Hear the BulBul Sing
It was the worst summer holiday ever!
Rohan felt a wave of resentment looking at his grandmother seated on a blanket under the shade of the tree. Why did his parents have to leave him at Nani's in India for the summer? He hated it here! The house smelled musty. Nani was a stickler for rules, she regulated TV times, and there was no Wi-Fi!
His beloved iPad was useless without Wi-Fi.
To add to his misery, she forced him to be outdoors during the day. He thought of his friends back in Denver as a drop of perspiration rolled down his back. He was sure they were having fun.
He was hot; he was sticky, and the stump on which he sat poked in his backside. In short, his seven-year-old self was acutely miserable.
"I am hot," he shouted from the tree stump.
"I told you to sit in the shade," came the reply from the blanket.
Ignoring it, he said, "I am bored."
"I gave you the option of reading," replied Nani, not looking up from her book.
"I don't like reading," he replied. "It is boring."
Unmoved, Nani continued to read.
He kicked the tree stump repeatedly in the silence that followed. He knew it irritated Nani. She had said so yesterday. But today, she did not even glance.
"I am bored," he repeated.
Peering over her spectacles, Nani said, "How can you be bored? You are outdoors."
"There is nothing to do," replied Rohan.
"There is plenty to observe," retorted Nani.
"There are trees, grass and sky. What else is there to observe?" asked Rohan.
Nani's lips curved in amusement.
"I can spot five birds from here. Can you?" she asked.
Rohan looked around.
"There!" he exclaimed, pointing to a flock of sparrows.
Nani chuckled. "That is one type of bird. I bet you cannot spot and name five different types."
Affronted, Rohan replied, "And what if I do?"
"I will let you watch an extra half an hour of TV today."
"You are on!" Rohan said, looking towards the skies to find his five birds. He quickly identified sparrows, crows, pigeons, and parrots. But even though he spotted the naughty squirrel running up and down the tree, the industrious ants marching in a straight line, and the pesky grasshopper jumping on the grass, the fifth bird proved to be elusive.
Seeing his frustration, Nani took Rohan's hand and made him lie on the blanket, saying, "Sometimes, one needs to be patient."
Rohan felt the hard ground under his back and the softness of Nani's hand as his eyes followed the puffy white clouds floating across a brilliant blue sky. Rohan didn't know how long they lay, but suddenly, he saw a small black bird with a red rump sitting still on a branch. He watched in amazement as the bird, opening its beak, warbled a pure note.
The trill of the note seemed to send a thrill in Rohan's heart.
"It is a bulbul," whispered Nani as they listened to the bulbul's song.
Long after the bulbul had flown away, Rohan continued to lie next to Nani, listening to the birds, chirping of the insects and watching the clouds float by.
It was finally turning out to be the best summer holiday ever.
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