Why south Indians feed crows

The second time I saw crows being fed rice was on a Sunday in Matunga Mumbais little south India It was a typical mami Tamil slang for middleaged Brahmin lady doing her morning things Cooking done she was forming steaming hot rice into pingpong sized balls and lining them up along the back wall of her house Almost on cue several crows swooped down to carry them awayThe first time I had seen the same thing was around four decades earlier as a scruffy boy in knickers playing at my grandfathers house in Coimbatore My grandmother a stern lady with a nononsense face who had no hesitation in using the rod when entreaties failed used to ritually place rice balls on the parapet every morning My brother and I would count the crows as they fought over the riceBut it was only the third time that I saw crows and rice balls that I finally understood the reason for this seemingly virtuous and kindhearted practice The crows were being trained To understand how I realised this we must go back to February 8 1990 the day my father died He went peacefully while showering after years of enduring the pains of diabetic neuropathy but eventually being taken away quite quickly by a heart attack That morning before I left for work he had asked me what I thought of the changes Gorbachev was bringing about in the USSR with his glasnost and perestroikaAt age 38 it was my first direct experience with the death of a loved one As the eldest sibling I knew custom required that I lead in the final rites but I had the long drive from Nariman Point to Andheri to let my tears rage By the time I reached home I was composed and on top of thingsWe cremated him the same evening at Oshiwara crematorium according to his wishes and kept his mortal remains in an urn for the next nine days as required Aunts uncles cousins descended with much needed advice on protocols and rites The ashes should be dispersed at the confluence of three rivers we chose Nashik and only after three days of prayers and ceremonies starting on the tenth dayThe family priest was a wise erudite man called Ware also at Nashik We reached on the ninth day the rituals began the following morning some fifty yards from the riverWare was articulate in English and my brother and I both sceptical of rituals asked him many questions In one ceremony he arranged twigs in a tictactoe grid of nine squares with rice balls After reciting some shlokas he removed the top row moved up the remaining two and added three new rice balls to the bottom row This was symbolic he explained of one generation moving on and the next one mine moving to take its place A casual reminder of lifes brevity On the third noon Ware concluded the last of the rites He walked up to the riverside parapet and placed a small earthen urn there balancing a rice ball on its mouth Then he came back and seated himself apparently with nothing further to do His eyes were fixed on the rice ball far awayAfter some minutes my brother asked him Were waiting for what It seems a crow needed to pick up the rice ball and fly off The crow Ware explained represented my fathers departed soul and its acceptance of the rice ball signified that he was happy with the ceremonies and arrangements and had no unfulfilled wishesThats absurd I said In a crowded city like Nashik its a matter of time before a crow rat or cat would come for the food How convenient to assign it my fathers soul But that is the belief Ware insisted and one should not dismiss what one knows little about The crow may not be your fathers soul he agreed but we believe that animals sense spirits If the crow does not take the rice it would mean your fathers spirit is standing in between them That would mean he has an unfulfilled wishThis happened he said at his own fathers funeral creating great tension among the mourners until someone realised that his favourite daughterinlaw was at home nursing a flu As soon as she was fetched swaddled in a blanket the crow flew off with the riceSuddenly the many tense groups of mourners you can see at Nashik all facing one direction made sense They were waiting for the crow that would tell them all was well with the departed soul And that I realised was why south Indians start teaching crows early to go for the rice whenever they see itHere viewed from there C Y Gopinath in Bangkok throws unique light and shadows on Mumbai the city that raised him You can reach him at cygopigmailcom Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates