By Upili Chakrapani
Have you ever seen a village weaverbird making its nest? Normally you can find their nests swinging from the branches of trees near paddy fields. If you find an abandoned nest, take a close look at it and see what a beautiful piece of art it is! The nest makes a comfortable abode for the bird and its chicks to brave storms and rains. Not even a drop of water can get inside the portion where the chicks nestle. It is a wonder that these birds are naturally endowed with a skill to weave their nests neatly like a basket with their small beaks.
It was a day of thunder and rains and a weaverbird was watching the rains from its nest. It was enormously content that its chicks were safe and comfortable and fully protected from the rain. Suddenly it saw a huge monkey taking refuge under the tree. The monkey was shivering with cold and wore an irritated look. Helpless, it was waiting for the rain to abate.
The weaverbird saw the monkey'splight. It wanted to give the monkey some sound advice. It called it aloud and said, ?Monkey Sir! You have arms and legs like men but it is a pity that you didn'ttry to make a nest of your own. See! We do not have arms but even then we make our nests, which protect us from rain and sun. You definitely need to plan your life or else you will be in misery always like you are now!?
Listening to this the monkey got wild. It climbed up the tree and tore away the nest of the weaverbird all the time yelling, ?You needle beaked idiot! You have the temerity to tease me? Me, the majestic and powerful??
Alas! The weaverbird had to flee with its chicks in the rain looking for cover. Think now. What was the cardinal mistake the weaverbird committed? It was rendering an unsolicited, untimely advice to a brutally powerful being when it could not help the monkey in any way. This story tells us that one should exercise a lot of caution before extending an advice howsoever good it might be. An advice should be wise and timely, appropriate to the circumstances and above all should be addressed to the one who will heed!
(The writer can be contacted at 87/III North West Moti Bagh, New Delhi 110021)
