The Return of the Sparrow and Dom Perignon at 35000 Feet

You don’t see sparrows any more in Bangalore. At least in the city, you don’t. I first noticed this during my morning runs in Cubbon Park, where the House Crow, the Common Mynah and the Pariah Kite seem to be the dominant bird species. I frequently hear the call of the Koel, and when I try I can see the bird itself, hidden deep in the foliage of a tree. Koels are partial to figs, so standing under a tree of the Ficus family in fruit reliably yields Koel sightings. I can also hear the call of the Coppersmith Barbet, which, like the Koel, can be spotted on any Ficus tree in fruit. Other birds that I see fairly regularly in Cubbon Park are the White-Cheeked Barbet, the Brahminy Kite and some Kingfishers. The bird I don’t see at all any more is the humble little House Sparrow. The sight and sound of sparrows is a memory from my early childhood, so I felt the loss.

Imagine my surprise then, at hearing the familiar sound of sparrows at a most unlikely place – the terminal building of the new Bangalore International Airport. The bright, cheerful chirping provided a nice contrast to the unceasing PA announcements that one hears at all airports. Gazing up at the roof, I spotted several sparrows flying about. I noted with relief that there were no ceiling fans in the terminal building, so the birds could fly safely within the building. Significantly, there were no other bird species (or none that I spotted) within the building. This means that the little birds can live and nest in safety from predators. The only potential threat to their continued existence in the building is if an intolerant airport administrator decides to rid the building of the birds, which I hope does not happen. It seems that the least we can do to compensate for making the environment insupportable for the birds is to provide a safe haven for them where we can. This may result in the occasional bird dropping on a traveler (perhaps requiring an expensive jacket to be dry-cleaned), but it seems such a small price to pay for the pleasure of seeing the lovely little creatures back. I sat watching the birds until it was time to board the flight to Mumbai.

Jet Airways was nice enough to upgrade me to business class on the flight from Mumbai to San Francisco, even though I had one expired upgrade voucher out of the required number of six. As expected, the flight crew were friendly and attentive. Dom Perignon at 35000 feet is a tough companion to beat. Bill Bryson came a close second with Mother Tongue. Flying business class is such a luxury these days. The company I work for is not very profitable, so all air travel is only coach class. Business class is an order of magnitude more comfortable that coach class, as a result of which you arrive at your destination fresh and raring to go. I am looking forward to the time when we will retire the red ink and get out the black ink, so that relative luxuries like business class for long plane journeys is back. Until then, I will save up those upgrade vouchers jealously so I can cherish the occasional company of Dom Perignon at 35000 feet. Speaking of which, it is time to top up the glass again.