A trip to the Zoo!

     It was a sunny February Saturday at Hyderabad and there was ample indication to get prepared for an oppressive impending summer.  My company had organized a day out to the zoo with about a hundred not so fortunate kids from a local government school as part of a community involvement drive. As soon as I got the email asking for volunteers for this activity, I registered in no time!  I later found out more than seventy associates wanted to be a part of this, but only the first twenty who registered got the opportunity.  And indeed my promptness paid off and I was one of lucky twenty!




      This was one of the most convenient volunteering activities I ever participated. An Indica picked me up from home. By the time I was at the zoo, the snacks and the drinks for us and the kids have already been arranged. Most of the volunteers had already reached, and it comprised mostly of young bright faces, most likely unencumbered by weekend family chores! We had to wait for some time for the kids to arrive, and I filled up my time by giving free advice to an young associate.  Let me assure you it was not unsolicited.




Seeing the Nehru Zoo of Hyderabad, the images of the San Diego Zoo which I visited a few months ago came gushing in. Obviously the later covered a much larger expanse, with a more diverse animal life in its collection and a much more visitor friendly set-up.  The cool winds from the Pacific and the deep blue sky wonderfully complemented the lush green foliage of that zoo. 


  
Soon the kids arrived in their green checkered shirts and navy blue pants and the air filled up with their excited chirpings. Most of them were just short of their adolescence.  But in spite of their excitement and unruly age, they were surprisingly well behaved! They formed neat lines and followed instructions without much demur. We divided them into groups of ten or twelve and we split ourselves into pairs and attached ourselves with each group. 




Once inside the zoo, we did away with the map and decided just to follow the trails instinctively and find out what all encounters with our wild brethren crosses our path! And to start that list, we were greeted by little black turtles with glistening bony shells, swimming indifferently in the turquoise pools. Next we saw red-faced baboons, bored with their surroundings, sitting high up on the branches, their long tail hanging listlessly. The apes might have been bored, but not the children! They all climbed over each other and the fencing walls, noticing every small detail of the animal! Only if the baboon knew he had evinced so much interest in his more evolved counterparts!




Soon we were face to face with a Royal Bengal Tiger, marooned in an island ringed off with a pool just large enough to keep us beyond his reach.  I always wondered what if he really decided to go for that long jump.  But thankfully he was in no mood for such (mis)adventure and instead solemnly, in his characteristic majestic gait, paced up and down, a few yards in each direction, evidently preoccupied contemplating on some matter of grave importance! But all its seriousness got belied when we saw another one of its kind (was it his cousin?) comfortably perched up in the branches of a tree, snoring away in the warm, comfortable shade!  Its total lack of any care and concern in the world did make me feel a tinge envious!  The kids loved both of them!




Next we spotted scores of deer with their slender body, kind eyes, gorgeous hoofs, dotting a wide expanse. But not much was going on there and we decided it was time for a quick bite and a little rest in the shade!

On our way, we met our winged friends next. The baby ostriches were as curious as the kids. Seeing us by the edge of their fenced dwelling, they came running in their furry bodies, large eyes, and broad black beaks. I wondered what would be the size of an ostrich egg! A little away were their parents in black wings and white bodies, huge in size, standing unconcerned with the characteristic adult smugness writ all over them! We saw colorful emus caged in. We saw flamingos standing on their one legs, the other leg tucked inside their curled up bodies, but their color rather dull compared to the bright red ones that I saw in US. The white pea-cocks strutted about proudly, with a lovely feathery crest atop its head! The parakeets in their bright green plumage were also a sight to see! I remembered once having seen a school of parakeets flying across the sky, their bright green colors contrasting the green trees behind! How much more beautiful they looked in that natural setting!

As we strolled on, by now our feet a little tired, we came across a pair of tall but lazy giraffes, chewing away a bunch of leaves. We spotted a bloated black hippopotamus rolling in the mud. We saw a pair of open-mouthed crocodiles, lying completely immobile by a pool of mossy water.We saw a few wily foxes looking suspiciously at us.  But the most entertaining were the burly bears, swaying their bodies as if to some latest bollywood number, and posing for the camera all on two legs as soon as we pointed our lens towards them! The kids were over-joyed!




Then we found ourselves in front of the reptile house. The snakes as always evinced much interest! There is something surreal about their slithering undulating movements, their smooth slippery bodies, their flickering forked tongues and their motionless eyes, that makes them attractive in some strange other worldly way! We saw a variety of them boxed in separate compartments through the safety of the glass panes. 




We also entered the dark confines of the nocturnal animals! In the dimly lit space we saw owls, wild cats, bats and few other species of the night, and wondered how varied the life forms are not only in their physical appearances but also in their behaviors!




By now we were quite exhausted and though large sections of the zoo remained unexplored, we had to keep it that way till our next visit! A few of the kids were disheartened to have given the elephants a miss this time! 

Yes the kids! I have mentioned about their surprisingly good behavior, but over the course of the day,  I also found out how good hearted they were! These kids perhaps come from some of the poorest families of the city. Some of them did not have even a pair of chappals to cover their feet from the unforgiving roads! Yet all I could see in their eyes was a deep gratitude and appreciation for the few hours we spent with them.  Throughout the day the kids took their turn to keep my hands tightly clasped by their little fingers, and the moment one of them left it, someone else came running to catch hold of them. Whenever they spotted an animal they made sure I spotted it too! Even before I could ask them to be in the group, they made sure they never fell out. Even when they wanted to attend nature’s call or were thirsty, they made that known in the gentlest of ways! And what touched me most was when we distributed some snacks, they made sure I had my bit too. When one of the kid noticed that I was left with no biscuit for myself after distributing all that I had, he came forward  to me and insisted I have one of his, almost feeding me with his own hands.  What can be more humbling? Once more life taught me that to be poor in possession can be no pre-condition for being poor in spirit!




On my way home, sitting in the Indica, I had a deep feeling of gratitude towards these kids. How would they know how much joy, innocence and love they have shared in these few hours? No doubt they will go back to their little homes a little happier than they came, but what is more certain is that I will be going back to my home much more richer in spirit. The warmth of the Sun fades in comparison to the warmth of affection I felt from these little children. This was perhaps the best trip to the zoo I ever made. And most certainly much better than the one I made to the cool, comfortable and corporatized San Diego Zoo!