Wednesday, May 20, 2009

TIT FOR TAT

As I have done innumerable times before, I went to my terrace for strolling one morning. Everything seemed normal. Since ours is a 3 storied building, I could see the surroundings from considerable height. And yes the kites soaring above me were also a bit more closer than from the terrace of the surrounding houses. After some bird gazing ( both types of birds !!) when I decided to go back downstairs and walked towards the door, I felt a huge thud on my head. I was dazzled and wondered what had hit me only to realize that one of the kites had hit attacked me on my head. (I thought it was an eagle but one of my friends confirmed that it had to be a kite as eagles were bigger and had sharp claws and I would be seriously hurt if attacked by an eagle).The question was not whether it was an eagle or kite, the question was Why ?? I did not have any answer.


Several days passed and I did not get an opportunity to go to the terrace, but when I got I made sure I

took a small stick to defend myself. For some minutes I watched all the birds (crows, pigeons and kites were the only recognizable birds by me) and made special attempt to keep track of any kite eyeing on me. When no birds showed any interest in me, I thought that the earlier attack was just a one off event and so lowered my weapon. And guess what, within 30 seconds of laying my guard down; I felt that thud on my head again!!!!

And yes it was again the kite. Was it the same kite? I can’t tell. And why it attacked me twice is still a mystery. And to add to the mystery was that my other family members who still go to terrace or anyone in our building were not attacked. I asked God..Why me???

The closest thing I can relate to my encounter with the kite is that I was encouraged by the bird photography of my manager and just for the thrill of it ,I had taken the photo of this kite !!!


Birds are not the only ones to take revenge on me. During my stay in chikmagalur ,I used to chase monkeys from our terrace using a plastic water sprinkler(pichkaari) which is actually used to spray colored water duri

ng Holi.One fine day when I was in my balcony, I heard the gate sound. When I bent over to see who was there I got hit by some object on my head. Instinctively I looked upwards and found a monkey grinning at me. And I need not tell you that I was hit by the same pichkaari that I had lost some days back. Strange are the ways of nature.


Now that I have told you about the revenge taken by birds and animals, it would be unfair to not acknowledge the revenge taken by one of the most dangerous species in the world-The human being

During my college days we used to travel home to college by our college bus. Once while waiting for the bus, I had absentmindedly picked some blades of grass and kept it in my book. I had forgotten all about it until I was asked about it by my that day's seat-mate Madhava who was using my book for fanning himself and the grass blades fell on his lap. I realized that I had put it in my book for no reason but when I have got a ready made bakra why let go?

I acted paranoid for losing the all important blades of grass. I Informed him that the grass was some sort of American grass (?!) and that planting even one blade would cause the whole garden to fill with the grass and would look like a tennis court. It was of some rare species and I had got it from my (imaginary)friends uncle but now I was left with 2 blades of grass. But a large hearted being like me could not see him guilty so as a mark of my forgiveness I gave him one of my blades which he planted at his house and waited in vain to prosper.

After coming to know of being "bakrified" he vowed to take revenge on me and it was very easy.

In engineering we used to write our internal exams on what was called the blue book. And when the Engineering graphics internal came near I approached him to ask as to what to carry for the internals. He replied there was something called as "Blue sheets" for graphics internals. I spent the whole day searching all bookstores in chikmagalur in search of the blue sheets which never existed!!! Yes I too was bakrified...”


TIT FOR TAT indeed.


As I write this I remember that I have taken some pictures of bats too, have driven away many of the dogs sleeping in front of our gate and have taken panga with many animals from the species of homo-sapiens.



I wonder what is in store for me!!!!