Big city edges out little bird

"Dear sparrow, please come back. All is forgiven." That's the bird lovers' plea to the humble house sparrow that's been missing from Bangalore for some years now. The little bird used to be an integral part of every household not so long ago. Ventilators, attics, ledges and the shelters of tiled roofs served as nests for these feathered families, where entire generations found their wings.
The tiny tots in the house were always fascinated by these fluttering and chirping friends and tried to befriend them everytime these birds hopped around on the floor picking up the remnants of the grains left over after the grandmother's rice cleaning session.
To some, the birds may have all looked similar, but little children who had been watching the birds fly in and out of the house, could easily tell one from the other. The birds too, like the human inhabitants of the house, had occasional arguments, probably over the upbringing of the nestlings or for returning late to the nest and created a racket, with each one trying to out-chirp the other.
Dry grass and bits of cotton and coir from the mattresses usually made up the cosy nests, where small, grey, speckled eggs used to be hatched. Every time the birds returned to the nests, the bare, skinny nestlings would begin their little squeals in chorus and stop only after they got their fill.
Soon, they'd grow feathers and wings and the adventuruous of the siblings would venture to discover the big bad world, only to drop down on to the floor, unable to finds its wings. It is then left to the inmates of the house to return the sheepish bird to the nest, before the pet mongrel or cat tried to make a meal of it.
Bangalore's growth and its citizens' lifestyle seem to have pushed the little birds out of the daily life here. With houses having sprawling compounds, it was customary to keep the front doors open during the day. This allowed these birds to fly in and out at will. This also allowed the neighbourhood's children and the old woman next door to walk in. The former with a ball and the latter with the latest gossip. Today, with front doors opening directly to the road or the corridors in the case of flats, leaving the door open would mean inviting trouble in the form of pollution and "pests" of every kind. Gradually, as the old big houses with those high Mangalore tiled ceilings made way for new houses, the nests too disappeared. And with the city getting warmer, the ceiling fans ran throughout the year, keeping the birds away. And then, with the communications revolution, the mobile towers are said to be affecting these birds.
Citizens today no longer wake up the chirping. The only twitter at homes today are on the laptops and PCs.