Snail Trail
This morning as I went out for a walk I saw her after many years, the last time I met her was in Ravensburg, South Germany. She is a bit shy and doesn’t like the outdoors but she loves the rain. One can spot her oozing out of her shell usually on a wet morning. She is very delicate and soft and has a slimy touch; she is the Snail, as we call in Marathi Gogalgai.
The moist air after the rains has a romantic effect on your senses. The smell of the natural vegetation mixed with the myriad flowers blooming in the wilderness casts a spell on you. The cooing of a Kokila or Koel, the Indian cuckoo is like music to the ear. The glimpse of the Kingfisher lifts your mood with its vibrant colours; its namesake makes a similar effect with its taste. The Greater Coucal or Crow Pheasant also called as Bharadwaj with its copper brown wings is a treat to watch.
Usually, I walk on the insides of the road but today I decided to explore the wild. For a city dweller, even a few shrubs or a bush along the road constitutes the wild. As I am walking on the cobbled pathway along the road I experience the unevenness of the ground beneath giving the impression of a route less travelled by humans. Humans tend to flatten or trample things as they make ‘progress’ be it on the ground or on other people. Soaking in the natural beauty I stride happily, suddenly I see something which applies brakes on my gait. A big size snail is crossing the pathway from my left to the right. The morning rain must have invigorated her and she must have decided to emerge from her cosy surroundings to the other end which is equally bushy. I am not sure if the objective is to search for food or just a morning stroll like me. She is about 5 inches long with the shell itself being 2 inches. A few steps ahead I come across one more snail and then another few metres away. I am wondering if I am trespassing on a snail trail and then suddenly my eyes find something which changes my mood completely. An injured snail is lying on the sidelines with a broken and almost smashed shell. The snail is still alive as I can notice her movements but not for long as I am told that the snail cannot survive without her shell which helps to keep the skin moist. Moving ahead I see three-four more snails with smashed shells and then suddenly I notice that the path is leading to the entrance of one of the factories in the neighbourhood. The pathway has markings at a specific distance for the workers to stand in a queue. I realise that these are the deeds of the most intelligent and dangerous animal on planet Earth.
While returning, I was wondering where our greed is leading us. For our selfish motives, we are altering the laws of nature. The man at times forgets that he is not alone in this journey and that there are other travellers along with him. In this long saga of life, there are numerous animate and inanimate players acting their part. We should respect the lives of all big or small organisms and treasure natural resources like air, water, mountains, rivers etc. Every living being is free to make their trail. Our paths may cross each others at times, but we should respect the right of way for all and adapt ourselves accordingly.
We should always remember not to break the shell of others.
Think of the birds before cutting down a tree,
Think of the fishes before polluting the river,
Think of the wind and the rains before levelling the mountain and
Think of the family before taking away someone’s job.
Live and Let Live.
Salil Sawant
