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Through the brass-bars of the enveloped cage, they sported a striking and distinctive beauty, a subject of matchless praise and appreciation; they were a simply composed-amalgamation of feathers and colours, outwardly unique to anything that was observed before in nature. While one was innate with a bright-red hoop of feather over its lower part of the body and an extraordinary streak of golden-yellow blotch on back of its neck, the other was in match with a bright-blue hoop and the same golden-yellow blotch, almost over the same areas. These remarkable superfluities in contrast with the original rich parrot-green, swanked a unique exhibitionism, blending the vast area of the rich parrot-greenness with these little playful yet pre-dominant colours of joy. The ecstatic duo twin-parrots exhibited a new life of beauty, a new dimension in nature, and were engrossed and enthralled blissfully, in a colourful-mesmerizing world of a contemporary dance, and an enchanting essence of aesthetic music of a flutist that streamed in the background. Added to the paradise at this hour of twilight, the center of the town wore a celebratory look - the flutist (who presumably owned the parrots) right next to the cage absorbed in his own world of soft-melodic tunes, a beautiful pretty young florist demanding a good deal at the end of her day, a fanciful juggler showing-up his magical skills and attracting a considerable swarm of people on the banks of a pond that reflected the crescent-moon, a street-performer entertaining with his amazing tumbler-plays, little children cheery-and-joyous over the shimmering Merry-go-round, town-merchants gambling under the shade of a banyan tree lit by a green shaft of light that flared from a street-lamp, a popcorn-vendor frying the choicest of delicacies that spread a cloud of aroma across, a peace-maker narrating parables and quotes of wisdom, a toy-vendor displaying an attractive set of jangling-toys, ghastly-fanciful-masks, multicoloured balloons, rumbling-boisterous drums and whistles, self-illuminated electric dolls etc., - posed a jubilant atmosphere that could boast of an energetic-quintessence of a vivacious-world-of-amusement. For one reason, the ambiance proved a new dimension and for another - it was the divine melody from the flutist that flowed like a river, celebrating quixotic ripples in air, being so harmonious, so playful and flowery - the parrots seemed wholly dissolved in absolute ecstasy, inter-looped between themselves and dancing very rhythmically, up-and-down the entangled cage. The red-one would flutter its wings, curl its head inside, twirl its legs very professionally and the blue-one would interlock its legs with the red, raise its chest, boo in joy, sometimes even screech in melody and both would swing like a pair of kites from one end to the other. Sometimes while the blue would somersault, the red would dive-in like a spider and fling it to the other end like an arrow, and then each would take turns to swap the roles and put up a new show. The streaks of multi-coloured lights from the toy-vendor, the sparkling glow of the juggler's red-negligee, the green shaft of light beaming from the street-lamp, the dusky illumination of the landra pointing from the popcorn-vendor, the sharp flickers streaming from the Merry-go-round, all would crisscross each other into the brass cage and inflame a magical resplendence of unusual-illumination over the dancing parrots that gleamed in aristocracy beyond imagination. It was a chirpy scene of grandiose and a unique display of choreography. Little was known about the flutist and his priceless birds; nevertheless, the town-people immediately recognized the new addition into their festivity. A huge surge of multi-faceted crowd encompassing elderly people, town-passers-by, street-vendors, little children, house-wives, spokesmen etc., thronged all around the majestic-dance aired by these colourful birds. Even the juggler and the street-performer who were entitled to be the best crowd-pullers hitherto, witnessed a substantial loss by losing a credible portion of their dear customers to these celestial-birds, and it was not long before they had to cut short their business to demand an explanation for this mysterious-theatrical-play of the duo-birds that showed up an electrifying sign of magnetism in drawing a boundless crowd towards it. The flutist perhaps had chosen the right proximity in achieving something beyond an ordinary man's visibility. His composition of the strangest-and-divine musical-lore was an apt compliment for the shared ambiance, and made the birds go in frenzy, lost in a world of harmonious-dance, and it was not long before he realized the magnitude of population that enveloped him. "I'll pay a thousand for them!" exclaimed a silk-merchant from a corner of the thick periphery of people that imprisoned him. "I'll pay a two thousand!" shouted another from the middle. "I'll pay three and a half!!" outburst the popcorn-vendor. "I can trade my horse in return" the horse-merchant interrupted assuming he would win this race. And soon there was a fusion of opinions all over. The crowd began pointing fingers and clamoring abstract numbers in wanting the precious birds. While some started to accuse each other in sarcasm, a few others even came forward with a bundle of cash tightly held in their hands. The Merry-go-round screeched to a halt and the little children