Monday 30 April 2018

Shared Space

A pair of sparrows had really been causing troubles for me for about a month. My husband pulled down their nest several times with the hope that they would change their location. It must have been their nesting time and we hoped that they would go somewhere else if we got rid of their nest. But they did not budge and kept swishing around as if we were encroaching their space.
 
Just this morning, I felt pity on these creatures and suggested my husband to tie a sack underneath the nesting place so that the dust does not bother us. Ours is a kind of old design house consisting of wood, cement and corrugated roof. It was too bothersome when I moved to this house recently as we have to share this with pigeons, Indian mynah and sparrows. I was shocked to hear that even a snake was found in the ceiling a few years ago. 

My level of dissatisfaction reached breaking point when I saw the birds untiringly rebuilding their destructed nests. “Can’t they build their nests in a tree? So many trees are around here,” I asked my husband. “No,” was his reply. Some of the bird species are very close to humans and they want to build nests in houses, he explained. I pondered over the statement and concluded if these creatures are so close to humans, why I am angry over the system?

However, it is frustrating when the pigeons slip off the corrugated roof in the middle of the night. Their droppings all over the verandah are a headache for our maid. She has millions of complaints over the poor birds. My anger over the tiny birds turned into curiosity and I wanted to know about the sparrows. When I googled, I found that World Sparrow Day is a day designated to raise awareness of the house sparrows and other common birds to urban environments, and of threats to their populations.

 
From Vedas to Bible, sparrows are mentioned as different symbols. If we look into world culture, sparrow occupies a significant space. Ancient Egyptians considered sparrows sacred. They believed sparrows caught the souls of individuals who passed away. Thus, sailors, before going on their journey, would tattoo the image of a sparrow believing that, if they died in the course of their journey, these birds would carry their souls away to the afterlife.

In Indonesia, sparrows are considered a good luck charm. They are of the belief that if a sparrow enters somebody’s house, either someone will get married in the family, or it will be an occasion to celebrate the birth of a new child.Similarly, in Chinese culture, a sparrow is considered to be auspicious. It is a symbol of spring and happiness. If a sparrow nests in a Chinese family’s house, they will never disturb the bird because it is thought to have brought in good luck to the family.

In this way, a little sparrow is identified as a sacred bird to good luck to even Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love. After encountering all this literature I have stopped grumbling over these birds and I hope I will soon be able to maintain harmony with them. After all, they need human shelter to their survival and as a human I should support them.

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, March 30, 2018 
[The pictures on this blog are posted here with permission from their owners or have been gathered from various sources on the Internet. If you are the copyright-holder to any of the photographs herein do not hesitate to contact me. They will be swiftly removed if desired ]


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I would appreciate any and all suggestions on making improvements (as long as they are viable).