The Kiara sanctuary, owned by Mr. Khanna, a renowned businessman was considered one of the most beautiful and serene places, away from the bustling city.  The sanctuary was home to many bird and animal species. Visitors from various states were drawn to this place for its captivating surroundings and beauty.

Mr. Khanna was fond of animals and birds. He visited them almost every evening. However, his visits to the sanctuary decreased in the past few months due to his declining health.

Mr. Khanna wanted his son to take over but he did not show any interest. The next alternative and the only person he could rely on was his caretaker, Rohit. Like Mr. Khanna, Rohit loved these voiceless souls and devoted himself to their care.

It was 4 a.m. Except for the rustling of leaves and the faint chirping of birds, all the other animals were sleeping. Rohit was used to waking up as early as 4 a.m. daily but fell asleep that Sunday morning until a sound like someone crying, stirred him awake.

Rubbing his eyes, he quickly stood on his feet and started to move in the direction from where the noise was coming.  The air smelled of damp earth, mingling with the whiff of flowers on each side.

At the corner of the sanctuary, a new bird named Asian Cuckoo was caged in a medium-sized cage.  The bird sat motionless on the perch of the cage, its gaze locked on the horizon beyond the bars. Tears rolled down.

“Good morning, little one,” Rohit said softly, his voice carrying a warmth, though he knew birds didn’t follow human language.

Rohit gently unlatched the cage and placed a bowl filled with water. However, the bird turned its face away. Carefully cupping the little one in his palms, he attempted to feed it, but in vain. It flapped its wings as if begging, “Please set me free.”

Though Rohit understood the sign, he couldn’t let the bird go. He put it back into the cage, and whispered, “I know you are angry with me. I am sorry, baby. I am just the caretaker. I wish I could set you free. Please don’t cry.”

The vulnerable frame sat dejectedly in the cage, overwhelmed by sorrow.

“I’ll come back later,” Rohit said, looking into the bird’s eyes. As he rose to his feet and turned to leave, a bitter memory suddenly came rushing back, freezing him in place. Tears clouded his vision and once again pain weighed heavily on him. In that moment, Rohit felt, he and the bird, both carried the same sorrow.

He let out a heavy sigh and gazed at the bird once more. Opening his arms and pointing towards the sky, he said, “You will surely fly again in that open sky. It is just a matter of time.”

As he proceeded, the sanctuary came alive. The monkeys chattered from their enclosures, deer grazed on leaves in one corner, a peacock stood there dancing, flamingos walked lazily, and the birds in cages chattered loudly, only their cage mates could understand the language. Yet, Rohit’s thoughts remained tethered to the Asian Cuckoo. Rohit knew what it felt like to be caged.

The bird that once flew in the open sky was now confined to a small cage, just like how Rohit spent his childhood.

He brushed off all the thoughts and got back to work. Since it was Sunday, the sanctuary opened early around 9 a.m. for visitors and closed as late as 9 p.m. Hence, before that Rohit had to feed all the birds and animals, monitor the cleaning of the place, water the plants and come to the ticket counter to sell tickets to visitors.

Rohit also accompanied visitors to educate them about these rare species and made sure no one caused any harm to these voiceless creatures. His love for these souls was beyond words.

Once, a 10-year-old child hurled a stone at a rainbow parrot, released to fly in the enclosure. The sharp edge of the stone struck the bird, causing blood to ooze out from its body. Rohit got furious, leading to an argument with the child’s parents who later realized their mistake and apologized. However, the incident left the bird frightened and came out of its cage only when no visitors were around.

Since then, Rohit has become more vigilant. When visitors stopped by to buy tickets at the counter, he instructed them about dos and don’ts and placed boards around the sanctuary. He took utmost care of cleanliness. Whether it was the surroundings or the cages. The only regret he lived with was that he couldn’t set these birds and animals free back to their original homes.

As months passed by, Mr. Khanna’s health deteriorated from bad to worse. He now moved around in the house in his wheelchair. His son visited him once a month. His caretakers took care of him and Rohit came to see him every week to check on his health and to update him about the sanctuary.

