I USED to enjoy the melodious songs of the nightingales of Islamabad every time I visit the city. They will not only make the surrounding pretty with their presence but also fill the air with their sweet songs. Their black pyramid-like crown would differentiate them from sparrows and their red, yellow and orange stomach would add colour to the lush green surroundings.

When a child I captured a nightingale once. As soon as she felt being caged, she became a different soul. Her crown became a lump, her fluffy grey feathers became dark grey and her volume decreased by good 40pc. Scared that she might die, I released her quickly.

To my utter surprise, she regained her glory within minutes. She jumped from branch to branch, singing most beautiful songs as if she was thanking me initially and then entertaining me with all the songs that she had in her repertoire. Since then I have never thought of caging this beautiful bird.

The appearances of all the nightingales in Islamabad these days is similar to the one I captured. They have started to walk on the branches instead of jumping and have stopped singing. One of them told me that though they are all free to fly and sing, they fell caged due to containers. Her voice was hoarse and observing closely I detected tears in her eyes. She says all of them are scared of the unthinkable.

S. Nayyar Iqbal Raza
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2014