Love Whispers, Kalai Selvi Arivalagan [great novels txt] 📗

bushes and on tree branches disappeared suddenly. Not even a single bird.

 

“Oh, my god” Monu started to flap her wings wildly.  

 

“I must escape from that hawk.” But the hawk was keen on getting her prey for the day.   Monu, the little parrot looked to be an easy target for her. The hawk followed her stubbornly with the speed of a heavy wind.   Monu desperately wished she would escape from the thick talons of the hawk. In the grip of those tough talons that day may turn to be her last day.

 

Monu rushed her way to reach the safety of her nest. But things took a bad turn. The hawk persistently chased her and Monu deviated from the way that took her home. She moved far away from the thickly grown trees and reached the highway that bustled with traffic. Monu saw the moving traffic that congested the highway. In her attempt to escape from the hawk, she decided to get into one of the vehicles that moved on the road. She entered through the entrance of a moving bus and landed literally on Vel's lap.

 

Vikram applied the brake suddenly and it jerked everyone in the bus. Vel looked at the little parrot on his lap. Monu struggled to move away from him but slipped and fell down at his feet.

 

Vel picked the parrot and examined her feathers. The parrot trembled at his touch. The beady eyes helplessly looked at him. To pacify the trembling parrot Vel cuddled it to his chest. He tried to comfort the bird with his warm touch. He stroked the bird with his fingers.

 

Though Monu struggled initially she slowly gained confidence. She relaxed for a while with her eyes closed. The racing heart beats retold the chase of the hawk and how she luckily managed to escape from the hawk’s cruel talons.  

 

Human Touch is Powerful

There is nothing that compares to the feeling of holding hands, a soft cheek against your own or the power of a warm embrace. Human touch is extremely important to our mental, physical and spiritual well-being as it offers us the opportunity to feel love, care, affection, warmth, kindness and compassion from others. Not many of us know this, but our skin is our largest organ and it is very responsive and sensitive. Human touch can offer us reassurance when we feel lost and confused and it can be healing when we are experiencing mental or physical pain. The touch between humans is something so powerful and it can help in a variety of situations. Discussed below are five major benefits of human touch. What has human touch done for you?

 

Reassures and Comforts

The need for human touch does not fade as we grow older. Babies and the elderly appreciate human touch, as does everyone in between these age groups. By simply holding someone’s hand or cuddling, you can give the gift of love and nurturing. People who are given cuddles, hugs and kisses on a regular basis feel reassured and comfortable. They tend to be more at ease and feel as though things will be okay.

Aids in Relaxation and Stress Relief

Human touch relaxes us and relieves stress. Anyone who has ever had a massage knows this. If you’ve had a hard day at work, asking your partner to rub your shoulders will make you feel better. You can literally feel the stress and tension melting away.

 

Builds Confidence

When someone touches you in an affectionate way, it makes you feel good about yourself. A pat on the back for a job well done lets you know that someone’s proud of you. A lover’s embrace means someone finds you attractive. Human touch builds confidence.

 

Shows Love

Some people are not good at expressing how they feel about someone. They can’t say they love them, but they use human touch to show them. Whether it’s holding hands, kissing or making love, human touch is a way to physically express love without having to talk about it.

 

Promotes Healing

Human touch promotes healing. It increases the number of immune cells in the body which promotes the healing of various physical and mental ailments. Human touch also improves behavior.

 

Human touch is something that everyone needs. It has phenomenal healing properties and can deeply affect an individual’s experience of life in a positive way. When in doubt, reach out and touch someone you love.

 

Vikram smiled at Vel. “Buddy, you got a new friend”

 

“Yes. I am planning to take it home.” Vel loved birds. He already has some love birds at home. He loved listening to their continuous love talk. Though his mother did not like him rearing birds at home, they relieved her monotony of being alone. After every one left for work, she stayed alone at home. Those love birds gave her the company. Cleaning their cages, feeding grains and changing their bowls with clean water became one of her routine work but she enjoyed doing it every day. Everyone at home welcomed Monu with a smile. Yet, Monu missed her family and the dense trees that made her original home.

 

Vel never encouraged having birds in cages at home. He felt that it curtailed their freedom and forced them live in a prison. Though the walls provided them safety and food without dearth, the lack of freedom made everything a big zero.

