As a concern citizen of this great country I would also like to join the national debate on this very crucial issue, “whether peacock and peahen do have sex for reproduction or whether their procreation is done when the peahen consumes the tears of the peacock”. For the last two /three days many TV channels and newspapers carry this story. Even the social media has become wild to find out the truth?
This national issue sparked off when retiring Justice Mahesh Chand of Rajasthan High Court, opined that the peacock was declared the national bird because it does not mate with a peahen to procreate, the peahen simply drinks the tears of the peacock to get conceived. He made this remark on the day of his retirement. He also made a remark about the cow; I am deliberately avoiding “cow” because it is a very sensitive issue as it is loved by all differently.
Do you think that Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma is a duffer? He knows what he is talking about. On the day of his retirement he made himself very innocuously the national news, that too on issues very close to the present dispensation. What else do you want ? He is more intelligent than many of us. He has used media including social media for his own promotion without sending a single penny. What an idea Sirji ! If you want to promote yourself like this in the media through advertisements you would have spent lacs. Our superannuating judges may also learn from the sapient experience of Justice Mahesh Chandji . Even the Supreme Court Judges might have been inspired by his idea .
Frankly speaking I have not seen peacock – peahen having sex ;I mean live. I haven’t got the opportunity to see such scenes even in Discovery or Animal Planet or National Geographic. A few days back only when India Today(TV) started showing a clipping of peacock having intercourse with the peahen, I could see the action for the first time in my life. Thanks to India Today. The peacock jumps upon the peahen just for a few seconds and thus the work is over. This clipping was showing again and again to educate our educated ignorants like me.
I became curious to know whether all the animals do indulge in sex for procreation. Then I have stated surfing the internet to find the truth. Not all the animals have sex for reproduction. Many fishes on earth do not indulge in sex but still reproduce. However peacocks impregnate peahens through intercourse that is final.
The Indian Peacock, pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colorful bird, with beautiful velvet feathers and a slender neck. The male of the species is more colorful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated feathers. The female brownish and slightly smaller than the male and lacks tail. The dance of male fanning the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight (Manorama).
Our chief minister has requested our journo(es) that, “good news and happy news may be made front page stories and bad news may be buried inside”. To a certain extent reporters may oblige our CM by changing the style of reporting till the next party. For instance instead of “Nongin is the state bird which is now extinct” it can be reported as “ Nongin is the immortal state bird”. In lieu of “Imphal East flooded” it can be “ Children enjoying flood water and ladies catching fishes in Imphal east “.
Some more facts about the peacocks are – they never shed tears. Their mating season is one of the longest; it is about 9 months (January to September); perhaps next to humans which is only 12 months a year! Peafowls also indulge in group sex called the lek system but the peahens have the right to choose their partners. She can have sex with the guy she wants and fly away. What a privilege!
Peacock is the national bird. Female activists are not very enthusiastic about it; they wonder why can’t it be peahen? They grumble, ‘male members of the society might have decided it’. I also support their sentiment; why can’t it be the peahen? Or why can’t it be the tigress as national animal? At least some kind of balance must be maintained. But I think lotus (national flower) is female. We can have a separate national debate on it.
Source: The Sangai Express
