This little fella at the Kolkata zoo one early winter morning, spotted us from the corner of his beady little eye.
Long term resident of the zoo and experienced in the ways of man, he didn’t waste any any time taking up his place in anticipation of what was to come.
We wondered what was up but not for long. Despite warnings to the contrary, eager visitors willingly shared their goodies – oranges seemed to be a hot favorite. Using his nose, he deftly twitched the segments away from the orange peel and stuffed them in his mouth. Clearly a discerning foodie rather than a mere glutton.
Another time, at a temple, I met Lakshmi the elephant who accepted ‘offerings’ from her fans. If they were coins she would promptly pass them on to her trainer and in return she would ‘bless’ the giver by placing her trunk on their head. But if someone gave her a coconut, she would crack it on the stone floor like a nut. From the broken pieces, she would delicately sniff out the coconut flesh and gobble it up in a jiffy. Her dexterity and expertise was a mesmerizing watch and has remained with me despite not having any photos.
As for me, I too live in anticipation. Invoking Sri Ganesha, the elephant headed-God, the One who is prayed first and is the Remover of all obstacles, in the coming New Year I hope that:
Clouded visions clear
Overcome barriers
Real or imagined
Stride fearlessly
Upon destined paths
Vibrant yet tranquil
Thank you for reading and apologies for foisting my feeble attempts at poetry (if it can be called that!) upon you 😶
In anticipation of a note from you 🙂
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