"கூடி வாழ்ந்தால் கோடி நன்மை" ~ Tree Birds

 

A  tree with many branches and green foliage is always attractive ! 

.. .. add something more to it – the birds, not simply birds – many in no. and in variety too !!  ~  a photographer’s delight !

 

Thangaraj is an innocent man from a middle-class family, consisting of his wife Meenakshi and daughter Padma. Boxer Krishnan, an irresponsible person with dreams of making it big in politics, is Thangaraj's younger brother and is married to Kanagavalli. Sivaraman is Thangaraj's youngest brother, who is well-educated and works at the same company where Thangaraj works, which is owned by Valluvardasan. They all live in a single house as a joint family. 

In this picture, one can spot : Ardeidae; Pelicandae & Phalacrocoracidae !!!   

 

•       White birds – Ardeidae  - Cattle Egrets. They have the compact egret shape, relatively short necks when perched, and stout yellow bills.  

•       Large bird [seen at the bottom – somewhat hidden] – Pelicandae -  with the long yellow bill and throat pouch (centre-lower part of the tree) – Spot-billed Pelican.

•       Black bird perched prominently on the upper right – Phalacrocoracidae -    an Indian Cormorant based on its relatively slender bill and long-tailed silhouette.   

What makes the photograph particularly interesting is visibility of  different waterbird families sharing the same nesting/perching tree.  It's a lovely "community tree" scene. 

"A tree full of neighbours — Cattle Egrets, a Spot-billed Pelican and a vigilant Cormorant, all sharing the same canopy." 

"கூடி வாழ்ந்தால் கோடி நன்மை" என்பது "மனிதர்கள் அனைவரும் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் இணைந்து, ஒற்றுமையுடன் வாழ்ந்தால் எண்ணற்ற நன்மைகள் கிடைக்கும்" என்ற ஆழமான பொருளை உணர்த்தும் மிகச்சிறந்த தமிழ்ப் பழமொழி 

The plot description at the start is of the movie  -  Koodi Vazhnthal Kodi Nanmai (transl. Unity is propitious), comedy drama film directed by V. Sekhar released in 2000. The film starred Nassar, Karan, Khushbu, Roja, Vadivelu, Vivek and Kovai Sarala (in her 100th Tamil film).   The film was remade in Kannada as Jenu Goodu. 

 

Regards – S Sampathkumar

4.7.2026