Page 6 - My FlipBook

“Yes. I did.”

“But…”
“You’re a good looking boy. Your hair is dark and soft and your eyes are grey. They are ringed with
black. You have long eyelashes. Your skin is light brown. You are a good looking boy.”
Navjyot stared. The parrot was talking but what was he saying? Why was he describing him?

“It is polite to return praise though foolish to praise the color of the feathers or the skin. We are born
with them.”

“What?”
Rangeela winked, or rather blinked with one eye. “My opinion. I have opinions. I think about things.”

Was it a dream? Was someone playing a trick? Parrots could talk but not like this. In fact, Navjyot did
not know of any human being either who said such things.

“Tell me about Nimi. Why is she so cross?” Rangeela asked.

“Her parents were away from home for long spells. She grew up with nannies and babysitters who
allowed her to have her way all the time. Grandpa says she has not learnt how to share. Her parents
sent her to Grandpa because though he is loving, he is strict. Nimi did not want to come. She is also
mad because Grandpa will not listen to her.”

“Why did your parents send you? You do not look like trouble.”
“My father is an engineer. The company he works for posted him to South Africa for two years. My
mother and I went with him but I did not like it there. When Grandpa asked my parents if they could
send me to live with him, I insisted on coming.”
“Why does Nimi keep a cat? I don’t like people who love cats.”

Navjyot could see Rangeela’s point of view. He changed the topic.

“Rangeela, why did you not speak all these days?”
“I didn’t trust you. Now I do.”

“You do?”
“Yes. You are not like the bad men I was with. You will not hurt me.”

“What happened to you?”
“I was born in a forest. I was an inquisitive bird. I wanted to see what lay beyond the forest. I flew
into a village and saw people living in houses. They were very different from the birds and animals of
the forest. Alas, I soon learnt how different they were! They trapped foolish birds like me and sold
them.
“The man who bought me trained me to speak. A talking parrot sells for a higher price than an
ordinary parrot. He was cruel. He starved me unless I repeated the words. I would have practiced
more if he was gentle because I enjoyed trying out new words. But he did not know how to be kind. I
think he enjoyed hurting me.
“I learnt to speak and to understand speech. I was sold five times, each time for a higher price. One
man dyed me in a different color and sold me. My eyes stung and my skin burnt. These men bought
and sold birds and when they transported us in big cages over long distances, we went without food,
water, and sunlight. Some of us died.