the mynah speaks!

I have my bath around 7.30 to 8, every morning, and leave for office at 8.40 am! Bathing time is also a time to hum a couple of kishore kumar numbers, that too quite loudly! At times the gentleman who lives one floor above, counters my songs with his own stock of some lilting mohd rafi numbers, and thus we enjoy a kind of jugalbandi, often meeting later, in the elevators, complementing each others singing ability! The construction of our building is such that a beam passes just outside our bathroom window, either to lend strength or to enhance the aesthetics, whatever! And perched on this beam, every single morning, is a mynah! Merrily chirping away in her dozen different voices, looking around absorbing the sunshine, and also at times looking down upon us humans, busy scurrying to work, on the new D.P road that can be seen six stories below!

This morning was different, as I sang “zindagi ke safar mein… guzar jaate hain jo maqaam….” I heard its usual pitter patter! I opened the louvres slightly, and looked at it! The plume strutting up, giving it that nonchalant attitude, it merrily sang away, as if proving a point that it was no less, when it came to strumming its vocal chords! I wished I could talk to the mynah, ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to talk to the birds & animals. If just once, we could get to know what they speak to each other and what they feel about us and so on, wouldn’t it be amaaaazing? Just as I had this thought, the mynah looked back and said to me “hi guy!”

Me: (dumbfounded…!) er…hi! Did you just say that “hi”?
Mynah: of course, who else it was?
Me: wowww! This is unbelievable, magical! Am I day dreaming??
Mynah: you normally are, but now you aren’t, I am really talking to you! Sometimes the God IS kind, to you…..humans!
Me: you got attitude! For your tiny size…er…whats your name?
Mynah: we don’t have names sir! Don’t we all look alike?
Me: yes you do!
Mynah: then how would names differentiate us?
Me: I didn’t get that ( confused )
Mynah: listen, if khushi, manisha, chithra, keeran, and renu looked exactly the same, would it help if they all had these different names? You wont be able to identify them by names, would you?
Me: well…. You do make sense…
Mynah: I know that, we are created to make sense
Me: wow! What self esteem mynah…..hey! would that be miss or mister mynah? Since you don’t have names…..
Mynah: god help you annandji! Now though we all are identical, didn’t you notice those extra curves on me? Don’t tell me you don’t notice curves!!
Me: of course I do, I mean your curves are noticeable too….so miss mynah, how are you?
Mynah: we normally don’t ask such questions when we greet each other. We birds are always fine. God has created us to be happy, and that’s what we are always, happy!
Me: thats nice to hear, the same God has created us too, yet, most of us, or all of us take turns at feeling happy, miserable, frustrated, sad, blissful, angry, resentful, lonely and what not…
Mynah: you humans are materialistic, selfish and have spoiled things for yourselves, we birds feel sorry for you sometimes.
Me: do you really? Do you talk about us?
Mynah: why should we? We have better things to do mister!
Me: and why isn’t there unhappiness etc in your world mynah?
Mynah: simple, we follow the rules of happy living. And that too without a single scripture or book or sermons or saints or temples or religion or rites or rituals! You guys have all the resources at your disposal, and yet you do not know what is peace and harmony. We laugh to see that some of you are paying money to learn the “art of living”!
Me: well…er… what do I say…er…
Mynah: you don’t have anything to say yaar, you are a writer and yet fumbling for words? Do you know why? Because what I just said is the truth!
Me: describe a typical day in your life mynah
Mynah; I spend a couple of hours, enjoying the sunshine, while my partner loves to fly around. He is also looking for a place now, to make a new home for us, the present one is dilapidated. We will plan another set of babies soon, the first set lives near the next building. We all gather for food, and eat together. Afternoons are spent resting in trees, and then flying around in the evening, before we come home at dusk, and then sleep.
Me: wow that’s so nice! Hey, tell me something, do you flirt?
Mynah: flirt? What is that?
Me: …………. Forget it, I know you all wont, you all look alike and think alike, so……anyways, nice talking to you mynah. It was good to know about your lifestyle, I have to leave, getting late for office.
Mynah: nice meeting you too, and yes….you sing well! Bye
Me: thanks, and bye!