Crow

Warmth of spring season

Memory of my past life….

I hear them beckon.

PS : In Hindu religion, a crow is considered to be a carrier of the soul of a dead relative. When the dead relatives wish to visit the earth, they come in the form of crows. A reason why crows are sought during a funeral rituals and provided offerings; by that it is hoped that the dead soul also gets the offering. This haiku is a derivation from this ritual.

Thursday photo prompt: Appointed #writephoto

Author: gdutta17

Born in the year 1968, my childhood was spent amidst the beautiful scenic landscape of a small town in India, Ranchi. Though an engineer by qualification, reading, writing and cooking are my passions. Another thing that I am passionate about is my country, India. As they say, a lifetime is probably not enough to explore the whole of India. Currently based in Kolkata, I can be reached at gdutta17@gmail.com. View all posts by gdutta17

7 thoughts on “Crow”

Sue Vincent says:

February 8, 2021 at 4:50 pm

Thank you for the background to this haiku. It is strange that, across the world and in almost every culture, crows are associated with the souls of those who have passed. While their function as carrion birds obviously has a part to play in how we have traditionally seen them, it does seem rather odd that we have always held them as ‘carriers of souls’ in one way or another.

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1. gdutta17 says:
  
  February 8, 2021 at 9:30 pm
  
  Very true. 😊
  
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Msdedeng says:

February 9, 2021 at 12:22 am

Humph. 🙂

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1. gdutta17 says:
  
  February 9, 2021 at 8:16 am
  
  😀
  
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anotherkatewilson says:

February 9, 2021 at 9:04 am

Fascinating. I actually hadn’t come across the soul carrying role of crows before. I’ve always just known them as eggs stealers and carrion eaters.

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1. gdutta17 says:
  
  February 9, 2021 at 5:19 pm
  
  Am no expert in religious matters but this is what is largely believed. In Hindu religion after a person dies and is cremated, there is a ceremony that is held after 13 days when the spirit of the person is provided some offerings and then requested to leave the human world. The offering, in the form of rice and bananas and some other things, are made into balls and given to the crows to eat as it is believed that the soul resides in the crows. 🙂
  
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