Whenever Rohit visited his bungalow, Mr.  Khanna would ask about new arrivals and Rohit would nod affirmatively and get some random pictures of the creatures. Rohit, though he felt guilty for telling lies to his owner, had no choice because he had decided he would not bring any more beings and lock them into these cages. He was looking out for ways and means to liberate the existing. He tried to bring up this matter with Mr. Khanna several times but could not muster the courage.

One Saturday evening, Rohit received a call from Mr. Khanna's caretaker informing him that Mr. Khanna had fallen unconscious and needed immediate attention. Rohit rushed him to a nearby hospital and informed his son. The doctor admitted him and upon examination confirmed that it was a massive stroke. He stayed almost for fifteen days in the hospital before finally getting home.

But soon another attack followed and this time he was admitted for a longer period. His son who stayed in the US, came down and looked after him. He had turned fragile and the doctors were losing hope.

“Look, though he is conscious right now, we are afraid all his organs are giving up. My advice is to put him on a ventilator as our law does not permit mercy killing.” One of the doctors expressed.

Mr. Khanna though barely able to hear, caught the words and tried to rebel, “My soul wants to leave this toxic body for it feels caged. Please release my soul. Don’t keep me on any ventilator.” His gaze remained fixed on his son hoping his eyes could convey the unspoken words. But alas, his son did not understand the silent plea and overwhelmed by the situation, agreed to the doctor’s suggestion.

When Mr. Khanna’s son was not around, Rohit took over. He sat on a stool near the bed, looked at his owner and murmured, “Get well soon, sir. I have a lot to talk to you.”

“Ro…rohit…”Mr. Khanna gasped for breath.

“Yes, sir, please tell me,” Rohit uttered.

“Please tell the doctors and my son to free my soul. I can’t live like this,” Mr. Khanna whispered so softly that, Rohit had to take his ears close to him.

“Who else can understand more than me, what it feels like to be caged? Rohit responded, pain squeezing him.

“Sir, calm down. Nothing will go wrong. You will be fine soon.” Rohit said.

Still gasping for breath, Mr. Khanna continued, “No, nothing is fine. The doctors are going to put me on a ventilator soon and I don’t want this to happen. You had something to say, Rohitttt, goo aaahead.”

Sir, Rohit began, taking a deep breath, his chest expanding, “the way your soul feels trapped in this body, the birds and animals feel the same. They don’t belong to this sanctuary nor are they some inanimate objects to be displayed for the visitors. They, too, have a soul in them. They also yearn for freedom. Home for birds is not this cage but the endless sky they belong to. Wild animals belong to the forest, not to this enclosure.”

His voice was firm. He exhaled and proceeded, “They are voiceless. Hence, they cannot express their agony through words the way we do. Please allow me to set them free.”

Tears streamed down Mr. Khanna’s eyes. He had always wondered why these creatures never seemed happy despite having a good place to live and food to eat. But now he understood the reason behind the unhappiness of these birds and animals in his sanctuary. He got his answer.

“I'm sorry, Rohit. I never understood this and kept bringing new species of birds and other wild animals to enhance the beauty of the sanctuary. How wrong I was. I got the fruits of my actions and am suffering now.” Mr. Khanna said with a teary eye, permitting Rohit to convert the sanctuary into a beautiful flower-butterfly garden or whatever he felt was right.

Rohit profusely thanked Mr. Khanna and said, “Don’t worry, sir. Everything will be alright. You know sir, I always wanted to free every soul, especially animals trapped in cages as I didn’t want them to suffer like me.”

Mr. Khanna slowly lifted his hand, indicating his desire to know what had happened to Rohit.

“Sir, I rarely share my story but I would like to share it with you. When I was merely 10 years old, my world turned upside down. After I lost my biological parents, a young couple adopted me as my uncle couldn’t take care due to financial crunches.

Initially, I resisted going with them but when my uncle promised, he would come every week to visit, I agreed. The first few weeks went well. My uncle also visited me.

But gradually, the behaviour of this couple changed and they started treating me like a slave. I realized in the name of adoption, the couple had brought me home to do child labour, robbing me of my childhood and dreams. As days passed by, my uncle too stopped coming.

