They say that the departed souls show up in the form of crows, and we express our love, respect, and gratitude towards our ancestors by feeding these birds. This need not be true, I never believed so, but it feels good, so I do feed the crows. I used to give banana peels to cows, enjoying the feel of their rough tongues snatching the peels from my hand. And if you have pigeons at home, you know the sheer joy of letting them perch on your hand while they eat.
So, here’s my thing: I love feeding animals. There's something magical and heartwarming about connecting with these creatures, even if it’s partly for my own amusement.
They usually run and hide as soon as they sense our presence, but not this brave one. The internet search says, he is a “brown-banded cockroach.” Let’s call him Browny. I found this little daredevil darting out of a carton of pet food. I was curious. I blocked his path with my finger, expecting him to climb over it like a little hiker. Nope! Browny dashed back into his box faster than the lightening. How does he sense it? For his size, wouldn’t my finger feel like a harmless tree log?
I spotted him the next day as well.
On the third day, intrigued, I decided to bait Browny with a chewed-up biscuit. Bingo! He went for it like it was the finest delicacy. Soon, I was offering a variety of snacks—groundnuts, split-channa dal, biscuits. Before long, Browny didn’t even wait for the food. He’d come out just to hang out with me, taking leisurely strolls on my finger, perhaps contemplating the meaning of his little roach life.
One fine Sunday evening, while watching a movie with my mom, Browny made his grand appearance. I watched with pride as he sniffed around for a treat. My mom also noticed him, for the first time. She was too quick, and her reaction was perfectly natural, to be fair. I sat there, stunned - not at her speed!
Comments