My mother and the little bird with vermilion on its forehead.

This incident happened when I was 11 years old and we were staying in a small town called Nowgaon.

Hearing my mother calling me from the kitchen, I went towards her. I thought that she wanted me to go out and buy some mustard oil or some spices from a nearby shop. Or maybe she is angry with me for not tidying my study desk properly.

I found her in the kitchen in the normal place cutting some vegetables in the small table near the window. As I went near her she smiled and told me, “I wanted to show you a cute little bird with vermillion on its forehead”. I waited near her as she continued her work and kept on humming a tune very softly. Suddenly she pointed out. The cute bird with a red colored forehead was feasting on a papaya tree behind our kitchen. Far later, as I took up bird photography I learned it is a “Copper Smith Barbet”.

That was my mother. She got a lot of pleasure from nature and tried to share so many things with me. She had a nickname for every bird and natural event.

It was in Dibrugarh when I was about 9 years old she gently woke me up by shaking me in the early wintry morning. She did not call out so as not to disturb my father and brother sleeping nearby. For a child waking up and seeing its mother’s face is the most beautiful and reassuring way to wake up. She took my hand and we both walked out of our house. It was a beautiful winter morning and the white glow of the mist was only partly dispelled by the sun.

She pointed to a berry tree behind our house and I saw a flock of parrots feasting on the berries. We silently waited and watched the beautiful scenery. After some time the leader of the flock called out and all the parrots flew away towards the horizon. The dazzling green of the parrots near us made both of us so happy. My Mother told me later that every morning she heard the parrots coming to feast on the berries and wanted to share the moment with me.

Today when I go searching for beautiful natural spots, I think it was she who ignited this passion in me.

As a child, I asked my mother – Why is the sky blue? She was unable to give me the proper scientific answer. But she told me that the sky has many colors other than blue. After that, at various period and time, she pointed to the sky and showed me its many colors. One day she pointed to the sky and asked me what the color is. I said, “Blue”. She smiled and told me, “This is called Azure blue”.

She taught me to look at the sky. She left me, but my craving for the Azure blue sky has not diminished.

A few days back my wife (Aparajita Dutta Chowdhury) kept my mother’s ashes in a room with a beautiful view, in my den. In fact, she selected that spot because she knew my mother’s love for nature. She kept the pitcher near a window.

Behind the window is an ageless old tree. Figs grow seasonally in that tree. Barbets come to feast on those figs. Maybe the spirit of my mother will again enjoy the sight of the little bird with vermillion on its forehead.