The Migratory Birds

by

Omkar N. Koul
Migratory birds do not require visa or any other documents to travel across political borders, but the migratory birds we are talking about require visa and travel documents to undertake this journey. They don’t fly in the sky like birds do, they travel in planes, trains and other vehicles. They have definite destinations to go and settle down temporarily. While birds travel away from cold to warmer places before winter sets in search of comfort, the migratory birds we are talking about are men and women who visit their kith and kin: sons, daughters, brothers and sisters for a maximum period of six months in each time slot during comfortable weather. Usually, they visit the places in early summer and return to their places before winter. This is the period they are away from the scorching heat back home. Unlike migratory birds, some of them do stay during the months of winter too. They are eager to visit their kith and kin, settled down in foreign countries. They too in return long to welcome them in their own homes and hearths.
It is real adventure for those, who visit new affluent countries for the first time. They enjoy first couple of months visiting some picnic spots, downtowns, grocery shops, pharmacies, and malls accompanied by their kith and kin on weekends. They watch them closely, driving their latest model air-conditioned cars, operate the automatic gadgets, wending machines, self-help machines in grocery shops, gas stations and making payments using credit cards. These are amazing scenes they would like to talk about back home. They fall in love with everything they see around them.
Gradually, they try to imitate their kith and kin settled in this alien environment, help them in daily chores, cooking using their age-old recipes, serving tasty food which their kith and kin love to eat, in doing dishes, in doing laundry, mowing lawns, watering grass and plants, trimming branches and plants, cleaning-up houses and packing the garbage boxes to be taken away by the city garbage disposal management once a week.
They love to baby-sit the children, if they are lucky to have them, while their parents are away on work, or on household errands. Within a short period of time, they adapt to its environment fully, and try to compete with their young kith and kin. They are genuinely attracted to this place and start dreaming of migrating to this place on permanent basis. They try to use the new acquired words in the alien language they listen spoken all around them. The children love them as they can afford to spend any amount of time with them. They try to communicate with them in English but have to use a lot of jestures to convey what they want to. They repeatedly give their blessings to the children they adore in their own mother tongue and get nods and smiles in return.
Soon after the loneliness sets in. They start feeling lonely, especially when they have to be alone for long hours. They feel lonely, when they don't see anyone walking in the neighborhood streets. They are lonely when they start staring at the concrete walls, furniture and household items. They try to seek the company of trees, plants, greenery around the houses where they live in solitary confinement for hours together. They find the nature too helpless, it does not console them. They turn on TV. The alien channels do not amuse them any more. They find news and documentaries irrelevant. The so-called entertainment dished-out from various channels is boring for them and do not divert their attention from the homes and environment they have left behind.
In the beginning they forget the days and dates, and now suddenly the calendars become very important. They gaze at them everyday and a number of times in a single day. They turn the pages of calendars and try to measure the distance between the dates with their tired eyes. They start counting the dates. They start eagerly waiting for the dates of their departure from the host country.
Last few days in the alien country brighten up their hopes. Their near and dear ones again find time for them. They accompany them to downtowns and malls for shopping. They buy presents put on sale for the members of their family and relatives they have left behind. The packing starts in new suitcases. Their eyes twinkle in hope again. Enthusiasm comes back. One day the packing is finally over. They pick-up their travel documents and overweight suitcases, and depart dressed in new clothes and/ or shoes. The farewell scenes are quite emotional. They again start missing something they cannot name. The migrant birds fly back in planes to their permanent homes. Some of them will return again in future.

Providence
August 2007