THE 24–HOUR CUCKOO (or, How the Cuckoo crumbled)
Foreword (aka
WARNING)
This story is basically
meant for those members of our family who were fortunate enough to spend the
nights with us in recent times. Though it is a fact that only they will be able
to enjoy and appreciate the narration, others can also try, for whatever it is
worth.
But, first things first. The
credit for solving the mystery of the cuckoo’s non-stop nonsense music should
however go to Usha. Also, I would suggest that you click the links ONLY after
reading the entire blog….
Plot (aka the
story part)
The cuckoo had become part
and parcel of our lives for the last couple of weeks. It sings, and sings, and
sings during the nights – sometimes, it is 2.00 AM, sometimes, it is 3.15 AM.
In fact, we were seriously contemplating to follow the US timing. However, I
gave up the idea since she started entertaining me even during my lovely siesta
from 2.30 PM to 3.30 PM. So, US or India, she was hell bent to pierce my ear
drums and give jolts and to wake me up from deep slumbers.
The cuckoo starts with Shadjam,
goes to Rishabham, then Gandhaaram, Madhyamam, and Panchamam. So far, so good.
With great difficulty, she would conquer Dhaivatham. I almost came to the
conclusion that her guru had taught her only ‘shad’ swaras, and not ‘saptha’
swaras. And there was only ‘arohana’. Again her guru perhaps didn’t teach her
‘avarohana’.
Could be that she took a
leaf from our friend JKB (Shiv Kumar) of “Sindhu Bhairavi” fame. See the climax
scene (21 minute clipping) in the film (preferably from 9th minute).
However, I recollect one
occasion when she reached the proverbial 7th sur. (7th Harmonic?) Even
here, she could only touch ‘kaisiki’ nishad, and ‘Kakali’ nishad – NEVER. She had however, no difficulty
handling the other variations like Shudha / Chatushruti rishabha, Sadharana /
Antara gandhara, Shudha / Prati madhyama, and of course, Shudha / Chatushruthi
dhaivata. (According to Hari, why she was unable to reach ‘kaka’li nishada was
because she was not a kaka, but a kuil. I am coming to that later…)
For your information, the
equivalent western notes for our saptha swaras are
C, D(b), D, E(b), E, F,
F(#), G, A(b), A, B(b), and B – taking into consideration the variations in our
5 sargas mentioned above.
Here, I must give you a
little more funda on the ‘origin’ of the 7 swaras – whether Carnatic,
Hindustani, or Western. Before music came into existence, man was only able to
make incongruent noises – no soothing notes of our times, which are pleasant to
our ears (Karna ataka). Then, he started intently listening to nature – the various sounds
produced by animals and birds.
Some of you
may be aware about the origin of the seven swaras of Indian classical music?
Each shuddha swara is traditionally known to have originated from the sound of different animals & birds, and some have additional meanings of their own. Each swara is associated with one of the seven chakras of the body.
Sa is associated
with the sound of the peacock;
Re, the bull/skylark;
Ga, the goat;
Ma,
the dove/heron;
Pa,
the cuckoo/ nightingale;
Dha,
the horse, and Ni, the elephant.
AND THEN, MUSIC WAS BORN. AND THERE WAS NO
TURNING BACK
Rest, as you know, is history. We are drifting away from the main
story, I am afraid.
There were different explanations for the weird
behavior of our subject. Some said, she was unwanted by her two sons and made
to shuttle between them, and she is upset. Some said the old female was feeling lonely, and
wanted someone to talk to her.There was a third opinion that she is having
stomach pain or something.
To cut a long story short, the night sleep of
many members of our family was disturbed. Some even took an oath not to return
to ‘Harmony’ to sleep here next time. However, the limit was when even my
afternoon nap was getting affected. This is getting toooooooooo much.
Then, the incredible happened. The mystery of
cuckoo’s behavior was solved by my dear wife. She found out that there was a
crow’s nest on the tree, and the cuckoo had laid an egg there – as is the age
old custom. You know the lazy cuckoo never wants to build her own nest and too
pre-occupied to hatch her eggs. Lets the crow do these jobs for her…… the mummy
crow and daddy crow has sat on the eggs for days and finally 5 eggs are
hatched. Our cuckoo was keeping day and night watch, and keeping herself busy
by singing, unmindful of the agony all of us were passing through…..
Now, the husband crow innocently asked his wife
how come there are 5 infants whereas she laid only 4 eggs.
Obviously the mummy
crow was too weak in Maths, so she can’t differentiate between 4 and 5.
Head count problem.
Like any typical wife she shouted at her hubby.
“ஒங்களுக்கு ஏதாவது தெரியுமா? முட்ட போட்டது நானா, நீங்களா?” (“What do you know man? Who laid the eggs,
me or you?”)
And like any typical husband, appa kakka chose to keep quite.
“മൗനം വിദ്വാന് ഭൂഷണം” (“Discretion is the better part of
valour”)
I only wish that the off springs learn how to fly sooner than later, and
the cuckoo takes care of her property. 'Aasha karta hun kee ache din (and more
important, achee raat) jaldee hee ayenge ….' By the way, the cuckoo began the
orchestra only at around 5.00 AM today, which means
1. She has been
lulled into a sense of total complacency because the crow will now take care of
her off spring.
2. She knows that the mummy crow will
feed it until it starts chirping one day. She would then identify the
difference and kick the Cuckoo's baby out of the nest. By that time, it would have grown wings strong enough to fly, anyway.
3. Once the
mother crow realizes her mistaken identity – and acknowledges her poor knowledge of Mathematics
- the cuckoo can take over…
Tail piece (aka വാൽകഷ്ണം)
Now, I am relieved that my head will not burst. The other day,
my 5 year old grandson was hitting my head with his plastic bat – he enjoys it.
I was telling him that thatha’s shiny head will bust and he would make me run around
like a headless chicken. That was in lighter vein. But the cuckoo’s antics, if unresolved, would have really caused
explosion of my head. And if I didn’t know the reason for the sudden day and night
cacophony, explosion was a certainty. That was for sure. Thank god, and thanks
to my wife.
On second thoughts, maybe, I should have titled the blog “Kakka
Muttai” – But then, I don’t want to get entangled in the copy right
infringement and all that nonsense…
The only souls who were perhaps least bothered by cuckoos music,
and the cuckoo just made absolutely no impact …
A N A N D
with love
