Birds of polychromatic hues add more aura, charm and glamour to the scenic beauty of Kashmir which hardly has a parallel across the globe. Mellifluous echoes and warbles of feathery-friends, resonating from dense tree verdures, greet our ears at dawn. The lilting lyrics give rhythmic swagger to our gaits, and the symphonious singing creatures lift our melancholic moods with the euphony of music. Flocks of pigeons hovering over the shrines of Makhdoom Sahab (RA), Dastgeer Sahab (RA), Mausoleums of Naqashband Sahab, Dargah Hazratbal and other sanctums, give devotional vibes to the pilgrims and devotees, there. They create a spiritual and mystic ambience among people of varied faiths and religions.
Mallards, pintails, grebes, blue herons and common teal make our water bodies and wetlands fascinating during winters. The kaleidoscopic souls add optimism and auspiciousness to desperate and despaired souls. Swallows, Hoopoes, Sparrows, Mynas, Thrushes, Nightingales, Skylarks and Ring-necked doves are some prominent birds of Kashmir valley. Though swallow (Kattij) has been our nearest neighbour for centuries together, but, ring-dove (Kukil) is the most fascinating winged creature whom I admire and adore a lot.
I have some cherished reminiscences of the beautiful bird. Her three syllable crooning – Kuk-Koo-kuk, was the most imitated bird sound during my childhood days. I still encourage my own children and my students to mimick her sound. I, my siblings and pals would very often boast about the sound emulation of ring-dove. My mother and grandmother used to attribute the crooning to the inception of agricultural activities in our valley. It was at times thought to be an awakening call for agriculturists to begin their agrarian operations. The winged creature is considered synonym of beauty and elegance. Kashmiri people often attribute the bird with beauty and glamour. The silver coloured bird is etched to many proverbial expressions in our local parlance. A young, charming and beautiful girl is metaphorically called Kukil in Kashmiri lingo.
Wandering in apple orchards in search of ringdove nests was my favourite pastime. I vividly remember the days when I and my pals would set on day long voyages to track down different bird nests particularly those of ring-doves. We, as children had the hawk’s eye to detect the twiggy abodes, situated on tree branches. Dense green foliage would never illude our eyes to conquer our destinations. Though the orchard land and trees therein belonged to someone else, but we had almost availed the ownership rights of the nests on the trees. We would often engage in ugly brawls with our friends over the nest related disputes. The orchards with the ring-dove nests were probably our cherished kingdoms. And lo! We were kings without crowns.
Touching eggs of ring-doves was considered ominous. We would often desist from touching the eggs because they were believed to become sterile after coming in contact with human hands. So, I would hardly let my younger siblings and pals to climb the trees containing nests. Spotting a ring-dove sitting on the eggs, used to cement our belief that young guests (Chicks) would arrive soon. Kukli-Bache ( Young chicks of ring-doves ) would give us euphoric sensations. Young chicks with short, thin, browny and spinny plumage would look weak and feeble. The feeble-looking offsprings of ring-doves would chirp frequently to get their hunger satiated through allofeeding by their parents.
We used to keep a close vigil on the growth of the chicks. First two to three weeks would give us the ample freedom to visit the young chicks because their puny and short wings would not let them fly. We used to fancy our chances to take the chicks home, rather we were ambitious about it. We wanted them in our homes at any cost. Though my father was terribly against the practice to keep avian guests in our home, because he feared our possible distraction from studies, but we had an iron-willed resolve to take the chicks home. I was always looking for a wicker cage to keep the young birds in my room. But, arranging the cage was almost a Herculean task for me. A grown-up young man from our vicinity was a ray of hope for all the children of our Mohalla. Ali – was the jack of all trades, and all the children would throng around him for different purposes. He had adept artistry for aboriginal fishing rods, indigenous bat making and cage crafting. So, we would often visit him to get the required tools. We at times had to grease his palms with some homemade snacks.
A willow wicker cage prior to the attainment of gliding traits among the young chicks of ring-doves, was almost kept handy for hosting the new guests. Young chicks without a black ring around their necks, were caught from their nests and imprisoned in the wicker abodes. Feeding different kinds of grains and seeds to them, was almost a religious ritual for us. We were often reprimanded and rebuked for being cruel fowlers. But, the sermons would hardly make any difference to us. We would rarely give any space to the freedom of the birds whom the Creator of the universe has designed free and liberal. Slavery, shackles and cages are ugly human traits; which gag, choke and suffocate creatures of Allah (SWT).
(The Author is a Teacher and a Columnist. He can be reached at [email protected])
