Notes From Qutub

Everything happens for a purpose. This wisdom hit me with such a force this morning, reinforcing the belief to accept things as it happens.

I cursed when my ipad failed to function as I stepped out for my customary morning walk. Returning home, I dumped it in the hands of spouse and climbed down 50-odd steps.

I did not bargain for what was in store. Hardly 10 minutes in the walkathon, once away from the crowded and noisy fruit market, I walked in the bowl of silence with ruined 12th century stone and mortar edifices around. And green cover on both sides of the road.

A dirty pig passed my path with a plastic pouch in its mouth. Two images flashed on my mindscreen: the kurma avatar wherein Lord Vishnu takes the form of a pig to save Earth from the Big Deluge; secondly a scene from the horror novel - forgotten the name now - wherein villains plot to throw Lector, the Hannibal to the hungry pigs to get him killed. Another 50 odd metres and I was stopped by a pig's grunt. Horrible sound it was. I looked around and spotted two black pigs inside the dense Mehrauli Archaeological Park. As I began to walk towards them, they scampered away.

Again, there was a dense silence. By then I had passed the Jain Mandir. Even that temple was very silent with hardly any human presence in and around. Suddenly I spotted a peacock perched on a treetop. It was preening its feathers or wings and I said "good morning" to him. Obviously, he did not respond, but took off gently to sit at a distance. Survival instinct.

From nowhere, a batch of parrots flew in. A dozen maybe. They alighted on the reetop to join a few which were already there. There was a lot of parroty talk, I presume because the noise level was pretty high. I stood there watching, listening to their undecipherable talk.

Almost five years ago, my daughter used to chat up a parrot on a daily basis. At the fixed hour, it used to land up on our grilled window and my daughter would feed him - or her? with nuts and fruits. Then engage in conversation. "Say, Mittu!", my daughter would command and the parrot would invaribaly oblige. I used to be a witness this beautiful interaction between the two until it ceased after a few months. We used to wonder whether it got kiled or what. It remains a mystery still.

Once more, I was halted in my tracks as a bunch of monkeys ran across the road with some bitting into apple and banana. After they settled down on the parapet wall of the compound, I noticed that some passerby has left a handful of channa which they began to devour.

"Good morning," I greeted them. Again, no response. One little monkey, "grr"ed at me. I should have carried some fruit to give them, I felt. The money group reminded me two things: fifteen years ago, a group of monkeys attacked my daughter at New Delhi railway station where we had gone to receive my mother in law coming from Chennai. She had to be rushed to doctor for treatment. Before she was carted away from the sight of accident, I had thrashed three urchins who provoked the monkeys in the first place. On another occasion, a monkey came in from nowhere and snatched away my compass - a gift from overseas friend.

A few yards down the road, again I stopped to watch a batch of unindentifiable birds warbling. I cursed for not bringing camera or even my phone-cum-recorder. It was absolutely divine listening to them. It was pretty cold. But birds for company. Pigs, peacock, monkey for company.

As I stepped onto the Mehrauli Gurgaon Road, the other world returned with whizzing and honking cars, the tak-tak-tak sound of truck tyres and the pillion rider shouting "take right at the signal" to his driver. Noisy world.

I would have missed the communion or interaction with god's non-human creations had my ipad functioned. No doubt, I missed my morning quota of "Sheila ki jawani". I realized that everything in life happens for a purpose. Not for me to question, but to accept whatever is offered. Perhaps it was the Maker's intention to make me watch and listen to his children's voices and movements. But for my ipad's malfunctioning, I would not have. Thank you, My Lord!