A delightful gaggle
Priyanka Singh

When Banshee Kissed Bimbo and Other Bird Stories
by Ranjit Lal. Puffin. Pages 153. Rs 199.

Ranjit Lal is an insect-animal person. What he does with these creatures is so wondrous, that it is always a pleasure to read him. His The Caterpillar Who Went on a Diet and Other Stories was hilarious and unique in its conceptualisation. The stories he would weave around these tiny, creepy crawlies would, unbelievably, endear them to you and one would have thought it impossible for him to repeat the feat but he has done so again.

His latest stories are about birds. There are 10 of these stories but since these are based on the same avian characters, they read like a single tale with sections.

The wise and frightful barn owl, Banshee, is the one whom the birds look towards for suggestions during crises like the time when Shabby, the grey hornbill, accidentally seals with concrete a hollow, trapping his Sweety-Ash and fledglings in it; or when the sadistic catapult boy spells doom for the birds, striking them down with pebbles.

The time when the pigeons are poisoned at a five-star retreat for crapping on an actor or when Banshee and Bimbo are banished after being caught kissing in front of the minister for cultural propriety — a human — is satirical and ridicules the absurdities of humans who can’t be trusted with anything.

The story about the parakeet who squawked in English and is able to save a girl from her kidnappers for this very reason is interesting, as is the one on the authoritative Inspector Kotwal, a well-turned out black drongo, who is charged with extortion.

The sensible Frowzle leads the jungle babblers — the Screechers and Shriekers, while Mad Mozart, the magpie robin maestro, is a constant source of nuisance to the others. The stories are inspired by humans and the characters too. There is a mix of the sagacious, the utterly foolish, the pugnacious, the opportunists and the selfless.

The stories mock, revel and place at centre stage creatures that seldom draw our attention. Ranjit Lal’s books seem only for children but the language and the imagery is delightful and rich. These make a good read for grown-ups too.

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