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From the grassy plains of the Himalayas: My journey to Minimarg, Fairy Meadows and the Rattigali Lake
It was extremely hot and humid in Lahore. A pair of hawk-cuckoo was nestling on a mango tree close to my house and could hear their singing all afternoon.
Sometimes when their singing got louder, I would remove the screen of my window to look at their nest suspending from the tree. The female would remain busy decorating the nest with straws brought by the male.
One afternoon, it rained, but the birds weren't singing that day. I removed the screen and saw them sitting in their nest quietly; they were avoiding getting wet. The nest was suspending like a fruit from the tree. The home they had built with so much care was coming apart. I heard the whistle of marmot in my imagination.