I have been making my acquaintance with birds for a few years now. I felt the connection with birds more acutely during the pandemic. The silences, as it were, accentuated my senses and I listened carefully to the different birdsounds around me. Living in a place which is rich with biodiversity, and has over a hundred species of bird (at last count), waking up to birdsong became a ritual, something I looked forward to.
As a teacher I tried to help my students connect with nature even while we connected in the virtual mode. I wrote about this experience here.
And then I came down with COVID in April 2021. Through the recovery, I am sure the birds I saw through the window helped me in the healing process. I captured them through sketches and a parody rhyme I wrote, which I stitched together in this video
Then there were sketches I made to celebrate my siblings
And this is how I celebrated my daughter as she bacame a year older, by sketching bee-eaters
“Another birthday comes by! Parent-hood comes without a script, is completely improvised, and throws surprises along the way (looking back, mostly pleasant). We are at the stage where we don’t see eye to eye on most things, yet our bond grows stronger. Here’s to many more years of eye rolls (hers) and hair rapidly turning grey (mine). These blue tailed bee eaters, sitting on the same branch and looking in different directions, felt like they were us (except in the birds the older ones are prettier than the young)! The colours in my pallete can’t do justice to the vibrant hues sported by these birds, which seem to shimmer and change as they catch the light.”
Then came a trip to the Himalayas, and the birds I found there with their brilliant colours and sounds found their way into sketches
