Babies 2

Mornings are busy at the kitchen. By 10am I have to finish cooking for the day. As we live in the ground floor flat and have an open passage, birds, cats come and look through the net door as if to say hi to me!

Especially crows. We have always watched our elders feeding the crows first with hot steaming rice, a bit of cooked dal and some ghee since we were very young. I am following that tradition wherever I have lived. We believe in feeding the crows (our ancestors come in the form of crows?) before we eat each morning.
I offer the rice at 9.45am and the crows come exactly around that time everyday to eat! Its been a ritual for many years now. The crows get impatient, even if for some reason the feed is delayed by a few minutes. What gives me more pleasure is to see the older ones bring their very young ones. The way they feed and take care is seen to be believed. I have so many real crow stories to share with whoever is reading my blogs!

The young ones are taught to caw caw for food near our kitchen door at the same time each morning. I would feel bad whenever I have to lock the house and go for some outstation work. I keep thinking of the crows which may have missed the food.
What I have noticed in all these past years is that they love the rice steaming hot! If there are some leftovers and we try to put that anytime after the morning time slot, I find they have left it untouched. They come back the next morning for the fresh feed only! They are so very sensitive and don't seem to like old stuff. Is it because we feed them only fresh and hot rice each day at a particular time? I think its true. But makes me wonder when they are found rummaging carry bags for food in the garbage bins. I would always joke about this to my sons. The crows like variety and go hunting for different kinds of food besides the houses which feed them regularly with a particular kind of food.

They modulate their cries also as if they are requesting in a low volume 'caw, caw!' Turning their heads this way and that to attract my attention! This I notice when the young ones are hungry for more food and the time is noon or evening! I feel their moms teach them that is alright to caw for more at some houses. If I am home and find a young one cawing for long, I just bring out a biscuit or some plain rice as I don't feel like turning away a hungry soul.

Right next to the kitchen is a bedroom where the windows are kept open. The crows 'know' who uses which room and they sit on the window outside and look inside to see whether anyone is there. Two bedrooms were occupied by our two sons and both had crows visiting them when they would be in their rooms until dusk when it would be time for them to retire for the night.

The cats which would keep patrolling our passage from time to time would also peep in and share the hot rice. We would know as there would be louder caws from the crows in protest. Unmindful of the cacophony the cat would lick at the rice until it has had enough.

I will follow this up with the lame young crow's story one of these days.
until then.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi