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Dr. Ramesh Thakur
The Shraadh Paksha is going on. These days, the tradition of remembering the dead and preparing and serving their favourite food is followed. According to beliefs, this food is delivered to the dead by crows. In Shraadh, crows become the carriers of the dead. But, crows are not seen anywhere during these days. People wait for their arrival for a long time with the Shraadh food, but they do not come. They should come only if they are there, right? They are not there. Whereas, the food is prepared in Shraadh keeping them in mind. Obviously, when there are no crows, how will the beliefs of Shraadh be fulfilled? It has always been the case that unless the crows eat the food of the ancestors in Shraadh, the beliefs of Shraadh are not fulfilled. Crows will come, peck the food and deliver it to the ancestors, but crows do not come? They are still seen at some places in rural areas, but crows have completely disappeared from the cities.
According to ancient traditions, crows are directly related to Shraddha. The dishes prepared in Shraddha are delivered to the ancestors by crows. In Shraddha, people keep food on the roofs of their houses, fields, squares and intersections to offer to their deceased ancestors and wait for the crows to come. If a crow eats the Shraddha food, it is considered that the faith of Shraddha is fulfilled. Due to the continuous decrease in the number of crows, stray dogs of the streets and neighborhoods are seen pouncing on the Shraddha food. If crows do not come, then people are forced to consider them as the incarnation of crows and convince their mind. Because there is no other option except this.
Crows are also among the species that are getting extinct due to polluted environment. There was a time when there were many crows in the courtyards and parapets of houses. Their voices could be heard. Actually, crows have always been considered insignificant compared to other birds. The body of a crow has also been used as a medicine. Crows fill their stomachs by eating small creatures and many types of dirt. Vishnu Purana says that this rare bird should be fed with devotion and humility as much as possible during the Shraadh Paksha. That is why crows are considered a symbol of ancestors and they are fed on all the days of the Shraadh Paksha. In Shraadhs, ancestors are satisfied by feeding crows and watering the Peepal tree.
Another interesting fact about crows is prevalent. The information about someone's arrival has also been associated with their movement. There was a time when the women of the family used to call the crow uncle and call it home, considering it a good omen. Sometimes, considering its cawing in a changing direction as a bad omen, they used to ward off the evil by telling it to fly away. Apart from this, the daughters-in-law of the house used to get the message of someone's arrival from their maternal home through the crow. Like crows, the population of many other mute birds has decreased. Human audacity is directly responsible for this. All the places where birds live and eat have been destroyed. Trees were also their abode, but those are also being cut continuously.
Crows are also said to be environmental protectors. Earlier it was seen that vultures and crows used to eat dead animals in public places, but now due to their absence, the bodies of dead animals keep rotting. The stench spreads far and wide, due to which people also get infected. Vultures, eagles and crows used to play a major role in collecting the dirt. Crows play an important role not only in Shraddhas but also in balancing environmental protection. Even then no steps were taken to save crows. The exact figure and reason for how many crows are left now and how many have disappeared is not available. Apart from environmentalists, countless animal and bird lovers of the country have been expressing concern for years that apart from crows, eagles, vultures, sparrows, cranes, many rare types of Indian birds are becoming extinct. But no one pays attention to this. The result of that is that crows have to be waited for during Shraddhas.
The time is not far when many birds will stop being seen even on normal days, let alone during Shraddha. Modern comforts have crippled human life. Interference with nature and excessive exploitation of the earth has destroyed the lives of mute creatures. According to Cornell University conservation scientist Kenneth Rosenberg, radiations emitted from mobile towers have played a major role in the extinction of birds. Especially birds like crows, parrots, vultures, sparrows. Almost one-third of the bird population in the entire world has been wiped out. If this continues, then this earth will soon become birdless.