A Parasite of a Son!

Cu-koo, cu-koo, was the incessant sweet sound made by the Koel (cuckoo bird) near Vikram’s house. Vikram loved the sound that cuckoo made. What a sweet sound he exclaimed and tried to imitate the sound which resulted in his grandmother who was seated nearby to burst out laughing. He stared at his grandmother angrily and stormed off the room.

Vikram was a 16 year old teenager and he was going through that awkward stage in life. His voice was gruff and he started to develop facial hair. Grandma is so mean he thought. No one understands me; everyone makes fun of me he thought to himself and indulged in some self-pity.

Just then the door bell rang. He walked up to the door with a grumpy face thinking why is someone coming now, why are they ringing the bell and why is he the one having to open it. Life is so unfair he thought. He opened the door and saw his parents standing there with big smiles around their faces. They had gone grocery shopping couple of hours ago and had come home with many bags. Why can’t you carry your keys when you go outside shouted Vikram with anger and disgust.

His parents came in and calmly said hi to Vikram. Vikram shouted, haven’t you heard me? Why aren’t you answering me? His dad was getting angry and was about to admonish him, when his mother stepped forward and said, Vikram, we were carrying so many bags, and our hands were not free, that is why we requested a passerby to ring the door bell. Vikram wanted to find a fault in her argument, but did not find any. His mother then proceeded to say… “Vikram, I do not understand why you are angry all the time. Is everything okay with you? Is there something which is troubling you and you are not sharing with us?” Vikram did not say anything and stormed out of the house.

His parents sighed and did not stop him. They were at their wit’s end as how to deal with him. Threats, bribes, and promise of reward failed. They even took him to a psychiatrist who could not be of much help.

Vikram started walking with mixed feelings towards the tree on which the Koel usually sat. He loved his parents, but of late he was feeling angry that they could not afford all the luxuries that his friends enjoyed. He had asked for an iphone and play station, his parents said no. He asked them to take him on a foreign tour, his parents told him that they were saving for his college and could not afford it. He asked for a measly bike which his parents refused citing safety reasons and also telling him that it was illegal to drive until he turned 18. Why do they have to follow all the rules he thought?

He sat under the tree and was looking for the Koel. What are you looking for? Asked a well dressed old man who was seated on a nearby bench. I am looking for the Koel bird that usually sits here replied Vikram irritably. I can see the bird clearly from here said the old man and gestured Vikram to come and sit next to him. Vikram walked upto the old man and sat next to him.

The old man pointed to a nearby tree and showed Vikram where the Koel was perched. The Koel was staring at a nest on a nearby tree. Is that a Koel’s nest asked Vikram excitedly. No, replied the old man. It is the nest of a crow. Crow! Why is the Koel keeping an eye on the Crow’s nest? asked Vikram.

The old man replied…Koel is a brood parasite. Meaning… it lays its egg in another bird’s nest.

What? Really? Asked Vikram with astonishment.

Yes! Replied the old man. Koel does not raise its chicks. It usually looks for a crow’s nest, and when the crow is not around, the Koel destroys one of the crow’s eggs usually by dropping it from the nest and lays its own egg. The crow does not realize that its egg is replaced because the egg that Koel lays is similar to that of the crow. The crow then warms the eggs until they hatch.

Vikram was amazed to hear this. This information was new to him. Once the information sunk in, he asked…so, once they birds hatch, the crow will realize that one of the chicks is not hers and will kill the Koel?

Ha ha… no, said the old man. Most of the times, the crow does not realize that its chick has been replaced because, the young Koel does not say cu-koo…but will say kaw-kaw like a crow!

Wow! This is unbelievable said Vikram. This does not stop here said the old man. The Koel grows faster and bigger than the other young crows. The mother crow has to work extra hard to feed it. Sometimes, the newly hatched Koel pushes the other young crows out of the nest to get all the attention.

If in a rare scenario, the crow realizes that the young one is not its chick, it continues to feed the young Koel and not stop!

Why does it do it? Asked Vikram? Also, what about that silly Koel? Why does it not take care of its chick?

The old man replied, the crow does it for two reasons. The first reason is because the crow usually does not realize that there is a Koel amidst its young chicks and as a parent, it makes it its life objective to take care of its young ones until they fly no matter how much trouble they give.

If the crow realizes that there is a Koel amidst its young chicks, it will still continue to feed the Koel because if it doesn’t, it knows that the parent Koel that you see sitting on the branch of the tree, will swoop down and kill all its young crows when the parent crow is not around. For the sake of its children, the crow toils hard for a child that is not its own.

Vikram was touched. The old man said, this is the nature of life. Parenthood is a thankless job.

But, what did Koel do? It’s not doing its duty…asked Vikram in an exasperated tone. The old man replied, the Koel is making sure that its child is being taken care of, and that is the essence of being a parent.

Vikram was overwhelmed. He suddenly realized how much pain his parents were taking to raise him. Yet, he was being a parasite like the Koel. He decided he needed to change and as he walked home, he was no longer a parasite of a son!