The grey hornbill, the bird one observes flying across the road in New Delhi, has come to symbolise the fauna of New Delhi. And Bulbul Sharma has featured it appropriately in the title of her new book. This book is meant for Delhites — or those visiting the city — who keep their eyes open for the creatures that share the capital. It is a delightful read and would sensitise even the uninitiated to the thrills of observing Nature. Delhi — with its old gardens, parks and monuments — is full of birds. As the author points out, in the middle of a traffic jam, you can spot an Oriole flying across or a kingfisher on a lamp post. Or you hear the constant call of the barbet. However, by no stretch of imagination can this be called a song, as the author does). But the author does not stop with Delhi. We read about the migratory birds of Sultanpur and the birds of Kasauli. A list of birds and plants that feature in the book has been provided.
This is nature writing from a non-specialist. It is evocative, reflective and interpretative… the kind of writing that provokes you to go deeper into the subject. Before the 1970s, when wildlife did not figure as a subject in universities, there was no writing from wildlife biologists. Non-professional wildlifers like M. Krishnan contributed much to conservation through their writings. If you take a look at the old journals of the Bombay Natural History Society, you will understand what I mean. There are also well-known fiction writers who set their well-reasearched stories in authentic habitats. Like Michael Ceighton’s novel Congo , which has a lot about rainforests and its denizens.
Sharma’s book is not about just birds and trees. She goes into the cycle of seasons and the changes it brings. In fact; the book is divided into four chapters, each for one season. Here is her description of the summer sun: “Every day the sun seems to get more angry as it looks down on us and I feel it is trying to engage the earth, or at least Delhi, in some kind of battle. From the moment it rises, it blazes away, burning everything in its path. Sometimes the air you breathe is so hot you feel your lungs will burst into flames. The sun marches across the sky from dawn to dusk like a soldier waging war and everyone tries their best to keep out of its way.”
The author weaves into her narrative the folklore and history of the various species she writes about. We are told the mango tree is featured in the Sanchi Stupa that the mango blossoms, which appear in spring, are called the arrows of Kama, the God of love. We read extracts from Kalidasa and also from Hugh Whistler who wrote about birds in the 1920s and 1930s.
Sharma also points out the beauty in ordinary birds like the sparrow. She follows the koel’s stealthy move in laying its eggs in a crow’s nest. Though we constantly hear its call, we rarely try to observe this fascinating bird. A friend in Chennai told me of a crow, which she fed every day, bringing along a fledgling koel one morning.
Carl Sagan once said that we go through life as if there is no external world and fail to notice the trees, birds and insects around us. In our single-minded pursuit of career and wealth, many aspects of life get obscured. Someone has to come along and prod us to look around. Bulbul Sharma does exactly that with her engaging book.
Grey Horn Bills at Dusk: Nature Rambles Through Delhi;Bulbul Sharma, Aleph, Rs.295.
