After 30 years of work, I thought it was time to call it a day. So, with my wife, I settled down in a laid-back village in Thrissur, with full of rustic charms. There I built a small house with a lawn and a kitchen garden. My garden boasts a spectrum of colourful flowers such as hibiscus, marigold and balsam. The flowers play host to a variety of butterflies.
In our backyard, we grow tropical vegetables and fruit-bearing trees such as mango, papaya, jackfruit and guava. And these trees harbour a variety of exotic birds in varying sizes and colours, both local and migrants.
Every morning at the crack of dawn, I wake up to the sound of melodious voice of birds, singing harmoniously. After a cup of filter coffee, I hoist myself on the terrace of my house, carrying with me a pair of binoculars and a well-thumped copy of The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali. Bird watching has become an obsession which I developed from my childhood days.
