SENSATIONAL SPARROW STORY

SENSATIONAL SPARROW STORY

PROF WAQAR HUSSAIN

           On one afternoon of December, the sun was hiding behind thick clouds; it had been drizzling since morning. It was a cold but a fantastic romantic day. Everyone was celebrating the raining day in his own style. Hot tea, sizzling coffee, spicy food, delicious dry fruit-- were pacifying the appetite; warm wool and fleece clothes were warding off the chill and flaring coal, gas and electric heaters were 

fighting against the cold. In this peculiar milieu, my middle son Zawar Hussain planned to catch sparrows as soon as the rain halted for a moment, brood of sparrows gathered to take their supper before going to their nest for rest. He took a parat (a large metallic plate for kneading flour), inverted it and placed a stick of a foot;s length under one its edge. Now the parat was making an angle of 45 degree with the ground. He placed millet (bajra) under the parat and also tied stick with 

one end of a rope and extended the other end into veranda. After 15 minutes, a sparrow landed to the courtyard, then one by one, others followed suit. He was watching the pecking of sparrows carefully while hiding behind the pillar of veranda. Soon sparrows started eating millet under the parat spread as bait, but with a fright. They were plunging stealthily on the grains of millet lying under the parat and then jumping out quickly. After a few successful swoops, their fear faded off and they started eating millet fearlessly. On finding three sparrows under the pirat, Zawar pulled the rope and inverted pirat fell to the ground, captivating three sparrows inside. Zawar’s fain fell no bounds. I also joined aim. Now the problem was how to get the sparrows out.  I gave an idea to lay a bed sheet on the parat and he did so. The parat was raised from one end and two sparrows came out of the pirate but still remained below the sheet. The positioning of sparrows was evident as the portion of sheet was pulsating. He captured sparrow along with the sheet and put another hand under the sheet and got to the coveted target. Zawar got hold of it and  handed it over to my youngest son Nisar hussain, and then he captured another one and kept it in his own hand. But still one sparrow was hiding under parat; silent and motionless. We think for a moment that only two sparrows were trapped. On violent trapping of the parat, the shrewd sparrow came out and dashed under the sheat. As the sheat was wet and heaving and running under it, was a cumbersome job. She soon stopped and was captured in spite of her valiant efforts of escape. I handed it over to my daughter Sadaf Fatima . Then we took them to kitchen. Zawar searched knife and started sharpening it. He was ready to slaughter them. Soon the brave sparrow got out of the hands of Sadaf Fatima and flew away and sat on ventilator. As all the openings of the kitchen like door, window, ventilator, exhaust fan outlet ware closed so she couldn’t find her way out. We planned to compel her to fly till she exhausted and fell to the ground. We started hushing her with kitchen cloth (saafi) and she was flaying from one corner of kitchen to another. After 10 minutes or so, she fatigued, ran shot of energy and fell to the ground; all went according to our plan. We again captured her and this time handed her over to safer hands of my eldest son Amsar Hussain. Zawar again started sharpening the knife. We, all, were not happy to slaughter them but Zawar was quite adamant to. Soon, the brave sparrow broke the finger trap of Amsar hussain and again sat on the ventilator. We again started hushing her with kitchen cloth (safi) and she was flying from one corner to another, this time she was not tiring. We all five, 4 children and me, were jumping, shouting and were up to capture her. Suddenly she- sparrow flew toward the exhaust fan chamber which had plastic ventilator having covering of one way moving flaps. When we hushed her, she flew and stroke to one of the flap and it created an opening and brave sparrow flew out in open sky, proving the maxim “One who struggles succeeds.”

               

Zawar again started sharpening the knife to butchers  remaining two sparrows. We all advocated to let them free. But he was not ready? I said to him that people buy sparrows and let them free and prays. It is said in doing so the prayers are acknowledged in the Court of Almighty Allah. As a result, he unwillingly agreed to let them free but with a condition that he will first color them. So, we 

painted one sparrow green like parakeet(a small long-tailed parrot) and the other blue  like Indian blue robin(a small bird with blue upper part and rufous under parts) and let them free while uttering prayers. In order to pacify Zawar Hussain, I gave him cash prize. He reluctantly accepted and went to bedroom

                Next day he awoke, came straightly to me and told that he saw three sparrows in a dream. When, the sparrows got freedom. The brave sparrow went to her home; she told the entire incident to her husband and then took a long deep sleep. The next morning brave sparrow met the green sparrow and blue sparrow. Both were looking sick and saddened. 

Both told her that their husbands refused to recognize them. One’s husband told that she is green like parakeet  so she should go to parakeet’s nest. Green sparrow insisted that she is sparrow, but was caught by group of five robust barbarian creatures called human, who were in fact were not humane. They painted her green. But he-sparrow didn’t accept her justification and ousted her from his nest. As a result, she spent the whole cold night on a twig. The blue sparrow narrated similar story. The brave sparrow encouraged them and said; they have been elevated to a level of parakeet's and robin's. They should boost of their color instead of giving 

apologetic explanations. Both green and blue sparrow agreed and flew away. Green sparrow went to a group of sparrows and said: "I am superior to you; look at my green color. I am green like grassy fields, green trees and green emerald. Green is the color of fertility, soothing for eyes and pleasing for heart". But the fellow sparrows didn’t admit her distinction. They said; "you are neither sparrow nor parakeet. You are mongrel, belonging to no family." Similarly, blue sparrow made proud statements on meeting other sparrows that she was blue like robin, blue like sky, blue like ocean, blue like sapphire, etc. Blue color is the color of nature, delightful for heart and soul. Ironically, she met the same fate of green sparrow. Next day, both sparrows met the brave sparrow and told the entire account. The brave sparrow asked them, it is very hard to glitter among a family of commons due to resistance, opposition and jealously. It requires strong mind and stiff  heart to face criticism to prove one’s metal. But, you both lack courage so it is better for you to brush aside your color. Green and blue sparrow quickly asked “how?” The brave sparrow asked them to have a shower. Both agreed but showed concern that bathing in cold December could be fatal. The brave sparrow said; "I have solution for that too." She took them to nearby houses and found a tap running. She asked them to sit below the fall. Both took bath and their color almost rinsed away leaving behind a fainter tinge. Then she asked them to fellow her. From the chimney of one house, a smoke and hot air were emitting from holes. She asked them to sit in the holes till their feathers were dried and chill had vanished. Both acted upon her advice and became normal as before. Both expressed thanks to brave sparrow that she helped them otherwise the fierce savage creature had made their life hell. On hearing this, brave sparrow told them that human are not barbarian. If they had bad intention, they would have killed you. They were just making fun. We daily visit their houses, eat their left overs, drink from their tap water, make nests in their houses, and take rest on their roofs, shades and trees. Our survival depends on them. Both sparrows convinced that human are not inhuman. At the party salutation, both sparrows praised not only the valour of brave sparrow but also her intelligence. On hearing praise, the brave sparrow told them, “I had learnt both these traits from human beings.”

                 On hearing this dream story, I started thinking if any day this brave sparrow came to see the suicide bomb blast and found that a human being has injured, maimed and killed other human beings. Then, how this sparrow will advocate the humane of humans among her fellow sparrows?