Hope floats...

Every morning when I enter the reception block of Chinmaya Vibhooti I would see the nest on the left-hand-top corner of the entrance wall and would be amazed at how these little birdies had built this mud-nest. The birds would take turns flying in gathering tiny morsels in their beaks while the other partner patiently sat on the eggs. In the evening after sunset both the birds would sit in the nest with their tiny tails butting out on each side of it.
As the days went by, I was dying of curiosity to know if there were eggs inside and if they had already hatched.
Then one morning it happened …one of our workers stoked the nest with his bamboo stick in order to “clean the walls”! The poor birds kept flying in and around the wall, totally confused about what exactly happened to their home. The mud nest was on the floor with the contents open for all to see. There were 3 chicks – still alive and nestled together in a cozy bed of hay and feathers– their eyes yet to open. But their parents were not aware of this and even if they were what could these tiny helpless creatures do to restore the home and keep their little ones secure. We did’t know if there was any way we could help them, though I did place the remains of the nest closer to where the two birds were perched on a nearby wall. The chicks did survive that night and to my surprise the next morning, were chirping away with their eyes open. But then my joy was short-lived …by noon the little ones breathed their last.
We all felt sad but then these are the ways of nature. A very tragic end you would say…but no, the story does not end here!
The very next morning I saw the 2 little birds flying up and down, circling the area on the wall where now there were only tiny remnants of their home. By mid-day as I watched with joy, they were back to carrying tiny bits of mud and placing them on the wall…yes they had started re-building their home! This is the picture of the nest clicked just this morning- really amazing architecture. Can you believe the tiny mud nest is strong enough to support the 2 parents and also nestles the eggs (chicks) in a soft bed of hay and feathers? Am keeping my fingers crossed for these little ones :)