The temple’s winged guardians

The Malabar Whistling Thrush (Myophonus horsfieldii), or the ‘Whistling Schoolboy’ as it is commonly known, is found in the Western Ghats and the surrounding hills of peninsular India, in some parts of Central India and Eastern Ghats. It’s most striking quality is the whistling calls it makes just before dawn, that have a very human quality— it sounds just like a person whistling a tune!The bird is black in colour with shiny patches of blue on its forehead and wings, but the blue colour is visible only in oblique lighting. Malabar whistling thrushes are usually found in dark undergrowth and dense riverine forests. The birds are omnivorous, and feast on a wide range of insects, frogs, worms and berries. They do not shy away from humans, and are often found rather close to human habitation. The male sings a variety of whistling tunes during summer. Early dawn is the time when they sing for long, but during the day, they utter sharp single or two note whistles. Once popular as caged pets, the Malabar thrushes could learn entire tunes to whistle!

Veera trudged through the jungle path with his bundle of clothes and the few dry rotis that he had packed for dinner. The place was new to him, and he had been walking for many days now. The rotis had been given to him by a kind traveller he had met on the way. But they wouldn’t last him forever! He had to get food for the next few days somehow… and, some money too. It would have been easier to stop at the previous village he had passed, and take up a job in the fields there.

He couldn’t stop anywhere though. He had to keep going or else he might get caught again, he feared. Luckily for Veeru, he reached the next village soon enough. In the middle of the jungle was a small clearing, and a group of men were huddled deep in conversation in front of the tiny tea shop. There were bananas hung at the tea stall, and a board saying that lime soda was available. Glass jars with biscuits and candy lined the shelves, and Veera wondered if there were any children at all in that god-forsaken place to buy candy from the stall.

He sat down with the rest of the men around the fire, and signalled to the tea stall owner. “Oru chai”, he said, his thick Tamil accent marking his speech. The stall owner nodded in comprehension, and poured him a cup of tea. The other men turned to look at him, some curiously, and some suspiciously. Veera suddenly felt very conscious. He casually pulled his towel closer around his face, trying to cover it. Some of the men took no notice, while a few others gave him cursory glances. He sipped his tea, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Thambi, are you not from here?” a man asked in Tamil. Veera’s dread had come true. The Tamil accent in his voice had been unmistakable; it was no wonder they had found him out. “No, I am not”, he said, trying to hide the fear in his voice. “What brings you here? This is more of a jungle and less of a village. Do you have any relatives here?” Veera shook his head and grunted in reply. The man pressed on. “There are very few families around in this place. What brings you here? I can help you find your relatives.” Veera frowned.

“That’s none of your business”, he growled. “I’ll find my people myself, thanks.” Veera hoped that his surly response would discourage further conversation. The man scowled and whispered something to his companions in Malayalam. Veera could snatch a few words like “troublemaker” and “leave it”. Veera decided he wouldn’t spend much time there. It wasn’t worth the trouble. He got some pickle from the stall and unpacked his dinner. The customers at the stall thinned, and only two or three men were left now. He noticed one of them eyeing him with interest.

Had he recognized him? Veera didn’t like it one bit, but decided he would wait and see if the man confronted himThe tea stall owner, started boarding up his shop and prepared to close down for the day. It was dark now, and Veera wondered where he would spend the night. May be he could sleep on the porch in front of the shop, he thought.At last the other two men too, got up to go, and Veera was left with the mysterious stranger.

“You look familiar”, the man said at last. “Are you sure we haven’t met?”Veera ignored him and continued to eat his roti.
“Six months ago, when I was at Pudukottai, they caught a thief from the very area I was residing in, and paraded him on the streets before taking him to jail”, he said. “I could have sworn it was you.”

Veera’s right hand trembled. He was caught again. There was no point playing dumb now. His left hand tightened around the handle of the small knife he carried with him. Before the stranger could realize what was happening, Veera had him in a strong grip, with the blade poised at his throat. “You’re right”, Veera said, “I am that thief. And I managed to escape from prison. And a nosey fellow like you isn’t going to get me caught!”

But surprisingly, the stranger wasn’t scared at all. He laughed. Veera felt unnerved. “You have misunderstood me, brother”, the man said. “I only intend to side by you, not against you. I am a thief too.”Veera’s grip loosened. “How do I trust you?” he asked, frowning. “You might be making up stories to trap me.”

“Do you remember when you were caught at Pudukottai, you were accused of stealing from eleven households? But you had in fact, stolen from just seven”, the man said, a smile playing on his lips as Veera tried to remember. “Who do you think stole from the remaining four houses?”

Veera’s face darkened as realization dawned on him. “You swine!” he cried. “I was caught while you escaped. Couldn’t you own up?”“Would you have owned up if you had been in my place?” the stranger retorted. Veera thought about it. It was true; he would have kept quiet too.“Well brother, it is time I made up to you for it”, said the man. “I am Somu, and we have a wonderful chance to become rich again. Do you know of the ancient temple which is deep inside this forest? The deity’s statue is made of pure gold.”

Veera’s eyes popped out in awe and greed. “Pure gold?”“Yes, but if we have to steal it, we have to do it tonight. Tomorrow, the festive season begins and we will never get a chance with everyone hanging around the temple.”Quickly, the two thieves made plans. “I know the way to the temple, but I can’t risk doing it on my own; I’d be caught soon”, said Somu. “I will take you there, and stand guard at the entrance to the front path. You go in, break the lock and take the statue. If anyone comes, I will whistle a tune, like this, see?”

He whistled a tune that seemed to sound loud and clear in the silent forest. Veera agreed. “We’ll hide the figurine somewhere till the hue and cry dies down”, he said, “and then make off with it.”It was midnight already when they started, and it took them a good three hours to reach the spot. The forest was abuzz with the sound of crickets and beetles. “We have to be quick”, panted Somu. “The rituals begin at dawn, and the temple priest and the villagers may already be making their way here. Go quickly now!”

Veera hurried to the temple and started breaking the lock of the temple door with a stone. He was almost done when he heard a long whistle, almost like the tune that Somu had whistled. He dropped the stone and rushed to Somu, who looked surprised to see him. “What’s wrong?” he hissed. “Didn’t you whistle just now?”, said Veera. “Let’s escape before someone comes.”

“I most certainly didn’t”, said Somu indignantly. “Go back and do the job.”Veera went again, muttering. He managed to break the lock and stepped inside. Just as he was about to lay his hands on the idol, the whistle sounded again. Veera saw a bird fly past. “Was it the bird making the noise? But the bird looked all black. “This must be a crow. It must have been Somu”, thought a frightened Veera, and rushed to Somu again.

“I never whistled”, insisted Somu. “Go and get the idol, will you?”Veera went back. He saw the bird again, sitting fearlessly on a branch nearby and watching him with beady eyes. It was almost dawn. Veera went in, picked up the idol and started walking out when he heard the whistle. He saw the bird’s throat gurgling, and he realized whose mischief it was. “So it was you all along.”

He walked on confidently, sure that it was the bird. But a few furlongs ahead, to his shock, he found himself face to face with the temple priest and some villagers! “Thief! Catch him!” Overcome by surprise, Veera was caught quite easily. As they dragged him off, he saw Somu hiding behind some trees, watching. “He’s the real thief! Catch him!”, he roared. But it fell on deaf ears, as the villagers marched him to the police station. Far away in the thickets, he could hear the bird whistling a happy tune to itself.