Farm Fresh vs Processed

The pics & captions reminded me of my school days in TVM.10 yr old, i was going to school on a bright July day. The monsoon was in full swing then but occasional break left the sky very bright!I I might have moved about 400 yds, along the canal bund-path way when i heard a helpless moan of a small chick at the feet of a falcon on a tree branch.the predator was tearing the chick with its fierce beaks. I shouted ,cajoled and threw stone at the predator of a bird and as luck would have it, the chick slipped off the grip of the carnivore and fell down at the stream and the hawk flew off. I threw off my school bag and jumped into the stream and rescued the chick.He was severely bruised .I didn’t go to school that day but returned home with the poor bird.My mom too was very concerned and appreciative of my adventure. Our first aid was the ATTAKKARI! It was the black soot of charcoal powder dusted out from the fireplace in a village hut!{Attakkari is principally amorphous carbon and It’s quite a good application over a fresh wound of a bird or animal. It is sterile and harmless!} In fact I dipped the chick in the charcoal dust fully so that it looked like a black-bird with two small round eyes projecting miserably! Paavam! I said and so said all those present! I named him SHANKU and offered prayers to God for his immediate recovery! I placed it on the floor somewhere in a safe place and covered him with a Bamboo Kotta(Basket) so that he was safe and would get rest and air.Sanku was lying miserable then; by evening he stood up and pecked some grain I had put for him. Mayandi, our helper at field work, implored the Field Deity, KUTTY CHATHAN, to propitiate SANKU if HE recovered well of the injuries! Though I did not agree to this supplication, no body cared for me! All others agreed to this offer to the deity, Kutty chathan. Time passed. Shanku recovered very well. He started growing up fast. He started developing full fledged feathers, the red flaps above and below his yellow beaks looked very beatiful. The tail plumes started looking bright and gleaming.He was growing to a handsome cheval kozhi!
Five months passed and the time arrived for the Kutty Chathan Pooja and Bird Sacrifice! I was very upset but who cares? The Poosari or Deity Poojari arrived , did kolams at the deity’s site and I did not go there at all , against the rule. I was in tears and chocked throat with terrible sorrow.
Shanku was sacrificed that evening and they made KOZHI CURRY! With DOSA . They all celebrated the Kutyy Chathan pooja but i did not join in any of the rituals or eat food for the whole day in spite of my mother’s insistence and father’s threat!.I lost my pet bird SHANKU!
Even to day after passage of almost 58 years of time, I feel sad for SHANKU that I could not help him to live his full life!! I stopped eating non veg since then!!