Our Caw Caw friend….

The November skies were brewing and Sun had gone on a sabbatical while our black sweatered friends were busy cawing and scouting around the neighborhood to remind about their morning breakfast. I picked up a cup of fresh filter coffee and stood on my balcony waiting for the morning Sun, while these sat on the branches of the nearby mango tree awaiting their feast. I recollected the tales from Panchatantra where the randy crow stole the Princess necklace and dropped in a termite mound. I looked around to see if there was anything valuable that could be pilfered easily.

My day doesn’t really begin without hearing their morning melodies or catching a glimpse of their naughty tricks. These guys usually start their day at my place and then go around area for their daily food festival. There are days when mom might not be in the kitchen or she is out of town, but when it comes to feeding time these guys goes around the house looking for my mother. Jokingly, I tell my mother that her in-laws have arrived. Over the years my mother and her friends have become chums. Whenever my mother travels she would leave special instructions for us to take care of the crows in the neighborhood and she would call before we leave for work to check if we had fed them. You can call it a karmic bond or collection of karmic dues by our grey collared winged friends.

Even from a distance, the world of birds is astonishing watch and if open we could learn a lot from them. The tradition of feeding birds, especially crows in Hinduism is deep rooted and today with rapid urbanization I wonder what will happen to these species. Darwinism holds good and only the fittest survive. These wild species have become friendlier and adapted to the city lifestyle forgetting their hunting instincts and fending food for themselves. But still I find people in the busy metros caring to these birds in their own ways. I curiously peered at my neighbors’ window sill to glance their menu for the day.

Mondays are usually hurried and their diet is just a spoon of rice, pulses and a drop of ghee in most houses. Towards the middle of the week they get little variety and I am sure they dread their high protein and high fat Saturdays. As a way to placate planet Saturn (Sade Sathi, Janma Saturn, Ashtama Saturn) Hindu faith recommend people feed crows with rice mixed with fried sesame seeds and offer sesame jaggery mixture. The only day of the week where they get to taste some Rajasic and Tamasic food is Sundays. They get a piece of bone and if lucky some flesh with the rice loaded with masala, onion and garlic.

There are references to crows in Hindu mythology and astrology. Planet Saturn aka Sanieshwara is believed to have Crow as his mascot and hence to escape from his wrath mankind has a soft corner for crows however rude and unruly they behave. The legend goes that Nala Maharaja during the period of sade sathi lost his wealth, family and happiness and through prayers to Saturn and offering food to crow and beggars he regained his wealth and happiness.

Happiness is the frame of mind and through simple living and thinking and we can make it ours forever. A simple living dripping with same intensity of love and emotions towards fellow beings can only be seen in their world. A nest made of rags and sticks and not very artistically done just like our neighborhood tenements yet there is motherly care for family and extended family. The opportunist Koels’ solicit their nest by laying eggs and make them nannies to incubate and care of their young ones. Yet there is unadulterated care and love all in abundance .It is a pleasure to see these guys create a raucous when there is food available in the vicinity. There is never a meal without hosting a party for their family and friends even over crumbs and leftovers.

All said and done, there are moments when they don’t behave with finesse and they ransack your kitchen. Of the four that visit my house, two are well behaved, while the other two wild crows (without the grey collar) enter uninvited into my kitchen and raid the milk pot. There are moments of rage and anger when I see them engage in such petty thefts, but then I hold the human civilization and rapid urbanization for tampering their ecological pyramid. The universal law holds good – we are all victims of circumstance.

When my grandmother is with us there is lot more caw caw world interpretation that she throws at us. She says there is a science in Vedas called “Shakuna Shashtra” and “Pakshi Shastra” that talks discusses about the good and bad omens and calls of birds. Paulo Coelho in his book “The Alchemist” refers to reading omens and able to pick the signals of this universe. May be he was also referring to this.

