What a wonderful sight! Migratory birds descending over the Ana Sagar Lake create a spectacle that mesmerizes us. These travelers traverse the globe, covering continents along ancient flyways, making them an annual attraction for both birders and non-birders. The majestic beauty of these birds gliding on the water’s surface, their winged formations, and synchronized flights continue to amaze us.
As we walked along the circular pathway, we could see people tossing wheat puffs high up in the air, and these birds swooping down to catch the feed. A few even kept it on their open palms while the birds dived down to catch it. These birds dared to fly over the walkway in numbers, performing acrobatics right above our heads.
As I watched these fearless birds, it reminded me of another migration, closer to our home. My younger son, who had been working from home since the COVID lockdown, shared his plans to migrate to Goa with his friends and work remotely. A few of his friends had relocated to beautiful destinations far away from their homes for similar purposes. It struck me how like these birds, humans migrate too, sometimes due to necessity and other times due to aspirations.
Like these birds, even our young ones stay in their nests, growing in the safety of their homes, until it is time for them to spread their wings and seek higher education or leave in pursuit of a job. Flapping their wings, they venture to distant lands, inhabit new places, take on new challenges, and even have new experiences.
Throughout literature, birds have symbolized life and its virtues, whether it is a Dove with an olive leaf as a symbol of peace, an Eagle for its sharp eyes, a Falcon for its power, a Peacock for its pride, or a Swan for its grace.
Watching their wings catch the light over Ana Sagar, I realized: migration is not just a flight across the sky, but life’s way of urging us to move, to grow, and to embrace our destiny.
