Summer Daze and a Slingshot's Sting

Naren was nine years old then. During summer vacation, he often went to the mango orchard with his friends. They played different types of games. It also included targeting green mangoes with stones. Even after trying hard he could drop 1-2 raw mangoes. One day 2-3 tribal boys came to that garden. Before the children could understand anything, they aimed the slingshot at a crow sitting on a branch. The stunned crow upturned but still held the branch. The second shot hit the crow. The crow fell down from the tree with a thud. They put the injured crow in a half-filled bag and started walking for the next kill. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Naren saw the charisma of slingshot for the first time.

Naren also became interested in making a slingshot. Who knows how many times he made slingshots, aimed at tree fruits and birds but never got success? He was so young that it was probably not within his power to make a slingshot properly and take powerful aim.

Naren did not lose courage. Assisted by his friends, a special branch of guava tree was searched for. After some hard work, such a branch was found. It was broken, cut and shaped into a star shaped slingshot. An old bicycle rubber tube was obtained from a bicycle puncture maker. Two ribbons of 10 inches each were cut from it. From the cobbler's shop,a piece of leather was acquired. A hole was made on both sides of a 3-inch wide leather belt to catch the bullet. Entire afternoon

passed but neither the lace was tied properly on the sticks of the slingshot or on the holes of the leather lace. Finally he had to seek help from his uncle. He skilfully prepared a very strong slingshot. Small clay tablets were also dried in the sun.

The next day, Naren also went to hunt raw green mangoes, armed with a slingshot. Friends kept getting success. Naren was a complete failure. Defeated and dejected, he returned home and lay down on the wooden bench in the courtyard. Just then a

group of sparrows came into the courtyard to pick grains. He silently fired a bullet from the slingshot while lying down. The bullet hit a bird's leg. The bird started screaming and circling at the same place. Naren felt as if he had committed a heinous crime.

In that moment, the thrill of the hunt morphed into the searing agony of regret. His heart heavy with remorse, Naren rushed to the wounded bird.  He saw or rather felt pain and fear in the little eyes of the sparrow. Somehow, the bird let him pick her up .He caressed her. He cradled it gently, offering water and tending to its injury. His younger sister, drawn by the commotion, also nursed and applied turmeric paste on both the legs. She added a final touch - a pink tilak on the bird's forehead. With a renewed burst of energy, the bird finally spread its wings, the pink dot a stark reminder of its ordeal.

Naren's slingshot met its fate at the bottom of a well that day. His weapon of conquest was replaced by a simple earthen bowl, brimmed with water and scattered grains. The orchard, once echoing with the sounds of stone-throwing, now resonated with the gentle chirping of birds drawn to Naren's newfound empathy.  Sometimes sparrow with little pink bindi also came with her flocks for morning snacks. Those few days used to become a big day for Naren.

The pink tilak became a silent symbol of Naren's metamorphosis, marking the transition from the pursuit of victory to the embrace of compassion. The boy who once sought conquest had learned the poignant cost of triumph, finding fulfilment in the quiet dance of empathy and understanding.