<p>Barring crows and an occasional fluting cuckoo, Chennai's spreading concrete jungle seems to have no other significant avian specimen. A few parrots can be spotted de-winged and caged to pick cards to predict men's future. Also lovebirds entwined on the sands of Marina, under threat of being chased by police maintaining Love and Order.<br /><br />“But where are the sparrows?” asked Subbu, a specialist in rhetorical questions. “May be the cell phone signals are the culprits. You can't spot those tiny, plump brown-grey passerine birds any longer picking seeds with their strong beaks,” Subbu said.<br /><br />"”You can spot them at Anna International airport”, I said laughing. As he raised his left eyebrow theatrically demanding clarity, I added, “Customs code words. Ants are small time operators, and sparrows big time in carrying contraband.”<br /><br />“That reminds me of my maiden foreign jaunt,” he said sipping hot coffee that was served. “Twenty five years back I was sent to Sri Lanka by my boss to submit a tender. I was thrilled. The whole family, including our dog, proudly saw me off at the airport. Even Hanuman on his Mission Sita to Lanka wouldn't have had such a hearty send off from his fellow Kishkindaites,” Subbu recollected.<br /><br />He took another sip. “With a paltry foreign exchange at my disposal I eventually came back with a few knickknacks, but without the mandatory two-in-one, air thermos jug, pen-cum-torch and a bottle of duty-free scotch,” he remembered. “My wife greeted me with the longest face. She had indented for a wrist watch but I didn't have the time to pick one at Colombo. As a compromise, I gave her the tin of Ovaltine I got, hoping the health drink would cheer her up,” he said.<br /><br />“But when prised open it did not have chocolate brown granules but caked up solids. Her disappointment compounded she threw the contents into a basin with silent rage. Giving a O Henrian twist to this episode, she fished out a cellophane pack from the heap. Inside a pricey, gold-strapped lady's watch was ticking. Fancy that!” "Which means" I pointed out, "you had metamorphosed into a sparrow that merrily flew past the green channel hoodwinking hawk-eyed customs!"<br /><br /></p>
<p>Barring crows and an occasional fluting cuckoo, Chennai's spreading concrete jungle seems to have no other significant avian specimen. A few parrots can be spotted de-winged and caged to pick cards to predict men's future. Also lovebirds entwined on the sands of Marina, under threat of being chased by police maintaining Love and Order.<br /><br />“But where are the sparrows?” asked Subbu, a specialist in rhetorical questions. “May be the cell phone signals are the culprits. You can't spot those tiny, plump brown-grey passerine birds any longer picking seeds with their strong beaks,” Subbu said.<br /><br />"”You can spot them at Anna International airport”, I said laughing. As he raised his left eyebrow theatrically demanding clarity, I added, “Customs code words. Ants are small time operators, and sparrows big time in carrying contraband.”<br /><br />“That reminds me of my maiden foreign jaunt,” he said sipping hot coffee that was served. “Twenty five years back I was sent to Sri Lanka by my boss to submit a tender. I was thrilled. The whole family, including our dog, proudly saw me off at the airport. Even Hanuman on his Mission Sita to Lanka wouldn't have had such a hearty send off from his fellow Kishkindaites,” Subbu recollected.<br /><br />He took another sip. “With a paltry foreign exchange at my disposal I eventually came back with a few knickknacks, but without the mandatory two-in-one, air thermos jug, pen-cum-torch and a bottle of duty-free scotch,” he remembered. “My wife greeted me with the longest face. She had indented for a wrist watch but I didn't have the time to pick one at Colombo. As a compromise, I gave her the tin of Ovaltine I got, hoping the health drink would cheer her up,” he said.<br /><br />“But when prised open it did not have chocolate brown granules but caked up solids. Her disappointment compounded she threw the contents into a basin with silent rage. Giving a O Henrian twist to this episode, she fished out a cellophane pack from the heap. Inside a pricey, gold-strapped lady's watch was ticking. Fancy that!” "Which means" I pointed out, "you had metamorphosed into a sparrow that merrily flew past the green channel hoodwinking hawk-eyed customs!"<br /><br /></p>
