The International House Sparrow Day observed all over the world on March 20, sent me down memory lane a long way off. Our family consisting of my parents and their four children including me, lived in a reasonably big row-house in Holmespet, Proddatur, Andhra Pradesh, about two score and ten years ago. Sparrows make their nests with bark strips, twigs and weed stems lined with hair and feathers.
A few couples of sparrows lived in such nests built into the crevices and spaces between the rafters and the ceiling of our front porch. They used to come down on the flooring and dart hither and thither to feed on the grains left by my mother. Later they used to drink water from the bowl thoughtfully placed there by my father. It was quite a sight to behold them drinking water. They used to suck a drop or two at a time through their beaks and hold their heads up looking at the ceiling until the drops went down their throats. It took quite some time....
