Skip to main content

BEES - WHY BE SO ANGRY

 The Bees - Why be so Angry- Dinesh K Kapila

Today I decided to skip going to our park. I love the long walks at the park and the natural beauty as also the smart set exercising away but one day away would not do any harm. Plus it would reduce the fear of another episode.
Yesterday I had to undertake an urgent domestic chore around nine am and so took our my car. The task over rather early, I decided to take a walk in the park. It was a lovely sunny day, pleasant and other walkers were around. The park is designed well and enables long walks. Or a jog if so inclined.
I decided to walk at a fast pace and maybe exercise a little. On my rounds I noticed a tallish young elegant lady jogging away ever so slowly. That inspired me and so I started a slow jog too. I passed by a middle aged couple walking while holding hands, thought how romantic but yet so impractical. Then I passed by a young couple with the lady having coloured her hair a vivid blond sort of hue. That colour nearly stopped me in my tracks. And then ofcourse the usual walkers and joggers. And loud talkers and cribbers. And young couples out to spend some time. And then I noticed another young lady alternately running swiftly and slowly. She stood out in her smart track suit as she seriously went about her exercise. And there was a young man effortlessly running ever so lightly and then skipping sideways and then doing push ups. This sort of always makes me feel younger at heart.
And motivated. After some time, having jogged a bit and assessed the crowd too, I decided to stop. I was in a self congratulatory mood and moved to under a smallish tree to exercise a bit.
I had just started when suddenly there was a loud humming noise and then something bit me hard on the ear. I slapped out hard on the bee (as I realised) when it sort of hit me that I was besieged by bees. They were on my face and I slapped myself hard to stop them from inflicting any stings. I had to slap myself quite a bit ! More involuntary then anything else. Simultaneously I ran. Ran like hell. Yet the buzzing would not stop and they would not give up. Nobody came to my help but rather people ran the other way or stopped at a safe distance to see the spectacle.
A young man asked me by hand signals to sit down and crouch but it was of no use. The buzzing sounds only got louder. Luckily I was wearing a thick track suit and the bees were unable to get through to the skin.
I ran to the car as employees tasked with maintenance ran the other way as I requested them for help. Then I reached the car, threw my shirt out and jumped in. Many bees followed me in. I killed a few and some flew out of the window. Retrieving my shirt I drove home. A sting or two that got through really hurting.
As of today I would rather forget the importance of bees and pollination and all that. I may just carry with me a can of bug spray actually. And I have also realised quite honestly that in humans the first instinct is self preservation ! Plus I do hope people have forgotten the sight of me running through the park at top speed with the bees around me.
PS I got away quite ok for all that.
Harbax Singh, Raghbir Singh and 8 others
10 comments
Like
Comment
Share

Comments


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Forgotten Unsung Heroes of the Battle of Madhumati. 1971. Bangladesh. 45 Cavalry.

  The Forgotten Unsung Heroes of the Battle of Madhumati. 1971. Bangladesh. 45 Cavalry. By Dinesh K Kapila  (Chief General Manager (Retd). NABARD (As discussed with Major General (then Major) Pramod   Kumar Batra, Retd and Other Veterans)   Just a Glimpse – Cdr 62 Mountain Brigade – “Pramod, I believe it is hard to maneuver PT 76 tanks in this terrain and waters”. Pat is the answer, “it is hard and I may struggle, but you will never see me to give up or fai”l. They stood together, on the edge of the swift flowing Madhumati, the staff and soldiers waiting. It was dark. Very Dark. After waiting for some time the Bde Cdr had said, “lets go”. Major PK Batra vividly recollects even now watching the Cdr's face as he looked at the map with a torch. He was calm and very quiet, showing ,no fear or afraid and maintaining a dignified silence. He remembered the old saying, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". It was a moment in not only the life of the Brigade Co...
17 comments
Read more

A Knock on The Door and a Memory

  A Knock on The Door and a Memory A Short Story By Dinesh K Kapila  (written for a contest, had to start with Knock Knock ...) Knock knock. The sharp rap shattered the silence, jolting her from a restless daze. Who would knock so late ? Open the door ! The voice, urgent, cut through the stillness. Her breath hitched. That voice ……. Unmistakable. She froze, heart pounding, hand inches from the knob. It could not be…. It sounded just like Dheeraj. How could it be? Just could not be. She was wondering, in the meantime, the knocking continued. Sharp raps. Relentless. She stood back a couple of steps. Wondering. Thinking should she open the door. It was late. Very late. ‘Wait’, she shouted loudly. ‘I will just take a minute”. That would buy her time. To think. What did he look like now. It was now more than three decades since they last met. She had moved on and so had Dheeraj. Life, it gives chances, you grab some, some you let go. On an impulse she steeled herself and o...
3 comments
Read more

Appearances ! Oh Chandigarh !

  Appearances ! Oh Chandigarh ! Dinesh K Kapila Appearances. The real self. The perceived self. The public self for the world to see, sometimes multiple selves. That is us. Surya felt only Chandigarh took it at times to another level. Surya was with his wife Annie at a house in a tony locality in Chandigarh. Visiting. For those who do not know, Chandigarh has a clear cut demarcation. Here localities are called Sectors. Sector 1 to Sector 30 are directly maintained by the Chandigarh Administration, they are visibly cleaner. Sector 8, Sector 9, Sector 6 are viewed as exclusive. It’s deeply rooted, this degree of exclusivity. The accents are apparently plusher and softer and lifestyles more lah de la, that is the refrain. Then come the other sectors. As you cross over from Sector 30 onwards, maintained by a private company, the perception itself changes, so goes the wisdom. One old timer, a hard nosed businessman from Sector 6 once told Surya, you guys in the Sectors such as 33,3...
1 comment
Read more