Sunday, August 23, 2015

Mr. Bhardwaj

After I wake up every morning, I look through my window to get a glimpse of him everyday. Its not the samne wali khidki  but the samne wali jungle that he lives in.  


Once I heard that he brings Good Luck, and he did several times. It could be my imagination though.



Good Luck or not but ever since just seeing him makes me happy. The copper brown feathers are flattened straight when he flies and like a cautious hunter he tip toes through the lawn in search of his prey.


.The dignified look of this bird allures me. I love watching him sunbathing, hunting, hopping from one branch to another, taking small flights spreading his wings and turning his neck to look at me with his mysterious red eyes. The deep resonating call his voice echoes in my ear.



Like a lover I have stalked him several times, found facts on him and captured his different mood.   
He is called greater coucal or crow pheasant and belongs to cuckoo family. And all such scientific facts are available in wiki and various sites. But what I searched for is the mystical myth of good omen associated with this bird!! 


one of the oldest marathi book '
Lilacharitra' mentions about this bird, Where this bird gets attacked toward great personality of sage SriChakradharswami, and follows him to his ashram and sits infant of the meditating sage. At last swami addresses him and ask him to go back. The bird hops back and goes back to jungle like an obedient disciple!!

Story credit:Vithal C. Nadkarni (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/birdsofbombay/conversations/topics/3056)

In some literature it is the deep resonating call of this bird which is associated with spirit and good omen. Folklore says the flesh of this bird have curative 
properties against tuberculosis and lung diseases and the nest have some special life giving grass. 




The End...

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