The Crow.

As usual in the morning, I went to the school at about 8.30. Got into my office in the third floor. There was no one as it was mid-term holidays. The door was opened by the watch man before I made my entry. By the side of my office, Mr. Mariyappa was taking classes for commerce students. Water drops were dripping from the roof in the corridor due to overnight rains. I removed my rain-coat and sitting in my chair started to see the messages from my mobile. This is my normal routine. I sent, rather forwarded the messages to my usual close friends and then signed in the register.
It was cloudy outside. So I switched on the light to go through some pages in the biology book.

Suddenly from my office door a crow flew in and directly sat above the window pane exactly above my seat. I was little puzzled and surprised. My first reaction was to get up from my place and I went outside. Standing outside the office in front of the door I waited for my unexpected guest's to go out on his own. No, few minutes passed.... nothing happened. I went inside and thought of a plan to chase the guest away. The crow was still fluttering from one side of the window sill to another end. It was evident that he or she the crow was confused by the window glass from where light was beaming in. So the intention of the bird was quite accidental and not intentional. It was trying get out but deceptive glass was not allowing it to go out. I don't know at that moment what the crow might be thinking? May be perplexed and frightened also. But desperately fluttering its wings to keep the body in the air.

On the left side of the entrance door there is switch board. First I put out the light and put on the fan thinking some sort of disturbance might prepare him to venture to fly away. No doubt the fan did attract its attention but to my horror I realised that the life of the crow was in danger if he tries to fly away, there is only one way and that is through the rotating fan. I immediately put off the fan. Meanwhile the crow in confusion and fear has exerted and omitted.

Some how I avoided a close contact with my guest. I didn't know how to help him? or chase it away because neither I was comfortable in his company nor he was interested in me. I decided to wait for him to get out without causing further confusion. Because I know the animals do have a instinct of trail and error method. So I came out and stood near the corridor grills looking down and expecting the peon to come. (So far She has not come) And I didn't feel like asking help from the watchman to chase the crow away.

After some time my professor friend who was taking class for commerce students came out talking to somebody through his mobile. He smiled at me as he was conversing in his mobile. Closing his mobile he came to wish me and told that he had a seminar at the university. He was quite exited about his seminar as was to complete it to get his Doctorate which was long overdue. I told him strange circumstance and why I was standing out when he questioned me. Immediate reply from him was....
 "no the crow should not come inside like this....something very bad is in the offing.." His worried expression was very loud to say that it was a bad omen. No doubt I knew about peoples superstitious belief...but not from the university professor.... He called the watchman even after telling him that it would go on its own and it is matter of time.

The watch-man did come up with a stick and went inside but I didn't. dreaded with life threat randomly and somehow inits own way it was successful in escaping from the unknown territory... I saw the crow fluttering and  flying out of my office like an imprisoned warrior for many years in isolation in an unknown island.

I went in and the watch-man told me that the office has to be cleaned up because of droppings and other eatables which was dropped from the beak during its horrifying ordeal of escape. The watch-man went away and so also the professor. I was alone. Slowly the words of my professor friend started echoing in my ear. Arrival of a crow inside is a bad omen.

I was little perturbed. Yes I remember some people say it is omen of death, some think it is bad in every aspect. But I do know Crow is a vehicle of God The Shani and it need not be a bad omen always to all people. If it were to be so, then people would not have worshiped Shani. And normally I don't entertain such stupid ideas. But yet there was anguish and an inexplicable not exactly fear but a type of uneasiness in mind.

I wanted to overcome this strange mental state. So I started deliberately imagining what bad things might happen to me at this point of my life. Because somehow I have already lived 58 years which is not at all a bad span of life considering the turbulent time of the world. Well I might die! Well.... That has to happen of which I am not worried because just three months back I got my heart repaired!!!

And in one way that is a good thing to happen ultimately. Another thought swept through my mind that I may become cripple. This was really little terrifying thing to happen to anyone. Of course my suspicion of becoming a cripple has some background. Recently I have been suffering from severe back ache due cervical and lumbar spondylitis and stenosis. But whatever is going to happen is going to happen or has to happen will happen and you have to face it. You can't escape from the unwanted incidents because you dont want to face them and you always want a life of only joy but never like pain and sorrow. It is strange in India everyone talks about high philosophy of short and temporary  simple life but never want to go through with it...But unfortunate reality is there is no such stagnant state as ecstasy for ever...It is absurd and life is real. What are the other bad or worse things that might happen in anybody's life. Loosing your livelihood, or loosing your beloved people or else the unimaginable thing which has never happened in this world!!But everything is natural and it has been happening since the beginning of the life on earth..

Then what is the cause of concern? Am I frightened of the unknown and unpredictable diction of life? But that again is the reality of the life.......

I forcibly remembered the famous poem of D.H.Lawrence- The Snake.... The poem made me little relaxed.

A few years back, in 1999.... I remembered with a smile on my face...

My first younger brother constructed a house in Uttarahally or to be precise Yaadalamnagara which was then really outskirts of the city. After 'Grihapravesh' cermony my brothers family started living over there. My mother also joined them.

A few weeks later in the evening a crow entered the house. A crow getting into the house that too after so many rituals Shanthis, Homas and Poojas with perfect Grihapravesha...event.... is really horrifying. Most of the family members got really worried. So my brother went to a an astrologer or Purohita to analyse the entire episode. And promptly he told not to worry because the crow which had entered my brothers new house was someone who must have passed away recently and who was very lovable, elderly, close and motherly in relation has come in disguise or in the form of crow to bless my brother and his family. So it was very good for the blessings would result in prosperity of my brothers life.....

Everyone in the family were relived. And we did find out who that mother-like relative was and who had passed away recently. That was my beloved, beautiful fair aunty Sharada chikkamma who had come in the form of crow!!!!! to bless my brother and his family. But really I felt very sad and bad because, even in this blessed, stupid superstitious and wild imagination or belief I could never imagine my fair beautiful aunty in the form of a crow. A cruel and ugly comparison...not that I despise the crow...I love all the animals..but to see my aunty in that form was unimaginable...

Later it became a joke!

Once again when one day as we were discussing the experience, my mother told me, reality is that the crow has not come to my brothers house but it is my brother who has gone and invaded the territory of the crow!!!!

Todays my guest also must have come to claim its ownership of this so called my Office. Whose territory it is anyway????????

Well all of us must share the same and one and only planet which we inhibit for millions of years in different forms at different ages and eras and periods as living entities.....

Yesterday it was Dinosaurs in Jurassic and it is Homo sepion's Pleistocene. Is isn't it???