It so happened.... that on one of my busy mornings last week, I had just got out of the front door holding my son's little soft hand. We had just taken a few flight of steps when I spotted something grey-bluish moving on the window pane of our building. The movement was so sober and restrained, that I just couldn't figure out what it was. As, I neared the edge of the last step, I knew the probability of what it was. Just a few steps further, there it was - a tiny, just-born, little featherless birdie, fallen from somewhere above. My two year old son was as moved as I was, just that he was much quicker than me in extending his hand. I stopped him just there trying to make him understand in our blabber language, which he did. With strains of efforts this little birdie was rubbing its soothing skin on the rough cement wall of the window pane and moving towards the edge which obviously it didn't know. The eyes where still not open but, it chirped and chirped as it moved forward.
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| The little birdie as I laid it in the carton box |
The only moment I realized then and there was, when I looked at my son and my eyes went back to this little birdie. I got my mobile from my bag and gave a call to Just Dial! Hey, can I have the address and phone numbers of Vet doctors. The response came through an SMS. And I called a clinic in Vashi and I was told to bring the bird there! I took the bird in a small carton box, dropped my son at the day care and reached the vet clinic.
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| The clinic in Vashi |
I was in Que with one doggerman, two Petit's (there eyes were as hopeless as I was in guessing how they are surviving away from France from where this breed origin's from), a cute round doodle and a huge guardian. I asked the helpers there, if I can leave the bird and take leave. The response was a hard "No". I had to wait for the doctor to lead me somewhere where I can make the bird stay. In the phase of these events I realized I had left my mobile cover in the auto I had landed up in. I gave a call to my hubby to give this birdie news. He was much happier to know that I had only lost my mobile cover and not my mobile!! (An interactive S2 which costed him bombs!)
Finally, I came to face the doc who was already appraised by those over-surprised helpers who thought I was wasting my time and had already told me in between that I should just leave the bird somewhere! Now the doc already had a smug on his face which was getting on my nerves. He simply told me that the only option I have is to hand over the bird to the "Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals" at Parel. I was already being given the travel instructions. I did request the vet if he could feed the bird some water and I was given a dropper. I requested him again but, there seemed to be zilch response. I asked him again if I could leave the bird there and someone can either drop or pickup the bird from the clinic. The doctor was just repeating his golden words "Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals". Just to give some intellectual inputs he pointed out the bird seemed to be a rare bird because its hind legs are very long and the birds body width is quite broad. The feathers seem to be blue in colour and it may be it's a night bird.
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| | The bluish feathers |
I got out and gave a quick call to my hubby who liked the idea the helpers had given me. I ended the call and found the helper standing behind me. I asked him again for a better view of the route I have to undertake. Shaking myself I took a shared auto to Vashi railway station and took the VT local for Sewri. En route I found myself surrounded by little kids who for some reason did not hear the birdie's call because of the velocity with which the train travelled, otherwise, there would have been some real hype and unnecessary "Can I touch it?" queries. Once I got out, I buzzed on a few people's direction sense, took a cab and finally after a few minutes reached "Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals". I had started talking to the bird since it seemed talkative too. The bird's call for its giver had gone up over the past 2-3 hours. It sounded more like a shrieking quiver. I knew it needed more than water and food and was all the more hopeful that this place we were going to will fulfill its need. The people in the shared cab I had taken including the driver did give me some "over reactive looks"!!
I walked into the compound of "Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals" and found it to be a very old complex.
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| The entrance to the hospital |
The place was divided into zones for dogs, cats, horses and more. I showed the security my reason for being there and he gave me directions. I walked till the end of the compound where a board said dog ward.
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| The path which lead to the room where I handed over the birdie |
A few helpers were moving around and I showed them my little birdie. "Oh!" was the exclamation I got from this one helper. He took the small carton from me and walked off. I asked him if I should stay to see the doc and if they will be able to help the birdie and he said "dekhna padega" - (have to see). I asked him to handover the birdie to me again. I said one bonded farewell to the birdie and gave it all the luck in the world for now I said "It's your destiny, I have done my part to whatever extent I can!"..After giving it one very long look, I gave it to the helper and left back. It was a little painful for I will not know what happened to the bird but, somewhere the dreamer, fantasist, positive out looker and karma believer in me, believes that the bird will take wings of delight!
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| The room. The last time I saw the birdie here. |
