it won’t take it) and open windows(it won’t fly away). In a little period of time, she became familiar with us. She started to hop on everybody’s fingers who offered. Except me of course (“Phobia” you know.) Later, we had dinner and went to sleep. Amongst all the chaos of ‘Corona Pandemic’ spreading around the world, we were happily discussing “her” (as she was so cute, we concluded that “it” has to be a “female”). 

On the next day, we decided to give her a name. Everyone came with suggestions: “Carrie”, “Twitter”, “Fluff” and whatnot. After a long discussion, my mother suggested “Nati”, and that was a good name which means, small but beautiful. She used to look at the sky mostly from the window. Suddenly we heard some chirping from outside, and surprisingly she also started chirping while looking at the sky. We took her on the terrace, she jumped and ran fast by making happy sounds. Everyone was watching this and nobody understood anything. After some time, another bird came with an insect in the mouth and give that to Nati. We hoped it to be her mother. Then we saw one more bird looking like them, only sitting on the top and it was observing the “activities” around. We guessed it to be Nati’s father. After watching this “life telecast” we were surprised by having experienced a different parental. After a while, she returned to us, and my family took some pictures with her. Only I was not in a single picture with her, because of “the phobia”. When we returned to our home, everybody was playing with her, except of course me.

One day, we were playing at the terrace (including Nati too). After some time her parents came. Her father sat on the top. But this time he makes some sound without coming near her, and then she tries to start to fly but she was not able to do so. Might be he was teaching her “how to fly”. After some time, a big black kite came near her. When I saw that I quickly went near her and defended her from that preying bird. Though I was not playing with her, I was worried about her. I was asking myself that, though I like that bird, why I am afraid of her or any bird? Definitely, there’s a difference between liking a thing and still being afraid of it, but, not coming in close proximity of that bird was something far different than any of this. I was just conveniently naming it as a phobia. 

As everyone was playing with Nati, except me, it became a thing for everyone to tease me. Then my mother said to me, your touch is also the type of language which is felt to understand the personality. As you are frightened, so is she, n that’s why she is not ready to jump on your finger too. This touched my heart. Then I said to my mother, “after the bath, I will surely take her on my hand” I was having only Nati’s thoughts. I was preparing myself, somehow I have to take her on my fingers. I was prepared to get over my so-called phobia, to have an experience everyone was so much fond of for the past couple of days. I totally prepared myself this time. I went to the room where she was inhabited in our home. It was not a cage, it’s a huge room with an open window, and a gallery looking over the garden below with trees, some herbs-shrubs. If she could fly maybe she would have flown away a long time ago. Maybe she liked it here with us “a family” like we are. 

When I went to the room no one was there. I thought that I will surprise them by taking her on my hand, or may-be this I needed to do alone, on-my-own. I saw that she was in a sleepy position. She was not making any movement, she was not looking at me, her eyes were open, and she was not making any sound too. I went closer to her and realized that she left us. This time I was ready to take her on my fingers but felt like she was not ready, n it felt wrong. I was in shock, I called everyone and started crying. Everyone else was crying too. Nobody knew how this happened? We felt that someone special left us. We know that the birds cannot talk, but still, we felt guilty that if her parents will come today, then what we will answer them. 

We decided to have a proper funeral for her. We dug soil of our plant and kept Nati inside it. To this day we feel Nati has to be with us. Now also, when any bird chirps around our place, we think is there NATI? In this nationwide-lockdown period due to pandemic, when no one is visiting other places and even the old connections are difficult to keep up with, we met a little creature who changed our boring routine and lifestyle in a beautiful way, taught us lessons for a lifetime. In a small period of time, she became a “special one” and left us. That night in dream NATI tweeted to me, “Though you gave me food, shelter, protection, and beautiful company to stay with, it was not my place to be. We should definitely try to protect the defenseless and help the needy. But one should never forget, nature is our nurturer and creator. Taking away a life should be in Nature’s hands. We can always help to save some, but trying to change one’s environment will not be fruitful in the long term. We should let life find its own way.” When I woke up, I was feeling more responsible for the environment and the people around me. Thanks, Nati. We Will Miss You...