Don't cage the parrot

It could lead to unhappy birds and even unhappier owners

It’s not known whether R M Lodha, former chief justice of the Supreme Court is an avid bird watcher. But his much-celebrated reference, in May 2013, to a “caged parrot” suggests he is one. Over five years later, Justice Lodha’s evocative phrase has started doing the rounds once again, suggesting two things: While years of captivity seem to have stunted the bird at New Delhi’s CGO Complex, the one on Mumbai’s Mint Road is once again using its sharp beak to resist persistent attempts to cage it.

Before coming to his conclusion, one assumes Justice Lodha had keenly observed the generally