dispersed into the fray. The florist pulled the shutters down and peered through the thick cloud in amazement. A small circle of vendors, infuriated by the developments, came forward and demanded a price for the birds. There was enough chaos created and a considerable din that shook the balance of the flutist. He stopped by his composition and looked around the charismatic demand for the birds. He wore a pair of thick-rimmed bifocals that gleamed by the radiance of the green-glitters that beamed from the street-lamp. He was clad in a maroon coloured thick soft-elastic woolen-headband wrapping the entire sideline and back of his face, a worn-out khadhi shirt, a cotton-bag over his shoulders, a multi-layered soft narrow piece of cotton shawl tied around his neck and a white dhoti covering a major portion of his thin body. He sported a thick flow of dense white-beard masking all over his face till his chest, and his eyes spoke the sparkle-and-wisdom of a sage, the people had never seen before. By now, except for the green shaft of light that beamed from the street-lamp, the thickness of the crowd around the flutist blocked in a credible portion of the lustrous rays of illumination, leaving an obscuring world of semi-darkness over him. The pre-dominant streaming rays of green light projecting an inclined-and-flattened spotlight over the flutist, cast a sharp silhouette of his thin personality behind him and the synchronous-overlapping shadows of the caged-birds, made it appear like a dramatic stage of profound expressionism. "Relax!!!" "Ladies and Gentlemen! Brothers and sisters, Please calm down!!" he requested. "Laadeees n gntlemn…pzzz cln don…" repeated the screeching-parrots in synchronism and stopped dancing at the spur of the moment. The crowd silenced at the very instance of hearing the sage-like piercing voice of the flutist and was dazed at the parrots' replication of words. They observed the flutist who looked like a saint from heaven, with an alarming strength in his voice and appeal, so simple, so contented and focused in his outlook. "What else can you afford dear friends? Is it all these wonder birds deserved? Just plain money? What else can you all think of?" he shouted with an intensifying air of despair that virtually shook the crowd. "I can exchange my red-negligee in return for those heavenly-parrots. I can also add up this burnished-teak-wood magical-wand. Believe me, it can turn your life into a fortune of gold," shouted the juggler all elated and wonder-struck at the development. "What else? What else? Do you all realize what I paid for it? I spent all my potential in acquiring it, my heart of gratitude and compassion, my philosophical attitude and my deep love towards nature. Is it all these heavenly creatures deserved? Is this all?" "What about my farm house I own at the end of this lane? I have spent my lifetime in achieving it; but for these fanciful God-like birds, I can let go it" the moneylender entered the fray. "No! No!" continued the flutist. "Is it all you can think of? Where is the world heading? What more shall I explain to express the worth of these beautiful birds?" "What more?" he shouted at which the duo screeched "waat moor.." "Waat moor.." "I can consider to trade in all my jewels, priceless gems and glaring precious stones, I have acquired in lifetime" the florist expressed a sign of optimism. The flutist smiled, elated, and silent, his face reflecting a matured wisdom of realization, seemingly unparallel to anyone around in the vicinity. He stroked his beard, looked all around, over and deep into the thick crowd, held the cage in his hand, high up in the air, at which the birds caught the magical colours of light again and glittered in ecstasy. He turned around symmetrically, with piercing observation over the whole crowd, and announced- "What else dear friends? What else can you all dream of? Is it all these siblings deserved? Is it all the worth, these birds can boast of? Look at them! Look at the beauty of this duo, so distinctive, so majestic, so aristocratic, such a rare breed, such innocence and talent flooding all over them. Is there anyone who can feel beyond this?" " Please dear friends, please." he demanded. The crowd felt more interesting than ever, more deep in thought than before and stared with amazement at the flutist and his birds. There was an air of bewildering thoughts and dreamy hopes towards the nearing demand. "You tell me, dear friend! What will you do with these priceless parrots if I were to give it as a charity?" interrogated the flutist pointing at the toy-vendor who was about to clog up his business for the day. The toy-vendor was taken aback with a shock and so was the jealousy swarm of people around, mind-boggled at the dreamy offer. "Come on dear friend, pray tell me!" demanded the flutist again. The toy-vendor was dumb-founded at the spell-bounding dream like offer "I can't dream of this opportunity; but honestly, I'll air up a colourful advertisement and put the cage on top of my toy-stand thereby attracting a dense crowd of people towards me. And who knows, I can dream of becoming a multimillionaire very soon" he concluded with sheer clarity. The flutist listened with deep concentration, smiled with wisdom, turned towards the street-performer and aired - "And my dear friend, what would you do? Assume it's a charity from this humble flutist" "Me?" exclaimed the tumbler. "That would be a God-gifted boon. Can anyone else even