சிட்டுக் குருவி ~ ஏறியக் காற்றில் விரைவோடு நீந்துவை

I’d rather be a sparrow than a snail

Yes, I would; If I could; I’d surely would.  !!!!

 

பறவைகள்  அழகானவை.  சிறு வயதிலிருந்து நம் வீட்டினருகிலேயே பார்த்துப் பழக்கப்பட்டவை சிட்டுக்குருவிகள். அவை சிறகடித்துப் பறப்பதையும், தத்தித்தத்திச் செல்வதையும், கூடு கட்ட இடம் தேடுவதையும், தானியங்களைக் கொத்திக்கொத்திச் சாப்பிடுவதையும்,  படபடவெனச் சிறகடித்துக் சுற்றி சுற்றி பறப்பதையும் கண்டு ஆனந்தம் அடைந்து இருப்போம். 

For sure you know this storyline ! :  Pakshi,  a passionate ornithologist has  a bird sanctuary at his house. He protests the excessive use of mobile phones, fearing that high-frequency electromagnetic radiation from cell sites threatens avian life. He loses  all attempts to warn the public about the harmful effects of cell phone radiation on birds, which led to many of his birds dying. He reports it to the authorities who show scant regard/ Deeply frustrated, Pakshi hangs himself to death from a cell tower. The  negative energy of deceased birds, becomes a vengeful orange-colored aura made of negatively charged ions who can control cell phones with electromagnetic radiation that goes on killing and destruction spree ! 

 

விட்டு விடுதலையாகி நிற்பாய் இந்தச் சிட்டுக் குருவியினைப் போலே

எட்டுத் திசையும் பறந்து திரிகுவை; ஏறியக் காற்றில் விரைவோடு நீந்துவை 

 என்ற மஹாகவி பாரதியாரின் வரிகள் மிகவும் பிரபலம். பறவைகளின் சுதந்திரம் குறித்து பாரதியார் எழுதிய அந்த வரிகள் இன்றும்  காலம் கடந்து நிற்கிறது.  

சிட்டுக்குருவி (House sparrow), (Passer domesticus) என்பது  ஒரு சிறிய பறவை ஆகும். பொதுவாக இதன் நீளம் 16 செ.மீ.ம், எடை 24-39.5 கிராமும் இருக்கும்.  பெண் சிட்டுக்குருவிகள் மற்றும் குஞ்சுகள் வெளிர் பழுப்பு மற்றும் சாம்பல் நிறத்திலும், மற்றும் ஆண் சிட்டுக்குருவிகள் பிரகாசமான கருப்பு, வெள்ளை, மற்றும் பழுப்பு அடையாளங்களுடனும் காணப்படும். 

 

The story was that of the much hyped 2.0 ~ the sequel to Rajnikant starrer ‘Enthiran’  that suffered  matching the expectations – as the original  kept the audience glued to its storyline – all credit to Sujatha, the great writer and the director Shankar.  Its storyline was :  Dr Vaseegaran, a scientist working on alternative intelligence develops a humanoid  robot  which gets rejected by sinister designs.  At a point of time, the robot ‘Chitti’ asks why he has not been provided with ‘emotion’.  Dr Vaseegaran reprogrammes it with human feelings and emotions so that it could  distinguish between right and wrong. However things go wrong when Chitti falls in love with Sana (Aishwarya).   The making of Chitti and developing its functions was well depicted – I felt saddened when Chitti is dismantled [rather asked to self-destruct] and dumped in Perungudi  garbage ! 

In 2.0 version, eight years after the events of the first film, Dr Vaseegaran creates an android humanoid assistant named Nila, which he introduces to a group of college students.  Shortly afterwards, all the cell phones in the city fly into the sky, causing a public panic. A council of politicians and scientists discusses the phenomenon, with Vaseegaran suggesting reactivating Chitti.  An upgraded Chitti fights the giant bird-shaped swarm as it wreaks havoc in the city. 

Moving away from the film, the city could have lesser of the flora and fauna than what it used to have a few decades earlier – much to do with the urban landscape change with more and more thousands settling in metropolis.  Modern urban architecture robs the birds and many animals  their nesting sites. Humans migrate from rural areas to urban. The birds have to take the  reverse route  Rapid urbanisation has accelerated changes to the biosphere, leading to the loss and homogenisation of global biodiversity.  Bird communities typically show reduced diversity and richness in urbanised areas  with most species generally exhibiting lower nesting productivity and survival in urban areas.  Urban habitats tend to favour bird species that are better adapted to survive under novel conditions.  In particular, non-native species (i.e. species introduced to a novel environment where they establish viable populations) often have greater success in exploiting human-dominated areas.

 

The diminishing trend is more attributable to dearth of food material, habitat loss, loss of greenery and too much crowds of human population and not to leave out the oppressive heat conditions that now prevail in Chennai and many other cities.  

 

"El Cóndor Pasa" is an orchestral musical piece from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean music, specifically folk music from Peru. Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. In 1970, the   duo recorded the Los Incas version, adding English lyrics which included Paul Simon in the author credits under the song name "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)" – and that is what you read in first para. 

Interesting ! – Good morning & welcome to my photo post – today house sparrows – சிட்டுக் குருவி.  Sparrows photographed in Triplicane yesterday

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
15.9.2024