As we entered the stretch of road on Pulicat Lake, we saw these egrets waiting patiently for fish. The sight was beautiful, the birds eagerly watching the direction of the breeze which promised more food.
But man was smarter, and fishing at a spot ahead of the egrets. "If both fish, will there be enough fish left for either?" my daughter asked. What she knows, why doesn't a grown man also know and understand, I wondered. The natural food balance was so seriously being affected. The birds came only for the fish. And man tried to outwit them!
To top it, the traffic on the road, though sparse, was noisy. Horns blared loudly while my husband and I tried to shush our children to silence. The high speeding vehicles tore through the wind, scaring even us humans!
And then, I noticed the men and the women. Tired, hardworking, with hopes of making a few bucks from their catch to meet their ends meet. This man on the right had pulled that makeshift boat almost for two to three kilometers in knee-deep water. No pleasant job that.
Who am I to ride the moral high horse?
How do we strike the fine balance between need for survival of the birds, the man, and - well - the fish!
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