Father-in-law finally came back from Indonesia to home. He was working in the Indian Embassy there. He retired, and we here were waiting eagerly his arrival.
. The day he arrived, we all had been to the airport to receive him.
He had brought many beautiful things as gifts for all of us. The most wonderful thing he brought with him was his pet Dhabal. The bird was milk white in colour,and that’s why the name was given by Bapa . It meant white. The bird had been living with him since 10 years in Jakata. Son Kartik blurted out, “GrandBapa l am 10 and and he is also 10.”To this daughter Krutika told “Now I have got two big brothers,” and clapped her hands. Both of them were thrilled and smothered his feathers with their palms.
They both were very excited to have Dhabal at home. They called him the talking parrot as he was talkative and could mimic any sound or word. He seemed very intelligent and sociable. He had the obsession to be around people. He was all the time with the children.At times he became very demanding with the children and both liked it. I was happy as he proved a boon, as children played with him instead of playing games in gadgets.
Bapa’s presence in the house and Dhabal’s pitter patter made the household vibrant. The tension of teaching the two naughty children was taken over by Bapa .He helped in the children’s Studies.
The bird was gifted to Bapa by his gardner. He was in charge of the garden of Bapas’s bungalow at Jakarta. To the widower Bapa,Dhabal was a good companion calling him Sahib sahib all the time. He was taking his food along with Bapa on the dining table. Here too he takes the same way. His favourites are rice with milk, nuts and eggs.
One interesting drama played in the house by Dhabal. It is ….,
There was a cuckoo wall clock in the living room. Dhabal developed a great interest in that clock. Each hour when the cockoo cooed, he would go to that room and watch it intently. He watched it for many days and to our surprise,one noon, he repeated the cockoo 12 times when the clock struck twelve. Each day he repeaded the sound at 12o’ clock only. Never did he repeat the small numbers.
One night I asked hubby, “How come Dhabal follow the longest number, not the others?”He said, “It’s simple. He is a talkative one. That’s why he loves to say the longer one. Or may be, as he is a wise bird he knows that the cycle of a clock is from twelve to twelve”,and he went to sleep. I couldn’t sleep. I thought about it very deeply. Why Dhabal is interested in twelve? Why he is doing so? There must be some reason. Is there a connection of a previous birth.?
Photo courtesy: Pixabay
Glossary:
Cockatoo. A big bird of the parrot species
Dhabal. White
Nice little tale