13. UNITY SAVES

So long as they agree, they may
Carry the fatal snare away:
But they will quickly disagree,
And then those birds belong to me

The lands of Balinda were Gods own land indeed. Lush green with verdant forests, groves, undulated mountains, gushing mountain streams presented nature in its virgin form. The Malay tribal had made it their home. They lived a primitive life. For food they collected berries, nuts and roots from the forest and some of them had fashioned themselves as hunters. With bows and arrows they hunted the hillside catching birds squirrels and other small animals as prey. Such an undisturbed land was teeming with life. Birds of all types, the parakeets, crows, mynas, doves the common ones made their home with the exotic ones like wood peckers, owls, weaver birds, horn bills, tall herons, cranes and ferocious hawks, eagles and colorful peacocks, fowls etc. The numerous tall and short trees made good nestling and resting ground for the abundant avian population. They had their own separate colonies and social orders and though they were so many of them they rarely came into conflict and lived peacefully amidst the fertile nature.

Among them lived a flock of doves. White and fluffy with twinkling black eyes they made a picture of serene beauty. Always moving in flocks they were obedient and disciplined and followed the orders of their leader Shandar the king dove unquestioningly. Shandar true to its name was the most majestic of the flock. Having a big span of milky white wings it had grandeur in flight. The doves like soldiers in action moved in a battalion. As they took off with a swish of their wings and as they alighted and hummed around jumping on the ground with their tiny red legs looking for food and as soon as they got a cue from their leader just in fraction of a second taking to flight, all this made them distinct from rest of the birds inhabiting the area.

Chendil the hunter had an eye on this flock of doves for quite some time now. Doves’ meat was a prized thing in their community. Also he was aware doves are kept as pets and trained as messengers by the town folk. He thought if only I could catch a good number of them or the entire flock, it will be one of the best catches and will fetch me good money to marry the daughter of the headman. With such plans in his mind he was waiting for a good opportunity and a proper idea to trap them alive. He knew laying a net over some food grains would definitely lure the doves whose appetite for grains was irresistible. With difficulty he procured a good-sized net through a friend from the neighboring village. He collected some healthy grains from the weekly market and equipped now with necessary things went inside the forest, spread them under the tree where generally he had seen the doves coming and hid himself behind the foliage to watch the happenings.

Swift the crow was sitting in the tree and seeing all the happenings. He knew his friend Shandar and the doves are in for trouble. Soon he spotted them coming from afar. He screeched and cawed warning his friends as what lay for them below.

The hungry doves first spotted the attractive grains below. Also they heard the crow swifts warning. But their appetite was so great and hunger was gnawing their belly that they did not take heed of the warning and in a quick decision alighted down to eat the grains and lo! they were caught in the snare cleverly laid by the hunter Chendil. With thier legs and pretty paws getting entangled in the net they got pathetically stuck to the ground. It was an alarming situation a one which could have led to sure imprisonment and death.

Shandar the king dove sized the situation immediately. He felt as a king it was solely his responsibility to have brought his subjects to such a predicament in a haste and greed for the grains below. It was hence fell on him to find ways to rescue his subjects.

He than remember the words of his father who often used to tell how important to have unity in a flock. The words rang in his mind `United you win, divided you fall’ Being a wise king he knew to do the right action at the right time.

With a flash of brilliant idea he commanded his folk to take to flight along with the net. The obedient flock immediately understood his king’s intention. In unison they flapped their wings and took to flight.

Out they flew rising up over the trees, further up above the foliage and up in the sky in unison flapping their wings rhythametically like a well orchestered symphony.
Chelvan who was in hiding was shocked and surprised by the action of the doves. He ran behind in frenzy chasing them and trying to throw stones and twigs to dissuade them from the flight. He even aimed a couple of arrows to wound them and bring them down. But his attempts were unsuccessful. Off they flew now over the undulating landscapes, the hills and mountains beyond. Chelvan after a while found it is impossible to chase them and came back defeated and crestfallen.

The king Shandar at the helms the doves flew far in compete obedience to the command of their leader.

Soon they were near the chambers of Chitran the mice and its big family, which stayed making deep, drenches below the hills.

Shandar was a good friend of the mouse Chitran. He gave a command to the flocks and alight near the hole of Chitran and called out to his dear friend.

The mouse was surprised to hear the sound of its old friend Shandar. He rushed out to meet his friend and saw the trapped situation of his friend and the rest of the flock.

`My dear friend Shandar, how you came to this predicament, you who is always wise and thoughtful how you were trapped in this snare? asked Chitran

`Bad days follow equally both the low and mighty. However we flew together and escaped the bad fate awaiting us. Now we require your kind help to get us out of this snare’ told Shandar.

Immediately Chitran and the rest of the mice under his command cut the net to shreds and freed the doves.

`My noble friend you have indeed proved that united the worst of the calamity can be conquered. Unity multiplies the strength manifold. We have learned a lesson from you. I will pass this message to my clan too’ said Chitran.

Shandar and rest of the doves bade goodbye to their good friend Chitran and off they went to their free ways of sailing the sky with the unitedly won freedom.