LT COL NOEL ELLIS
12/VIII/2025
It was an unusual morning today. I am up quite early, but the hangover of ‘Nimbu Pani’ from last night’s party got the better of me. It was the ‘mint sprigs’ in the drink that did the job.
Actually, our “replacement maid” was home early. It is ‘Teej’ today, a big festival in Rajasthan. She called to open the door as she had to leave for the ‘rituals’. ‘Lahariya’ would be the apparel of the day. ‘Sattu’ is the sweet of this festival and my favourite.
It is a day when they say Goddess Parvati reunited with Lord Shiva. Ladies take her blessings for marital bliss. A few idioms from the folklore for this festival: -
Teej ro teehwar, chhokriyon ro adhikaar — “Teej is a festival, but a right of young women”.
Saawan Teej, bhaat bharyo leej — “On Teej in the rainy season, the brother fills his sister’s lap with gifts”.
Teej ri jhool, preet ro phool — “The swing of Teej is the flower of love”, symbolising romance and joy during the monsoon.
Be that as it may. I was welcomed at our main door by another ‘tikdi’. “Dotty, Brownie and Spotty”, the kittens. They have grown since I met them last. Mama cat is now weaning them off her milk. The appetite of these kittens has also grown, so mama is teaching them hunting skills.
Spotty was not afraid, while the other two kept watching me from the fringes of our pot stand. The smell of roti must be piercing through their noses. Why was I not giving it to them? Spotty is the male who walked right where I was sitting and shoved his paw into the plate to pull a piece of roti which I was breaking into small pieces for the birds.
‘Dotty’ was waiting to pounce on spotty. Before the plate fell down, Dotty came to my rescue and distracted him. Brownie was a little reserved. She stayed at a distance watching the proceedings of her siblings. She rather got hold of the small box of fish food. That smell must be captivating. The lid was tight, so how hard she tried, the box wouldn’t open.
The cat and mouse game with me continued. A soft mew to tell me that they were hungry. A walk to the wire mesh door to peep inside as they could smell eggs boiling for breakfast must be making them salivate. But to have them around is fine, however, to keep give them a free hand was not what I was intending to do. One opportunity of finding the door ajar, the three would have got in.
Birds were raising the alarm. Everyone knew that danger lurked below. Dotty even tried to climb up the fish tank and paw out the fish. This I realised when I was returning after spreading the roti. Fish had dived deep, probably they knew the intention of this kitten. Seeing me she scooted and hid behind a pot. These kittens know that they could be scolded for their actions.
Why were they hanging around our garden today? The secret was revealed when a morning walker along with his dog got a sniff of these felines. Mama cat was sitting below our car and that is why these kittens were loitering here.
Shikar was their aim. One sparrow, bulbul or dove would have been a complete ‘dastarkhwaan’ for them. At least mama would be free from hunting rats and grasshoppers for the three naughty ones.
Hiding in between the pots, with just the head showing, watching a bird picking up grains from the road was an ideal ambush site. The crescendo to that move of steadying one self, preparing to jump, calculating the distance etc was all going on as mental calculations.
Birds are no ‘dopes’. Before the kitten pounced, they flew away. Feeling a little embarrassed as if she could have caught the bird and I saw her missing it, the kittens shy away and start a mock fight amongst themselves. They climbed up trees and even hid in the bird feeder for a surprise attack.
It was time to get my camera and catch a few moments of the musketeers. They used our door mat to sharpen their claws. The shadow of the motorcycle became a place to rest. Space between the pots was ideal for hide and seek. Above all, one mew from mama cat would get them scampering close to her.
My day was made and I left them to enjoy. The kittens picked up the small pieces of roti reluctantly, nibbling at them as a last refuge when so much of ‘non-veg birdy meat’ was in the near vicinity.
Could they catch a bird? I wonder!!!!!!
JAI HIND
©® NOEL ELLIS
Beautiful read
ReplyDeleteThank you so much
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