It’s been a busy week for animal activists. But recent contention of a Rajasthan High Court judge that peahens got impregnated by drinking the peacock’s tears tickled quite a few funny bones!

This just goes to show how several myths and superstitions surrounding animals persist, even when one is highly educated.

The most common superstition is the ill luck that is said to follow if a cat happens to cross one’s path. And then, several so-called “scientific” explanations are given for a dog howling before a death in the neighbourhood.

But then how is it the poor dog’s fault if it really can predict death and gives advance warning? People are known to abandon neighbourhood or even pet dogs following a death in the family.

A well-entrenched myth is that cobras are vengeful and that if one happens to kill a snake the mate will hunt down the killer and strike the person dead.

Several stories and legends have been spun around this myth, including the popular one of Nagkanya, where the female cobra can assume human form and entice the killer to his death! Another popular belief is that crows have some connection with the netherworld.

They are appeased at a relative or loved one’s death and subsequent anniversaries.

But then, crows are also supposed to be harbingers of bad news. Some believe a crow cawing outside a house is informing the inmates of a visitor’s arrival. Owls are also highly misjudged as many relate them to witchcraftry.

The popular Harry Potter series did much to reinforce this myth.

Many associate the hooting of an owl with some bad omen. On certain festivals people capture owls and painfully put them to death.

On the other hand, the owl is said to be the vahan, or vehicle, of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and welcome the bird’s presence around the house. There are many more such myths and superstitions surrounding animals and birds but one can only hope they remain just that and not treated as reality, especially by the educated and rational people.

Small dreams

Living in big cities, including the Capital, one takes for granted several facilities, such as Internet access and mobile phones, which are often lacking, or poorly maintained, in smaller cities and towns. One such place, a colleague asserted, is Dehradun, where Internet access in several places is erratic. However, the colleague, who hails from the city, cannot stop singing praises of the newly-formed state Capital. Located on the foothills of Mussoorie, snow-capped mountains and a rushing river are just a stone's throw away. There are also some remote areas where the forest canopy is more dense than human beings, the colleague recalled. She also defines the city as a place where people sit under one roof, discuss politics and current affairs while sipping their evening tea. The narrow roads on the hills, she says, are more spacious than the broad roadways of Delhi, which are anyway covered with traffic most of the times. Asked by another colleague how she ended up here in Delhi, she smiled and answered, "I love being here and I love my job. But that doesn't take me away from where I belong. One day, I want to go back to Dehradun and start a school for the less privileged or a publishing house for writers who do not get enough acknowledgment for their work." With every word she spoke, her eyes shone with a little magic called dream.

Baahubali fever

Despite several electronic gadgets, such as DVD players and mobile phones, many people prefer watching movies in the theatre. A major factor is the pleasure of undisturbed viewing. And if it's a film like Baahubali, few would like to watch it at home. But then, such films can get so engrossing that one can forget one's surroundings, a colleague found to his dismay. Watching Baahubali in the theatre on a Sunday, our colleague spotted a toddler, not more than three-year-old, walking up and down the aisle steps. Soon our friend realised the kid was lost. When he approached the child, he found the little boy frightened and not able to say anything other than "Mummy" and "Papa". A few more viewers soon joined our colleague and went asking young couples whether the child was theirs. Finding no trace of the boy's parents, our colleague and his search party approached the theatre manager, asking for the movie to be halted and an announcement made about the lost child. The manager was initially reluctant but finally agreed. However, the moment the movie was stopped, a couple sitting in the front came running up to the kid. Needless to mention, almost everyone present there, gave the couple a piece of their mind. However, our colleague kept thinking, how can one be so careless that they did not notice their missing child for around halfan-hour?

Tailpiece

Our inhouse wag is desperate to inform cow vigilantes how pained he is to see “their mother” eating plastic from garbage dumps.

Contributed by: R V Smith, Sadaf Mahmood, Rakesh Kumar,Kunal Roy and Asha Ramachandran