This post is a new beginning in many ways; so here goes.
It was no accident that one-third of the ancient world lived and died under the gaze of the eagle-headed vexillum of the Roman empire. It was only natural that the conquering Romans chose to embark upon their expeditions with their eagle emblem in tow because then as is now, the bird is an enduring symbol of power, grace and resolute determination to rule the skies. Lions, tigers, crocodiles, elephants et al even the humble bovine have found their way onto family crests, national emblems, decorative tapestries and even into scrawly drawings that small children choose to embellish their books with.
This fascination with adorning collective insignia and even personal possessions with the images of animals stems from the fact that they seem to represent certain ideals that we aspire to. It is perhaps important that when it comes to aspiring, we should observe and learn from both the predator as well as the hunted, from the eagle as well as the dove.
This is a short tale of a dove which started one wintry evening when my friend Kaushik, on returning from work was informed by his mother that an injured dove had been rescued by is father. It was raining outside and this bird had sought shelter under their car where it was seen and brought inside. On inspection, the dove was found to have a broken wing and bleeding from a few bruises. It looked like it had been attacked. Kaushik warmed the wet bird by a fire, applied some lotion which his doctor father provided, and kept it in their store room. All the while, the dove lay unmoving.
Kaushik tells me now, “I thought then that the bird would not live cos it was so still and if it was not an adult, it would find it very difficult to survive that evening’s ordeal.” The next morning when it was provided with broken rice and water, it started pecking at the grain. This showed that the dove was indeed an adult bird cos otherwise, it would have had a hard time tackling the (comparatively) big grains. The next 3 days, the dove contentedly partook of the grain and water. Everyday Kaushik would apply lotion to its broken wing twice – once before leaving for work and then again, after he returned. This whole time though, the dove would stay put at one place and not shift its roosting place inside the store.
On the 4th day, when Kaushik went to inspect the dove in the evening, he found a broken egg beside it. The dove was evidently a female, and been roosting in that one spot cos its egg was about to hatch, and now that new life inside her was gone.
On the 5th day, when Kaushik came home in the evening, his mother told him that another dove had stationed itself just outside the store room by the window sill and been cooing for quite a while. When he went inside the store, he saw the dove fluttering its wings and trying unsuccessfully to take flight. It had recovered sufficiently to leap and tap the windows with its body.
For the next 2 days, the other dove which was obviously the mate, kept on coming outside the window in the mornings and take up its cooing. The one inside cooed back. During this time, the female dove inside had regained its strength and was flying erratically round and round inside the store, leaping onto the windows and ventilators but there was no way out.
Finally on the 7th day since they had rescued the dove, Kaushik decided to let the dove take its chances. Early morning, the male dove had taken up its customary position outside and Kaushik held the female and took it up to their terrace. The male on seeing his mate, immediately flew up to the terrace of their neighbour’s house. My friend wanted to release the dove in the presence of its mate believing the sight of him would enthuse it to push its newly-healed body further and fly.
He placed the dove on the terrace and moved away. Seeing this, the male came onto the very edge of the neighbour’s terrace and then 2 things happened very quickly. The male flew directly overhead and the female took off in its mate’s wake. Together they flew away to another nearby terrace, stood there for sometime looking in my friend’s direction. Then the pair took flight together and left.
My friend tells me, “When that pair flew, my heart spouted wings alongside – I felt so happy and blessed.”
All it took was 1 man, 7 days and 2 doves. Devotion, resilience, attachment – they mean broader things to my friend and me now.
