COOOOHOOOO

 COOOOHOOOO

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

28/VI/2022

 

            The song of the Koel can be heard from miles. Cooohooo-Cooohooo. They sing, they dance and chase each other through the trees. Then they come to roost at their favourite place, like we have our favourite restaurants. Here there are numerous Neem and Pepal trees.

 

            It is mating time for these beautiful birds. Their favourite eating joints are mating joints also. However, when it comes to lay their eggs, they are smart. Koel’s will on the quiet find a crow’s nest, drop its eggs in it and let the crow do the rest. How fascinating!

 

            Their cooing is also a signal for the onset of monsoons. The weather has cooled down quite a bit. Temperatures are now bearable. Two pre-monsoon showers have brought the bird activity to its crescendo. These birds stay in the open & hide inside thick canopies. Trees become part of their visiting itinerary. Halting, gaining their breath, maybe a nap and off they go to the next tree cooing.

 

            In the local language, fruit of the neem tree is called a ‘Nimboli’. They ripen just before the monsoons. Nimboli’s are actually neem berries. The berry has a stone inside. It is sweet to taste initially but if we keep it a little longer in the mouth, the taste turns bitter. They say, it keeps infections away, is an antioxidant, helps in healing wounds, purifies blood and also helps in curing skin diseases and the Koel knows it. Wow!

 

            Imagine it eats this bitter fruit but sings the sweetest song. Does it give mankind a lesson? To at least speak gently & kindly. One has to see how we are pulling down each other, especially, in this virtual world. One sentence which touches a wrong cord and then starts brickbats. These days you can write whatever you want, regardless of age and gender, abuse at will under false names, argue rudely, reason crudely, without hesitation. The word respect doesn’t mean anything anymore.

 

Friendships can break at a snap of your finger. It isn’t the words that hurt but the tone and tenor in which they are said causes the damage. Difference is that humans can eat tons of Gulab jamuns but will spit venom. Kindness, sweetness and politeness have been long forgotten. As they call it “tahzeeb and tameez gum ho gai”.

 

When I was in Maharashtra, they used to say, “Till Gul Ghya, Goad-Goad Bola”. Meaning eat this ‘Sesame-Jaggery’ ball and speak sweetly. Every Makar Sankranti, my chamber door would open every minute, as employees would get those small Till-Gud laddus and say this phrase. But the very next moment return to fight for some trivial matter. I used to ask them, at least be decent today and repeat the same phrase to them. Grinning, many would say alright, I shall return to fight tomorrow. But fight they will.

 

I also remember an old Punjabi folk song. Our Dhol Drummer for Bhangra ‘Chinda’ used to sing various ‘bolis’, in which one used to end every stanza saying, “jind mai bai jana mere kol, tere mithde lagde bol”. (My dearest please sit with me because your words sound very sweet). The same couple after tying the knot suddenly forget all those mithde bol and end up fighting.

 

Another Punjabi song which comes to my mind is -

Gal mitthi-mitthi bol, Bajne de tashe dhol

Ras kaanom vich ghol, Masti mein tu vi dol

Man de naina khol, Gal mitthi-mitthi bol

This kind of deportment is rarely to be found these days.

 

The Bee Gees too sung a beautiful song, “Its only words, and words is all I have, to take your heart away”. Today in this material world words might be replaced with bank balance.

 

There is so much to learn from this Koel. Come what may, it sings the sweetest song. Whatever be the circumstances, her voice fills your heart with joy. She doesn’t charge a penny for her song. She is not shy of performing anywhere. The melody which flows from her beautiful throat never hurts anyone. So what, if she eats those bitter neem pods.

 

Remember it is words which can make the difference. If they are mitthi-mitthi nothing like it. Koel incites you also to repeat after her Cooohoooooo. Haven’t most of us done it? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© NOEL ELLIS