This is a true story with the dimensions of a parable.

Most of us here about are familiar with the nuisance of birds at the big eating-place in the Ashram. The most menacing are the crows. Especially for the girl-students whose Mess is an enclosure. Remember the green screens? Yes, they are kept all around as barricades, for demarcation. One thing, it causes suffocation; but it kept the mess of devotees and visitors -Indian and Western – from walking in & out. But what an appropriate perching lot (like parking lot) did they make for the crows to sit on and caw-caw endlessly. They would fearlessly glide down for a pick, or poop as they flew across the perching ends. Menace is the word. One of the women in charge of food supply made a scarecrow with a long pole and blackish cloth, and was seen running it after the crows, trying to scare them away. She could be seen running from end to end with the pole in hand and `Shhhh….!’ sound from her pout.

One fine day, it was 3-4 days’ ago, Amma’s message of one-ness, of life without barriers, kind-of seeped into some receptive mind. The intermediate screens were removed. Now there remained a long eating place, one end sat the Amrita University girls, the other end remained the westerners’ eating place and the middle portion- Ladies’ Silent Area- was occupied by mostly silent ladies. As there were no more crows, the entire area was mostly silenced.

With the screens gone where would the crows sit and caw, or wait for food crumbs?

See, without barriers so much so good!

Even as this story was ready in my mind, the same crows revealed another parable to me. The lids of the food-waste tubs were open when I went to the sinks after my breakfast. As I was throwing the bits of the waste into it, a few crows emerged out of the tubs. I felt it is proper to shut them and coolly shut their lids, and deftly turned to do my dish. I cannot claim any innocence, let me confess. The wicked -crooked thought surfaced: `Hey, you have deprived them of food. The angry crows will peck at you in the back. Beware!’

Sandhya immediately turned back ready for defense, even offence. But the crows were a pitiable sight. They were not angry. They were not even looking in my direction. They did nothing as reaction to my move. They were as usual trying to see if there was a way to reach to the food waste. So different from normal human reaction…..

Like the proverbial crow of our childhood, that Amma reminded us of a few months ago, who put stones and got the water rise up in the jug…..

Sandhya