Spring has given way to summer. My mango tree, which was in flower till last month, has shed them and is loaded with tiny fruits. So are my citrus trees — lemons, oranges and grape-fruit. A couple of weeks ago, I spent my morning under a peach tree in full bloom. I now sit under the same tree with clusters of unripe peaches. The same birds visit my back garden — babblers, bulbuls, magpies, robins and, occasionally, purple sunbirds, to steal last drops of nectar. Kites wheel round in the blue sky. Crows, pigeons and doves fly in and out as do white and blue butterflies. Barbets have been calling to each other for over a month.
Nothing seems to have changed very much over the year except two things: I haven’t seen a sparrow in these months; they used to fly everywhere, in and out of my flat. Come to think of it, any time it rained, earthworms that supplemented sparrow diet would be littered on the lawn. We have had several showers, but I have not seen a single worm. And I have yet to hear the call of a koel. In past years I often heard them on cold winter nights. We are close to Baisakhi and not a distant note. Is it that they have decided that Delhi is no longer worth living in? I am inclined to agree, but I continue to live in Delhi. Their numbers have dwindled to a dangerous low. If steps are not taken, they may disappear forever.
Who cares! We are so obsessed with political wranglings, social scandals, murders, rapes and other human preoccupations that leave us little time to ponder over the rapidly decline of other forms of life. All we do is to pay lip service to the notion of preserving the environment. Little or nothing is being done to restrict the reckless use of poisonous insecticides and pesticides. No political party has given this any importance.
{{/usCountry}}Who cares! We are so obsessed with political wranglings, social scandals, murders, rapes and other human preoccupations that leave us little time to ponder over the rapidly decline of other forms of life. All we do is to pay lip service to the notion of preserving the environment. Little or nothing is being done to restrict the reckless use of poisonous insecticides and pesticides. No political party has given this any importance.
{{/usCountry}}If we continue to remain indifferent, bird song will become a memory of the past, our springs will be marked by silence.
Rotarians, no
Most well-to-do Kayastha families of Delhi have traditionally been civil servants, lawyers, doctors or businessmen. A few, like Sheila Dhar (nee Bahadur), made their mark as singers of Hindustani classical music. The Backliwals are one of the oldest and best-known Kayastha families of the city. They branched off into dealing with antiques, Mughal, Pahari and Sikh miniature paintings, jewellery and gem stones. They own the oldest and the most frequented antique store set up by their ancestors in 1830. They also continued the tradition of classical music. Sharan Rani won acclaim as a Sarod maestro.
My contact with the Backliwals began with Radhika, daughter of Sharan Rani. We share the same birthday, 70 years apart, and went to the same school. She went on to Lady Shri Ram College, joined the family business and married Anurag Narain. She also continued with Kathak, singing and playing the sarod.
One thing I do not share with the Backliwals is their enthusiasm for the Rotary movement. The entire family are ardent rotarians and rarely miss their weekly lunch meetings in five- star hotels. I have nothing against the rotarians. They are drawn from the uppermost layers of society; captains of industry, who are also engaged in good work. But they take themselves too seriously, are humourless and boring.
Rotary is Radhika’s life and soul. She joined it as soon as she was old enough to be admitted. She has held innumerable posts and was the first woman to be elected as district representative. Her latest achievement is to be elected chairperson of Young FICCI Ladies Organisation. She wanted me to be the chief guest at her inaugural meeting. Much as I cherish her as a surrogate grandchild, I pleaded my old age and begged to be forgiven. Radhika, yes; Rotarians, no.
Jehadis and rath yatris
The UPA government is appeasing the jehadis
It is encouraging them to attack our country
Therefore the attack on Varanasi
And hence the anger of BJP.
When we were in power the country was entirely terror-free
Only an attack on Parliament, a strike at Red Fort,
A couple of blasts in Raghunath temple and a massacre at Akshardham.
How peaceful and calm!
This is because we never appeased the minorities!
We escorted the arrested jehadis out of the country
And delivered them safe to the Taliban,
Thus enhancing the stature of our foreign minister
And turning the Jaish-e-Mohammed tap on.
And now, we are undertaking rath yatras again
For the sake of national integration.
We don’t need jehadis to ruin the nation,
They haven’t done enough
We can ourselves cause mayhem and
destruction.
(Courtesy: Kuldip Salil, Delhi)
Gender benders
A tyre is male, because it goes bald and it’s often over-inflated.
A hot-air balloon is male, because to get it to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under it, and, of course, there’s the hot air part.
Sponges are female, because they’re soft, squeezable and retain water.
An hour-glass is female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.
A remote control is female — it gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying!
(Contributed by Vipin Bucksey, New Delhi)