When Chilly flew the coop

Col HP Singh

Had it not been for my timely intervention, the cats would have devoured the other squab too. There had been several attempts by the pigeons to encroach upon the lesser visited corners of my house. This time, due to the delay in my demolition drive against their nests, a pair of eggs had already been laid which hatched a few days later. Since the mother pigeon, too, had been killed, I reluctantly became a foster parent of the orphaned soul and nursed it back to health.  

The little one was housed in a birdcage and fed with insects and worms daily. In addition, one kept the bird clean by swabbing it gently with a soft wet cloth and keeping the cage clear of its droppings. Frisky and hyper-active by nature, I named it ‘Chilly’, developing a special bond with it. On returning from work I looked forward to playing with my chick as it gave me instant joy in my otherwise humdrum routine. Chilly soon became the star attraction of our home and we never missed an opportunity of flaunting it to the visitors who called on us.  

One day I found the bird flutter recklessly and fall down every time it hit the mesh. The cage was replaced with a bigger one, but to no avail. Attachment, possession and a displaced sense of love did not allow me to accept that it was time to let my love take wing and explore the third dimension. Having invested so many emotions in Chilly, I felt that a part of me would die if I let it go. I was ready to feed the bird anything it wanted and go to any extent to keep it amused, but it had to stay with me. 

At last, I relented and reconciled to fate. One may have done a lot for it, but one had no right to be an impediment to its destiny when it was born to fly. With a very heavy heart, I opened the cage and within seconds my Chilly was soaring high in the sky as if it had been flying daily. Being a pilot myself, I felt rather jealous as it had taken me months of effort to reach those heights where Chilly reached in no time in its maiden flight. Natural instincts had certainly overshadowed my acquired skills.  

It has been some time since Chilly left my home. I bemoan the terrible aching void it has left in my life. Pigeons, I am told, have a homing instinct, but mine has not returned so far. At times, I feel slighted for getting so little in return to my unconditional love and affection. Perhaps, one day it will return and make my house its home again. In its cooing and fluttering, perhaps, I will once again hear that long-lost music of the heart. 

Or, perhaps, this entire episode was an education to prepare me for the solitary life after my children, too, fly the coop. At times, I wonder if it was the flight of a pigeon which upset me, or my own ‘Great Expectations’.