With hearts larger than life!

Here’s the touching story of a lizard who kept itself alive for five years despite being caught nailed between two wooden planks that formed part of a Japanese house.

Being an earthquake-prone region, the Japanese build their houses with wood. Walls are constructed with wooden planks on all sides. One such house was being renovated, and as the carpenter began demolishing one of the side walls, he noticed a lizard caught between two planks, nailed to one of them. He understood that the lizard was nailed accidentally, when the house was being built, five years ago.

The carpenter was curious to know how the lizard kept itself alive for so long. He didn’t have to wait. Soon, another lizard appeared with some food in its mouth, and started feeding the trapped one. Moreover, he saw that the lizard was religiously doing the rounds this way, every other hour, and that kept the nailed lizard alive all these years! Really amazing!!

Close to my office, we have a few love birds, kept in a large cage. I enjoy visiting them and “speaking” to them a few times everyday. I take care of their feed and provide them fresh water, daily. Gradually, the birds and I have developed a close bond.

One evening, I heard one of them “crying” for long in an unusual tone and went to see why. The bird went on crying for a few seconds more and then flew towards the small pot kept tied to a corner of the cage, and started wailing again. Surprised, I looked around and found another bird trapped in the little space between the mesh of the cage and the pot, by now half dead! I took it out, and brought it to my office. After nursing it the best way I could, I left the bird on my table with the fan on, and went to my room expecting it to have a happy death.

Interestingly, the contrary happened; as I reached the office in the morning I saw the bird nearly recovered and trying to move on the table. I happily left her back in the cage among her friends, and today she is hale and hearty, and will hopefully begin to lay eggs, shortly!

The lizard who kept the hapless companion alive for five long years by bringing him food, and the love bird that wailed aloud calling my attention to the endangered one are truly life-savers in their own way! The present issue of The Teenager Today brings you some very special people, with hearts larger than life, doing that. Turn to two of the articles on pages 34 &50 to meet them. Be part of them in your own way and in your own surroundings. Let’s be life-savers like them, and not onlookers! The Teenager Today wishes you all the best.