Dear Editor, That was an awesome article by Lynn de Souza. I really appreciate the work she is doing, more power to her elbow. I'm really not an animal lover in her classic mould, not by a long shot. However I'm not averse to animals (from a distance!). I'm in the process of writing a humorous book "Patna Ponderings", on my wonderful experiences in Patna where I was posted for 2 years (if I can find a sponsor). I work for a Bank.
I'm attaching one chapter of the book which is about animals I encountered there (not the 2 legged types). Hope you and the Goanetters find it interesting. Regards, Edwin Fernandes E / 52, Maker Kundan Gardens Juhu, Mumbai -49 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Read all Goanet messages @ http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/ Aesop's Fables retold I'm no animal lover but I'm no animal hater either. You will never see me picking up stray cats on the road or rushing to stroke pet poodles. However I do confess having a soft corner for animals, from a distance naturally! I remember years back when we were in school we spent most of our summer holidays in where else, Goa. There were these lush sprawling fields behind my grandma's house (Dandora, Cuncolim) and my Dad would take me for long walks in search of the elusive 5-leaf clover, which was supposed to be very lucky. Those fields were a veritable treasure trove of wild life. It was not unusual to see a sly fox darting past, the occasional python languorously uncoiling itself from its favourite tree, somnolent buffalo basking in muddy ponds and brilliantly coloured kingfishers diving into the ponds for fish and frogs. That was truly another time, a bygone era. Who would have thought out here in busy, bustling, bewildering Bihar my long dormant James Herriot like leanings for "All creatures wise and wonderful", would suddenly surface with a vengeance? I am fortunate to be living in what is an oasis of calm in this traffic-choked city. Imagine automobiles, two wheelers, buses, cycle/auto rickshaws, horse drawn carts and pedestrians all vying for their share of turf! Utter chaos. In the midst of this bedlam, a small lane leads one to my humble abode and wildlife by the score, literally. I'm not referring to the wildlife that came to the fore during the recent elections. The entrance of the lane is home to a bunch of ruffianly looking pigs. I'm not sure if they are pigs or wild boars. The males amongst them sport thick, unruly manes and wicked looking tusks. They guard their wives and concubines with a jealousy bordering on the ferocious. These brutes are natural scavengers and do an admirable job substituting for the malingering municipal staff, clearing the area of garbage by the simple expedient of gobbling it like what else, pigs! Once you get past the surly sentinels, you have to walk along the sharply winding lane, be as adroit as a goalkeeper to dodge dirty water pouring out of the balcony drains overhead, of adjoining buildings, to reach the housing colony. From the balcony of my first floor dwelling you are treated to the sight of a family of mongooses out on their constitutionals. I find these mammals fascinating. I even checked the dictionary for the plural of mongoose, which is mongooses not mongeese. Back in school we had a science teacher named Verghese. He was often the butt of jokes like "Sir, you your wife and children can be Verghese but by yourself, shouldn't you be a Verghoose?" He was a real goose! These mongooses and believe me there are at least six of them, walk like FTV models swaying their hips, along the edge of the garden, perhaps looking for their sworn enemies the creepy crawlies. Well as long as Kipling's Rikki Tikki Tawis keep the slitherers away, they are welcome to take their constitutionals in whatever fashion they choose. Up in the gold mohur trees are the more sprightly cousins of the mongooses, the squirrels. These guys are out and out gregarious and really amusing as they flit from branch to ground collecting scraps of food. There is definitely a method to their madness to keep the supply chain going. No wonder Ken Blanchard found so much inspiration from their management techniques (Spirit of the Squirrel), immortalizing them in his best selling book Gung Ho. I thought I had my fill of arboreal creatures but hold on, still more surprises in store. One Saturday morning I was contemplating my fate and trying to weigh what options lay before me on another boring weekend. Suddenly a furry creature launched itself against the grills of the enclosed balcony lunging futilely for the bread in my hand. I backed away instinctively and held an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with a very very hungry monkey. He was huge. That's why he could not breach the enclosed grill. For a few more minutes he pranced around snarling and gnashing his teeth in frustration, showering me with choice simian abuses. Soon, he decided discretion was the better part of valour and beat a hasty retreat. Phew, I'm sure this was the place, which provided the grist for the movie Creatures the world forgot. This modern day Aesop's fable is not yet complete, not by a long shot. Every morning as you sit to partake of your breakfast, sudden stentorian bellows shatter the morning peace. Believe me the glass panes are not the only things that get rattled! The neighbouring bungalow has a cow shed, housing a cow and her calf. For some strange reason, this matronly bovine lets go these staccato blasts every morning like a factory siren. And to think these creatures are called dumb animals! I'd like to meet the smart Alec who coined that phrase. I would love to cook his goose. Meanwhile life goes on in this Animal Farm of mine where some animals (the four legged ones) are more equal than others (the two legged ones). Any doubt? _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
