Lockdown Diaries Nominee#10- Bliss In Absolute Chaos by Aparna Chowdhury

Coronavirus pandemic has brought in unforeseen changes. It has taken us a while to come to terms with this sudden change. Most of us are still struggling. My initial reaction was bewilderment and a sense of acute restlessness. But then it changed, for the better…..

Yet in these trying times, a pigeon chose my balcony to lay an egg. One morning as I was cleaning the balcony, the sight of the tiny egg-filled me with such joy that I carried a smile throughout the day. I stopped anyone venturing out into that balcony, no matter how strong the urge could be. I expected my husband to forget the new decree and casually stroll out into balcony for some fresh air. However, this often forgetful man religiously followed the new rule of the house. What a relief!

Thus began a new routine, after waking up the first thing was to go out and see whether mamma pigeon was fine. Her sight delighted me but, unfortunately, my presence was not met with equal joy. It pained me to see that she used to fly away the moment I stepped into the balcony. “Come back mamma, I mean no harm” I yelled at her.
But unfortunately, mamma pigeon didn’t trust me completely. I sadly reflected that we humans cannot be trusted and so she was wise in doing so.

I was thrilled when on the third day I found another egg. Yippee! It’s time for double dhamaka.
Soon the first egg hatched and the arrival of the new baby delighted all of us. We clicked pictures and posted it everywhere possible. It was a tiny pink bird and all it did was sleep the whole day. I named her Minni. After around five days the second egg hatched and this chick was tinier than Minni. I named it Tinni. Thus began the saga of Tinni and Minni.
Minni was growing robust and strong but Tinni was the weaker one. It was beautiful to see both of them cuddle up to each other.

My daughter being the only child felt jubilant in their company. She assumed the responsibility to check whether there was enough food and water for the mamma.

Tinni and Minni became a part of the family and their chirping was music to our ears. Minni being the elder one was quiet and reserved whereas Tinni was boisterous.
Soon they became naughty and started hopping out of the nest. Initially, we put them back but we stopped interfering and they explored their little world with confidence and glee.

As they say the real home of a bird is in the blue sky and a day came when Minni flew away. No goodbyes, no tears, no ceremony. Soon Tinni followed suit.

My Tinni and Minni brightened our life during this lockdown. They were a source of unconditional joy and I miss their chirrups. I miss rebuking them frivolously for the bird poop in my entire balcony. These little creatures were not affected by lockdown, pandemic or the rising number of positive cases, the economic situation of the country, threat of China and other pressing issues.

Oh what not I will give to live with such abandon and contentment!

Thank you Tinni and Minni for giving me the privilege to witness something so magical, i.e your birth and you growing up into two beautiful pigeons. I wonder where you are cooing now. Thank you for teaching me that it is the simple moments of life that are our greatest treasure.

ReachIvy.com organized an online blog/vlog competition to provide people the unique opportunity to share their lockdown stories using their creativity. Ayushi Sahare beautifully pens down the impact the pandemic has had on her and how she is learning to deal with it. Here is a little snippet for you to read. ‘The time when dalgona was the absolute trend!! Looks pleasing right?! It took me cons to whisk the coffee and make it the right consistency. But in the end it was totally worth it.’

The above entry has been submitted by Aparna Chowdhury from Haryana, India. She is a teacher at the Modern Delhi Public School. Kudos to Aparna for this beautiful piece!

Show your support and help Aparna win the contest by liking this blog post on all ReachIvy.com’s social media platforms!