"I WOULD'VE BEEN AN ECOLOGIST..."

Every time I sat down to do my homework, a crow would come and sit on my window sill. It would just stare at me as if I owed it, half of my property. I would then scamper to the kitchen, stealthily grab a fistful of grains, pulses or seeds, run back to my room and offer the crow some bribe to leave me alone. The crow would then call its friends, family, neighbours and the entire clan. I had to start offering a heavier bribe. But the crows would leave a small portion of the bribe behind and fly away. May be it was meant for me! Did they really consider me family? Their gesture was indeed heart-touching but I wasn’t going to eat any leftovers. I have self-respect, after all. 

Soon ants and other insects started coming to my window to eat the leftover offering. Spiders began weaving webs. Lizards too joined the party. It didn't take long for the mice to arrive. 

And one day I spotted a snake slithering near my window. If my guess was right, it was after the mice. I don’t think it would have been interested in grains, pulses or seeds. My bribe often attracted different kinds of reptiles. Some very attractive with vibrant colours, scary eyes and flared nostrils. Why do you need to subscribe to wildlife channels on TV when you could get to see the creatures LIVE?

After a few days, I spotted a magnificent eagle! I was thrilled to see it sitting by my window. I knew my homework could wait as I admired the bird’s beauty. Then one day, I heard some weird sounds. When I looked outside, there was a mongoose soaked in blood! I was excited and worried at the same time. I had no idea on giving first aid to an injured mongoose. But I immediately realised that the mongoose wasn’t alone. It was fighting a king cobra! What a sight! Those were the days when there were no mobile phones. So I just sat there in total awe, witnessing the two fight. I really did not want either of them to die. I kept praying that they’d just get tired after the fight and go back home without killing each other. 

I didn’t get to know what happened in the end as I heard my father being fed up of catching snakes inside the house, carrying them to far away places to let them go. Turned out, snakes had been trying to pay me a visit for weeks! I proudly announced what I had been doing for the ecosystem. But instead of pride, I saw contempt on my father’s face. I thought he’d appreciate my efforts to have “created” a food chain. Instead, he was furious at me for turning our house into a wildlife sanctuary. So I decided to stop contributing to the noble deed and let mother nature do what she does best.