Pecking order

Each of the crows patiently awaited their turn

It started as a lark pun intended!. We were at a friend8217;s house in Mumbai when a relative, a hep astrologer, came a-visiting. Like everybody in the room I gave him details of my birth and he pulled out a full-fledged horoscope from the computer.

For some reason my past, present and future intrigued him more than that of others. He spoke of the unfinished karmas of my past life which precluded the completion or attainment of higher levels in this birth. He suggested I take to feeding crows every morning 8212; an act of placation and atonement. Sensing my scepticism, he suggested I could just save a couple of spoons of cooked rice each day and serve it to them.

I took the astrological advice. Even if it does not enhance my situation in life, I reckoned, it does give me a great opportunity to observe the generally despised crovus species a little more closely. To begin with I got to know the pecking order. We are more aware of 8216;pecking order8217; as a turn of phrase than as an actual fact. Since I have been at it for over six months now, the crows know it is feeding time around 9 am. They play their own game as I enter the terrace with the small bowl of rice. Usually, there are about six of them perched on trees, the neighbour8217;s terrace and on the parapet, each appears preoccupied but the moment I empty the rice and moved aside, they close in.

Yet they do not take a single peck till the first among equals Fae arrives and exercises his prerogative. The rest crow themselves hoarse but Fae takes his time. The poor lesser creatures hop around, keep eyeing the food but not one puts his beak to the rice. Strangely other species like the sparrows and pigeons also appear to honour the pecking order and await their turn in the dole queue. There are days when Fae acts pricey and does not turn up for ten minutes 8212; but the others still wait and wait. There is the rare morning when Fae lands up first, he then wastes no time in swooping down on the rice and then calling for the others!

What a lesson there is in this for all of us 8212; in patience, discipline and no out- of-turn treats!