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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Angry Birds




I opened my eyes on hearing a constant chatter. The morning breeze was very relaxing and also the fragrance of flowers of the March spring filled the air. My meditation was interrupted by two diminutive creatures, a set of sparrows.  They appeared to be angry is all I could make out by looking at the way they stared at me. I realized that something all together different happened as I could suddenly understand what they were trying to tell me.
'How can you keep your eyes closed, when we are talking to you?' the first one snapped at me livid with anger
'Ah, eh, I am sorry, I did not know, you were talking to me' I stammered, as I replied.
'You know for the last few minutes we tried to tell you something and  you were not even interested to look at us ' the younger of the two now took its turn to admonish me.
'Believe me, I did not know you were talking to me, but tell me what is bothering you' I asked with a sense of disquiet.
'We are very angry, with not only you, but with the entire set of humans' she continued. 'You have driven us out of your neighborhood '.
'When we came here this place was so lovely, there was a Guava tree in the backyard, also a mango tree and the neighborhood was so peaceful’ the rant continued.
‘I did not see you for many days. Where did you go? I asked
“Your neighbors made our life hell, with non stop construction in the house. Next the trees were chopped down right behind your house. The fumes of the diesel generator make our lives miserable.’ I nodded my head in agreement and dismay as I looked at the poor creatures.
‘We find there are too many cars and vehicles now, and the concrete buildings all around us that make our living so difficult. Even the big park across the river was not spared. The greedy men chopped down all the trees and have now constructed many idols and concrete structures there.’ So many of my friends died, the sparrow suddenly fell silent with a tear in the eye!
‘You know, earlier the children would throw food for us , and enjoyed to run after us’ the bigger sparrow continued after a pause, but now we see them play a video game all the time with pictures of ‘Angry Birds’ demolishing the pigs in hideouts!
These birds are so knowledgeable , I realized and were even aware of the latest blockbuster video game, ‘Angry Birds’ which has recorded the largest number of downloads in last one year and made the founder Finnish owner richer by 6 billion dollars in just two years!
‘I promise to propagate your misery to my fellow blogger and request them to carry the word around, to stop the crazy construction of concrete structures and deforestation .I would request everyone to bring changes in environment gradually so as not to alter the fragile balance and bring in any changes gradually’ I promised, as they flew away feeling a little relieved.

PS- 1. I urge my fellow blogger to fight for the cause of sparrows in the city to bring them back so that we hear some real ‘Twitters’.Let us bring in the change
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, 14 species of birds from India are critically endangered. The critically endangered birds include White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Pink-headed Duck, White-belled Heron, Sociable Lapwing, Christmas Frigatebird, Jerdon's Courser, Siberian Crane, Bengal Florican, Himalayan Quail, Forest Owlet, Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
  1. Image – Kind courtesy Google and video of Angry Birds from You Tube on link ( Do not miss) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bk_nqUQ0fc

( A big thanks to Jenny for awarding me the The Versatile Blogger Award on 26 Mar 12)


77 comments:

  1. I like this post, and thanks for sharing interesting and informative post Rahul. I agree with you, the 'real twitters' must be save,. You're such a nice and kind person, showing of love and care to our environment.:)

    Thanks a lot..Keep it up!

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    1. Thanks a lot Sagittarian. A small step in endeavor to bring back the real twitters!

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  2. Wow, you have written wonderfully. Now I know why the birds are truly angry - not because the pigs have stolen their eggs but because we have thrown them away from their habitat. I remember when I was younger, I can still hear the chirping of the birds when I wake up. Now that I'm in the city, what I hear are the angry drivers blowing their car horns.

    Thanks for this post.

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    1. Welcome to my blog and also to become a follower! You made my day:) Unfortunately, we some how miss on the sensitivity towards small things:(

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  3. Wonderful post. Informative in a livley way. And this is so true. We have taken away the habitat of the birds. And the irony is, to listen to the chirping sounds we now have to travel to a hill station or somewhere! Weird!

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    1. Jenny, thanks for being so kind! I always keep this hope alive that we could leave a good legacy for next generations:)

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  4. Beautiful.. The message put forward so subtly and refreshing manner. True, sad to see that the sparrows are now so few and far between. No one has the time to care for them or feed them, there is hardly anyone who bothers to put a bowl of water for them in the harsh summers. We need to wake up and take note before it too late and we lose them for.. forever..

