Showing posts with label urban living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban living. Show all posts

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Requiem for a fellow walker




Requiem for a fellow walker
Requiem for a fellow walker

I have a long maintained habit of walking very early in the morning, for various reasons this very early walk is very satisfying for me. I walk so early that for the most part of the year my walk is only occasionally shared by watchmen and few animals, like dogs and very few cats. Only in the peak summer time when the time for prayers is close to my walking time do I encounter other residents. For last some years I have had fleeting encounters with a porcupine (possibly hystrix indica, as this is the most common one found in these parts). These were very brief encounters. I usually came upon the porcupine foraging in the garbage and hearing my footsteps the porcupine would swiftly run away, so swiftly in fact that I for long did not even know what creature this was; I initially thought it was a large lizard. One day I was able to identify the creature it was a full grown porcupine with large multi colored quails.

For last many months I continued, occasionally, see fleeting images of my fellow occupant of the raid, I was surprised as to how the porcupine survived in this urban, organized jungle, the area I live in is developed with houses constructed since long. My fellow walker was always alone I do not know if porcupines moved in pars if he had a wife I did not meet her. Those encounters continued for long time and my friend had respect for me and would shy away at the sound of my footsteps. I was more curious and did want to see the porcupine but was always never able to do.  We had developed a strategy of mutual survival. The porcupine was more prudent and kept a safe distance away from me.  Man and creature had developed boundaries which ensured mutual well being.
Two days ago I saw a heap on the road, I was a little cautious but coming near to the heap I was shocked as it was my friend the porcupine who lay there , crushed by a car , blood had oozed out and the porcupine lay dead, the magnificent quails were lying all over the place . Seems that the mutual boundaries we had worked out did not include safety mechanisms for the technological developments that my kind had made and which resulted in my kind to achieve speeds which the usually prudent and careful porcupine could not match. It failed to evade the car, which may have been speeding and unaware of the death the car had caused. Another victim of technology I would say. Seems that we are bent of destruction of all other life only life that thrives is what is useful to us, like chickens, cows, horses etc., or life which has evolved mechanisms to outwit us.
Dead dogs and cats are common but I am not sure why but the death of the magnificent porcupine saddened me. Good bye friend. To me it seemed that in our zeal for development and progress we have forgotten how to coexist with other creations and also failed o provide for these creations in the urban jungles we are creating.