Since ancient time people believe that if a crow caws on the roof, in threshold, or inform of the house at dawn, it is a sign that someone dear will visit the house. It turns out to be true in most cases. Thus, the crow is such a bird with which omens, both good as well as bad have been attached. It is believed that if the crow perches on someone's head his life becomes crisis ridden.
As far as the omens are concerned, omens related to the crow have a very wide field. If someone is starting and the crow discharges its dropping on him, and that dropping falls on the back of the person, he finishes his task successfully. If the dropping falls on an unmarried person he gets married soon. If someone before starting for a task faces a crow and he offers him grains and the crow accepts these grains, that person succeeds in his task otherwise not.
Similarly, if fighting crows fall near or at the feet, it shows the end of continuing or would be crisis. If, on any day, many crows fly overhead crowing, that person should get ready with the finest clothes washed and ironed, for he may be called for a feast. However if too many crows fly overhead without reason it shows a certain danger for the head of the family. If for any reason, members of the household discover a dead crow on their roof they must arrange to cremate the crow respectfully and prayers to purify the ambiance. If in the fourth quarter of any day a crow begins to fly overhead, one must expect to get good news. If in any quarter of the day, a crow begins to caw in a harsh tone sitting on an iron thing facing the south it is inauspicious. Similarly if the crow caws while sitting on wood one gets auspicious news. Seeing the bird in dreams is not regarded as unsuspicious.
Sentiments and religious beliefs are not same with every person and every community. It changes from place to place and from faith to faith. We are asked to feed Crows and Cows on the Shrardham to invoke the blessings of our ancestors. There is a belief that our ancestors could have been born as a cow or a crow in this world and thus by feeding them we would end their hunger. I remember my grandmother say that Thatha will come either in the form of crow or cow on that day to take his share of food. The day after Sankaranthi women in South India offer variety rice, fruits and food to on banana leaf to crows and pray for the welfare of their brothers. Thought I have not questioned this faith I believe that Religion only creates opportunity for us to show enough love and compassion towards birds and animals.

The community grieving is a big ritual to be observed in the Crow kingdom. When a fellow mate is get knocked down by the high-voltage power line or succumbs to natural death there is harsh tone in their cawing. A deep sense of sadness and bereavement can be observed in their voice. Within minutes they gather for the funeral service all dressed in black and some with grey collar.

Crow is a bird that lives a life of sharing with communal harmony. Isn’t it time that we learn from the winged friends? Though the fight between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Cauvery issue and the unsuccessful tribunal and Supreme Court continues on rationing water to Tamil Nadu, but we as tamilians have more reasons to thank these guys. If not for the feathered friend we would not have Cauvery flowing in Tamil Nadu. Years after years passed, with absent of Cauvery people living beside the river suffer due to shortage of water. Due to increase of sufferings day by day they were trying to find solution for this problem. Maharishi Naradhar was walking along the Banks of Cauvery and was surprised to see the dried river. As he was walking he saw people whispering and he went near to them and enquired about the dry river. People requested him to give solution to avoid the current water crisis. Then Maharishi told the people to pray Sri Ganesh. Ganesha heeded to the prayers of the devotees and took form of a crow and went to Agasthiyar’s place. With his nose he toppled the hand pot sideward and made the Cauvery caught inside to flow out.

We live in a culture with deep rooted beliefs and without our conscious choice some of them percolate deep within us. Those seven years of stay in America my life was not the same. Mornings were with the bright sky and vermillion sunshine, absence of Crows made it unusual and foreign. If I explained my faith and belief people would often think I am too complex a creature. Those mornings without these guys will never be the same, I would rather live in a place and wake up the songs of the birds rather than the motoring noise of this civilization.

From the generation that grew up with Amar Chitra Katha and Panchatantra Stories to the generation of Cartoon Network Crows and other animals have been used as moral messengers but Crows are the foremost of all. A crow is an extended family of any Brahminical household in South India. There are experience, tales and legends that older folks in our house will share. An hour long journey that started in my very own balcony traversed through alleys of sentiments and dingy corners of religious faith and beliefs and through the dense mountains of Coorg and ended when I settled in for the last page on The Hindu.