Flying high on the wings of compassion

SPENDING time in the lap of nature has a unique ability to foster a feeling of wellbeing. I’m lucky that my workplace is surrounded by a vast, lush landscape dotted with towering eucalyptus trees and other beautiful varieties. It’s in this peaceful environment that I often enjoy lunch, joined by two of my colleagues, relishing both the serenity and the camaraderie.

One afternoon, while I was having lunch on the grass with a colleague, something unusual caught my eye. About 50 or 60 ft above us, it looked like a large black fabric fluttering in the breeze. I asked my colleague what he thought it was, and he suggested it might be a big kite caught in a tree branch. But I wasn’t convinced. We decided to take a closer look.

As we approached the tree, it became clear that it wasn’t a kite, but a falcon struggling to free itself from something. It was clearly in distress. The height of the tree made it impossible for us to reach the bird. I called for help from the office, and soon, a group of 10-15 people gathered to assist.

Despite several attempts to reach the bird, including using a ladder, ropes and shaking nearby branches, we were unsuccessful. Then, one of the group members suggested that a man from Kashmir, who sometimes helped with tree-felling, might be able to assist. Fortunately, someone had his phone number. His name was Hassan Ali. Although he was far away from the spot, he agreed to come when I expressed the fear that the falcon would die if it was not rescued.

Hassan arrived, and wasting no time, he climbed the tree with remarkable agility and swiftly reached the place where the falcon was trapped. With a rope secured to the tree and a sharp axe in hand, he skilfully cut down the trunk, ensuring that the falcon descended slowly and safely to the ground. It was a heart-wrenching sight: the falcon, injured and exhausted, lay motionless, one of its feathers deeply entangled in Chinese manja, with blood trickling from the wound.

Hassan carefully freed the bird from the dangerous string, and the relief was palpable when the falcon eagerly drank water from a cup. Hassan’s face lit up with joy, but before we could say anything, he quietly walked over to a corner of the ground. He humbly offered namaz right there. Later, he told us that while he always prioritised his prayers, saving the falcon’s life had taken precedence, a decision that made him feel even more fulfilled as he prayed afterwards.

The entire experience was deeply moving, as people from various walks of life and religions came together, united by compassion for the bird. A veterinary doctor was soon called. The falcon recovered within a few days, and it was then released back into the wild — right at the spot where it had been rescued. The satisfaction of heeding nature’s SOS call, however, was tempered by frustration. We bemoaned the all-round failure to curb the menace of the lethal kite string.

Musings