For you, birdie

"Thousands of birds are dying", informed a mail in my inbox, "because of the heat wave"... and also asked us to leave some water in our balconies for the birds to stop by.

The ambient temperature during the day is really that harsh. Ten minutes of exposure to the sun can drain all energy out of healthy individuals.

We complied to the appeal of the mail, and placed a fairly large vessel full of water in a secluded corner of our terrace. It was a Saturday, and I was home. I even put ice cubes in the afternoon so that the water remains cool for a longer time.

The first day, strangely, not a single bird ventured.

"These creatures must be blind", I almost thought when I saw a wasp splashing in the water. I wondered if it could communicate to the birds... from the next day, the number of visitors in our bird-bath has shot up significantly.

Every morning, I pour out the water to the plants in my so called garden [so as not to waste the water], and fill the vessel with clean water. Throughout the day, the birds chirp, tweet and make merry in their exclusive corner on my terrace.

Earth hour: almost

A few days back, media all round us urged us to participate in the Earth hour: switch off all electrical appliances for one hour one particular evening, as a gesture against global warming.

We are a cricket loving family. On the designated day, as it would happen, live telecast of a very interesting match was on television... such is our addiction to cricket, that we decided to participate in the mission 95%: put off everything, except the television. Lights off, a cool breeze blowing, watching cricket on a 21 inch screen, sipping some refreshingly cool drinks turned out to be a heavenly experience.

The tournament is still on, and the schedule is such that there is at least a match being telecast every day. We have opted to switch off the lights and enjoy the evenings watching the matches, thus contributing to the environmental cause as well.