LESSONS FROM A FLOCK

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

02/I/2025

The other day we went for a picnic to a place close by from where we stayed. We were excited and happy to join the fun as a family and drove to the site.

On the way, there is a small lake. One sighted some demoiselles cranes and other water birds. As usual, I was armed with my weapon aka camera. Halting at that time would have delayed us from getting to the picnic site. One was sure that there would be an opportune moment when I would be able to catch them.

On a walk around the property, a group of Mynahs (Brahminy Starling) posed for me on the boundary wall. The ruckus they were creating was because their usual place had been occupied by the cooks & helpers in a makeshift kitchen. All the worms which they usually caught were now under the cooking utensils.

There was a ‘lull’ after lunch. People were feeling cold and I was feeling itchy to head to the lake.

The first thing that caught my attention at the lake was this lone Indian Soft Shelled Turtle. It was basking in the sun on the bank. With its neck fully extended, it kept an eye on its surroundings. For a moment, when he saw me, he retracted his neck into the shell. It understood, I meant no harm and thrust it out again.

The cranes and ducks roosted on an island. A few ducks sat on the wall of an old well inside the lake. Stones must be giving the warmth they need in winter.

That is when I noticed that I had missed a great spectacle. There was a flock of goats and sheep which had come for a drink to the lake. A single ‘herdsman’ was herding them with his typical calls and whistles.

All of them waited at the bank of the lake patiently till the time the herdsman whistled to them to take a drink. The ones closest to the lake drank first and made way for the others.

There must be more than two hundred of them. Once sure that all of them had quenched their thirst, he blew another shrill & sharp whistle by puckering his lips, a signal for his flock to move on.

The dust they kicked up appeared to be like a cloud rising. Their closeness to each other gave them strength in numbers. Their leader knew the way, the rest followed at its heels, called ‘Bhed Chal’ in the Army.

A thought echoed in my mind was that just look at them. They eat and drink together. They eat what they find, drink without any filters and do not care for tomorrow. Sheep leave behind everything and don’t carry any burden with them. They do fight but all is forgotten soon. Life is so simple.

Those animals are obedient and disciplined. They ‘bleat’ to communicate. What could they be discussing? The biting cold, the quality of grass, the polluted water or just gup shup. I am sure they do not use cuss words.

The herdsman knows what they need and where would be get it for such a large herd. The farmer who allows these sheep & goats to graze in his farm is showered with droppings, making an excellent slow dissolving manure for his crop. Both are winners in the end.

Winter is also the time to make wool. In a couple of months, they would be sheared. Some of them would grow old and be sold off. Females would give birth to little ones and raise a family. The strength of the herd would more or less remain the same. Life’s lessons would be learnt on the trot.

Milk they produce is the most nutritious they say. What I learnt from someone is that the herdsmen only take what they need to consume and leave the rest for the lambs and kids to strengthen and survive. They do not milch the same animal everyday, but do it in rotation. How thoughtful.

How do they know which goat they took milk from, as all of them look alike? For that, one has to spend a lifetime with them to recognise each one of them. They can trace them with the hoof marks.

They came, they drank and moved away and left me thinking about their simple way of life. Is there a lesson to be learnt by us who walk on two legs and think too much? I wonder!!!!!!!