April 27. “Button, do you hear the Koel sing every morning, afternoon and evening? Dost too mentioned it the other day.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No matter what is happening the world over, it sings its song tirelessly.”

“What does the Koel look like?”

“The male is greenish-black, has red eyes and a pale green beak. The female is brownish and is striped and spotted. It has a persistent and loud Ku-UUU ku-UUU. Like other cuckoos, the Koel is also a ‘brood parasite’, meaning she lays her eggs in the nest of other birds.”

“She calls again and again and again as if to say—stop in your tracks and listen to my song. It will take your mind away from the mundane stuff and draw your attention to other living creatures that occupy this planet besides yourself.”

“Beautifully put, Button.”

“The question is how long will we hear the Koel call! Will she be silenced like other animals and birds? Will she, too, become extinct in the near future like the house sparrow! I hardly see sparrows these days!”

“It’s like the diminishing tigers. Only a month back, the official figure of live tigers was 1411. Today’s papers said that in a month’s time, it will diminish to 1000 or even less.”