Offtrack: Chandkheda: Under Their Wing

An unusual family proves it's not only birds of a feather that flock together.

Waghela broke both his legs when he jumped from the balcony on the first floor of his house to save his pet peacock from ravenous dogs

Waghela broke both his legs when he jumped from the balcony on the first floor of his house to save his pet peacock from ravenous dogs.

May is the cruellest month in Chandkheda. But early mornings are cool and many people wake up at dawn to enjoy the respite. Dilipsinh Dhirajsinh Waghela, 42, a clerk in the state electricity board, was one such. Before the stoic sun could rise high and glower on this village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Waghela would be there on the balcony of his first-floor house, the scene almost picture-perfect: a man at rest, a peacock dancing on his balcony, a few monkeys chattering animatedly nearby.

But that idyllic morning last month ended differently. For suddenly, the monkeys shrieked and, frightened, the peacock lost its balance and fell down. Some dogs loitering below were immediately at it, tearing at its feathers and going for its neck. Waghela acted in a panic. He jumped on the scrambling dogs and gathered the bird in his arms. When the neighbours came running, they saw Waghela lying on the ground, his legs fractured. But no cries of pain, no yells for help. All he muttered was, "Take Bantoo inside." Stranger still was the reaction of Varshaben, Waghela's wife, who heard of the incident at her parents' house: "I'll not take a morsel of food till I see my Bantoo." Bantoo? The peacock, of course.

Ask anyone in Chandkheda and they'll tell you of the Waghela family's unusual bonding with the peacock. Waghela dismisses his act as a duty: "I'm glad I saved the life of my son, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to show my face to my wife." To Waghela and Varshaben, Bantoo is like their third son and dearer to them than their sons, Yajuvendra, 17, and Krunal, 12. Not that the boys mind it for they dote on Bantoo as much. After all, it was they who took the peacock under their wing.

Bantoo came into the Waghelas' life on a cold January day five years. Only about 20 days old, the motherless chick wandered frightened and hungry into the Waghela household. Yajuvendra and Krunal were at home and though they couldn't identify the bird, they fed it and guarded it from prowling dogs. Once their parents returned the boys were told their guest was a peacock. In a few days Bantoo, as he was named, became an inseparable part of the family. Everyone felt responsible towards him. Whenever she went shopping Varshaben would even take him out in a basket.

In time, Bantoo developed brilliant plumes. But with good looks came mischief. Bantoo would scratch and bite children who came to play with him, frighten visitors away by sitting on their heads and sport with the clothes on the clothesline. It was then that Waghela decided to shift him to Gandhinagar's Indroda Park Zoo. The night before Bantoo was to leave was a nightmare for the Waghelas. Varshaben wept, worrying about who would take care of Bantoo, while the boys sat beside him all night brooding. Bantoo too sensed something was wrong and sat depressed in a corner refusing to eat anything. It was all too much and before daybreak, Waghela changed his decision.

Bantoo now has a room of his own. When the lights are put off, he prances off to his room to sleep. But he is so alert at night that when he hears someone walking on the road below his window, he screeches at once. When the rains come, the happy peacock spreads his plumes and dances in gay abandon. Something he also does when he hears music on the tv set. At dinner time, he is the epitome of civility, waiting patiently for food to be served. He eats whatever is served, though wheat dough, green peas and cabbage are his favourites. His only bad habit: a craving for tobacco. And when Varshaben paints her toenails, he stretches his legs to get his polished too.

The Waghelas' social life has been restricted ever since Bantoo arrived for he cannot be left alone at home. Though Bantoo acts as a good pest controller, grabbing roaches and flies when he sees them, he can also be a pest himself, dirtying the house. But it doesn't bother Varshaben. He's just a naughty, little baby who needs extra attention. As Vasubhai Patel, a village elder, says, "I have heard many tales of bonding between man and animal but none equals the tale of this family." Hard to disagree.