First of all, I mean here by ‘A Study ‘, an observation. Secondly, I do not intend any metaphor or simile when i say ‘Bong Crows ‘, and Thirdly all the observations of the Bong Crows is based on the black crows of Kolkata – the capital of West Bengal.
During my 3-day stay at the the Bong – capital this DP, I was troubled and bugged not only by the incessant crows of Pandal hoppers that ‘littered’ the streets but also ( and perhaps even more so) by the jet-black crows that dominate the skies of the city. I mean when I went to sleep, I slept amongst the kaws and whenever I woke up it was again amongst the same harsh cacophony of the crows. At first, I thought that the enormous lighting arrangement of the Pandals (of DP) must be causing this, and then I thought perhaps I was sleeping too less ( incidentally all my relatives around at the same juncture thought so too!!), but how can the same thing happen two nights in a row? I mean, if anything happens continuously, it can’t be random can it?
I decided to stay awake the last night of my Kolkata stay just inorder to confirm – either my theory or their (relatives’) convictions, and believe me the result seemed ominous. I was tense, as everyone else around me started falling asleep in a row, and still there wasn’t a single kaw around! I felt bad (strangely!) I felt like someone ( or rather some-kaw) was going to confirm that i had become an insomniac and a delirious person. I felt like…Suddenly I heard a kaw, just in the adjoining terrace; my heart leaped! I listened. That one kaw was followed by a tumult of other kaws and then some more. The first crow continued kawing, the others didn’t stop either.
I felt joy (obviously!). I felt like something (or rather some-kaw) just lifted a heavy sack off my shoulders. i felt like…everything suddenly went silent again. Every single crow had stopped kawing. Even before I could feel anything they started yet again, and this this went one for more than a hour at a stretch!
It was then that I realised. The crows were celebrating. Celebrating what? Well, I guess that it was Id and Durga Puja at the same time. It was like they were having a musical concert or something! ( at least for them ,ha!) and that the first crow must have been the invited singer! ( I thought I saw a cap on his head!!! jus kiddin’). Moreover, the kaws of the singer (say HR) started to fade as the day began to unfold. Just at dawn, HR flw away from the terrarce (the dias!) to his very own star-wagon!! (the leafless tree just infront) and the kaws gegan to lessen and my ears and eyes ( i dont like black much) started to feel better .
I went out to stand at the terrace, to welcome the rising sun, and to celebrate the observation that I had made with a lungful drought of air so fresh and cold that is seldom found in Kolkata. What I saw was many crows were sitting on the nearby mosque ( i thought of them as Musilms) and many were sitting on the adjoining Shiva temple ( i thought them to be Hindus), and that many of them intercahnged places frequently, silently, gracefully and eloquently. No hard feelings amongst them. Why can’t this happen amongst us humans too? Why can’t we see each other as humans before we see each other as hindus and muslims? Why can’t we see that brotherhood is more a religion than Hinduism or Islam ?? Well that is what we have experts for, to brood and brood and then discuss and then brood some more. I felt like shouting at the full of my voice the couplet that my father often recites :
” Kya banne aye the, kya kya bana baithe kaheen mandir bana baithe to kahin masjid bana baithe. Hamse to acchi parindo ki jaat hai, kabhi mandir pe jaa baithe to kabhi masjid pe jaa baithe.”
which translates to :
” we came here to make something of ourselves, but ended up making things, erecting temples and mosques around us, creating differences amongst us. The birds are loads better than us, who sit atop the mosques and temples or the temples or the mosques, yet causing no loss of the equality that they have!“
Well what do I care? I am happy that I succeeded in ‘My experiment with the strange !” and that I came to the conclusion that, bong-crows aren’t nocturnal after all! They just like to party, sing and dance when the festive season is around. Well who doesn’t? Ha!
The Vidyarthi 
