For years my morning coffee, I have in my garden, has come with a peaceful audience. Crows, mynahs, pigeons. Sparrows, and once I counted, eight varieties of birds that gather at my feet, waiting with remarkable discipline for the birdfeed I scatter.
No arguments, no shouting, just quiet coexistence. And for all their differences in size and colour, they eat together without incident.
Until yesterday.
There was a loud cawing and squawking and looking down, I saw a crow clutching a mynah by its wing and flinging it around with disturbing confidence. The mynah protested, the crow ignored, and I had to step in like an uninvited peacekeeper, who suddenly realised his garden had turned into a conflict zone.
It was shocking. For years they had behaved better than most of us.
And then came the uncomfortable thought.
What if they have been watching us? Our wars? Lynchings? Angry speeches and hateful actions?
Leaders who no longer speak, but snarl. Faces tight, voices raised, and every sentence, a declaration of war.
No relaxed expressions, no warmth, no ease. Only sneers and grimaces, as if smiling is weakness.
In our own country, every speech sounds like a confrontation. There is no move to guide the nation. Words are sharpened, loaded, and delivered with force.
Anger seems to have become a leadership quality.
Now imagine a crow perched quietly on a branch, observing all this, and yesterday, decided to try it out.
Bird watchers I am sure will respond in their usual way. Perhaps a committee to study avian behaviour. But the problem is not at the bottom.
I believe it begins at the top.
When leadership at the top, carries tension in its face, the country reflects it. When every public expression of theirs, is a sneer or a grimace, society absorbs that language.
And slowly, quietly, it begins to show up everywhere.
It moved from Parliament to my peaceful garden. Because of which, I am now involved.
So, here’s my suggestion to all in the ruling party: What if you try something pleasanter?
A smile.
Not the rehearsed kind, you give before the hug, but a genuine one.
Imagine you leaders speaking without anger, disagreeing without hostility, guiding without looking like you are about to start a fight.
Tomorrow, I want the birds to return. To eat quietly again.
But even as I wonder if you in power can change your expression. Even as I feel strongly that peace will not happen with mere phone calls to war mongers. I believe it can begin with your face that is not at war! Try it, and maybe not just the poor birds who visit my garden, but families living in fear will thank you for the change…!