The OWL

It was a hot summer day of May; I was on my 4th round of bath. Climate was so horrible that even 2 times bath will not give relief from the heat. It was then I heard the sound of an owl outside the window. It took me back to my childhood days.

Owl was considered to be a bad omen that none will allow the poor creature to sit somewhere peacefully. It was believed that the owl would bring diseases to the children. People do all sorts of funny things if this poor guy finds a place somewhere near their house. I still wonder what those activities of putting salt into burning oven and heating the knife has to do with the owl.

I remember my granny and aunty amma walking round the house with burning Olibanum, their lips moving in prayers. But the owl never moved from its place nor stopped crying. Anyways, these beliefs influence the life style of village people. For me, they are our privileges. I love to be bound to these beliefs.

Now, we are grown up. I remember granny doing it till Joel’s days (My cousin, 11 yr old). 4 yr old sania is the youngest of us. But I don’t see granny roaming round with burning Olibanum. Either she stopped it due to her old age or owl reduced in numbers due to many reasons.