dream of a matching concept to my acrobatic plays? These golden birds shall kindle a chaste and solid outlook on the entire list of my plays. They shall act as an embellishment over the regular circus and inflame a new vision of spectacle, beyond description" he concluded. "Ah! What a dream? What a dream?" the flutist continued to shoot at the peace-maker- "Its your turn my dear friend, please explain your desire in the event of my charity" The peacemaker was choked in speculation. He brooded over the matter for a moment and expressed, "Probably, I may add this to my museum of arts, that can compete and match the books and antiques I have preserved. What better can I think of?" "Ah! The peacemaker! That's your vision, that's your spectacle of joy!" The flutist burst and continued. "You are the so-called peace-maker, the very virtue of wisdom, parables, allegories and what not. You are supposedly the substance of peace and harmony, the tutor of fables, proverbs and acumen, the virtual bridge between humans and God himself. Alas!!! But this motive, this desire, it exploded the true colours. What a shame and ignominy in nature? What a disgrace?" he broke with sheer disappointment, ridicule and ended up in a roar of bursting laughter. "Sahme…Shame…!" cried the elated birds. The peacemaker felt insulted and wonder-struck, while the crowd silenced to amazement. "Friends, listen!!" the flutist exploded with a sense of profound realization, while still continuing to hold the cage high up in the air, turning around, and illustrating a new sense of speech. "I spent a fortune to buy them, but why? WHY?? Not to business with this flute, not to put up a stage of melodrama, not to desire, not to yearn material pleasure and pride. Then why?? These birds are birds. These birds are creatures. These birds live too, like us humans. Pray, tell me friends, what do you all think of freedom of life? I am positive of the your sensations - The last few minutes of my life has made me learn more of humanity, and believably has inspired a self-awareness in you all. I wanted to infer that in myself. I wanted too see the chastity of thoughts in each of you and that led me here today. Alas! But what a disgrace it is to call this class as humanity? What a shame it is to even think of myself being a subset of this class?" he roared with an intensifying magnitude of eloquence. He held the cage high up in the air with his left hand and announced - "Listen friends. The most precious item in life is "freedom to live", "freedom of expressionism", "freedom of exhibitionism" and "freedom to be your-own-self". The very next instant, he impulsively pulled the lock-lever and opened the gateway of freedom. The parrots swooned for a moment, looked around in magnanimous fear, and let themselves out of the cage, chirping, screeching and twittering over the air. The glistening lights resumed the gleaming ecstasy over the aired up parrots and threw a show of combined beauty-and-seriousness on the crowd that stared at the sky in sheer shock, shame and excitement. The duo twisted, somersaulted, inter-looped and danced in freedom, above the flutist and up in the air, soaring higher and higher, rhythmically vanishing into air. The flutist smiled elated at the dancing creatures, feeling the deep sense of freedom of joy, which perhaps none other felt around. His eyes gazed with tears of joy; he dropped the cage on the floor, pointed his fingers at the sky for the crowd to look up and started walking away from the startled crowd, leaving them awestruck in thoughts of shame. He dispersed the fray and walked away towards a road leading out of the town. The crowd visualized the scene of solitary, breathless and guilty, and closely observed the dancing birds that had almost disappeared, only to reappear into the scene with an intensifying pace from nowhere, circling up and down with screeching movements. The birds chirped continually, circled the whole area in and around the cage, swam across the air and streamed towards the road the flutist had chosen. The duo chirped, squealed in joy and fled behind the scene, chasing the flutist who already was in deep composition of his music - and joined him into his world of music, dance, freedom and ecstasy. The trio seemed blissfully-cohesive with a magnetic intimacy beyond bondage and beyond desire, gradually disappearing in size and shape and vanishing across the town, into the large envelope of the crimson-reddish sky that back grounded a colourful scenery of splendor and ecstasy. GLOSSARY:
Banyan tree: Gigantic native Indian/African trees having a large cluster of drooped branches - casting a large area of shade to relax under.
Dhoti:Traditional Indian dress made of cotton usually, wrapped around the waist, generally a very relaxing and comfortable outfit
Juggler: Magician
Khadhi: A typical Indian, soft cotton-material, that evolved during the pre-independence days
Landra: Hissing gas-light with oil medium
Merry-go-round: A revolving fun-play of children, seated on a circular chain of metallic-horse-engines hooked to a central motor, under a huge umbrella
Negligee: A long robe-like dressing
Shawl: A much wider and thicker version of a scarf, usually made of soft-finished wool, generally wrapped over the upper part of the body in protection of cold wind.
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Click here for the main page of Sreesha Belakavaadi.
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