Parakeets and Politics

My blogger, photographer and travel writer  friend Anu Shankaran  recently posted some amazing captures of red ringed parakeets  on her blog.   

The sequence did indicate that something serious was being discussed. Like folks at the top interviewing some junior folks, helped by an presumed-peaceful intermediary.  Like some interested folks looking on from some distance away, biding their time. 

Maybe the birds in India are aware of the political happenings.  Maybe there is a clear hierarchy amongst parakeets, and the red ringed ones are members of an elite body, elected by proletarian parakeets.  

Anything is possible. Even a poem !

The Chairparakeet
at the top
in lights,
and her smart protege
steeped in guava economics
and FDI in Trees;
both wondering
how the fiery one
on the rusted eastern pillar
will react.

" No ! I cannot
and will not allow
FDI in trees, ever ;
what will my  fellow birds eat ?"
the fiery lady parakeet
said determinedly.


The Chairparakeet
gave a slight nod,
turned away in anger,
and
the fiery one,
ever aware of the niceties,
bowed and said,
"i am sorry, but I must withdraw..."
and flew off.

The Chairparakeet looked down,
consulted the
Sitting Committee,
and decided to approach
someone else....
 
Some distance away,
amidst the spiky trees,
another parakeet,
statue-like and stately,
watched the proceedings,
as the Chairparakeet approached....

No one knows what was said,
but this one too
flew away.

Crisis time.
The Chair parakeet
and the smart protege,
were last seen winging south...

Did they learn from the Parakeets ?

This wonderful interaction between parakeets and the mango fruit was clicked by my FB friend Nandan Tavanandi  . 

The first two  are  Alexandrian Parakeets, identified by the pink patch on the shoulder, and the third is the Roseringed  parakeet, displaying a delicate ring around the throat.

A great display of how different folks  behave when confronted with  fruits of someone else's labour.....

 I wonder if they learned from us,
or
we learned from them...
Some,
Spiffy movers
cutting through dense branches,
homing in on
targets
heard of from others;
seen to be contemplating
the pros and cons,
while actually finding it hard
to keep
both saliva
and ambition under check.

Then ,
some,
taking courage into ones wings,
get closer to the target,
infatuated by the
fruity perfume,
and smooth contours,
eyes alight,
mouth worldlessly open,
mobilising to attack,
and imbibe,
claiming it as one's own...

And some
proletarian greedy types,
who fly in,
and without thinking,
simply seize the moment,
along with the fruit,
and dig right in,
slurping, and chewing
eyes feasting
on the yellow gold,
unconcerned about
glaring eyeballs
of Alexandrian cousins,
of another party group
on another branch,
wondering,
if they should have done the same
and grabbed
what they could.

On the trees, these are parakeets,
Roseringed and Alexandrian.

In the biped world,
we call them politicians.