Finding Nimu

Gurudeva gave us the Shum word nimu to describe "a devotee, a peaceful person." Nimu is also an African Grey parrot, recently gifted to the monastery and welcomed by all the monks. This is perhaps the smartest parrot of them all, the one that speaks meaningfully and contextually. Check out this YouTube video to see how smart they are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yGOgs_UlEc

Our Nimu is just 3-4 months old, still a fledgling, a baby (he hatched around the same time Iraivan Temple was consecrated). He lives in the Media Studio, and will soon have a larger aviary as well. He attends all of the morning meetings of the Ganapati Kulam and we find him an adorable member of the team.

Three days ago, he said his first word: "Nimu!" However, You can imagine our worry when just a few hours later, he was on Tillainathaswami's shoulder taking his regular walk between our buildings when he was startled by an electric vehicle. Nimu has trimmed flight feathers (a law for large birds in Hawaii), but off he flew! Right, he was not supposed to fly; he was a baby who has never flown, and his flight feathers wouldn't fully regrow for another year, but fly he did. Off he went hundreds of feet into the wilderness. A 10-monk search team (complete with a drone) failed to find him, and we thought him lost. It is extremely rare for a baby bird unfamiliar with an area to be able to navigate well enough to return, or even survive at all.

The next day, after prayers in the temple and a special outreach to Detaza (the deva who can find anything), a small miracle occurred when a clumsy-looking, chubby bird was seen passing overhead. Upon calling his name, he would squeak back. We did this over and over until we found him, up some 100 feet in a tree. Since he doesn't really know how to fly yet, he doesn't know how to descend. All he could do is go from tree to tree, trying to get a little lower each time. After lots of coaxing, he gained the courage to fly to a lower tree, a palm tree, another lower tree, another palm tree, and then finally dropped into Tillainathaswami's arms (see video of this moment).

Traumatized by a night alone in the rain and darkness, and tremendously hungry, he gulped down his grain/seed slurry, getting half of it inside and half of it on his feathered body. So a warm shower ensued, and lots of "welcome back" with a little party for the monks to celebrate his return. This morning, Nimu was back at the morning meeting, seeming to appreciate it more than ever. We certainly appreciated him more than ever.

The moment Nimu makes it back after a day of being lost:

Nimu at the morning meeting in the Media Studio, before his adventure in the wild.

Off he flew (full disclosure, this may or may not be a Shutterstock photo of a mature African Grey in flight)

That may be Nimu in the tree, the red spot near the center of the photo.

To encourage him to come down from his arboreal heights, monks brought out his indoor cage, something he would be familiar with and that would convey safety to him.

He mostly eats grains made into a mush.

Let\

s have a shower.'

Welcome home, Nimu.

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