God's Little Creatures

One of the things I found most delightful in India is how hospitable it is to God's little creatures. Pigeons peck contentedly at food scattered for them on the square of Jama Masjid; parrots peek from nooks of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in the Qutb Complex; squirrels scurry about the garden of Humayun's tomb; birds of all kinds skim and dive in formation in Lodi Gardens; and even in Ashoka Hotel, my home in New Delhi, crows would gather alongside the driveway in the morning, and fat dragonflies would circle the air near dusk. And of course, how could I forget that most privileged of creatures: the cow, which occupies a special place in the Hindu psyche!

(Clockwise from top left: This gentle giant blessed me at Nandakanan Zoo; Hanuman's kin; A winged neighbor in Ashoka Hotel; One of the furry little creatures that make their home in Lodi Gardens)