For one, where are the sprawling shady trees in our building compounds? and the ones that are, are either trimmed to a bald or chopped off to make way for concrete. when one does pass by a tree, we walk by nonchalantly. the eye and ear not trained to sight a bird or catch a chirp. and anyway, who has the time to linger and indulge the senses. one is always in a rush to somewhere.
enjoying the beauty in nature doesn't come naturally to us. it is becoming a deliberate pursuit.. It was only during a trip to a forest reserve, that the eyes scoured through the foliage to notice any avian activity, the ears perked to catch every chirp and distinguish between the cries of different ones.
till then i do not remember seeing a bird perched on a tree. not even the common crow.
last sunday, the husband's sister was visiting. and she called to find out if i knew some place they could visit which was not a mall and where they could just relax and spend some peaceful time.
suggested 2 options and then joined them too.
one was the mahim nature park and the other was the flamingo spot at sewri. the flamingos i had seen. but had never been to the mahim nature park even after having heard many positives about it. they call it an oasis in the middle of the concrete desert and lungs of the city.
i had read that the park had several species of trees .
there are the trees. not too many, but the ones that are , are really very old. the banyans have sprouted shoots that have taken root and have spread their tentacles wide. had also read that there is a bee breeding unit here and if arrives there in the morning one can join that trail. in the mornings one can also spot a lot of butterflies here too.
because i happened to be in a nature park, the senses were heightened. i observed, i saw, i heard, i felt and smelt.
the mahim/bandra creek - the stench !
just then a shiny blue bird flew past me - a beautiful turqouise blue , the feathers gleamiing in the sun. can't say if it was a kingfisher or any other.
we were walking not on gravel or soil. not the crunch of dried leaves but on the softness of bark leaves and twigs shed over the years. moist . soft below the feet. and it was still summer. a cold breeze made the stroll pleasant.
inside the park is a water body. more of a pond actually. and a clear one.
sitting on the bank, looking around and up the tree, noticed 2 crows perched and they looked picture perfect in their natural habitat. am sure it was the 1st time i saw a crow on a tree.
as we walked further, noticed many many nests on another tree. just like in the stories and the story books. and probably because we were beginning to appreciate, more beauty was unveiled for us. saw a crow feeding its fledgelings in its nest. the little ones cawing and opening their beaks and the crow feeding them.
couldn't have asked for more. it was a good 40 mins we spent there at the park , doing nothing and yet a lot.
yesterday while i was dusting the windows, happened to notice this butterfly on one of the walls of our building. the beautiful blue on the wings attracting my attention.
the wings fluttered gently in the post shower breeze. this one is either a blue tiger or a forest queen , so says google. it clung on to the wall the entire evening and throughout the night too. by the way , the lifespan of a butterfly is just 2 - 4 weeks.
" What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare...." the truth in these words !
we simply walk by so many wondrous moments. the loss - totally ours !
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