There are happier ways to get out of bed: listen to the musicians of the air

In Goa, I had my magpie robin friend who is still on ‘dooty’ as they would say, after I first noticed him over 10 years ago. Snuggled up in bed, you could hear his long, sweet whistle break the silence and there was no way you could put a pillow over your head and go back to sleep; you just had to listen. He was an early riser. All dressed up in his tuxedo, he would start his concert well before dawn. He would fly from perch to perch in the area, signalling he was in possession of a territory much larger than perhaps he needed, but which, no doubt, would impress the ladies. He had a playlist, too. On my last visit, I noticed he sang different compositions every morning. Between pauses, you could hear the soft chiming calls of what I think are scops owls deep in the trees, which added to the aura.

In case you dozed off or were trying to sleep off a hangover (all too possible in Goa) there was backup – especially in summer. The ringing call of the white-throated kingfisher, was loud and insistent and all about excitement – get up man! Yes, he certainly woke you up. And for the finale, the cackling laugh of a pair of black-rumped flamebacks (nee golden-backed woodpeckers) as they clamped themselves on the tall palm tree at the end of the garden. They have a crackling, rising laugh that lifts your spirits and is just what you need first thing in the morning – better than any cup of coffee!

For years and years now, the author has used the services of a mellifluous red-whiskered bulbul that roosted in the bougainvillea outside his bedroom window (Credit: Ranjit Lal)

For those, who might have slept through even this, it was back to the time-honoured tradition: the good old rooster. There was a single black rooster that let off his signature ‘cocka-doodle-doo’ call, virtually outside the window ensuring that you got up. He, too, would move from place to place, ensuring that all the drunks in the locality were shaken out of bed. And once you awoke, you could appreciate the black drongoes, imitating shikras as they tossed themselves after insects.

The magpie robin was a serious musician and practised rigorously, not only every morning, but in the evenings as well. He would perch on the water tank (the highest point in the area) and sing away for a couple of hours maybe, competing with rivals singing from adjacent neighbourhoods, before flying down to the garden for a quiet snack as dusk drew in.

But for me, so far the bird with the most talent was the blue-whistling thrush that inhabited the garden of the house in Bhowali, up in the mountains of Uttarakhand, where I spent a few holidays. Another, before-dawn riser, its long sweet fluty whistles would break the mountain silence and lift your groggy spirits instantly. Clad in dark blue, spangled with white, with a powerful beak, he hopped around his garden, singing – and brooked no nonsense from any rivals or pretenders. Occasionally, he would hop into the balcony outside the bedroom and sing, giving me the opportunity to surreptitiously record him. Like so many talented artistes he was exceedingly short-tempered and pugnacious.

Sadly, there is one bird whose calls do make you want to jam a pillow over your head: that of our National Bird, the peacock. Apart from its ear-piercing ‘mayew-mayew-mayew’ (surely it should be singing the National Anthem) screams it has no sense of time and may begin shrieking – along with others of its kind – at 2 or 3 am. But then, the peacocks that cause me this grief, live in the historical Nicholson cemetery next door. And who knows what goes on at 2 or 3 am in such places? It could be a jamboree of drunken skeletons clattering home from the ‘Rattlin’ Bones’ pub, there could be all kinds of hanky-panky going on. And being National Bird, ‘scoorty’ (security) is surely top priority… On occasion it is kept company by its sidekick – the red-wattled-lapwing, whose ‘did-ye-do-it? Did-ye-do-it?’ accusations are broadcast for all to hear and which are completely baseless. No, I did not do it and only want to be able to sleep until the maestro wakes me up with some Mozart, early in the morning.