It is a way back 10 years from now. I had just completed my primary school. I was in 5th standard i.e. roughly 10 years of age. One day while coming home I saw Akbar chacha for the first time. May be he was newly came to live there or I had not noticed him before. This time he was with his few nice lookng doves. I stopped a while and observed them. He was a young man of about 25-28 years of age. He was throwing grains for those doves, and doves were busy in having a feast with some rivalary to finish first. He wore a dusty shirt of large checks and still dustier pants.Had a small beard and a round islamic cap on head.One thing was very interesting about Akbar chacha that he could give a loud whistle without putting fingers in mouth.I was amuzed by those birds and from next day it became part of my routine to observe them for hours.
Akbar chacha had bought his doves recently, so he didnt have large colony of them. Most of them were white, some whites had gray spots, few reddish ones and one black. Akbar chacha just loved them. He had his own names given to them - Kagdi(white), khairi(spotted white), Bhura(reddish) and so on.Everyday in morning and evening for 2-3 hours he used to put them free, feed them and also give them some flying exersize.
Well, Akbar chacha was not alone who had doves. In our village there were others too. But I never went to their house. The reason was friendly nature of Akbar chacha.He used to give a dove in my hands and say, "Akshay, fek upar fek!!" While flying Akbar's doves many times used to get mixed with doves of other group. But as doves remember their native place so well, they used to come back at his house. But somtimes it happens that one bird goes with other group and lands to their colony. People do catch such birds and damage thier wings so that they cant go back to thier colony. And by the time its wings get heeled it gets mixed up in new group, finds pair for himself and fergets about its old group. And there was some unwritten rule that once caught, bird becomes property of person who caught it. And they were never used to return such birds to original owner.
One day a dove from Akbar chacha's dove colony was caught by another person. He had slightly bigger colony than Akbar chacha. But then a strange thing happened. After 2 days bird's pair also went their and then that wounded unable to fly bird literaly came running after his pair. I dont know what kind of chemistry or love both of them shared but it was touching experience. After he came back, Akbar chacha saw his wounded wings and was very upset. He loved his birds so much that he could not see how mercylessly his bird's wings were cut. To be put in his words,"Chyayla, palwa palwi chya khelaat harami jeev ghyayla bi kami karyache naay!!"
But soon time gave opportunity to Akbar chacha to equalise with opposite colony owner. His one dove came to Akbar's colony. Akbar caught it, but didnt cut his wings. He locked that bird with his birds in thiers closets. The very next day when he set all birds free, that guest flew away. I asked Akbar chacha that why didnt he cut doves wings. He said, "Rahana hoga to rahega, jindgi jabardasti se nahi pyar se jee jani chahie."
Today I miss Akbar chacha the most. When people choose terrorism as a solution, he tought me a simple lesson of humanity with some simple things around. Really... some things cannot be tought in classroom, you have to just experience them!!
