My name is Gana

One of my female pigeons left her nest and moved over to my neighbors pigeon Coop where she had taken a fancy for a male pigeon. I spoke to my neighbor and told him I shall trap my pigeon later that evening. But my neighbor like a budding lawyer told me “possession is 9/10th” of the law and since the pigeon was in his coop it is rightfully his. Now when I feed my pigeons I usually give a loud whistle for them to attend to their food. I told my brother to spray some green peas on the ground. My house was about 5 houses away from my neighbors where my pigeon had sought refuge with her boyfriend. When I gave a whistle my pigeon with 3 other pigeons left my neighbors coop to peck food at my coop. The neighbor was stunned seeing his 3 pigeons heading to my house. He mellowed and asked me to allow him to go over to my coop later in the evening to trap his birds. I used his same words and turned down his pleas despite his apologies. In the evening when the birds got into the coop I caught hol...

W hen I was in Form 3, I got to rearing pigeons. At any one time I had more than 10 of them. I used to feed them from Ava’s poor stock of rice.  But pigeons always look for variety and not choose  where the grains come from. At that time,  we were living in Roch  Villa behind the St Lourdes Church in Silibin, Ipoh. Our home was the second in a row of 4 plank and Attap huts. The houses had no rooms but 3 separate compartments. The first compartment doubled up as living area, dining and bedroom. The second was my dad’s room and the third was a makeshift kitchen. My pigeons were socialists in their outlook and did not discriminate between their owners and our neighbors properties. Whatever grains they came across was common property. It was  nearing Christmas and my neighbor had this desire to make “nei urunde” (ghee balls) which required green peas, sugar & flour. My neighbor did not appreciate that my pigeons are socialists with the motto “one for all and all...

 Older folk these days feel lonely, as their friends and loved ones have departed.  The younger ones be it the sons or daughters or nephews and nieces or other close kin are busy with their own challenges and have little or no time for their parents or senior relatives. Quite a number have for settlement overseas for a perceived better way of life. Initially they come at least once a year to visit remaining siblings and parents. Over time these visits become rare and eventually once they have their own families the once left behind are soon forgotten. While one is young and able, one should look up older folk in the neighborhood - especially those who do not have younger kin or where the young ones have settled in distant lands or stationed away from their place of domicile.

Chinese New Year in the past used to be one of merriment, joy and getting together of families. but this year I do not see the merrymaking nor even the Annual Family Reunions that were evident in the past.  At least judging from my neighbourhood, I see an absence of families getting together, including in feasting and blasting of fire crackers. I wonder if this is a result of the downturn of the economy, the disenchantment with the way the country is heading or the fall in the value of the ringgit.  On the eve of Chinese New Year in past years,  I would observe a number of foreign cars with Singapore Number Plates and the return of the neighbourhood children with their brood of children making their entry into the peaceful enclave of senior citizens. To be honest the year has witnessed the passing away of a number of senior citizens but the homes have one spouse living alone yearning for their loved ones who have left our shores and settled elsewhere but, who, in the pas...