 

“Be at home till you are grown. Then I will let you go and explore the wide sky. Now you are so small and you need my protection.” Every day Vel spent his leisure time with Monu. Though the love birds were kept in a cage, Vel allowed Monu to roam around the home after he closed all the windows and doors. He did not want to let him accidentally into the open space and risk her life. So many stray cats and dogs roamed around his home, and any day Monu could end up as their food.

 

“Don’t let me feel guilty.” Vel kissed Monu before going to bed. Monu always slept near his bed and he wanted to provide her a secure home. But when moon rays peeped through the open windows, Monu always wanted to go out and see how the world looked during day and at night. Every month, Vel took her to the pet doctor and provided all the luxury a bird would love.

 

Vel taught Monu to speak small words. Gradually, she learnt to talk small sentences. Whenever Vel arrived home after work, Monu would flap her wings and would welcome him with a loud “I love you da.” The words cheered him always and he felt elated every time Monu spoke those words.

 

The little children who visited his house looked at the parrot with wonder. Monu loved their company. Vel never allowed any one to touch her for he felt someone might hurt her. Monu became so much attached to Vel that she started to be so possessive of him. She never allowed anyone to come near him or even put a hand on his shoulder. Vel’s friends laughed at this possessiveness and they sometimes mocked at him saying that Monu may turn out to be her love mate.

 

One evening on a Sunday every one sat watching a movie in the television. Monu sat cracking some nuts from her dish. A company of parrots flew and sat on the top of the guava tree in their neighbor’s house. The screeching sound of parrots reached Monu through the windows. The natural instinct triggered her curiosity and within seconds she flew out of the window. Monu perched on a branch of the guava tree and looked at the parrots. Their shiny red beaks made her feel at home and she reached them with her brisk walk. The evening breeze caressed her shining feathers and she yearned to be one among them.

 

“Come with us.” One of the parrots invited her. “We will explore the world. It is exciting to fly in the sky.” Monu accepted their invitation. But before she flew away, she flew into the house through the windows. She perched on Vel’s shoulder for a while and looked at him. With her beaks she kissed on his cheek and flew away to join her company.

 

“Why did you let it go?” Vel's mother questioned.

 

“Ma, she must be with her company only. Don't worry, she will come back” Vel replied calmly.

 

Love mate

 

In the evening, the rain started with a drizzle. But it gradually increased and when Vel returned home he had to wade through flooded streets. Her mother sat at the door for him.

 

“Ma, how many times I have asked you not to wait. Why are you standing here in the rain?” Vel parked the bike and ran on the steps to escape from the rain.

 

“Hmm, Get married. Then I will not worry you.” Vel finished eating quickly to avoid further conversation. Such a conversation always ended with her mother crying silently and she will not sleep till late night. To avoid such scenes, he sat near the window reading a weekly magazine. The street light burned brightly and lit the street like day. He preferred to read in that light for everyone at home were deep asleep.

 

Suddenly he could hear ruffling sound of feathers. In the dark he could not see any birds. But he could hear the sound. Monu always ruffled her feathers after her morning bath in the round tub at the balcony.

 

“It is raining so heavily. Where will she be?” Vel could not read more. The love birds in the cage cuddled together in a corner and slept peacefully. Birds once they started to live with the humans, they are made to live a comfortable life and there was never a moment of struggle to get their food.

 

Though the birds in captivity lacked the real life skills, why men continued to rear them as their pets? To his knowledge, ornithologists always encouraged silent bird watching and Vel doesn't know in particular if they encouraged having birds as pets at homes. Birds always fascinated Vel and he loved to go for bird watching along with his friends during summer vacation. He enjoyed going for trekking with the local club friends and till now has enriched memories of those wonderful days.

 

After he came to Chennai, he could not think about trekking and birds. Work occupied most of his time and he spent his leisure time with colleagues who always preferred to go for a film during weekends. His mother insisted having birds at home for she felt lonely after everyone went for work. Birds were a better company to her for she didn't like watching television throughout the day.

 

Next day Vel had a tough time traveling in water logged roads. The road congested with snarling traffic tested his patience and when his shift ended he felt drained and exhausted. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

 

“Hi, do you mind coming with us for trekking next week?” Balaji inquired. “Ok, ok” without waiting for his reply, he left the place in a hurry.

 

Suddenly thoughts about Monu preoccupied him, and he wished Monu would come back to him. He wanted to know how safe Monu was and where he stayed.   Vel did not fail to remember that the world is a vast place and definitely Monu will have a safe place to sleep