The dance of squirrels!

Squirrels have always fascinated me, right from the time I was a little girl. Despite living in a city, I have been fortunate enough to be at places where my eyes have caught these cute little creatures scurrying over walls, trees and anywhere they can fit their little bodies. Today morning while I glanced out of my window, I saw a little palm sized squirrel running over the asbestos rooftop of my neighbouring house. My eyes were fixed on it as it twirled and hurried all over the place with its bushy tail.

I reminisced of my school days' memories while staring at the little creature . I remember that when I was in the third standard, I would long to sit at the last bench of the classroom ( though the last bench was loathed by most because it used to be a dark corner and you could hardly see the board; and worst still- the teachers had a knack of asking questions to the last benchers!). This classroom was a bit different. Luckily, there were large windows at the end of the classroom and the last benches were pleasant and not dark and intimidating. The attraction of the last bench was that the window looked outside to a beautiful Gulmohar tree. During recess after I had eaten my tiffin, I would stand beside the window and glance at the huge tree. Its little leaves danced with the wind and the golden Gulmohar flowers swayed gently. My eyes however searched for something else. My joy knew no bounds when I was lucky to see one or more tiny squirrels running up and down the branches of the tree! I was intrigued while my eyes followed their intricate movements and I was overwhelmed each time the squirrels would run really close to the window so that I could almost touch them.

We had to change our seats every week so that everyone gets to sit in the best and the worst seats of the classroom. I never liked the last benches, and was a meek and obedient sort who would prefer to sit within the teacher's reach and diligently follow the lessons. However, this case was different in the third standard. My little heart filled up with delight on the weeks when I could sit at the last bench. I would quickly catch a glance of the magnificent Gulmohar tree in between lessons. My delight was at its height when a substitute teacher would come in place of an absent teacher and ask us not to talk and put our heads down on the desk, so that she was not bothered by our nuisance. The substitute teachers thought this was a brilliant plan to keep us from making noise; which actually backfired a little later with the rising decibel of our suppressed giggles and chats. Anyway, at these times I would put my head down and hide my face with my hands. I would slowly turn my head and peep at the tree. There was something enchanting about the dancing leaves of the Gulmohar tree. My eyes filled with wonder as I stared at the Gulmohar petals and leaves sprinkling from its branches with every gust of wind. I would be totally ecstatic if I could see a squirrel at these moments.

Later, I think when I was in the fourth or fifth standard, I came across a mythological story of how the squirrel got its stripes. The legend describes that the squirrel had helped Lord Rama when he was building the bridge to Lanka with his army of monkeys. The tiny squirrel was no match to the strength of the monkeys who could do a way lot more than the squirrel. However, Lord Rama was so pleased with the Squirrel's devotion and eagerness to help, that he stroke the squirrel's back compassionately with his fingers and this left the indelible triple stripes that we see on the backs of squirrels. Recently, maybe a year or two before, I came across a very interesting fact about squirrels. These little guys behave pretty much like lizards (thank god they are not as yucky as lizards) for self defence. If you try catching a squirrel by its tail, it would simply drop it like a lizard! Imagine yourself trying to catch a cute little squirrel, and in case you grab its tail, the mischievous creature will leave its tail in your hands and run away.

If you ever watch a squirrel, you will be amused by how these guys communicate. I have caught squirrels calling out to their partners in a funny gesture. The little fellow would lift up its head and let out a sound which is somewhat similar to a bird's chirping. And while doing so it would rhythmically swing its fluffy tail up and down with the chirps. They continue it for some time and then would disappear among the leaves. They often chase each other and play around. You can't help but watch them in fun while they twirl around the tree barks, while their tails swivel gleefully.

Today as I watched the little squirrel from my window, my mind went digging about squirrel facts. I was reminded of some discrete pleasant memories that made me feel happy. And as I recollected the memory of my third standard, I discovered in surprise that there is also a Gulmohar tree visible from my window. As I adored the tree feeling nostalgic, its dancing leaves and the bunches of hanging Gulmohar flowers communicated an intimate feeling which I could feel in my heart.