The Koels Residing in the Wood Apple Tree

Sample of the Male Cry

Male Koel Call – ( a YouTube Video)

The Habitat of Koels and Their Call

When Winter passes, the early signs of Spring sky is filled with the Male Asian Koels’ call to attract the Female Koels. The male Koels are in black, like the raven but, with bloodshot eyes. The female Koels are in grey shades with white spots all over them.

The sound of its call is quiet appealing to hear in the early hours of the morning. It can be heard especially in the early hours of dawn and sometimes in the afternoon.

Earlier the Independent houses had trees in their compound, but these days of concrete existence, the trees have been replaced the green environment into concrete desert.

Backyard Garden in My Independent House

When our home was an independent house, and our backyard had a good space of green with a huge Indian Wood apple tree. The tree used to display distinct visual marking to indicate the six different Indian seasons.

The six seasons of India are indicated in the ancient Sanskrit texts written by Kavi Kalidas and the ancient literature of India. The seasons include Vasant Ritu (Spring), Grishma Ritu (Summer), Varsha Ritu (Monsoon), Sharad Ritu (Autumn), Hemant Ritu (Pre-Winter) and Shishir Ritu (Winter).

The Tree that Showcased Six Seasons

You could find the six seasons by looking at the tree and the life forms that live in it. It would have a special view of buzzing life.

In Vasant Ritu the land wakes up, the leaves are just appearing in parrot green, In Grishma Ritu, right after all the sprouting in the previous season, the young leaves become darker and life on the tree is an endearing event. In Varsha Ritu, the rainwater drips from the darkened green leaves.

In Sharad Ritu, the leaves begin to turn yellow giving it a wonderful colourful look. In Hemant Ritu, a few branches still have yellow leaves attached and a lot of them are on the ground. In Shishir Ritu, the tree is completely barren of leaves with the fallen leave having turned brown on the foot of the tree.

Thrown Seed to Grown Tree

The tree was born from a casually discarded rotting fruit by my green thumbed late great-grandaunt on one of her visit to the city. Later, one of my uncles took interest in tending for it as a family member, and finally it bore fruits when I was just out of my primary school.

I, for one, disliked the fruit and its taste. It had a strong pungent smell. I am repelled by it even now. Back then, it was famous among my grand aunt who stayed with us for a while.

She often said, “Eat a full wood apple fruit and never share it.” Her logic was that when a person consumes a single fruit then the person would gain the wisdom seed in the mushy part of the fruit.

She was most unwilling to share it others since I disliked it there was no competition for the fruit. She felt that if you shared the fruit then the seed would be left to chance and she may not be the only person who might have got the wisdom seed. According to her, she would rather eat the full fruit than leave it to chance for to have a share in wisdom!

Koels Call In Mid-Spring and Late Summer

Of course, in this tree during mid-spring and during the monsoon, the call of the Male Koel would be heard. In the thicket, they would hide, unseen, and only heard. Their call would echo throughout the tree.

It felt like the wood apple tree has become a surround sound system picking the bird’s innovative beats and amplifying it in the environment. Imagination runs amok with the echoes of the call resonating through the viridian splendour.

In post-summer, it almost matched with the time when the rain bearing clouds gathered on the sky and Koel’s call would smoothen our afternoon thoughts always paired with the ritualistic afternoon chai.

Old Home Grown Folklore

Often in our family circle, we had a story about two Koel sisters who lived on either side of the river. They conversed with and warned each other, if the water is in spate during the monsoon. When it would be the right time to cross over the river for a visit!

But the female Koel don’t have a unique call. It usually with the male Koel who uses it during the mating season to attract its pair. The family version of the folklore is quiet unique, because of the wordplay.

Akoo is the sound that the bird makes, and which is also close to the word Akka or elder sister. Probably because of the reference or similarity in the sound the Koels became sisters in the folklore of our family.

Check out these posts too

Cuckoo’s Viridian Call

Wood Apple Tree and Indian Seasons

Retold Family Story

Image: Internet