The sun was rising when a bird at the very top of a bush raised its head and started warbling. It was haloed by the pink-orange sun, and so I couldn't immediately see it. I could hear it though—and it picked at my memories neatly—a tuning fork whose crescendo kept rising in meaning. I remembered afternoons with a song that sounded like a "be-careful," "be careful" call. What I was hearing sounded like a familiar and cheerful garden bird, with a cocky crest, a black head and a red bottom—the Red-vented bulbul. Only, this call was a little different. Its notes not quite the same, the warble a bit wilder. I looked again, the sky completely orange with the rising sun, and I saw the bird this time. A cocky crest, a blackish head, but a yellow rump, not red. This was the Himalayan bulbul. The difference in their songs was hard to put one's finger on—it was an intuitive feeling rather than anything else.
And throughout our lives, there have been these familiar sounds which have played like a background track, in a natural fashion. Often, these sounds are indistinguishable from the actual act of living. These are transformative sounds, that immediately transport us to specific moments from the past. Such as the softly grating sound that came as my grandmother took out coconut from its shell, using a boti—an upright knife whose handle she held between her toes. The soft cluck-cluck sound of a house gecko from behind a painting, from monsoon days. The horrible screech of marble cutting, signaling Delhi's construction boom in the 2000s, which never got over. The clarion sound of a train horn, signifying I was up at 5 am studying for an exam. Evenings meant the swishing, swelling sounds of scores of insects. And some of those sounds are hushed today, even as noise is dialed up. The natural world is falling silent.
This story is from the December 21, 2024 edition of Mint Ahmedabad.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 21, 2024 edition of Mint Ahmedabad.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
At long last, the UK is shooting for the moon on clean energy
An ambitious plan revives hope but it will be a race against time
Rupee's managed float: Should RBI shift gear?
To Mint Street's credit, India resolved a macro trilemma in its own special way. Recalibrate it for a more market-priced rupee if the expected trade gains outweigh price-stability risks
Can we use today's geopolitical chaos to uplift India's economy?
Successful economies have geopolitics to thank but India may be letting its opportunity slip away
What market taught investors in 2024
One of the top sectoral performers of the year 2024 has been pharma, which has maintained its post-covid momentum
FREELANCERS CAN AVOID HIDDEN FEES, MAXIMIZE EARNING
Being aware of payout options and financial solutions helps freelancers with smarter choices
What you must know about rental agreements, registration process
According to the Registration Act, 1908, a rental agreement for less than 12 months need not be registered
ISRO to study crop growth in space
Demonstration of seed germination in outer space, a robotic arm to catch tethered debris there, and testing of green propulsion systems are some of the experiments planned on the POEM-4—the fourth stage of Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) PSLV rocket that remains in orbit after launching a satellite.
China says US is 'playing with fire' after latest aid for Taiwan
The Chinese government protested on Sunday the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is \"playing with fire\".
Akasa to add more planes this fiscal
Akasa Air is in continuous discussions with Boeing on aircraft deliveries and expects to add a few more planes to its fleet in the current fiscal ending March 2025, the airline's chief Vinay Dube has said.
IOC probes bribery allegation of US cos
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has begun a probe into allegations of a US speciality chemicals firm bribing its officials 15 years ago to obtain contracts to supply catalysts, according to a company's regulatory filing.