A few evenings ago, I was sitting on the porch reading a book. When I looked up, I saw a black cat with white streaks which often runs around in our compound, crouching, staring at something intently. Its front paws were folded and eyes narrowed in concentration. It stealthily moved forward. A tiny bird was perching on the ground beneath a Crape Jasmine tree (Nandi Battalu). Fully engrossed in the book, I couldn't at first grasp the action or rather the inaction of the cat and when it dawned on me, I tried to shoo away the cat. Disturbed out of its intense concentration, it looked at me accusingly and without any further delay, pounced on the bird. However, the bird alerted by the commotion, flew away. Looking at the disappointed cat, a question arose in my mind. Did I just snatch away its natural prey and was it wrong from the viewpoint of nature's food chain? I don't know.
Fleeting thoughts in snippets.