Chirp for the Sparrow and Tweet for the Sparrow

A childhood musing on a Sparrow 

It was a summer holiday time at home, I was about 9 years old, and as children we were all playing carom board till later very night, so had to get up late in the morning. That morning, it was still very early; the sun is still to show forth its ferociousness, a cousin of mine runs home to say that a small bird, which in Telugu we say picchuka (house sparrow) fell on the ground hurt, and is battling for life. In no moment, the news spread across our friends circle, and all of us gathered there to witness that bird, in its dying moments. Some suggested giving that bird some water to drink, some others brought burnol to apply to its wounds, some said we shall sprinkle some face powder on her body, someone whispered why don’t we rush that bird to one of our neighbouring uncle who is a veterinary doctor for some first aid, some even did not forget to say that we better share it with our pastor uncle for some prayers of healing. The little tiny bird was counting its breath; the gathering of our friends was bulging in making efforts to save that tiny one. The bird’s right leg was bruised badly with oozing of blood around, her eyes becoming still, winking them in a very slow pace on and off. The just woke up faces of all our friends were turning blue to see her pain. Even the house elders in my cousin’s home came to enquire whats happening in that back yard of their house. On knowing that it was a dying bird, they thought it was a ludicrous matter and gave no heed to that bird. On the other hand they even thought that the children are crazy for their surrounding the dying bird.

As the day light crawled out, darkness crept into the bird’s life. The sparrow breathed her last, as her winking eye stood still, her bruised leg stopped shivering and her body started to become cold. The tiny beautiful sparrow is no more is the news around. We the children folk became silent, for some tears rolled on our cheeks, some of our elder cousins regretted that they couldn’t save the bird for all of their efforts turned vain. There was resentment among them, sadness among all of us, the bright sunny day turned to be a very gloomy day for all of us. In such disappointing situation, everyone started to pay their last respects to that beautiful darling. And one of our cousin said, this beauty deserves a decent burial at least, for in her dying moment we anyway couldn’t give her life and said let us bury this tiny sparrow, and try to bring dignity to her death and to the bird herself.  What was a burial, and who should perform it and how should it be done??? Lots of questions puzzled around. The elder cousin instructed some of us to pluck flowers from our neighbourhood, some he said to get the worn out candles, which we used during the night at power cuts. By then the elder cousins dug a small grave for the bird, and brought a brick to lay over it. When again all of us re-assembled, our elder cousin brought our hymn book which had both the songs and the liturgy for a funeral. We all sang the song in Telugu “Till we meet…” and then he read out the prayers from the liturgy. The bird was now placed in that grave, and as he read out ‘from dust we came, to dust we go’ all standing there put some mud in the grave and finally the brick was placed on top of it. They then instructed to place the flowers and the candles on top of that grave. For all the children there, the bereavement made an imprint on our lives that we couldn’t save that tiny sparrow and bring it to life. We all bid our farewell to that beautiful sparrow that day.

Sparrows have become rare, keep them in care,

For the earth cant spare that, for it only scares

For they make a scar on to God’s creativity

Lets join to preserve the biodiversity

And keep up the creations integrity

“Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.” Prov 26: 2

Raj Bharath Patta

World Sparrow Day 2012

 20^th March 2012