When I tried to escape, I was beaten black and blue. At times they would even lock me in an enclosure depriving me of food and water. This continued until I was seventeen. I couldn’t tolerate the pain anymore. They had a Dog who played with me often. One day, as I sat weeping alone, he snuggled up to me, his warmth and affection melted my pain. At that moment, I forgot everything and realized something deep – animals can show more kindness than humans. This dog helped me escape and also enabled me to arrest this couple for torturing me.

Although the physical wounds faded after some time, the mental scars remained. Nevertheless, I joined an animal shelter, dedicating myself to those who can’t speak for themselves. A few years later, you appointed me. Although I wanted to be around animals and birds, I was against keeping them in cages. Hence I was a bit skeptical about joining, but I finally joined.

During my stay here, these creatures became my friends. I could feel their pain confined to cages. Several times I tried to speak to you but couldn’t. A few days back, I saw an Asian Cuckoo shedding tears. I opened the cage, took it in my palms and tried to feed but it did not have. It kept fluttering its wings looking at the sky. I understood what it was asking for. It was unhappy staying in the cage for Its home was the vast sky. Sir, there are many similar instances I can…..”  Rohit paused…He saw Mr. Khanna’s eyes were closed and his hand hung over the edge of the bed. Khanna had breathed his last.

Mr. Khanna’s son left for the USA after the final rites. The sanctuary was now entirely Rohit’s responsibility. He began taking care of it and gradually brought in changes, starting with the decision to free all the birds from their cages.

The minute the cage door whined open, the birds began flapping their wings, filling the air with their sharp cries. Breaking free from captivity, one of them flew and sat on the branch of a tree, looking around, the sunlight kissing the entire frame.  

It then spread its wings and ascended into the gigantic blue sky with other birds in a cacophony of freedom.  

Rohit’s happiness knew no bounds. A part of him had already healed. Now it was time to free other creatures - lions, tigers, monkeys and bears locked in cages for years. Though the deer, peacocks, goats and horses could move freely, they, too, were unhappy in confinement.

When Rohit spoke to these animals about freedom, it seemed as though they understood his words. A wave of happiness was evident on each of their faces.

Rohit informed the forest authorities who came with their vans to take these caged animals. The lion quickly got into the vehicle knowing he would be free soon. The monkeys and bears jumped into their respective vans except for one of the tigers. It stayed in the cage, weeping and refusing to step out.

“Aww. I know my dear, it is not the cage you don’t wish to leave but me. I am well aware you love me as much as I do. But your home isn’t this place darling. It is the forest. Staying in this cage will bring no happiness. Go out in the open and be with your friends, play with them in the open space. I will come to visit you. It’s a promise.” Rohit said, cupping the tiger’s face into his palms.

The tiger stepped out of its cage and got into the vehicle. Soon the deer, peacocks, goats and horses followed.

Seeing all the empty cages, a profound sense of fulfilment and healing washed over Rohit. For the first time, he felt completely healed from within. All the scars seemed to disappear in an instant. His lips smiled ear-to-ear and his once-withered expression now blossomed. Every part of him was dancing with joy.

With the available funds, Rohit transformed the place into a beautiful one. He made a park for children to play and a space for the senior citizens to walk and relax. Following Mr. Khanna’s suggestions, he also made a beautiful flower garden where different species of flowers bloomed. Colourful roses, lilies, a variety of orchids, marigolds, and Jasmin. 

Looking at Rohit’s enthusiasm and good work, several organisations stepped forward to support him in maintaining the park and the garden.

The Asian Cuckoo visited Rohit once in a while, making him feel happy. Most importantly leaving him in awe of these speechless creatures who knew the value and importance of gratitude, unlike humans who forget to express it, taking things for granted.

Rohit realized that while he had freed others, they also freed him – from his inner scars, pain, sorrow, and loneliness. A deep sense of peace washed over him, filling his heart with loads of gratitude.

He found true solace, rejoicing in life once again, with a new understanding of the deep connection between freedom and happiness.