UNITY IN DIVERSITY

                     UNITY  IN DIVERSITY

  The winters had already begun in Europe. The trees and surroundings were covered with snow .Days became short, as usual not as sunny and nights became longer. It became hard for the birds to find food for themselves. As a result of all of these happenings, the time was due for the Little Wood Sandpiper and her family to migrate to a warm place, where they can find food and shelter.

               So they started their journey towards the destination, towards South Asia, where the winters were mild and abundant food was available for them to spend rest of the winter. As they were searching for their desired destination, they discovered a beautiful place with abundant resources. It was The South India. As soon as they entered the forest, they found it was the greenest and deepest forest they had ever seen. It was the thickest and extended several miles. It had a thick vegetation of bamboos, palms covered the area while behind, the graceful outlines of the mountains were traced against the sky. There was a stream full of shimmering waters .This forest was the home of wild elephants , bison ,bears ,panthers ,tigers and  many colorful birds. The Little Wood Sandpiper and her family were contented to  find the place they were longing for. They built their nests putting all of their creativity and efforts.

But their good fortune did not last for a long. They were soon surrounded by the local birds for which they were unwanted guests. Few of them approached them and asked them about their whereabouts. They seemed to be unhappy with their presence. These local birds were reluctant to accept them as their neighbour. One of them came forward and grumbled; we have always welcomed our guests with open hearts and always been happy to share our place with them. But now the conditions are adverse due to deforestation and urbanization. We are already facing a shortage of food and shelter. Also, there is a danger from the big birds that often invade our territory and kill and eat our small babies. Considering all of these situations it would be advisable for you to leave as soon as possible.’’

                 Soon after they left, the family of The Little Wood Sandpiper was in a dilemma. They had no idea about what could be done. Then, the Little Wood Sandpiper, said to her family, “They seem to be in a grave trouble, we should find a way to help them to our maximum capacity. Can we help them with our WARNING SIGNAL which we use in our home surroundings.’’ The other family members exclaimed, “ Yes that’s a good idea we can help them learn this and bring peace to their lives.’’ The next morning, Little Wood Sandpiper and her family confronted the local birds again and said, “we are grateful to you for your concern. We can solve your problem to some extent.’’ One of the local birds too huge to be fought with .We have already lost our young ones and we don’t want any tragedy to happen with you and your family.’’

                         The Little Wood Sandpiper replied, “We shall try our level best to help you out. We can teach you a WARNING SIGNAL .It is the best way to protect you from those cruel birds.’’ The local bird was quite puzzled after listening to the talks of the Little Wood Sandpiper. “What is meant by WARNING SIGNAL ?How can we save ourselves with the mere help of this method?’’ The Little Wood Sandpiper explained, “We used this technique back at our homes , where we used to communicate with each other using this method whenever we were in trouble. We had a practice of using this particular sound and ask for help from our friends around .In this way we used to solve all our life endangering problems .This technique is really very easy and can be learnt by few hours of practice. We would be really happy if we would be of some help to you.’’ All the local birds seemed to be very satisfied by the solution given by Little Wood Sandpiper. They all decided to learn this method and save themselves and their babies.

                          From the next day, the local birds started learning WARNING SIGNAL, from the Little Wood Sandpiper and her family , and within a short span they all learnt the technique very well. The local birds were quite happy that they had found new ways to protect themselves. Now it seemed they were soon going to have an opportunity to prove their newly learned skills and their unity too. The next day, there was an attack of the big , cruel birds. They once again started  their attempts to destroy and kill the small local birds. But this time the things had taken a different turn, as soon as the cruel birds neared the nest of   a local bird , he started making a loud sound. After hearing the local bird’s sound the other local birds also repeated that . Hence there was an echo created in the forest. After  hearing the sounds,  the big cruel birds were completely confused. They did not understand what was happening around them. But on the other hand the small local birds had already reached their hideouts. They were happy and safe. This WARNING SIGNAL was continuously been put to use as soon as those cruel birds arrived. Thus , there was no loss of lives anymore. This all happened because of our hero The Little Wood Sandpiper! Finally the efforts of the little bird were able to save the lives of many.

                   Now, there was a complete peace in the  forest. Even the animals were taught the WARNING SIGNAL , so that they could protect themselves from the hunters, who killed them mercilessly. Thus, there was peace and happiness in the forest. All the animals and birds of the forest were thankful to the Little Wood Sandpiper and her family. They lived in unity with each other. The birds and animals looked for food together and faced all the problems in harmony. The winters were going to come to end now. It was time for the Little Wood Sandpiper and her  family to return to their home Europe. The local birds came to bid farewell to the Little Wood Sandpiper and her  family.

                        One of the local birds said, “You have just become a part of our family. We share a different bond and have supported each other in all our difficult times. We would be waiting for you in next winters. ’’ The Little Wood Sandpiper and his family replied , “ We have traveled to many places but never experienced such warm hospitality and care ever in our lives. It truly correct whatever we have heard about this place , that you all consider ‘ THE GUESTS AS GOD’. It is completely understandable why everyone would love to come back again and again to this beautiful place.’’ Thus, the Little Wood Sandpiper and his family flew away and it is almost an year now . The Little Wood Sandpiper and her family are eagerly waiting for revisiting that beautiful place this winter again.

AAYUSHI D. JAIN

aayushidjain@gmail.com

+91 9819492050