Goose bites and Goosebumps…

 

My office campus is a pretty sight. There are abundant open spaces, an impressive green cover and artificial water bodies; it is arguably the most picturesque office campus in the city.  One of the water bodies (the biggest one) is rich in fish and is home to a family of geese. Am not sure though if the birds are property of the company or its employees.

 

While the birds add to the pastoral quotient of the campus, there are other ways in which they contribute to the employee experience.  The lake is very close to the largest employee canteen and some of these birds visit often, the one in the picture being the most frequent guest. Let’s call him ‘Bob’ irrespective of the gender (which I don’t know). It is not uncommon to see some of these birds roam the canteen during lunch or in the evening in search of food. Their modus operandi is simple. They approach the table and peck at the unsuspecting employee’s leg. For the uninitiated it comes as quite a shock and you do see people popping out of their chairs. Most employees do part with some food since they don’t know how to react or shoo the bird away. It doesn’t help that the birds are quite persistent, with Bob’s persistence bordering on insolence. The dilemma of the unsuspecting victim is understandable, we are used to interacting with domesticated animals such as dogs, cats and cattle but with a goose it’s just not the same. For starters, what food is safe for them or is goose bite as dangerous as a dog bite.

 

The other evening one of my colleagues and me were enjoying a snack as Bob strode into the canteen. I was quite amused at the sight of him pestering somebody in a near by table and in between my conversation I couldn’t help capturing it. As I returned to the conversation I forgot all about Bob. Just when I was about to get up I felt Bob peck on my thigh. While I had seen him around, I hadn’t met him in person (this being the first time he had managed to corner me for food). But I had already polished off my ‘kesari bhath’ and two cloves were the only leftovers on my plate, my colleague had a clean plate too. Bob must have felt that I was ignoring him as I scanned around and at my friend for help and he bit me, a potent bite despite a layer of denim. What happened to the more gentlemanly peck, I wanted to scream. Luckily for us, he then waited only long enough for me to click a picture, before he made his way to the neighboring table.

 

Bob approaches the unsuspecting snacker..

Meet Bob..

********************** 

 

Almost a Good Day…

Almost a Good Day…

 

 

I - Morning Blues

 

I conjure up a hopeful country rhythm

To assuage the morning blues

Even the sight of a lovely passer-by

Does little to alleviate the gloom

 

I briskly walk towards the bus stop

A familiar morning story; I’m late

The walk evolves into a desperate sprint

It’s unlikely the office bus will wait

 

But…….  

 

So seated ‘snugly’ on an uneven seat,

I reflect on the morning’s urgency.

Boarding the bus in the nick of time

Restores my faith in life’s little mercies

******

 

 

II - An Evening at Office

 

I step out

Into a pleasant breeze;

We’ve seen the last of the winter.

The weather, the only

Saving grace for the city.

 

It’s dark.

Little had I realized

The day had passed.

A passer by,

At best a silhouette, nods.

I reciprocate

Without recognizing him.

People rush towards

The bus bay; it’s time.

 

On my way to the café,

I cross the open-air amphitheatre.

The amphitheatre is awash

In a velvety milky glow.

‘A very good evening,’

I whisper to myself.

On other evenings I am

Foul-mouthed under my breath.

 

At the café entrance,

 I’m cornered into a conversation.

We part, it was amusing

How his face had contorted,

And his frame shuddered

In exuberance, to generate

A limp handshake.

 

I engage in a little chat

With one of the waiters;

The take-away latté arrives.

On my way to the door,

From the corner of my eye,

I catch a promising sight.

 

In a corner of the café.

It’s ‘La Esmeralda’ perhaps; 

A gypsy at heart with

An appearance to match. 

I leave the café

Convinced it was otherwise.

And her smile had pleaded 

Subtlety in such endeavors.

 

As I retrace my steps to my cubicle,

I give in to the urge to steal

A few quiet moments.

I recline against the amphitheatre steps.  

I catch a glimpse of a half moon,

A solitary one en attendant stars.

I am reminded of beetles

And how they usually die

If knocked over, vulnerable due to

Their inability to return to their feet.

I stretch and kick my legs

Impersonating a desperate beetle.

 

I’m grateful I can get back

To my feet, unaided.

And this evening, for once

It’ll be at my own ease.

****

 

 

III – Tête-à-tête at Midnight

 

Eighteen was to be a milestone

But twenty-one sneaked upon me

Without the promised tranquility

 

Wisdom I reckoned would follow age

Twenty-two ushered an era of hope

But wisdom was the proverbial Godot

 

Need to talk so I’ve invited the Blues

For a tête-à-tête over coffee at midnight

It’s a precarious twenty-five

****

The Case of a Missing ‘Vada’

I have come to a conclusion that crows prefer vadas over idlis and I have reasonable evidence to support this. It may be the colour of idli, an antithesis of the crow’s complexion, that is uninviting to the crow but I guess this will only qualify as speculation. But let me share with you the evidence I have.  

 

The other day, I placed my plate on the table and turned around to get myself a cup of tea. It was a pleasant morning and I was looking forward to a peaceful breakfast on the roof top cafeteria of my office. By the way, I’ve temporarily relocated to our office on the MG road, quite a relief as may be evident from an earlier post on the commute on the Hosur Road. Well, when I returned to the table in 10-15 seconds, I found the vada from my breakfast of ‘idli vada’ missing. Also the ladies sitting on the next table seemed to be giggling but I gave them the benefit of doubt. They couldn’t have had a hand in this, besides our organization completed the annual salary increase cycle only recently. But since it was the second time in a week it was a matter of concern. The first time, I had gone to the counter and insisted that they had forgotten to give me a vada but this time I was sure that I had left the counter with one. I had even checked if it was crispy.

 

I looked around to see if anyone had a clue, inquiring on the missing food would’ve been quite odd. But by a stroke of common sense, my suspicion veered to birds and I inspected the bird population around. The pigeons sitting on the hoarding atop this roof weren’t equipped to fly away with such a huge catch At best they could nibble away pieces of it and the eagle perched on the tower on the edge of the roof was too noble for this. This could only be the handiwork of a crow. And on this occasion, there were witnesses too. One of the giggling ladies pointed towards the direction of the culprit, who quarreled over the vada with the others. Well the mystery solved, the break fast wasn’t palatable anymore and I brought a fresh plate. A crow has its own place in the eco-system but no one can disagree that it’s an ugly dirty bird; who knows what it might have had for its last meal. So two vadas was a big price to pay but I have an important lesson to show for it, of never leaving my food unattended around here.

 

Despite the aerial threats to ones food, there are many merits of this roof top cafeteria. It offers a great view in all directions; it’s a good place to catch some fresh air and to take a break. Besides, you get to see eagles from close quarters. You’ll always find an eagle or two surveying the landscape from atop the hoarding or any other vantage point here, or simply circling the space beyond the roof top.

 

 

Photo: Ujjwal