    Thank you for posting this and Kudos!

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    1. A sincere thanks Arti! Knowing that you are such an avid traveler, am sure you can see the difference in city life and the life in country side! Small gestures as you suggested will go a long way:)

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  5. wonderful and very informative post Rahul....thanks for sharing.

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  6. Good post! I like the way you have put the thought across. On 20th March was World Sparrow Day! Not only the destruction of habitat but, the microwave pollution is also the culprit. How many of us will refuse 3G,4G and many more coming technologies to save sparrows? I have a bird feeder at my apartment, many small birds visit but no sparrows yet :)

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    1. Thanks Kusum, for highlighting the ill effects of microwave pollution. I do not think anyone is listening to all this:(

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  7. A post that brings out the concern for a good issue in a very nice, informative way.

    http://rachnaparmar.com

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  8. I really like this post; it is high time people realize how much we affect our environment. I would love to wake up to the sound of 'real twitters' like back in the old days! A long while back, when I first started my blog, I posted on this same topic of the lack of sparrows in the cities; it's a pity, the problem still exists. Your post will be one of the many in creating awareness and change!

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    1. Welcome to my blog and it was such a pleasure to read your blog! I hope we will see the difference in our life time to see a greener environment around us:)

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  9. Rahul sir, Thank you for this post, Indeed we humans are the worst of the species we have plundered and make life hell for every other specie.

    I rememebr all the birds are saying , running after them , listening to them in summer times on the trees in the back yard , Now here in UK I am and I hardly see a bird Really .. I have put some bird feeds and sthings around in the garden just so its such a pleasure to see these lovely creatures .. a Pigeon comes everyday now about 6:20AM and its like clock work and I get up to go to the gym and he comes to have some water ..

    little things are so beautiful to seee

    Bikram's

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    1. Bikram, your comment always brings back nostalgia as you have lived in countryside and also currently abroad and can relate things in perspective:)Small things like that pigeon bring the greatest pleasures in our lives!

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  10. congrats for award
    like the narration

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  11. Nice post. It is really sad to see trees being cut down because of construction. We have plenty of birds visiting our backyard everyday because we have trees growing in our backyard.

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    1. So lucky you are Eden, to live in that world:)

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  12. Aww, you have taken the plight of these dear creatures and turned it into a beautiful, cute and inspiring post. As a huge animal lover...I am all for this cause. P.S Thanks for your very kind comment, I really appreciate it!

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    1. Sam, it is always a great pleasure to visit your blog and also to read your sweet comments which so much resonate with my views:)

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  13. I like your post. Real issues in our world often remain unnoticed. i hope the concern of this nature makes a long lasting impact. Hope floats...
    www.rajnishonline.blogspot.com

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    1. Welcome to my blog, Rajnish!Your words are true and we always continue hoping for the best:)

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  14. Like to err is human, somewhere to ignore is human too. I thought this post was going to be dull and monotonous or simply about the game Angry Birds after seeing the image, so glad to see its so much more =)

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    1. Aayushi, I am so happy that you did not feel let down and was not disappointed:)

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  15. I am already doing something about it, also in Rome we are constantly challenging nature and we will pay for that uless we do something right now, so in my small contest I am try to preserve sparrows and similar from being kicked out from the city!
    Don't Call Me Fashion Blogger
    Facebook
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    1. Francesca, our small gestures collectively can bring in a change which is for the good is what we all hope for:)

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  16. What a great, humorous post, Rahul! And, yet, based in a lot of truth.
    I'm blessed to live in an area, the Pacific NW, where there are tons of trees, birds, and other wildlife. We get deer and bunnies in our yard on a regular basis. LOVE it!
    Aloha! --Cheryl

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    1. Wow Cheryl, so good to see you back!I wish I could visit the place where you live one day as I have seen something similar in Seychelles:)

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  17. A great post for an even greater cause! We need real tweeters around us and not the fake ones that we follow every single day. As children we used to follow little sparrow's and play. Today's children follow the twitter handle of all the celebrities! A real-fake world we live in!

