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HOW I GOT INTERESTED IN WILDLIFE 

31st July, 2004

Dear Tush and Mehak1

Today I will share with you how I got interested in birdwatching andwildlife.

Ever since I was as old as you are, like you both (and Mama), I tooused to keep many pets like cats, dogs, bats, frogs, fish etc..However - Ammi and Dadu were very strict - the rule was - if youhave brought in an animal as a pet - then you have to take full care

of it - give it a bath, feed it on time, take it for a walk etc..

When I grew old and went to college - I was staying in the hostel inDelhi. That means I was staying away from my parents in a bigbuilding where all boys were living in separate rooms. My roomatewas fellow called Rohit Thawani from Pune. His father was aBrigadier General in the army and we got along quite fine.However - he used to go out a lot whereas I used to sometimesen joy staying in my room.

There were a lot of tall neem trees outside my second floor roomand their branches used to come very close to my window ledge.The tree was full of squirells - they would be playing the whole daywith each other and I started observing them a lot. I soon couldmake out the different ones (initially- they all loked the same) andeven started giving them names. I saw how they collected fibreand made round wooly nests on the trees where they gave birth to,and took care of their young ones.

We used to get horrible food in our hostel mess - and bread fromthe morning breakfast was always left over. So I started putting thebread crumbs on the window ledge. Soon the squirrells startedcoming to eat them but they would run away as soon as I came tothe window. So I would put bread on the ledge and stay still for half an hour by the window - till the squirrels started realizing that I wasnot meaning them any harm and would dart in - pick up the foodand then run away. Over months of making friends - one or two

1

I wrote this story to stay connected with my children (Tushar 9 and Mehak 7 years old) who were stillin Palampur in India while I was away and alone in Lesotho in Africa for a one and half year period on

work.

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became so pally that they even started eating bread out of myhands. But as soon as I tried to catch them - they would getalarmed and run away and not come close for a day or two.

I realised that animals are born wild and do not like to be caged or kept locked in a house (except animals like dogs, cows, buffaloesand pigs etc. which have got 'domesticated' – are used to livingwith humans who take care of their needs). So I never tried tocatch them and put them into a cage after that point - I simplybecame their friend and enjoyed sharing with them their antics andplay.

One day there was a heavy rain. A boy came and told me that a

baby squirrel had got washed off a tree into a gutter (the metal grillnext to the road thorugh which the rainwater drains out) and wasmaking a lot of crying noises and people were not able to take itout. You see - I had been accepted as the `animal lover’ by myfellow students and they would come to me if they found anyanimal in trouble anywhere.

So I went with him to the gutter - and sure enough - there was thissmall wet and trembling little baby squirrel at the bottom - clingingto a small piece of wood floating in the water. All ar ound us on the

trees - the squirrels were all squealing loudly in what I had come tounderstand as their alarm call. I felt very brave - trying to help apoor animal.

So I gallantly lifted up the gutter grill and put my arm in andscooped up the helpless squirrel out from the water and brought itout. As I started taking it to my room to dry it, it suddenly openedits mouth and even as I watched - sank its two huge incisors (thebig teeth rodents have in the front) into my thumb. I yelled in pain

and let go of the squirrel - it jumped down and bounced on theground - leaped up the nearest tree and joined the other squirrelsthat collected around it and started fussing over it – licking ir cleanand dry.

I looked at my thumb - blood was oozing out of the bite and I hadto rush to a doctor and get a bandage put and also had to takeAnti-Tetanus injections (to fight germs that may have come into mybody due to its bite). I felt very foolish and let down - here I was

trying to help the squirrel and the foolish thing, instead of feelingthankful - bit me instead.

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I thought about it a lot for a few days and then I understoodsomething - all living beings like to live with their own - you andmehak with your parents and grand-parents, me with mine - the

animals are the same.

The squirrel bit me not because it did not feel thankful but becauseit wanted to now join its parents and I was taking it away fromthem.

That understanding changed my outlook - I now never wanted tomake wild animals my pets in a cage or in a room or a house. Ibecame their friend - spending time in the wild and open outdoors-

in their house - watching the animlas and enjoying their play and joy as they ran ar ound playing with each other or birds as they flewaround gracefully on the soaring air currents. I became their friendwho came as a guest to where they lived and enjoyed a fewmoments with them and then came back to my world of housesand cars and people.

I learned to respect animals as things that share our worldwith us.

(Next time: my adventures in the Keola Deo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur,Rajesthan – but you have to look it up on the map before that and email methat you know where it is – I will then send you the next installment. AndTushar – you have to please read out the story to Mehak in English atbedtime and explain it to her in Hindi when she does not understandsomething)