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    1. Binu, there would be hardly anyone whose life has not been touched by these sweet little birds:)

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  18. Attractive post, starting off with angry birds. Good to see you blog on environment :) yeah sparrows are rare sight now. we used to see a lot of them in childhood now I have to show the sparrow to my kids in pictures. The world is changing too fast.

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    1. First a sincere thanks for following my blog, Jerly! There could be no bigger reward. I only wish we could somehow slow down changes that affect adversely

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  19. oh i had no idea where you were taking us with the post. i mean, the image and the first few paras....but yes, its true, so many birds are losing or have already lost their habitat and are on the verge of being wiped out. a very sensitive post on a life form that is hardly ever noticed by us

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    1. Thank god I did not take you around the mulberry bush but introduced you only to sweet little angry sparrows:)A big thanks , Sujatha!

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  20. Kudos to you for spreading awareness in your own way Rahul. Its sad to see these birds vanishing. I dont know what humans will do after all these are gone

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    1. I bow to thee for that lovely comment, Insignia!

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  21. Awesome post Rahul Sirji :). Morning will be ugly without them .
    and Congrats for award:).

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    1. A really big thanks, Izdiher! The biggest reward is if someone likes what has been written:)

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  22. Lovely write up and it's a wonderful way to spread awareness.
    Kudos to you for that..:)

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    1. A huge thanks , Yashi and am happy that you liked it:)

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  23. A touching read for a bird lover like myself,thanks!

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    1. Honestly Padmaja, My heart bleeds when I see suffering of defenseless birds and animals!Thank You.

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  24. At first I thought u r writing about the game "Angry Birds"...
    but than u really picked up a serious topic..
    its really sad that how human are constantly encroaching in their homes..
    u r right its hard these days to hear real twitters... rather we hear tweets :P
    we gotta help these creatures at least at our own level..
    we can keep water and food for them at some random corner of our home.. I do that :)

    Awesome read !!!!

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  25. Jyoti, the title confused a few others like Crystal(Aayushi) and Sujatha too:) I thought it was a honey trap! A sincere thanks for that beautiful comment. I am sure you do your bit as I find even your blog has sweet little birds!

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  26. Thanks for such a good post! I hope to wake up with the sounds of sparrows once again...

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  27. Lovely.. remind me of my childhood days.. :)

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    1. A big thanks , Shreya that it brought back some happy memories:)

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  28. Waking up to the chirping of birds.. Bliss :)

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  29. Such a unique take on the “save the environment” issue, Rahul. The "twitter" of birds. Niice.

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    1. A huge thanks KayEm for following my blog! You made my day! Am happy you liked it:)

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  30. Ahh you made me nostalgic. I remember the days we were in a colony surrounded by all kinds of trees and creatures. I used to feed my breakfast to them. It would so lively wit all of them. I miss them!

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  31. Good to see you back , Pria:) I am happy that this post evoked some happy memories. Feeding birds is very enjoyable!

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  32. Thanks, have a lovely weekend yourself!

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  33. Your portrayed the sparrows' sorrow so heart wrenchingly, Rahul. It reminds me of a short story of mine that appeared in the newspaper two weeks back. It was about a tiger in the zoo. He too echoed the same concerns as the sparrows.

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    1. A big thanks, Rachna! Please share the link/ send me the write up as I would love to read it!

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  34. Lovely post Rahul - every living being has a right to live and be happy and we've got to be more caring!

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  35. Lovely written! I have a lot of sparrow in my garden and fed them in winter time.

    Hope you have a happy weekend and Easter!;-)

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    1. A big thanks Tanya:) Lucky you are to see sparrows:)

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  36. So true, Ashwini! We need to connect more with nature to enjoy the real pleasures of life:)

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  37. Very true. Fortunately we have sparrows and we care for them. As a child I remember to have read a poem "Sparrow Sparrow, little Sparrow"

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    1. Thanks PN!So good to know you have them for company:)

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  38. Sparrow is my favorite bird and sadly we don't see them very often in cities. I wish we can do our bits for them.

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    1. Thanks Saru, these lovely creatures are a beauty like so many of god's creations! I wish we could preserve them!

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  39. WOW! Love the post! Very well-written!

    love
    http://www.meghasarin.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks a lot Megha for having liked this post:)Readers like you, motivate me to write better:)

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